Education of Rural Children

Our job is with the children; we may not be able to do much for the adults. Our schools can encourage and give hope to the children. If a child is to become efficient in the economic world, he must learn early habits of thrift and the social forms necessary to our way of living. Children need acceptance, love, security, and confidence. They want a certain amount of routine; they want to finish a book; they need to feel that they are wanted; that they are accepted in the group; and that they have an important job to do.

awareness.

And most of all they need teachers with Awareness is something animals or plants do not have. It is more spiritual. It is something every good teacher has. If you have cultivated awareness, you will not try to take advantage of your friends and neighbors.

It is not enough to say we will educate the rural child so that he will be better able to assume the responsibility of citizenship in his rural community. We must think big. We cannot foretell the future. A little Mexican boy I taught in an isolated school became a quartermaster in the Army in London and when he returned he became manager of a large home appliance company in Louisiana.

They come to us from everywhere. Arizona enforces attendance during school hours. Many of these children have had less than 25 days of school during the previous year. They slip along from Texas, through Arkansas, and evade attendance officers. One family entered my school just before Thanksgiving. The little girl remembered, "Last year mama would not let us start away until after the Valentine party." I said, "Where have you been from Valentine's Day to Thanksgiving?" and the little boy said, "Oh we've just been a-coming." These boys and girls-some half-starved, many scantily clothed-are dragged about from one camp to another, in school this week and on the road the next. There is no time for the mother to sit down and assure them that this is home and all is well, no life nor companionship with boys and girls they have known a long time, often only the cruel struggle of cotton, hot sun, long hours from daylight to dark or worse, rainy days when no money comes in. The one-room cabin with dirt floor becomes untenable place of crying babies,

an

and a man discouraged and cross because there is no work. No wonder some become "winos"; no wonder fights break out. Yet there are thousands of our potential citizens, bright alert girls and boys. What changed the desert to a productive garden can change the lives of these future citizens. Story of Toltec

I arrived at the school on the second bus one cool December morning. We had picked up 44 children. I had one little child on my lap the last mile, and the principal had to return to pick up 10 more he had left on the road. Donnie, Norma, and little Mary came running. The other bust driver had arrived about 15 minutes before and had driven off for another load.

"Oh, Mrs. Martin, we've got four new ones. One is a big tall Mexican boy-says he's in the 4th grade, but I tried him in the green book Streets and Roads, but he can't read them, so I tried the red book Friends and Neighbors and he can't read them. He said he had a blue book, you know that would be Our New Friends."

"Yes, Donnie, it could be, but it probably is Fun with Dick and Jane."

"Well, he don't know nothing; I guess you'll have to put him back to the first grade."

"Oh, no, Donnie, he wouldn't be happy back there; besides we need a big, tall boy. He could help you maybe."

"Yes, that's right, he could help clean the top shelf. I can't reach it."

And so the boy was accepted before I had seen him. That's what they needacceptance and love and a job to do in a

group.

"But Mrs. Martin," says Norma, "that makes 69 and you said yesterday you just had 65 presents wrapped up for the homeroom Christmas party."

"Oh! never mind Norma, I can stop in town tonight and get some more.' "Maybe some will move away tonight." But nobody did. We had all 69 next day and each got a present. They needed socks and T-shirts, but Christmas must be bright and gay. So I gave the girls shiny barettes. and hair bows and the boys got nice combs in little cases and a red bottle of hair tonic. And everyone got a balloon that blew up into a funny animal. We sang a few Christmas songs, and they went home happy to get ready for the program that evening. We had the most considerate school board I have ever known. We had grand treats of candy, oranges, apples, nuts, and cookies. for every child in school and all the little brothers and baby sisters. Each teacher puts on a little skit or operetta. It is fun to make costumes. The mothers cannot do this because they work from dawn until dark. But they quit early that night so they could come to see their children in the program.

I went in. There he was- a tall,

hand

some Spanish-American from South Texas. "Buenos dias, como esta ustedes?" He turned quickly. No hearing difficulty, I thought, and nothing the matter with those bright eyes that are looking me over so quickly. He bowed politely. "Muy bien, and you?" Oh, these lovely polite Spanish-American children-how dear they are. That was Felipe. Have you a card? Yes, he had. It was marked 4th grade, but down in the corner between the printing, the teacher had written "vocabulary difficulty in reading." Transfer cards, they so seldom bring one. They lose them, but if you rode in the back part of a contractor's truck, you'd probably lose one too. "That's fine," I said, "I'll get you a blue book; you help Donnie."

