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WORLD WAR I, fought by the Allies to make the world safe for democracy, came to an end November 11, 1918, with the signing of the Armistice. Three years later the first American Education Week was observed to help carry the word of the schools into the home-to gain public support of school efforts to strengthen the fiber of our Nation through education-to attack in peacetime the enemies of national progress and security, illiteracy and ill health, which loomed large on the horizon as we prepared for World War I.

Thus it was appropriate that the three national organizations sponsoring American Education Week-the American Legion, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, the National Education Association, with the Office of Education-agreed that the observance should be held during that week beginning on Sunday which includes Armistice Day.

Daily Topics

Also interesting for this year's twenty-eighth annual observance of American Education Week is the theme, Strengthening the Foundations of Freedom, which has a strangely similar ring to the World War I battle cry-"making the world safe for democracy," previously mentioned.

Agnes Samuelson of the National Education Association says that the daily topics gear into this theme by pointing up critical areas in which speedy advances must be made if schools and colleges are to be equipped in terms of the size of their tasks. These topics are presented by SCHOOL LIFE in the accompanying box.

American Education Week offers an opportunity for schools and colleges to interpret their programs and needs to the public-to bring schools closer to the public-to bring the public closer to the schools. This year's observance comes at a time when public interest is already roused. It provides an opportunity to develop programs that should reap rich results.

Manual of Suggestions

Cooperating with the other sponsoring organizations, the Office of Education helped prepare the Public Relations Manual which should be a basic guide for American Education Week programs this year. It reports facts which every citizen should know about his schools and offers specific suggestions for mobilizing community support of the schools. This manual, with American Education Week helps available from the National Education Association,

should furnish sufficient information to make the 1948 observance appealing and dividend-paying.

The Office of Education has also prepared especially for use during the coming American Education Week a folder titled, "Fostering Democracy Through Our Schools." This publication offers practical suggestions for schools and colleges, pointing out what can be done to help school administrators, teachers, and students plan and carry forward programs for fostering democracy. These suggestions are drawn from the practices and programs of schools, colleges, and communities throughout the country, and they tie in with the Zeal for American Democracy program launched during the past school year by the Office of Education, and now being promoted by States and local communities.

Write to the National Education Association, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington 6, D. C., for the American Education Week packet which includes, in addition to the folder on Fostering Democracy, brief statements on topics and sponsors for use by speakers and writers, program ideas for Sunday observance for educational and religious leaders, parent and family life suggestions prepared by the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, health projects suggested by the American Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and other American Education Week aids. The packet costs 50 cents.

will be calling your own attention to "a day in history" which peoples of many lands will join in observing this year for the first time-United Nations Day.

Never before have the nations of the world set aside one dayinternationally for a common purpose. But they now have agreed that at least one day of the year should be reserved to give special emphasis to the achievement of enduring peace through the United Nations.

Not only do these documents provide excellent source material for teaching history classes, but they could be used through exhibits and special study projects to arouse interest in and understanding of the United Nations among students and in the community. Educational potentialities are so many that we venture to suggest only a few.

1. Study projects for classes in modern history or civics, based on assigned reading in some of these records.

2. Dramatization by the students of a typical United Nations Committee or General Assembly session, using these records as source material to indicate the attitude of each nation on some controversial issue.

3. Constant exhibit of one or more of these documents in a case in a prominent place in a local school, college, or library, changing the exhibit from time to time so as to attract continuing interest from students and their families.

4. Loan exhibits to other schools or libraries in the community, with posters designed by the students to explain the significance of the documents.

Pay Express Only

Teachers or school administrators who could make effective use of one or more sets should send their requests immediately to the Division of International Educational Relations, Office of Education, Washington 25, D. C. Since there is no appropriation available to cover the cost of transportation, the documents will have to be sent by express collect. However, each complete set weighs only about 16 pounds, so that express charges range between $1 and $3 depending upon the distance from Washington, D. C.

Available also as a useful United Nations Day aid to schools is a publication, "Peace Day in The United Nations," an 84-page volume issued by The Committee for Peace Day in the United Nations, 25 Beacon Street, Boston 8, Mass.

