.do. .do.. Utah.. Virginia. West Virginia.. 1 May select for high schools. Textbook Commission. 2 Assisted by Textbook Selecting Committees. * Selects a multiple list of two or more high-school textbooks for each subject and permits counties and cities to select from the adopted list. The State Board of Education is assisted by a textbook or curriculum commission. Independent Class A districts may select (subject to State regulation). 6 Assisted by a Textbook Division in Department of Education. 7 For high schools 5 years. enrolled. The cost of textbooks was 1.1 percent of the total cost per pupil enrolled in those States and the District of Columbia during the same year. Textbook Selection and Uniformity Laws governing the selection and use of textbooks are found in all States. These laws are of three general types-first, those providing for State selection and uniformity; second, those which provide for State adoption of a multiple list from which local districts may select; and third, those providing for local selection and uniformity independently of State selection. A majority of the States now provide for State selection, a few exceptions being made for certain cities. The question as to who should select the textbooks is one which is still discussed by educators in the United States. One authority on the subject has summarized the problem as follows: The larger the unit of administration the better, if books are being adopted for a fairly homogeneous population. However, in a State where there is a diversity of interests, occupations, and social customs, it would be very difficult to justify uniform VFW Supports Education for Democracy DEMOCRACY begins in the home community. Education for democracy is a primary responsibility of our schools. The schools are everyone's responsibility. Upon this thesis, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, at their Fortyninth Annual Encampment, adopted a resolution which reaffirmed the organization's long-standing policy of developing widespread appreciation and practice of American democracy among our people. The VFW solidly supported the "Zeal for American Democracy" program initiated by the Office of Education. Commanderin-chief Lyall T. Beggs said, "Developing such a program with the cooperation of our educators will make every participating post a real community leader in the Nation-wide campaign of education for democracy... This program is one of our best means of building American youth into strong leaders of tomorrow." . . Of the many reasons advanced in behalf of State uniformity of textbooks, the one which has perhaps carried the greatest weight is the one involving the question of cost. There can be little doubt that lower textbook prices have been encouraged through State uniformity. A textbook pub. Ed-Press Association Officers lishing company can often afford to offer lower prices when all the schools in the State are required to use one or more of its books. A second reason advanced in favor of State adoption is that it tends to secure for all the districts or units of the State equally good books, on the theory that State selection commissions composed of persons of wide experience are more able to select books than the average local school board or other local school officials. Another adAnother advantage claimed for State uniformity of text 1 Current practices for selecting textbooks for the elementary schools. By Frank A. Jensen, in The Textbook in American Education, 30:h Yearbook, pt. II, of the National Society for the Study of Education. Bloomington, Ill., Public-School Publishing Co., 1931, p. 127. THIS YEAR'S officers of the Educational Press Association recently announced are president, Rolfe Lanier Hunt, editor, The Phi Delta Kappan, 2034 Ridge Road, Homewood, Ill.; vice president, C. O. Wright, editor, The Kansas Teacher, 315 West Tenth Street, Topeka, Kans.; secretary-treasurer, Zoraida Weeks, Rural Editorial Service, 5835 Kimbark Avenue, Chicago, Ill. Members of the Executive Committee are Tracy Tyler, editor, Journal of the Association for Education by Radio, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 14, Minn., and Arthur H. Rice, past president, managing editor, The Nation's Schools, 919 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill. United States History Is Taught in Our High Schools by Howard R. Anderson, Chief, Instructional Problems, Secondary Education Division IN RECENT YEARS there has been speculation about the proportion of highschool pupils taking courses in United States history as well as about the characteristics of such courses. A recent Office of Education publication 1 throws light on this subject and also makes possible certain comparisons with an earlier period.2 The conclusions presented in this article are derived from data for the school year 1946-47, provided by 449 high schools. The institutions which reported information were included in a sample of 501 high schools randomly selected proportionate to race, type of school, and size of school, from the total of 23,947 public high schools in this country. The 449 responding high schools enrolled more than 95 percent of the total pupils registered in the schools included in the sample. Increased Emphasis Since 1934 there has been a substantial increase in the number of students taking United States history and in the number of semesters of instruction devoted to this subject. This trend becomes apparent when one notes the increase in the percent of pupil-semesters devoted to instruction in United States history. These figures suggest that most students take 2 semesters of United States history in grades 7 and 8 and another 2-semester course in grades 9 to 12. Percent of total pupil-semesters devoted to instruction in U. S. history, by grades and years 1 Howard R. Anderson, Teaching of United States History in Public High Schools, Office of Education Bulletin 1949, No. 7. 2 Originally reported by Carl A. Jessen and Lester B. Herlihy in Offerings and Registrations in High School Subjects, 1933-34, Office of Education Bulletin 1938, No. 6. 