I turned. The girls were writing their names for Norma-tall, thin girls, twins from Tennessee, so pale beside our suntanned Arizona little guys and gals.

"Why, honey, you don't belong here, you're so little!"

"Yassum, I'se Jesse. I can read in that red book pretty good."

Old worn sandals-girl's-too big for him-blue patched jeans, clean, and thin blue shirt washed, not ironed. How could a cotton picker's wife iron a shirt when there is no electricity? And she probably had gone to the field before the child was out of bed. I could feel that there was not a stitch of underwear and it was cold that December morning! I thought—I wonder if there is in that clothes bag a sweater small enough for Jesse. Jesse never did read too well, but he memorized and he was a hit in every play we had last year.

The bell rang, we introduced the new pupils. "This is Felipe from South Texas." Somebody jumped up. "Hi! Did you cross the Rio Grande River?" "No, I didn't cross the Rio Grande River. I live on it. I live at San Benito, Texas." And then several took him over to the big map and they found the Rio Grande. Then someone asked, "Did you cross the Mississippi?" I don't know why-they always do. To their surprise that morning, the twins got up. "We crossed the Mississippi. We come from Tennessee." More map hunting.

Do we teach social studies in third grade? Oh, no! But you can have readiness and word recognition about history and geog raphy. Then those social science books. that are written 2 years above the vocabulary level of our pupils will not seem so difficult.

We accept everyone in our group so easily. We seat the new ones among the more alert pupils and in a few minutes they are all at work. We stood and faced the back of the room, where the big flag hangs. I like to think of its protection over their thin backs. I look at its 48 stars-48 States. I have had a child from almost every State. Dear Lord, help me to give all of them a square deal.

College Housing

ADEQUATE HOUSING on college and university campuses continues to be a problem for college administrators. About 13 percent of all college and university students living on campus are housed in temporary facilities furnished from World War II surplus.

To relieve this college housing need, which has been accumulating for many years, the College Housing Program was authorized under Title IV of the Housing Act 1950, Public Law 475. A maximum of $300 million was authorized as a loan fund. Loans may be approved to colleges on application at a low interest rate, approximately 3.25 percent, and for 40 years.

Under the provisions of this act, the Housing and Home Finance Agency administers the programs, and by agreement the Office of Education advises.

Since its inception in 1950, the College Housing Program has lent or obligated $156 million. During the fiscal year 1954 approximately $74 million was approved in loans or reserved for construction of residential facilities on college and university campuses. Through December 31, 1954, colleges and universities had been ap. proved for loans to construct residential facilities for 37,000 single students, 260 student families, 490 faculty members.

Two factors accentuate the housing problem: (1) The increased enrollments, and (2) the obsolescence of the private housing which is being used by college and university students living away from home.

A total of $150 million still remains in the authorized funds for loans in the future; applications have already been received for a large part of the remaining funds. It is believed that construction of new and added facilities will be expedited during the fiscal 1955.

Physical Education

(Continued from page 101)

ences on undergraduate and graduate professional preparation and has developed evaluative criteria for use by institutions preparing leaders in this field. Institutions of higher education, individually and in groups, are applying the evaluative criteria and are implementing recommendations of the aforementioned conferences. In several instances, representatives from colleges and universities within a State or region have met at a given institution which has served as a "guinea pig" for interpretation and application of evaluative instruments. These representatives, in many instances, have returned to their own institutions and have spearheaded self-evaluation efforts. The American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation is also cooperating with other professional organizations in furthering the work of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Many teacher education institutions are enlarging upon opportunities for students to observe and work with children in practical situations during and before their senior year. Many institutions are also providing for student teaching in a school-community setting. The prospective teacher not only works with school children in the regular school program, but also has the opportu nity of visiting and working with several community agencies, for example, recreation department, Scouts, and YMCA. How Good Are Our Programs?

