Bulletin of the Department of Secondary-School Principals | of the NATIONAL EDUCATION: ASSOCIATION - VoLUME 20 «May; 1936 NUMBER 62: "|i CONTENTS Abstracts of Doctors’ Theses: car Literature of Advanced School Readers ph pteranitin onstifn: G Publie-School Principalship..... SE SRO, SFB" Functional Thinking in Elementary Alora . fois Pe Me 8. Turnover Among Teachers...... ’ ERT 23k. 9 Selecting School Books. . Pa ji High-School Education and Use’ wry PB Nis Time. Parsee > ay Junior High-School Costs........ : 14 Activities of Parent-Teacher Associations 15 Organization Plans Compared. Spt sna oe 17 Interests and School Suecess.... $-aiarhatarenicte 18 Instruction in‘ English.. vad AQ. Teachers’ Colleges and Liberal Arts. Colleges Compared.. aceon 22° Student Government... 23 Leisure Time Activities of under High-School Girls oii eens 24 Digests from, Professional Periodicals | 29 Digests from Lay Magazines 37° National Honor Soertty: Leadership; Projects; Correspondence; Warning Department Matters: ‘Portland Meeting Program: Price Lists; Book-of-the-Quarter Club; /Conmenere Union; Allied. eb ett PEAS 64 ff. Book Notices iesaiare SD.” fl February (1987) Meeting....2.:.2...%.. cat Kote d's ah Iseued Times ¥ oe asta Sea oe 60 Cents if -. 7 $2.00 a Year thawed March, April May, sind December Published at 182 North Walmut Sides, Datville, Ill, by the Department of eta aie cep ipals. of the National ucation af Assoc: on { ¢ $836 Kimbark Avenue, Chicago Gearing as second-clase matter’ November 15, ‘1934, at the post office Tsate unday the, et af Sages 1%): Rageuainns he Seay, oe Peel sae of postage, aris for in Section tober is, 136 puaenaty 28, 1925, authorized Nov Mid-Winter Meeting FEBRUARY, 1937 New Orleans, La. THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY FEBRUARY 18-21, 1937 HEADQUARTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, JUNG HOTEL, NEW ORLEANS. All Sessions Will Be Held in the Jung Hotel. 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POY} QUD}LOd WA st 7] aWVN :syuvdns09 wooy Aqenigay Sulaliy Ssquaqdv LaguLs wooy :SUOIPBAISAI [3}0Y Surmopjoy oy} ayeur A[pury 2qoorjspuey ‘I_ 1v9q *(Aep aad) *(Aep aad) ‘eT ‘suvajIQ MON ‘Je}0H Sune ‘sabouvp ‘LATULSANV’T “I “WV “a (@;QB[LBaAw aw swiood ajZuts JO saaquinu pejiwty B ATUO !swWoOOs BTqnOop yo AJUBdNd20 10J apeU aq P[NOYs syUsWaZUBIIe ‘aTqIssod s9A27104 M) 19307] Gune—saajuvnbpvayy uoiuasauoy LE6l ‘12-81 AUVNAAAA— VI ‘SNVATUO MAN STVdIONIdd TOOHOS-AUVGNOOUS AO LNAWLYVddd ‘VAN MNVI1d NOILVAMASAA TALOH WINVHS ‘H S morsf YuUD}]Q SrYt uipzqo) yunrig CO qd ‘uoouys~eM “MN “IS yp,Uus23xIS LOTT “AN > + fo quaumjavdag ay} fo shurjzaout ay} sof finys 07 Bursisop asoyu.L Bulletin of the Department of SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS of the National Education Association Issued Five Times a Year January, March, April, May, and December VOLUME 20 MAY, 1936 NUMBER 62 BULLETIN NO. 62 CONTENTS Abstracts of Doctors’ Theses: Literature of Advanced School Readers....................-......- 5 Public-School Principalship ; Functional Thinking in Elementary Algebra Turnover Among Teachers Selecting School Books High-School Education and Use of Leisure Time Junior High-School Costs...................---.-ssecsecsccscsseeesccecees 14 Activities of Parent-Teacher Associations Organization Plans Compared.................-.----00--0++s000---000+ 17 Interests and School Success......................--00000000000-0eeeeeeees 18 Instruction in English Teachers’ Colleges and Liberal Arts Colleges Compared 22 Student Government Leisure Time Activities of Junior High-School Girls......24 Digests from Professional Periodicals Digests from Lay Magazines National Honor Society: Leadership; Projects; Corre- ' spondence; Warning Department Matters: Portland Meeting Program; Price Lists; Book-of-the-Quarter Club; Consumers’ Union; Allied Youth THE CONTENTS OF THIS BULLETIN ARE LISTED IN EDUCATION INDEX Published at 132 North Walnut Street, Danville, Ill., by the _ Department of Secondary-School Principals of the National Education Association 5835 Kimbark Avenue, Chicago $2.00 A YEAR 50 Cents Secretaries of State Organizations Affiliated with the DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS W. L. SPENCER, Department of Education, Montgomery, Alabama. V. E. SAMMONS, Senior High School, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. HARRY G. HANSELL, 2694 Twenty-third Avenue, San Francisco, California. J. FRED ESSIG, Junior-Senior High School, Longmont, Colorado. T. E. CURRAN, Sheridan Junior High School, New Haven, Connecticut. R. E. Hoop, Glynn Academy, Brunswick, Georgia CHARLES D. LUTZ, Horace Mann School, 6th and Garfield, Gary, Indiana. JAMES E. BLUE, Senior High School, Rockford, Illinois. JAMES M. STERRETT, Warren Harding Junior High School, Des Moines, Iowa. G. C. DOTZOUR, Wichita High School North Wichita, Kansas. DUKE W. YOUNG, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. HARRISON C. LYSETH, State House, Augusta, Maine. WILLIAM D. SPRAGUE, High School, Melrose, Massachusetts. O. E. JOHNSON, High School, _ Ishpeming, Michigan. CHARLES W. BOARDMAN, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. ROBERT RUNGE, Senior High School, Springfield, Missouri. CLAYTON E. ROSE, Hamilton, New York. G. HARVEY NICHOLLS, High School, Bound Brook, New Jersey. B. C. TIGHE, High School, Fargo, North Dakota. L. T. POWELL, High School, Bucyrus, Ohio. CARL C. CRESS, Harding Junior High School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. S. F. BALL, Franklin School, Portland, Oregon. WALTER E. HEss, Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. GEORGE M. FRANDSEN, Eastern High and Training School, Madison, South Dakota. ELIZABETH FITZGERALD, West High School, Salt Lake City, Utah. ROBERT N. MILLET, High School, Springfield, Vermont. G. N. PORTER, Garfield High School, Seattle, Washington. ARTHUR V. G. UPTON, High School, Morgantown, W. Va. J. H. McNEEL, High School, Beloit, Wisconsin. CHESTER W. HOLMES, Langley Junior High School, Washington, D. C. Abstracts of Doctors’ Theses Davis, Vincent Alexander. The Literature of Advanced School Readers in the United States, 1785-1900, Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1934. 