FORTY-FIVE countries sent 83 delegates to the Eleventh International Conference on Public Education which was held at Geneva, Switzerland, June 28-July 3. Representing the United States at the Conference were Ruth E. McMurry of the UNESCO Relations Staff, Department of State, and Galen Jones, director, Division of Secondary Education, Office of Education. The Commissioner of Education designated Dr. Jones as chairman of the United States Delegation.

"Educational Developments in the United States, 1947-48," a 3,500-word report, was presented to the Conference by Dr. Jones. He also visited the Ministries of Education in France, Belgium, Holland, and the United Kingdom while abroad.

Excerpts from the summary report on United States educational developments presented to the Geneva Conference are offered to SCHOOL LIFE readers as follows:

While America's schools escaped the physical ravages of war, they suffered a considerable degree of deterioration during the war period a set-back from which they have by no means completely recovered.

The 1947-48 school year witnessed a number of administrative changes designed to extend the services of the American educational system to a larger number of children and youth and to achieve increased efficiency and flexibility. Notable developments included a downward extension of education to provide for children below six and an upward extension to provide for a thirteenth and fourteenth year of schooling.

The decline in the number of very small high schools was regarded as a highly desirable development. In 1938 there were 1,839 high schools in the United States with fewer than 25 pupils; in 1946 the number in this category had declined to 1,209.

The Office of Education reported 162,300 students enrolled in 246 public community colleges in the autumn of 1947. The junior college, or, as it is increasingly coming to be called, the community college, has made marked progress in the United States in recent years.

During the year there were numerous indications of heightened interest in adult

education.... A Gallup poll taken July 7, 1947, showed 41 percent of all adults interested in participating in adult education activities, in comparison with 34 percent who showed interest in December 1944, when a similar survey was made.

At the same time that they have been trying to inculcate a deeper appreciation of the advantages of citizenship in a free society, America's schools have been attempting to make their pupils worldminded.

One of the most notable developments of the year in secondary education has been a widespread revival of interest in the reorganization of the curriculum. The goal is the development of a program which will serve the needs of all the students who now attend high school.

For some years good elementary schools have been emphasizing programs built around the needs and interests of children, rather than formal subject matter divisions. New impetus was given to this trend in curriculum planning by the publication of a recent American Council on Education report, Helping Teachers Understand Children, and by a Leadership Conference held by the Division of Elementary Education of the Office of Education in June 1947.

In the United States, as in every country, the teacher is at the heart of the educational system. It is, therefore, highly constructive that much has been done during the year to improve teachers' working conditions and enhance their prestige. . . . Observers are agreed that the constructive trends of the year will have to carry a good deal further before teaching can hold or attract as many able people as are needed.

The United States report also dealt with health education and services, education of exceptional children, guidance and psychological services, and exchange of students and teachers.

Other items on the agenda at the Geneva Conference were: The Teaching of Handwriting, The Role of School Psychologists, The Development of International Understanding Among Young People, and Teaching About International Organizations.

A:

Yes that almost 100,000 more college students received degrees during 194748 than in any past year. Because a larger number of women were admitted to medical schools during World War II, there was an increase of 25 percent in number of women graduates in medicine. Bachelors' degrees in business and commerce, which stood at 21,000 in 1939-40, rose to 35,000 in 1947-48, an increase largely due to enrollment of large numbers of veterans in these fields. The number of women graduates in education indicates that there will probably be an adequate supply of high school teachers in most fields, although there will continue to be a shortage of elementary school teachers. Many of those trained for secondary school teaching may have to go into elementary education teaching positions if they wish to continue in the profession. A scaled-down veteran enrollment expected this fall will mean fewer graduates 3 or 4 years hence.

dio Week this fall. College scholarships will be awarded to four students who write and deliver the best 5-minute broadcasts on the subject, "I Speak for Democracy." Details are available from the National Association of Broadcasters, 1771 N Street, NW., Washington, D. C. Other sponsoring groups are the Radio Manufacturers Association and the U. S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. Both the Office of Education and the Department of Secondary School Principals, National Education Association, are cooperating.