3 A pupil-semester is 1 pupil enrolled in a given course for 1 semester. If a high-school student in grades 9 to 12 takes a 2-semester course in United States history, he is devoting 2 pupil-semesters out of a possible 8 to this subject. In teaching United States history about 60 percent of the teachers organize instruction under both chronological and topical units. The majority of them classify the course as history rather than as a fused or integrated course. Character of courses in U. S. history, by percentage distribution Description Junior high Senior high schools schools 51.0 The fact that a student takes a 2-semester course in United States history is no guarantee that he has received a given amount of instruction. Because of differences in the number of days in the school year and in the number of minutes in a class period, some students receive less than 120 clock hours of instruction; others more than 180 hours. Actually nearly half of the students at both the junior and senior high-school levels receive less than 140 clock hours of Emphasis on the United States Con 9.6 18. 2 180 and over--- Both junior and senior high-school Median time allotments to various pe- Junior high school- 26-30 1789-1865 26-30 67.8 Fused (draws on several of the 35.3 24.9 Integrated (as in core curricu- stitution and Government The United States Constitution and the Government of the United States are stressed in nearly all courses in United States history. Six of eleven junior high schools and 19 of 24 senior high schools which state that "no instruction” was offered as part of the United States history course provided such instruction in separate courses in civics, American government, or problems of democracy. At both the junior and senior high-school levels the median amount of time allotted to teaching the United States Constitution and Government was 6-10 percent of the total. The nature of this instruction is indicated in the following tabulation: Instruction in U. S. Constitution and Government in United States history courses, by percentage distribution Instruction in current affairs in U. S. When provided On a regular day each week_____ 59.5 Summary School requirements in more than 90 percent of the high schools in the sample compel pupils to take 1 year of United States history in grades 7 and 8, and another year in the last 4 years of high school, usually in grade 11 or 12. Registration figures for 1946-47 indicate that pupils are fulfilling these requirements. Because of differences in the number of days in the school year and in the length of the class period, however, the total number of clock hours of actual instruction in United States history received by pupils varies greatly from school to school. School-Housing Bills (Continued from page 42) school districts overburdened with enrollments resulting from war, defense, and Federal activities. Except for item (4) above, the grants to States would be based on a formula which provides a uniform construction expenditure per school-age child in all States from combined Federal and non-Federal sources, with Federal participation ranging from 40 to 60 percent in inverse relation to average per-capita income payments, and States would determine project grants according to State program plans. The Committee on Labor and Public Welfare amended S. 2317 by striking out the provisions of items (2) and (3) above. On October 17 the Senate approved S. 2317, with other amendments, and sent it to the House of Representatives, where it failed to pass with unanimous consent under suspension of the rules and was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor. State Departments of Education (Continued from page 43) The modernization of State structure and organization for education constitutes a problem of the first magnitude in American education. Increasing awareness of the importance of this task has recently been highlighted by the number of States in which campaigns for improvement of State education organization have taken place. Some In describing the United States history course most teachers at both the junior and senior high-school levels state that the course is conventional history (i. e., it is not described as being fused, correlated, or integrated). They also state that both chronological and topical units are used in organizing the course for teaching purposes. The median junior high school allots 26-30 percent of the total time for instruction to the period of United States history before 1789, and 36-40 percent to the period after 1865. The median senior high school allots about 10 percent more of the total time for instruction to the recent States are now seeking to improve the organizational framework for their State departments of education and the results of recent efforts to bring about desirable changes are most heartening. Much progress has been and is being made to achieve the goals established by the National Council of Chief State School Officers. The campaign for the improvement of State departments of education as envisaged in the 3-year study sponsored by the National Council should do much to stimulate the period, and 5 percent less to each of the other two periods. In most courses in United States history one class period in five is devoted to current affairs, and this practice naturally affects the emphasis on recent times. The United States Constitution and the Government of the United States are stressed in almost all courses in United States history. The instruction is likely to include formal study of the Constitution as well as consideration of the structure and functions of Government. The median junior or senior high school devotes 6-10 percent of the total time for instruction to this phase of the work. development of organizational structures which would facilitate optimum educational programs in the States. NOTE. For a more detailed statement of principles and practices basic to the improvement of organizational structure, see The Structure of State Departments of Education by Fred F. Beach and Andrew H. Gibbs, Office of Education, Federal Security Agency, Misc. No. 10, 1949. This is the first of a series of several studies on State departments of education which the National Council of Chief State School Officers requested the Office of Education to make. Selected Theses in Education An Analysis of Language Textbooks in Oral Reporting for the Fourth Grade. By Nancy M. Serignano. Master's, 1949. Boston University. 