233 pp. This study presents the results of an historical survey of the literature of advanced school-readers in the United States, from 1785 to 1900, and an evaluation of the literature found. Four subsidiary problems were also studied: (1) The extent to which the school readers have attempted to serve the interests of the child; (2) The importance that compilers have attached to literature; (3) The extent to which reader content has re- flected certain factors of national growth; and (4) The readers that are typical of reader content for each decennium. The author of the study analyzed the readers in the four libraries which together have what is reputed to be the most nearly complete textbook collection in the country. He then located additional material through the codperation of state universities and private and semi-private libraries. In the identification and evaluation of the literature found in the school-readers, material from any writer whom the literary critics have included in their lists of writers under the caption of “literature” or “literary criticism” was accepted as litera- ture. The sources relied upon were Moulton, Chambers, Garrett, and Gosse, and the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Literature, English and American. The writers of material found in school-readers were checked not only with these sources, but also against seven anthologies of English literature and seven of American literature that are of use in literature survey courses in the colleges and universities of the country. The writers were then classified as universally recognized, fre- quently recognized, occasionally recognized, and seldom recog- nized. Through the use of such a standard of classification, the literature of each period was evaluated. The literary material was not only identified and classified, but it was also presented under the following divisions: (1) Verse and prose; (2) Whole 5 6 ABSTRACTS OF DOCTORS’ THESES and part-whole, (3) Informational and non-informational, (4) Didactic and non-didactic. The study reveals that from the beginning the compilers of school-readers have recognized literature as an essential fea- ture of textbook content. Moreover, the compilers have shown a desire to present not only “literature’’ but literature of a high degree of excellence. It is true that some inferiority in liter- ary quality is to be found in particular periods, but it seems logical to attribute this inferiority to the temporary emergence of certain objectives, such as the didactic, rather than to a failure to recognize the importance of literature. Notwithstanding the occasional emergence of objectives that have tended to cause a temporary increase in mediocre and inferior literature, the entire period covered by the study shows a persistent tendency toward literary content and, after 1860, a gradual refinement of literary quality. From the beginning, the compilers of school-readers have desired to present material which might appeal to the needs and interests of children. However, during the period stud- ied, most of the compilers selected the material arbitrarily, and the few who were disinclined to base the selection on their own judgment, relied upon a consensus of teacher opinion rather than pupil opinion. Of eight arbitrarily selected factors of national growth— agrarianism, educational, economics, religion, temperance, slav- ery, war and peace, and national consciousness—only national consciousness and religion seem to have been conspicuously emphasized in the content material of the school-readers. Pierce, Paul R. The Origin and Development of the Public School Principalship, Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1934, 224 pp. (University of Chicago Press, 1935.) Purpose of the investigation.—The purpose of the study was to trace, in their functional aspects, the growth of the ma- jor duties and powers of the public-school principal and the conditions which gave impetus to their development. Data and technique.—The data for the study were ob- tained from the published annual reports and proceedings of school boards and their executive officers in twelve large cities. DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 7 These cities were selected, after a sampling of the reports of more than twenty large cities, not only on the basis of their present size, but on their prominence and the ranking of their school systems during the early development of American pub- lic schools. The content of the reports covered a period of school history of more than one hundred years. In the main, the principles of historical technique were utilized. The statistical method, however, was employed as an auxiliary aid wherever mass data could be utilized in showing trends. The major phases of development, treated in separate chapters, were classified as follows: (1) Administrative re- sponsibilities, (2) Supervisory functions, (3) Relationships to general and special supervisors, (4) Community leadership, (5) Personnel of the principalship, and (6) Professional status. Findings and conclusions.—The growth of cities, causing rapid increases in enrollments and the numbers and sizes of schools, was a significant factor in the early development of the principalship. It resulted in the delegation, by superintend- ents, of local supervision to principals. The grading of schools led to the introduction of courses of study, revealed the obsta- cles to continuity of work caused by separate departments, and indicated the necessity for having a single directing head of the school. The new and growing cities of the West were gen- erally the first to adopt the unified school, though most large cities had embraced this policy by 1860. The freeing of the principal from classroom teaching was another important step. It was usually initiated by establishing a head-assistant who first relieved the principal of part of his teaching duties. In many large cities, principals were freed from all classroom teaching duties by 1870. At first administrative duties of the principal were mainly clerical in character. Even after being freed from classroom teaching and receiving clerical assistance, principals continued to be occupied chiefly with administrative duties of a routine nature. Prior to 1900, principals had gained recognition as the administrative heads of their schools, but made little ef- fort to assume effective supervisory leadership although en- -couraged to do so by superintendents. They permitted general and special supervisors to function only through the principal’s office. ABSTRACTS OF DOCTORS’ THESES It was not until about 1912 that principals generally began to sense their responsibilities for educational leadership. Im- petus was given the movement by the formation of the Secon- dary and Elementary Departments of school principals in the National Education Association. As individuals, and in asso- ciations, principals have begun to study their problems and to evaluate the results of their work. The principalship is cur- rently attaining professional status. Pyke, Alfred Joseph. Functional Thinking and the Study of Functional Relations in Elementary Algebra. Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1935. 415 pp. The study is built around the aim of functional depend- ence as the central theme in the presentation of mathematics at the secondary level. The author defines this concept as used in modern mathematics, analyzes its method of thinking and designs a series of lessons covering two years’ work in ele- mentary algebra in which the functional concept is the central and unifying principle. A considerable portion of the investi- gation is given over to carefully thought out and well-illus- trated topics of approach. These topics or lessons were taught to a class of pupils throughout Grades IX and X. Six control classes were em- ployed, three of which were in the same school as the central group. They were Grades X, XI, and XII. Two other Grade X classes were in another school, and a first year group at the university who were studying an elementary course in mathe- matical analyses completed the list. The Terman Group Test of Mental Ability was adminis- tered to all pupils. For the basis of comparison, the three Grade X classes were grouped to form a single control unit with a mean mental age of sixteen years, eight months, while the mean mental age for the experimental group was sixteen years, seven months. Scores on these pupils at the end of their elementary school studies showed that there was no significant difference in their arithmetical efficiency. All four Grade X classes were taught the same topics throughout the two years of the study. The only essential dif- ference in the presentation of elementary algebra to these four DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 9 classes was due to the emphasis upon functional approach for the experimental group. To estimate and compare progress in elementary algebra and functional thinking, the author used the Breslich Algebra Survey Tests, First Semester and Second Semester, Form A, and the Breslich Functional Thinking Test. The scores from the survey tests were so arranged that progress and success of the pupils could be compared on three levels of ability for the experimental tenth grade class and for the other three tenth grades combined as a control group. The Breslich Functional Test was given to all the groups, that is, it included the Grade XI and XII classes as well as the first year university group. The upper group in the experimental section made the best advance. The inference is that the broader viewpoint incident to the study of functional relations makes for better results. Corresponding results occur in the inter-quartile group. For the lower group, the records do not show any substantial gain. On the Breslich Functional Thinking Test, the experimen- tal group compared favorably with that of the first year uni- versity class and was superior to that of the Grade X and XI classes. There was evidence of some transfer of training in functional thinking from elementary algebra to other branches of study. As the author states, “The study of functional re- lations * * * provides for an evaluation of a sequence of gener- alizations about number.” Specifically he concludes that the experimental class pro- duced a broader viewpoint, manipulated symbols more skill- fully, understood elementary functional correspondences, en- gaged readily in functional thinking and fundamental concepts, analyzed and generalized better, and possessed a greater social value of mathematics. Simon, Donald Lionel. Turnover Among Teachers in the Smaller Secondary Schools of Indiana. Department of Edu- cation, University of Chicago, 1935. 212 pp. (University of Chicago Press, 1935.) The purposes of the investigation were (1) To determine the amount of turnover among teachers, the average length of tenure, and the relation between turnover and qualifications; 10 ABSTRACTS OF DOCTORS’ THESES (2) To make an analysis of the causes of turnover; and (3) To discover various ways of eliminating avoidable turnover. A study of teacher-lists in the annually published Indiana School Directory revealed in 1931 a turnover rate of 35.2 per cent among staff members in the township secondary schools and a rate of 16.4 per cent among those in the town secondary schools. A tabulation of data from the principals’ annual re- ports on file in the office of the state superintendent of public instruction showed that in 1932-33 the median tenure of town- ship teachers and administrators was 2.91 years, while that of town teachers and administrators was 4.31 years. Data on ex- perience, training, and salaries, taken from the principals’ an- nual reports, indicated that the schools usually retained their more experienced and higher-paid teachers and higher-paid ad- ministrators, frequently lost their more experienced admin- istrators, and neither lost nor gained with respect to the amount of training possessed by the groups remaining and withdrawing. County and town superintendents were interviewed to ob- tain the causes of turnover from 1927 to 1933, covering the period the teacher-tenure law was in effect in the township schools. It was found that teachers and administrators were dismissed (1) To avoid permanent tenure, (2) By newly-elected township trustees, (3) To be replaced by local applicants, (4) Secause of weakness in discipline, (5) Because of subject com- binations, (6) Because of ‘Politics’, (7) To reduce the staff, (8) Because of deficiencies in personality traits, (9) Because of marriage, and (10) As problem cases in conduct. Staff mem- bers resigned (1) To accept promotions in other systems, (2) To be married, (3) To secure further training, (4) To enter other types of work, and (5) Because of ill-health and related factors. The findings led to the conclusion that greater stabiliza- tion of the teaching personnel would result with (1) The crea- tion of larger attendance and administrative units in order to permit the establishment of larger schools, (2) The election of a county board of education on a non-partisan basis, (3) The careful selection of prospective teachers for smaller schools, (4) The establishment of standards for the guidance of those responsible for arranging teaching majors and teaching pro- grams, (5) The adoption of definite salary schedules recogniz- 2 : 4 } ot ad Se DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 1l ing the qualifications of teachers and varying costs of living, and (6) The substitution of indefinite tenure for permanent tenure in rural and small-town communities. Whipple, Gertrude. Procedures Used in Selecting School Books. Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1935. 