Life Adjustment
Education Conference

THIRTY representatives of vocational and secondary education from State departments of education and teacher training institutions in Indiana and six adjoining States participated in a work conference on life adjustment education at Indiana University, July 25-31. The conference was sponsored by Indiana University and the Office of Education. Carl G. F. Franzen and Galen Jones were directors.

Chairmen of working groups were Victor M. Houston of Illinois State Normal University, Leon S. Waskin of the Michigan State Department of Public Instruction, and Max S. Huebner of the Northern Illinois State Teachers College. The chief emphasis of the conference was upon effective action programs in improving pupil personnel services and curriculum offerings, organizational patterns at State and local levels, and pre-service and in-service programs of teacher education.

Interesting Comparison

THE NUMBER of students attending colleges and universities in 1947-48 was larger than the total attending public high schools in this country in 1920.

Nation reopen for another year, the spotlight of attention is again turned on the great need for reexamining and strengthening programs of citizenship education. There is no more important area of the curriculum than that devoted to the development of citizens imbued with a zeal for American democracy and ready to defend it against all hostile forces.

Eight regional "Zeal for American Democracy" conferences with Chief State School Officers or their representatives were sponsored by the Office of Education during the summer. These conferences, each of 1-day duration, were arranged to learn the progress of the Zeal for American Democracy program in the respective States, to acquaint State leaders with resource material assembled by the Office of Education, and to lend assistance to States desiring to hold State-wide conferences this fall.

The regional conferences were held at Washington, D. C., Boston, Mass., Atlanta, Ga., Oklahoma City, Okla., St. Paul, Minn., Chicago, Ill., Denver, Colo., and Sacramento, Calif.

More than 35,000 copies of the February issue of SCHOOL LIFE, devoted to the Zeal for American Democracy theme, have been sold by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office. This basic guide to information presented to help schools and colleges strengthen their programs of education for democracy and against totalitarianism is still available. (Price 20 cents-25 percent discount on 100 copies or more sent to one address.)

Through conferences, addresses, and other publications, the Office of Education has endeavored to stimulate the Zeal for American Democracy program since July 1947, when Congress appropriated funds calling for Office of Education leadership in this phase of education. To date, in addition to the February 1947 SCHOOL LIFE, the following aids for use by school administrators and teachers have been made avail

able, and may be secured from the Office of Education on request:

Report on the National Conference on Zeal for American Democracy-from May 1948 SCHOOL LIFE.

Reprint from the Congressional Record of March 3, 1948-a bibliography of reliable reading matter on communism.

Report of Sub-Committee No. 5-Foreign Affairs of 80th Congress, 2nd session, House Document No. 619, on "The Strategy and Tactics of World Communism."

Study Outline for High School Classes on "The Strategy and Tactics of World Communism" by Howard H. Cummings.

Study Guide for College Classes on "The Strategy and Tactics of World Communism" by Jennings B. Sanders.

Special issue of HIGHER EDUCATION periodical on Zeal for American Democracy, May 1, 1948.

"Teaching High School History and Social Science for Citizenship Training" by Charles C. Peters, University of Miami.

"Growing into Democracy," a series of pamphlets for elementary schools, prepared by Harriet A. Houdlette. (Supply almost exhausted.)

Two issues of "Pointers" reporting current activities in education for American democracy.

"Making Democracy Work and Grow," giving practical suggestions for students, teachers, administrators, and other community leaders.

In less than a year, the Zeal for American Democracy program has gained Nation-wide momentum. Much progress has been made. State departments of education and local school systems are now carrying the program forward. The Office of Education will continue to regard this activity as a major project. Every effort will be made to assist State and local school systems in promoting and developing effective Z. A. D. programs.

School and College
Building Crisis

This statement is presented by Ray L. Hamon, Chief, School Housing Section, Division of School Administration, Office of Education.

THE NATION is faced with the worst school and college building crisis in its history. This situation is due to a combination of factors, related for the most part to World War II.