There is considerable interest in evaluation of physical education. The Evaluative Criteria of the Cooperative Study of Secondary Education has been used by visiting teams from regional accrediting bodies and by high schools carrying on self-study. The Laporte score card has had wide and varied use as, for example, in a current extensive survey of secondary school physical education for boys, under the direction of Dr. Carl Bookwalter, University of Indiana. Publications of State departments of educa tion include evaluative instruments as well as teaching guides in physical education. Among these is Utah's Score Card for the Evaluation of Physical Education Program for High School Boys, developed by Dr. Vaughn Hall and associates. The statement on school athletics of the Educational

Policies Commission has been mentioned previously. Several publications of national professional organizations reflect efforts to recommend standards for highgrade programs. These are identifiable by title in the accompanying list of references.

Toward Greater Progress

Many additional heartening signs of progress in high school physical education might be sighted. Many problems to be overcome might be listed. The main hope for continued improvement is to be found. in the willingness of physical educators, coaches, school administrators, parents, and other citizens to work together, keeping in mind our common goal: The full growth and development of our youth into responsible guardians of our way of life.

REFERENCES

American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, 1201 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington 6, D. C. Developing Democratic Human Relations Through Health Education. Physical Education and Recreation. 1951 Yearbook. $3.

Evaluation Schedules for Major. Programs in Health Education, Physical Education and Recre ation. 50 cents each; $1 per set of 3.

Physical Education for High School Boys and Girls-A Handbook of Sports, Athletics, and Recreation Activities, 1955. $3.50.

Putting PR Into HPER. 1953. $1.

N. S. G. W. S. Standards in Sports for Girls and Women. Revised 1953. 75 cents.

and Department of Rural Education of the NEA. Health, Physical Education and Recreation in Small Schools. Elsa Schneider, editor. 1948. 50 cents.

Physical Education in Small Schools. Elsa Schneider, editor.

and National Association of Secondary School Principals. Joint Committee. Administrative Problems in Health Education, Physical Education and Recreation. 1953. Paper $2. Cloth $2.50.

and National Association of SecondarySchool Principals. "Cardinal Athletic Principles." Journal of the American Association of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. September 1947.

National Association of Secondary-School Principals, and National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations. "Standards in Athletics for Boys in Secondary Schools." Journal of the AAHPER, September 1951; also in Bulletin of the NASSP, March 1950; Proceedings; 1954 meeting of NASSP.

NASSP, and NFSHSAA. "Standards for Girls' Sports in Secondary Schools." Journal of AAHPER. October 1954. Reprint.

and Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. Physical Education-An Interpretation. 1952. 50 cents. Educational Policies Commission, 1201 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington 6, D. C.

School Athletics-Problems and Policies. 1954. $1.

Joint Committee on Health Problems in Education of the National Education Association and the American Medical Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington 6, D. C.

The Physical Educator Asks About Health. 50

cents.

Knapp, Maud L., and Todd, Frances. Democratic

Leadership in Physical Education. Millbrae, California, The National Press. 1952. $1.25. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; available from Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. McNeely, Simon A., and Schneider, Elsa. Physical Education in the School Child's Day. Office of Education, Bulletin 1950, No. 14. 30 cents.

and Cummings, Howard. "2 Big JobsBetter Health and Basic Education." School Life. Vol. 35, No. 4. January 1953.

The Athletic Institute, Chicago, Ill. National Conference on Graduate Study in Health Education, Physical Education and Recreation. Report. 1950. $1.

National Facilities Conference. Guide for Planning Facilities for Athletics, Recreation, Physical and Health Education. 1947. $1.50. National Conference on Undergraduate Professional Preparation in Health Education, Physical Education and Recreation. 1948. $1.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

SCHOOL EQUIPMENT; A GUIDE FOR PLANNING AND PURCHASING. By Samuel CrabCambridge, Mass., New England School Development Council, 1954. 18 p.

tree.

75 cents.

SHORT PLAYS FOR ALL-BOY CASTS; Thirty Royalty-Free Comedies and Skits. By Vernon Howard. Boston, Plays, Inc., 1954. 186 p. $3.

IN

SIXTY-THREE TESTED PRACTICES SCHOOL-COMMUNITY RELATIONS. A Report Prepared Under the Sponsorship of the Commission on Public Understanding of the Metropolitan School Study Council, by Bernard Campbell. New York, N. Y., Metropolitan School Study Council, 1954. 67 p. $1.50.

STATISTICAL METHODS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES. By Allen L. Edwards. New York, Rinehart & Co., Inc., 1954. 542 p. $6.50.