175 pp. The chief aim of this study was to make a critical survey of practices in city and state school systems in the selection of books for school use. In the process of making’ the investiga- tion a secondary aim evolved, namely, to devise a means of verifying data collected by the questionnaire method. The data used in the study were mainly secured from ques- tionnaires submitted to school superintendents in all cities of 30,000 population or more and school officials of all the states and outlying possessions of the United States. Supplementary data were requested from two hundred publishers of children’s books for the purpose of comparing the merits of different books and of preparing score cards. In an attempt to validate data secured by the question- naire method, the “correspondence-verification technique” was employed. The application of this technique consisted in (1) Asking preliminary questions pertinent to the study, (2) Re- questing more information from those school officials whose first responses indicated a willingness to codperate, (3) Inter- preting the data and summarizing on blanks, and (4) Return- ing summarized data to coéperator for verification and addi- tional facts. The facts secured in the survey of city school systems in- dicate that there is a lack of uniformity with respect to the personnel making the selection of books. In some city systems the responsibility of selection rests with the principals and teachers; in others, central staff members such as the assistant superintendent and supervisors assume the responsibility. Fre- quently the responsibility is divided between the teaching and central staffs. Variation also exists among the cities with respect to pro- cedures employed in the selection of books. Procedures vary from superficial to scientific methods. In general, more care 12 ABSTRACTS OF DOCTORS’ THESES is exercised in the selection of textbooks than in the selection of recreational-reading books. Facts gleaned from information supplied by state school officials reveal that the most serious difficulties encountered in selecting books for state school systems are caused by adop- tion of a single textbook throughout the state, political influ- ences, and cumbersome legal regulations. Often the member- ship of state textbook commissions include persons unqualified for their responsibilities. Moreover, commission members fre- quently work independently. There is considerable contrast between state procedures of selecting textbooks and those employed by city systems. State school systems stress the physical makeup of textbooks, whereas city systems are more concerned with content. State systems make less use of score-card evaluations than do the city school systems. A method of voting to decide selection is more prevalent in state systems. Present practices in the selection of books for school use, as revealed by this study, indicate a need for more competent selecting agencies and for improved methods of evaluation. Chin, Shu-jung. Relationship Between Certain High- School Subjects and the Out-of-School Activities of the Stu- dents. Teachers College, Columbia University. New York, 1934. 99 pp. To what extent does a high-school education contribute to the students’ immediate use of leisure? The present thesis is an attempt to answer this question, to measure the contribu- tion of the high school to the students’ immediate use of leisure in terms of the relationship between the subjects the students are studying or have studied in school and their out-of-school activities. The procedure of the study was as follows: 1700 copies of a suitable questionnaire were distributed among students of two high schools, one in the Borough of Queens, 45 minutes from Manhattan, with an enrollment of about 7000; the other in a small town in New Jersey with an enrollment of about 500. Only one-third of all the questionnaires were answered and re- DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 13 turned. From 621 filled-out questionnaires the following con- clusions were drawn. The difference between the students who have taken a sub- ject and those who have not taken it, both in the relative num- ber of individuals participating in the activities related to that subject and in the frequency of participating in these activities are in most cases very slight. However, there does exist some relationship between school instruction and the extra-school leisure-time activities of the students. The relationship is most marked in activities related to music, art, and the sciences, less in activities related to mathe- matics and the social studies, and least in reading in connection with English. In the foreign languages, although both the relative num- ber of individuals who read about the countries whose lan- guages they have studied is very small, the differences between the language-group and the non-language-group are distinct, since the former alone manifests such interest. Where individuals with school instruction in a certain sub- ject exceed those without such instruction in the relative num- ber participating in an activity, they also tend to exceed the latter in the frequency of participation. The relationship between school instruction and out-of- school activities is more marked with students taking a subject for a second year than with those taking the subject for only one year. In activities related to biology, art, music, and his- tory, the differences between the two-or-more-year group and the one-year group are as great as and even greater than the difference between the one-year group and those with no for- mal instruction in the subject concerned. A greater percentage of boys are interested in activities related to chemistry, physics, and the social studies than girls, while a greater percentage of girls are interested in activities related to music and art than boys. The amount of time at the students’ free disposal does not seem to have any effect on the relationship between school in- struction and extra-school pursuits. Students who are gain- fully employed or otherwise occupied for five to thirty or more hours a week tend to participate in the various activities just i net ttc i Sit " en ne ae ee _— 14 ABSTRACTS OF DocToRsS’ THESES as much as those who are not thus occupied for less than five hours a week. . In general, interests in the different fields tend to go to- gether rather than thwart one another. Those who possess in- terests in one field tend to be interested at the same time in other fields. Junior High-School Costs. Teachers New York City, Teachers Col- (Contributions to Gooch, Wilbur I. College, Columbia University. lege, Columbia University, 1934. 