52 p. ms. Analyzes 10 current and frequently used fourth grade language textbooks to determine the amount and kinds of training given in oral expression. Conditions of Effective Classroom Presentation. By Virgil J. O'Connor. Doctor's, 1949. Harvard University. 238 p. ms. Discusses means for accelerated training, training aids, and elements of effective communication in the classroom. Compares the effectiveness of film presentation with verbal presentation of similar material. Critical Selection and Evaluation of Enrichment Methods in Junior High School General Science. By Lincoln F. Baar. Doctor's, 1946. New York University. 619 p. ms. Attempts to select and evaluate enrichment methods for use in the junior high school general science classroom based on the New York City course of study in junior high school general science. Includes lesson plans used for the experimental evaluation. Determination of the Effect of Teaching Literature with Emphasis upon Individual Interpretation of Figurative Language. A Study Dealing with the Development of NonElementalistic Semantic Responses to Literary Materials Among Students in the Ninth and Tenth Grades of Secondary School. By Theodora J. Koob. Doctor's, 1946. New York University. 336 p. ms. Describes an experiment conducted with an experimental group of 125 students and a control group of 107 students in the Baldwin, Long Island, N. Y., high school. Concludes that emphasis upon the interpretation of figurative language has some effect on general critical thinking ability. Factors Related to the Effectiveness of Counseling. By Clifford P. Froehlich. Doctor's, 1948. George Washington University. 238 p. ms. Reports on two major investigations, the first of which was concerned with the analysis of casefolder data on 740 cases; and the second analyzed data obtained by follow-up of counselees. Identification and Learning: A Theoreti cal Analysis. By Paul D. Courtney. Doctor's, 1949. Harvard University. 290 p. ms. Defines identification and applies it to the theory of learning. Discusses the implications for mental health, and for the home and the school. The Incidental Learning of Spelling Through Four Types of Word Presentation in Reading. By Margaret L. Keyser. Doctor's, 1948. Boston University. 123 p. ms. Attempts to determine the amount of incidental learning which occurs in reading in context, through use of a glossary, oral presentation with meanings explained, and word analysis on the fourth and fifth grade levels. Research in Industrial Arts Education. By John L. Feirer. Doctor's, 1946. University of Oklahoma. 73 p. Presents a course of study in industrial arts research on the college level. State Aid for Central School Building. By Wallace H. Strevell. Doctor's, 1947. Teachers College, Columbia University. 109 p. Surveys the 85 projects which comprise the total rehousing construction undertaken in central rural school districts in New York State during the 11year period of public construction prior to World War II. Suggests a method of apportionment. A Study of the Reaction of Pupils to a General Science Curriculum. By Clifford R. Nelson. Master's, 1948. Boston University. 52 p. ms. Discusses the objectives of the general science course on the junior high school level, the areas and topics which need to be explored, and the organization of the program. Subscription Blank SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, A Survey of Opinions of the Adequacy Concludes that secondary schools in upper New Why International Organization for Education? By Ellen M. McGrath. Master's, 1949. Boston University. 141 p. ms. Discusses education between the wars; arguments for and against an international agency for education; steps toward international education; the London Conference of Allied Ministers of Education; and the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. -Compiled by Ruth G. Strawbridge, Federal Security Agency Library Bibliographer. New Books and Pamphlets Children Learn to Read. By a Commit- Color Planning for School Interiors. Discipline. By James L. Hymes, Jr. New York, Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1949. 44 p. Illus. (Parent-Teacher Series.) 60 cents. Experimental Foundations of General For Parents Particularly: Their Children hood Education International, 1949. 40 p. Illus. 50 cents. Higher Education for American Society. Papers Delivered at the National Educational Conference, Madison, 1948. Edited by John Guy Fowlkes. Madison, The University of Wisconsin Press, 1949. 427 p. $4. An Introduction to Teaching in Secondary Schools. By Lester B. Sands. New York, Harper & Bros., 1949. 421 p. $3. Mental Testing: Its History, Principles, and Applications. By Florence L. Goodenough. New York, Rinehart & Co., Inc., 1949. 609 p. Illus. $3. Needed Research in Adult Education. Report of the Joint Committee of the American Educational Research Association and the Department of Adult Education of the National Education Association. Washington, D. C., NEA Department of Adult Education; American Educational Research Association, 1949. 32 p. 25 cents. Professional Opportunities in National Youth Serving Organizations. By Robert H. Shaffer. Section on Camping, by Charles Miller. Pasadena, Calif., Western Personnel Institute, 1949. 76 p. $1.50. Sources of Free and Inexpensive Pictures for the Class Room. By Bruce Miller. Ontario, Calif., 1949. 46 p. 50 cents. (Address: Bruce Miller, Box 222, Ontario, Calif.) Speech Methods in the Elementary School. By Carrie Rasmussen. New York, The Ronald Press Co., 1949. 340 p. Illus. $3.50. State Councils on Teacher Education: An Introductory Manual. Prepared by the 1948 Work-Conference on State Councils on Teacher Education. Washington, D. C., American Council on Education, 1949. 71 75 cents. p. -Compiled by Susan O. Futterer, Associate |