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EHABILITATION of the crippled is such an important part of modern life that an international conference was called in July 1948 to consider the medical, educational, and vocational aspects of an all-round program. The first Inter-American Conference on the Rehabilitation of the Crippled and Disabled met in Mexico. City. It was sponsored by the International Society for the Welfare of Cripples.

The Conference was attended by representatives from the United States, Canada, 16 Central and South American countries, Spain, and France. The United States sent an official delegation of 10 persons, 3 of whom were from branches of the Federal Security Agency. They were: Michael Shortley, Director of Vocational Rehabilitation, chairman of the delegation of the United States; Edwin F. Daily, Director, Division of Health Services, Children's Bureau; and Romaine P. Mackie, Specialist, Schools for the Physically Handicapped, Office of Education.

Aims of the Conference were to promote the cooperation of official and private organizations, to determine the condition of the crippled in Central and South America, and to make a minimal program for a 5-year plan which would help the Latin American countries organize in a modern way and promote rehabilitation benefits.

The last general session of the Conference adopted sixteen recommendations under the general heading of a "Five-Year

Minimum Plan for Aid to the Handicapped." These will appear in the proceedings of the Conference which will be published in both Spanish and English.

While much of the program was devoted to problems in medical and health care, welfare, vocational guidance and placement, and to the general problem of finding the disabled, education of both crippled children and adults was considered. Only those phases of the Conference which placed particular emphasis upon education will be reported here.

United States Report

At one of the general sessions, an allround picture of educational programs for crippled children in the United States was presented by Romaine P. Mackie, Office of Education. Her paper was titled "Education of Crippled Children in the United States." It was pointed out that the education of crippled children in the United States is a part of a rapidly expanding program for the education of various types of exceptional children carried on by State and local departments of education. Within the last 8 years, there has been unprecedented increase in State personnel responsible for the schooling of exceptional children. This expansion has been paralleled by supporting legislation and by the development of teacher education facilities.

Education was likewise emphasized in a

OMAINE P. MACKIE, one of the United States representatives at the Inter-American Conference on the Rehabilitation of Crippled and Disabled, is Office of Education Specialist for Schools for the Physically Handicapped, Elementary Education Division. She is the author of Office of Education Bulletin 1948, No. 5, "Crippled Children in School," soon to come from the press. For information on proceedings of the Mexico City conference, write to Miss Bell Greve, Secretary-General, 2239 East Fifty-fifth Street, Cleveland 3, Ohio.

section meeting devoted to the topic "Educational and Vocational Rehabilitation." It was stressed that rehabilitation should begin early in life or early after the onset of disability. It was emphasized that an adequate program for the handicapped should lead to optimum physical recovery, intellectual growth, social and emotional adjustment, and that all of these elements. are essential in the preparation for life and vocational adjustment. A program including these elements must provide education to meet the needs of the whole child wherever he is in schools, in hospitals, in convalescent homes, or in his own home.

A phase of the conference which attracted much attention was an exhibit, assembled by the Office of Education, Federal Security Agency, on schools and classes for crippled children. Approximately one hundred photographs showing crippled children in special day-school classes, in hospitals, convalescent homes, and under home instruction were exhibited in the Museum of Health. These photographs were arranged around a large red, white, and blue sign captioned "Education of Crippled Children in the United States." The exhibit was made possible by the cooperation of several State and local departments of education.

Permanent Exhibit

Another feature of the exhibit was the display of printed publications. Materials from the Office of Education, Federal Security Agency, and from the various State and local departments of education were shown. A collection of this printed material was left as a permanent exhibit in the Museum of Health in Mexico City.

Several of the States contributed publications in quantity. California, for example, sent fifty copies of five different publications. In order to make effective use of these printed materials, they were arranged in thirty packets. One of these packets was given to the official delegate from each country. The few remaining packets were mailed to key people in nations not personally represented at the Conference. The other copies of publications were distributed at the sessions where education was a topic.

Aviation Education Reports

TWO RECENT reports of research in national aviation policy may be of interest to educators. Survival in the Air Age is a report of the President's Air Policy Commission, Thomas K. Finletter, chairman.

National Aviation Policy, by the Congressional Aviation Policy Board, is a report of an independent investigation made by the legislative branch of the Government with the aid of specialists in aeronautics and related fields. Recommendations made in these reports have already led to proposed legislation to correct unsatisfactory conditions and shape future aviation policy.

Survival in the Air Age includes sections

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on air power and national security, aircraftmanufacturing industry, aeronautical research and development, civil aviation, and Government organization.

National Aviation Policy considers combat aviation, air transport, aircraft manufacture, research, and Government organization.

Concerning aviation education, the policy Board found that, although 30 States have adopted aviation-education programs and 17 others plan such programs, further effort must be made if our citizens are to meet responsibilities of world leadership. “To provide an airminded public and a reservoir of trained personnel," the Board recommended: Promotion of flight and technical courses in colleges and universities with full

credit given; aviation education courses in primary and secondary schools; a program of supplying high schools with surplus aircraft equipment.