160 pp. Education, No. 604.) Past investigations have sought to discover the financial consequences of shifting a school system from the traditionai type of organization to the junior school type. This present study seeks to answer the question, What are the factors af- fecting the cost of education in the’funior high-school type of organization as distinguished from the traditional type? It seeks to answer this question without recourse to certain as- sumptions hitherto made, and by relating variations in cost more specifically than has hitherto been done to the factors which apparently determine these variations. The study is limited to costs per pupil in average daily attendance for cur- rent expense in junior high schools organized on the 6-3-3 basis in cities of 5,000 or more total population in six eastern states. The mean per pupil costs in 107 6-3-3 systems were found to be $96.23 in grades kindergarten to 6; $128.80 in grades 7 to 9; $162.23 in grades 10 to 12; and $114.46 in grades k to 6. The junior high-school grades (7, 8 and 9) show an average cost about midway between costs in grades k to 6 and 10 to 12. This finding is in substantial agreement with the investigation reported in the Fifth Yearbook of the Department of Superin- tendence. Although per pupil costs in the junior high-school unit ex- ceed per pupil costs in the elementary unit in 6-3-3 systems, the costs in these organizations as a whole are substantially the same as in 8-4 organizations, and in 6-3-3 systems costs in grades 7 to 9 bear a ratio to costs in grades k to 6 which is al- most identical with the ratio in 8-4 systems. This indicates DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 15 that the cost effects of these two types of organization are such that the determination of whether or not a system shall re- main 8-4 or shall shift to the 6-3-3 plan must rest upon consid- erations other than those of a financial nature, so far as cur- rent expense is concerned. Frequently many of the educational offerings commonly associated with junior high schools are provided in school sys- tems which retain the traditional 8-4 organization. Appar- ently, however, the 6-3-3 type of organization provides a situa- tion which, if clearly recognized and intelligently administered, will probably permit the provision of educational offerings characteristic of the junior high-school idea at a lower per pupil cost than in the 8-4 organization. Holbeck, Elmer Scott. An Analysis of the Activities and Potentialities for Achievement of the Parent-Teacher Associa- tion, with Recommendations. Teachers College, Columbia Uni- versity. New York City. Teachers College, Columbia Univer- sity, 1934. 126 pp. (Contributions to Education No. 601.) “Since its tentative beginnings as early as 1855, in the mothers’ clubs and reading circles that grew up in connection with the first kindergartens, the movement for Parent-Teacher Association in all types of schools has grown until it has as- sumed an importance which makes it a factor to be reckoned with in a general consideration of educational policies in the United States. We find the Parent-Teacher Association dif- fused throughout the entire country, with an official national organization which alone numbers 1,511,203 individual mem- bers, while many other thousands of parents belong to inde- pendent organizations which carry on similar work but are not affiliated with the National Congress. At its inception the Mothers’ Club was designed primarily to help its members learn more about the nature and nurture of the child; but as such organizations multiplied and spread into the elementary and high schools and as social conditions changed, for women especially, this primary purpose was lost sight of in the pressure of other interests of a more active kind. The diffusion of interests was such as to amount to a virtual abandonment of the principles of the founders, although these ee en ne eee 16 ABSTRACTS OF DOCTORS’ THESES were still acknowledged and remained a latent force in the or- ganization. The official national organization, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, founded in 1897, did very little to check this diffusion of interests, and while working for extension of the Parent-Teacher movement did not formulate a constructive and unified program for its members which would have assisted and guided them to realize the poten- tialities inherent in the original conception. Consequently, the Association has not to this day fully developed its possibilities as a social force. “Meanwhile, however, the educators, who, on the whole, had been indifferent or hostile towards the Parent-Teacher As- sociation, have under the influence of modern educational the- ory come to view it in a new light. Many of the most forward- looking among them now regard it as a medium for the parent education which is vital to the success of the modern school. And many leaders of the Parent-Teacher Association are also realizing that this program of parent education represents the most fruitful contribution which the Association can make to the welfare of the child. As yet, however, there is no wide- spread reflection of these opinions of the educators and leaders in the work carried on by the rank and file of local Associa- tions. Nor is there any concerted propaganda to bring about a re-orientation of program and activities which shall unify theory aad lagging practice. “There would, therefore, seem to be necessary at this point a re-statement of principles and purposes in order that the aims of the organization might be achieved and its activi- ties directed toward definite accomplishment. Furthermore, a relationship between school administration and Parent-Teacher Association needs to be established which will enable parents to be admitted to a legitimate participation in the educational process on one hand while on the other the school authorities can maintain their expert status. Only by a directed attempt to achieve this end can the Parent-Teacher Association justify its existence, its program, organization, and cost of mainte- nance, “As an existing organization within the limits of which much might be accomplished, the Parent-Teacher Association has a great potentiality of service. That its activities have lm «gh me DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 17 unfortunately been misdirected to a very great extent impairs the immediate value of its work but does not impair the po- tential value.” (The summary above is an exact copy of the summary made by Mr. Holbeck in the eighth chapter of his thesis.) (After this summary Mr. Holbeck gives a list of “recom- mendations by which the efficiency and value of the Parent- Teacher Association might be increased.’’) Stewart, Hugh Henry. A Comparative Study of the Con- centration and Regular Plans of Organization in the Senior High School. Teachers College, Columbia University. New York City, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1934. 