THE UNIT OF LEARNING IN THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. By Paul R. Pierce and Raymond R. Wallace. Chicago, Board of Education, 1954. 57 p. Illus. (Curric ulum Brochure No. 6.)

MODERN METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. A Guide to Mod

ern Materials with Particular Reference to the Far East. By Anne Cochran. Second Edition-Revised. Originally Published by United Board for Christian Colleges in China, 1952. Washington, D. C., Educational Services, 1954. 95 p. $1.25.

PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCING 1930-1954. The Need for Local Solution to Rising Costs. New York, The Tax Foundation, Inc., 1954. 52 p. (Project note No. 36) Free.

"TOUCHSTONES" OF LITERATURE. This Handbook was compiled by the "Touchstones" Subcommittee of the MSSC English Committee. New York, Metropolitan School Study Council, 1954. 61 p. $1.00. (Address: 525 West 120th St., New York 27, New York.)

VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS AS TRAINING FACILITIES FOR BLIND WORKERS. By John H. McAulay. New York, American Foundation for the Blind, 1954. 95 p. (No. 2 Vocational Series.) $1.25.

WHEN CHILDREN WRITE. Washington, D. C., Association for Childhood Education International, 1955. 40 p. (Bulletin No. 95.) 75 cents.

U S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1955

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE

WH

An Educational "Bottleneck"

by Henry H. Armsby*

HETHER we like it or not, we are in a race for technological supremacy with the Communists. We have been too complacent in our assumption that we are far ahead of them. We have not given sufficient recognition to their sources of raw materials, to their vastly greater population, to their willingness to sacrifice everything else to advance their ambitions for world. domination.

They have been willing to use a larger share of their resources, human and material, for war-supporting industries, and to leave a smaller share for consumer goods than we are willing to accept as a steady diet. They have greatly increased their output of engineers and scientists to a level which, if continued, will soon eliminate our accumulated advantage.

We urgently need to take stock of our resources of scientific and professional manpower, our most precious commodity. We need to be sure we are developing and using it to our best advantage.

It is interesting to compare the output of our engineering colleges with the most reliable data we have on the output of engineers and technicians in Russia.

The Director of the Office of Scientific Personnel of the National Research Council estimates that the annual output of Russian engineering colleges has been climbing steadily, and that this year they will graduate about 50,000, most of whom will be graduates of 5-year curriculums, and some of 6-year curriculums.

He also estimates that there were in 1952 about 3,500 technical institutes in Russia with an enrollment of 1,200,000 students and with about 350,000 graduates per year from 3- or 4-year courses, about 50,000 of whom seem to be in a field related to engineering. Compare this figure with the approximately 10,000 graduates from our United States technical institutes last June.

In the face of growing needs for the technological team we find a diminishing interest in high school science and mathematics, subjects which are basic to engineering and science. The percentage of high school students studying chemistry declined from 10 in 1890 to 8 percent in 1948, and to 72 in 1952. The percentage of students. studying physics declined from 22% in 1895 to 5% in 1948, and to 42 in 1952. In 1948, 50 percent of the high schools were offering the course. In 1952 only 47 percent of the schools offered this subject.

This condition is both the cause and the result of the shortage of qualified teachers, which has existed for a decade, and is growing worse, especially in science and mathematics. While high school enrollments go steadily (Continued on page 127)

*Excerpted from an address by Dr. Armsby, Chief for Engineering Education, Office of Education, U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, before the Purdue University Branch, American Society for Engineering Education, Lafayette, Indiana, April 28, 1955.

Cover photograph: Two of the Nation's millions of children vaccinated on April 25 as a possible protection against poliomyelitis were photographed for SCHOOL LIFE. They are Deborah Robinson and Marvin Miller, first-grade pupils at Oakridge Elementary School, Arlington, Va. Dr. Dominick J. Addonizio, of Georgetown University Medical School and Arlington Hospital administered the vaccine to many of the children at Oakridge Elementary School. The photograph was taken by Archie Hardy, photographer, U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Volume 37

CONTENTS for MAY 1955

An Educational "Bottleneck," by HENRY H. ARMSBY,

Number 8

Why Have a Board of Education? by FRED F. BEACH and ROBERT S. WILL

Page

Inside front cover

113

Published each month of the school year, October through June

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