Enrollments.-The first wave of war babies enrolled in school in the fall of 1947, and it is estimated that the entering classes will continue to increase for several years (see table on inside of back cover for latest estimates). It is expected that 3 million new children will enter school in 1949 and that the 1953 entering class will reach a figure of 3.7 million. Colleges and universities have had unprecedented enrollment increases due to deferred schooling and the veterans' educational program. In many spot surveys the estimated increases based on actual child count show percentage increases three times the national estimate. There are 2 million 5-year-olds and 4.5 million 16- to 19-year-olds not now attending school. With increased interest in kindergarten education and postwar emphasis on continuation and terminal educational programs for youth, it may be expected that the 1954-55 enrollment in pub. lic elementary and secondary schools will exceed the 1947-48 enrollment by 6.2 mil

lion. This one factor alone will require more than 200,000 new elementary and

secondary classrooms.

Population Shifts and District Reorgani zation. The war resulted in the greatest population shifts of any periods in American history, and this shifting and reshifting is continuing as the economy adjusts to a peacetime basis and housing becomes available. In many cases the population has moved away from sections which were served by old school buildings into sections where there are few, if any, school facilities. In most States the small inefficient school district is giving way to larger and more efficient administrative units and attendance areas; therefore modern consolidated plants are required to replace the little dilapidated schoolhouses which were running in the red.

Expanding Offering.-Social and economic changes during and following the

war have accelerated curricular changes in the schools and colleges. New and broader objectives, new and diversified courses, and new methods have rendered many educational facilities obsolete as well as inadequate. Schools and colleges are becoming more and more community educational, cultural, recreational, and service centers.

number of children of school age and the per capita income of each State. The law requires that Federal funds accepted must be matched by funds from sources within the States.

Deferred Construction and Maintenance. Relatively few new school and college plants have been erected since 1940, and regular maintenance programs have been neglected owing to manpower and material shortages. Thus, thousands of buildings which normally would have been replaced have been continued in service and allowed to fall into a poor state of repair. As a result many educational plants now in use are obsolete, unhealthful, and unsafe.

Planning Trends.-There are distinct trends in plant planning which point toward: (1) Functional plants which will house more adequately modern educational and community programs, (2) larger sites for recreational use, (3) larger teaching areas to permit more activity in the learning process, (4) facilities for convenient storage and use of more instructional supplies and aids, (5) better seeing conditions by improving interior decoration and natural and artificial lighting, (6) one-story openContinued on page 16

School Lunch

Funds Apportioned

ALLOCATION of funds to the States and Territories for operation of the 1948-49 National School Lunch Program has been made by the United States Department of Agriculture.

A total of $58,800,000 of the $75,000,000 appropriated by Congress for this year's program has been apportioned to the participating States, the District of Columbia, and to the Territories of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Alaska. This is roughly $5,000,000 more than was allocated last year, when appropriations totaled $70,000,000.

Funds allocated to the States are used to reimburse participating schools for a part of their local purchases of food for school lunches. They are apportioned on the basis of a formula which takes into account the

REPRESENTATIVES of a number of national organizations and Federal Government agencies interested in camping programs for youth met in the Office of Education near the close of the 1947-48 school year to consider camping and related outdoor educational activities and their national significance. Included among the organizations represented were the Girl Scouts of America, Boy Scouts of America, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Future Farmers of America, the 4-H Clubs of the Department of Agriculture, the National Catholic Welfare Conference, and the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior.

Agreeing that many learning experi ences can be gained by youth outside the classroom, the conference adopted a statement of principles, chief of which is: Public schools should provide opportunity for camping experience for all youth as a part of the educational program. Emphasizing the need for cooperation, coordination, and demonstration, the conference also considered the general areas to which the school camp can make major education contributions at the elementary and secondary school levels. How to provide and finance school camping facilities was discussed. Specific recommendations of the conference are presented in a report, copies of which are available from the Office of Education.

Organizations, other than those previously mentioned, represented at the conference were: National Education Association, American Vocational Association, Federal Inter-Agency Committee on Recreation, National Association of Secondary School Principals, American Association of School Administrators, American Council on Education, Michigan State Department of Public Instruction, and McKinley High School, Washington, D. C. Chairman of the subcommittee which prepared the conference report was Rall I. Grigsby, director, Division of Auxiliary Services, Office of Education, now Acting Commissioner of Education.