67 pp. (Contributions to Education, No. 600.) Which plan of organization is better for the senior high- school pupil, (1) The regular plan now in general use, of taking four or five subjects, for a daily period of about forty-five min- utes, for a term of about sixteen weeks; or (2) The concentra- tion plan, not now in general use, of taking two subjects, for a daily period of eighty to one hundred ten minutes, for a term of about eight weeks? What would be the effect on the pupil of taking fewer subjects, for a shorter daily period, for a shorter term? Should the concentration plan be substituted for the regular plan? The concentration plan in a variety of forms has been used in many summer high-school sessions and in many colleges, in- cluding the University of Chicago, Hiram College, and Wil- ilamstown Female College. The evidence of its value in these instances is not conclusive. The advantages claimed for the concentration plan are that it will secure broader knowledge and better discipline for the student; that it lays more em- phasis on wholeness of activity, on acquisition of meanings, on purposing and executing, and on the protest against the atomi- zation of activities into brief and discreet periods of activity. But these claims have not been substantiated. . To obtain more satisfactory results the problem was at- tacked experimentally. The school chosen for putting the ex- periment into operation was the high school of Mt. Vernon, New York. The procedure was as follows: First, in the Fall 18 ABSTRACTS OF DocToRsS’ THESES of 1930, a preliminary survey was made to determine finally whether a formal experiment should be made. Ninety pupils entering’ senior high school were taught under the concentra- tion plan (two subjects for one hundred ten minutes daily, for two seven-week terms). Ninety were taught under the regu- lar plan (four subjects, for forty minutes daily, for one four- teen-week term). At the end of this prefiminary experiment examination and standard tests were given both groups of pu- pils. The results of the survey were favorable to the concen- tration plan, indicating that the plan was worthy of further consideration. Therefore in the following year, 1931, the formal experi- ment was undertaken. As in 1930, ninety pupils were taught under the concentration plan and ninety under the regular plan. During the second term the procedure was the same ex- cept that the concentration plan period was eighty minutes. The pupils were thoroughly tested at the close of the experi- ment. ; The evidence so far as related to scholastic achievement showed no pronounced difference for or against the concentva- tion plan as compared with the regular plan. The evidence, however, did favor the eighty-minute period as against the forty and one hundred ten minute periods, student interest be- ing lost in the one hundred ten minute period. Pupils under the regular plan spent twice as much time on home work as those under the concentration plan. Students under the con- centration plan participated more in extra-curriculum activi- ties than those under the regular plan. Most of the pupils in- volved said they were not in favor of the concentration plan. Emphasis should be laid on the fact that the findings favored decidedly the eighty-minute concentration plan. Rothney, John Watson Murray. Interests in Relation to School Success at the High-School Level. Harvard University, 1934. 162 pp. ms. This experiment was designed to discover: first, what re- lationship exists between inventoried interests and school achievement, as measured by teachers’ marks; and second, to determine the effectiveness of combining such measures in forecasting success at the high-school level. DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 19 The need for such an experiment had been demonstrated by citation of the ineffectiveness of other widely used measures that are applied to the prediction of school achievement. These other measures fail to predict successfully because they do not give due consideration to non-intellectual factors that have been shown to have general influence upon achievement in the usual academic subjects. It has been shown that non-intellec- tual factors can be measured, but that their relation to school achievement has not been determined to the extent that an adequate statement can be made concerning the relationship between interests and achievement at the high-school level. The experiment reported was designed to provide such a state- ment. The subjects of the experiment were 455 high-school boys enrolled in the college course in ten high schools of metropoli- tan Boston. All the subjects of the experiment were taking the same courses, namely, English, Latin, French, geometry, and algebra. The marks obtained by the boys in their regular school work were used as the criteria of success in the courses, and an average of these marks was used as the criterion of average scholastic success. The following conclusion was drawn: Interests, general and dominant, traits of personality, and individual intelligence may be measured, but a knowledge of none of them can be used profitably in the prediction of school success. Therefore, it ap- pears that the investigator would spend his energy to greater effort by turning to more promising’ measurement techniques than the interest inventory, and the teacher and counsellor would turn to other means than the interest inventory for the purposes of educational prognosis. Gunn, Mary Agnella. A Technique for Improving Basic Skills in English in High School. University of Iowa. Iowa City, University of Iowa, 1934. 40 pp. (University of Iowa Studies, New Series, No. 266. Studies in Education, Vol. 8.) The status of instruction in English on the high-school level has been justly subjected to searching scrutiny in recent years. Analyses have revealed important data regarding va- rious aspects of the problem, including the objectives of Eng- | | A A dt Stns Seta a tl a Se Anca, ti Se A SE i MO I, ll 20 ABSTRACTS OF DocTors’ THESES lish teaching, the content and organization of courses, the methods, the equipment and materials, the failures, and the causes of failures, and the training of teachers. Of particular interest are the studies regarding deficiencies of high-school pupils and college freshmen. Significant among the causes of failure is incompetency in certain of the basic skills: first, the ability to write correctly, that is, to write grammatically, to spell accurately, and to punctuate in accordance with good us- age; second, the ability to understand the meaning of words; and third, the ability to get the author’s meaning from the printed page. Only a few constructive schemes have been presented; these are partial in one of two ways. Either they are inade- quate in content, being concerned with only one of the skills, or they are partial in scope, being concerned with only one grade level. No study has attempted a comprehensive scheme of in- struction giving training in all of the basic skills on each of the several high-school levels. A modern school of pedagogy contends that the develop- ment of the “whole child” is best accomplished by the subordi- nation of the school subject to a main unifying experience. When sufficient need for any skill arises, the child spontane- ously becomes desirous of that skill. But no organized pro- gram for teaching the fundamental skills exists, however, and much of the learning is supposed to take place incidentally. Several reasons exist for dissatisfaction with such a phi- losophy, which makes no definite provision for mastery of es- sential tool subjects. In the first place, experimental evidence points to the conclusion that the results of incidental learning are inferior to those of directed learning. In the second place, teachers themselves supposedly equipped for their work have been shown to be inept in many of these basic skills. In the third place, the children themselves have only a limited ability to proofread their compositions. Experimental evidence seems to indicate no high degree of efficiency in proofreading on any level. In the fourth place, incidental teaching involves real, painstaking effort on the part of the teacher in order to accom- plish the various objectives. It is hazardous to assume such effort on the part of the average teacher. The present situation in regard to training in the basic skills in English demands a well-directed, systematic mainte- DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 21 nance or drill program in addition to motivated learning. The main objective of the present study was to devise such a pro- gram providing practice in the three basic skills in English and establishing through the entire junior and senior high school the necessary continuity of drills. The findings of various scientific analyses were used in helping to determine what should be the content of these drills; that is, the vocabulary and spelling words to be included, the punctuation situations and the grammatical usages which are most frequent and of most social utility. These exercises were constructed with the aim of giving sufficient practice to insure skill in handling those items which were essential and salient. The procedure followed in this study consisted of three steps. The first step was to obtain a preliminary survey of the abilities possessed in correctness, reading, and vocabulary on the several grade levels by giving in September a battery of four tests to each pupil enrolled in the classes in English from the seventh to the twelfth grades. The second step was the administration throughout the school year of the drill exer- cises. It was determined that a part of one period a week should be devoted to these exercises. The third step was the repetition during the latter part of May of the same prelim- inary battery of four tests, using’, however, another form. The September and May scores were used as a means of measuring the efficiency of this technique and materials. The results were as follows: In dictation there was a de- crease of 74.7% in number of errors in spelling and punctua- tion. In reading there was an increase in proficiency of 40.8%. In vocabulary there was an increase in proficiency of 26.4%. There was a marked increase in ability in every grade meas- ured. Drill on correctness was effective throughout the junior and senior high schools. Skill in reading showed an increase throughout the junior and senior high schools. Drill of spe- cific word lists seemed not only to improve greatly the com- mand of those particular materials, but also to improve knowl- edge of words on which there had been no drill, as a result per- haps of encouraging’ “vocabulary sensitivity”. The drills seemed to stimulate a healthy emotional tone and a desire among the pupils to improve their own previous record on 22 ABSTRACTS OF DOCTORS’ THESES these skills. There was also an apparent carry-over into the pupils’ compositions of improvement in the choice and variety of words and of improvement in general correctness. The final definite conclusion is, then, that the three basic skills, correctness, reading, and vocabulary, can be improved by direct drive such as the one set up in this study. It is highly reasonable, therefore, to recommend that throughout the six grades beginning with the seventh, of training in English such drill work be continued. Bailey, Harold Moore. The Relative Teaching Efficiency of Liberal Arts College Graduates and Teachers College Grad- uates in the Secondary-School Field. Pennsylvania State Col- lege, 1934. Ever since the state teachers colleges began to prepare teachers for the secondary-school field there has been a dispute between them and the liberal arts colleges of the state as to which type of institution does the better job of preparing teachers for the secondary schools. In an effort to secure an answer to this question this study was undertaken. Questionnaires were sent to high-school principals in every county of Pennsylvania. On one questionnaire the principals were asked to list those teachers who had been out of college more than one year and not more than five years, to indicate by an L or T from which type of college the individual had gradu- ated, and by a plus or minus sign whether the teacher in ques- tion was above or below the average in teaching ability. On a second questionnaire the principal was asked to rate each teacher of more than one and not more than five years’ experience on five points, any one of five ratings being possible on each point. These points were as follows: (1) Sound and broad knowledge of subject matter. (2) Command of mehods and techniques necessary to handle classroom situations skill- fully. (3) Disposition and ability to pioneer in pedagogical mat- ters—progressiveness. (4) A pleasing personality which wins respect and confidence. (5) Ability to secure results in form of desirable reactions and pupil progress. A third questionnaire was a return postal card which at- DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 23 tempted to discover the high-school principals’ personal pref- erence. The results of all of the questionnaires show a well defined advantage in favor of the liberal arts college as the training institution for high-school teachers. The second questionnaire showed a superiority in the mat- ter of method on the part of the teachers college graduate. Since the most pronounced superiority in liberal arts train- ing seemed to lie in a knowledge of subject matter and the most pronounced superiority in teachers college training seemed to lie in a command of method, and yet since all questionnaires gave a definite advantage of liberal arts training, it would ap- pear that in the minds of the principals making the rating a knowledge of subject matter is a more important and useful tool than a command of method. The results of this study indicate that if it is necessary to choose between the liberal arts college with its emphasis on subject matter and the teachers college with its emphasis on method, the former institution is the more desirable as a teacher training center. Therefore the ideal teacher should have a substantial and comprehensive background in both. Decker, J. Clarence. Student Participation in School Gov- ernment in the Junior High Schools of New York State. A Study of Status. Syracuse University, 1934. This thesis is an attempt to determine the status of, and to secure suggestions for the management and functioning of, student organization in Junior high school. The study covers the junior high schools of New York State. No attempt is made to establish modes or other central tendencies. Any at- tempt at evaluating procedures is studiously avoided not only in setting up the questionnaires but in interpreting the result. The data for this thesis were obtained by questionnaires. A three-page questionnaire was sent to every registered junior high school listed in Handbook 24 issued by the University of the State of New York. In 87% of the schools included in the preliminary survey, student participation is either encouraged, assisted, or re- I nee ee eatin - ec. ee ee a ~ a i a A ec lh, te oe | { 24 ABSTRACTS OF DOCTORS’ THESES quired. In by far the largest number of schools reporting, ninety to 100 per cent of the teachers and pupils are whole- heartedly coéperating with the student government organiza- tion. Student government organizations are sponsored or su- pervised very largely by junior high-school teachers. Next in order of sponsorship is the principal himself. More than half of the schools reporting have had student government organizations in their school for more than four years. In eighteen schools the organization had been in exist- ence for nine years and over. The infrequency of veto on the part of the school principals and others who possess it would indicate that on the whole students use good judgment and have proved very conservative and sportsmanlike. To set high standards of character and performance, codes of ethics are frequently adopted by both the schools and the individual units in schools. The ideals set forth are kept before the minds of the pupils by awards and discussions and publi- cations. Gessford, Margaret. Social Effectiveness and the Leisure Time Activities of Junior High-School Girls. George Washing- ton University, Master of Arts, 1935. The purpose of this study is to discover the relationship between the social effectiveness of junior high-school girls as tated by their teachers and their classmates and the activities in which they engage outside of school hours. Does social effectiveness determine, in any way, the choice of leisure time activities? Do leisure time activities affect the social effectiveness of junior high-school girls? Can the junior high school do anything about developing the leisure time ac- tivities which contribute to ‘social effectiveness, if any do? If so, how can it help? These and like questions come to mind when administering the extra-curriculum activities program of a large city school. The problem is a pertinent one, since it treats of a phase of character education which is in the educational spotlight at present, and which is receiving the attention not only of the DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 25 educator but of the layman as well. Practically every school has some type of a character education program. A study closely related to this present one is that of Unzicker, whose doctor’s thesis, A Study of Citizenship Traits in the Junior High School, is concerned with listing desirable traits of junior high-school pupils and with working out a usable scale of cer- tain traits upon which to grade pupils in social and work hab- its. These grades indicate the social effectiveness of the pupil graded. The list of traits that Unzicker compiled is used in this study to measure social effectiveness. There are many other studies on leisure time activities and on personality. The writer, however, has not been able to locate any study treating of the relationship between leisure time activities and social effectiveness. The materials and methods used in this present study were the following: A questionnaire on leisure time activities was given to all the girls enrolled in the ninth grade of Hine Junior High School, Washington, D. C., in April, 1934. A so- cial effectiveness rating sheet was then issued to all teachers having’ ninth grade classes. On the rating sheets were the names of all ninth grade girls. The teachers were asked to rate on a five-point scale all the girls they knew well, in each of the ten traits on the scale. The average of the ratings of each girl by the teachers was the teacher-social-effectiveness rating of that girl. After obtaining the teacher-social-effectiveness rating of each girl the next step was to get the rating of each girl by her classmates. To get this information, questionnaires in a sim- pler form were issued to all ninth grade girls. Instead of list- ing ten traits it was decided to list ten questions, each question naming or explaining a trait on the original scale. Sample questions on the social effectiveness were, Is she courteous? Is she dependable? Does she respect the rights of others? Each girl was rated by from none to twenty-one pupils, the median being ten. The correlation between the social effectiveness rat- ings of teachers and pupils was then computed by the Spear- man method of ranks and was found to be .55. McCall in his - book, How to Measure in Education, states that a correlation of .55 is a substantial one. A composite rating was then ob- tained for each girl by averaging the teacher and the pupil rat-