A brief summary of each report may be obtained free from Aircraft Industries Association, 610 Shoreham Building, Washington, D. C. Order the full reports from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.

Survival in the Air Age. President's Air Policy Commission. 166 pages, paperbound. 75 cents.

National Aviation Policy. Senate Report No. 949, Eightieth Congress. 57 pages, paper-bound. 20 cents.

HAT TYPES of questions about education United States style are in the minds of educational leaders of other nations?

Galen Jones, Director of the Office of Education's Secondary Education Division, who with Ruth E. McMurry of the UNESCO Relations Staff, Department of State, represented the United States at the Eleventh International Conference on Pub. lic Education held at Geneva, Switzerland, this year, helps us answer this question—at least in part.

For SCHOOL LIFE readers these representatives of the United States at the Geneva conference present certain questions asked of the United States delegation upon this

occasion:

Belgium (Mr. Merecy)

1. Are salaries of elementary and secondary school teachers different?

2. Is the influence of John Dewey upon the educational system of the United States increasing or is it on the wane?

France (M. Francois)

3. What are the practices in American secondary schools with respect to the development of world citizenship?

4. Will you illustrate how "democratic practices" are developed in the schools? Australia (Mr. Nelson)

5. Can you tell us if Federal aid to the States for education is likely in the near future?

6. I should like to know more about the exchange of letters between students in American schools with those in foreign countries, both as to volume and the number of countries involved. Burma (Mr. Cho)

7. In most countries, including Burma, teaching

is a mission of love and never adequately remunerated. I have noted the publicity about teachers' strikes in at least two of your cities which I find it difficult to understand. I also note the fact of your swelling birth rates and the urgent need for more teachers. Can you explain why such a problem exists in your country? Egypt (M. K. El Nahas)

8. In your program of visual education would you tell us whether silent films are used more widely than sound films?

9. In the audio education area do you depend mostly on programs from commercial stations or State and city school-owned stations?

10. Will you tell us of the rules regulating the exchange of teachers and students with foreign countries?

China (Dr. Cheng and Prof. Li)

11. Are Federal aids to education on the increase and, if so, along what lines? Does this mean Federal control?

12. I am aware of the tendency toward the consolidation of rural schools. Has there been any improvement and in what ways?

13. Will you please tell us more about the junior college movement?

14. We are interested in learning more about the provisions of the Fulbright Act and the Smith-Mundt Bill

15. Can you tell us how textbooks in the fields of geography and history contribute to teaching for world-mindedness?

16. Is there currently any shortage of textbooks in the United States?

17. Are women and men teachers treated the same as regards salaries and retirement provisions? Sweden (Mr. Karre)

18. Can you tell us the percentage of youth who go on to college?

19. Is the chief role of counselors to give vocational guidance or does their work also include

what we think of as the services of school psychologists?

United Kingdom (Mr. Wilson)

20. In the small high school is the entrance selective? If not, how do they manage to encompass all the needs of the pupils? Scotland (Mr. Anderson)

21. How do you develop individual and group responsibilities?

22. How are leadership conferences for youth conducted?

Pakistan (Dr. Husian)

23. Are there equal educational opportunities for Negroes? What restrictions if any, are placed upon Negroes?

Iraq (Mr. Muhyddin)

24. In decreasing the number of school districts is there a move toward centralization of control? 25. Does the Office of Education plan to help foreign students in locating colleges and residences?

Luxembourg (Mr. Winter, Miss Wilhelmy)

26. Can you tell us the percentage of schools using the Winnetka Plan? Is this percentage the same for rural as for urban districts?

27. What is the average wage of public school teachers?

28. What is the relation of "inspectors" to schools?

Bulgaria (Mr. Mintcher)

29. Are there any special schools for youth of Slavic origin?

30. Are there any particular opportunities for Slavic youth?

31. What are the provisions for vocational education at the secondary school level? Portugal (Mr. Ferreira de Almeida)

32. Do the proposals of the Commission on Higher Education impose any limitations on the freedom of higher education?

son.

Describes a community school and the work with bilingual children.

Dental Health Program for Elementary and Secondary Schools. Chicago, The Council on Dental Health, American Dental Association, 1947. 40 p.

Discusses the dental health problem and outlines the principles of a school dental health program. Lists educational aids for children and adults.

Educational Lessons From Wartime Training. The General Report of the Commission on Implications of Armed Services Educational Programs. By Alonzo G. Grace, Director, and Members of the Staff. Washington, D. C., American Council on Education, 1948. 264 p., illus.

$3.

Presents the summary volume on the lessons of the wartime services educational programs for American education now and in the future.

The Metric System of Weights and Measures. Twentieth Yearbook of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Compiled by the Committee on the Metric System, J. T. Johnson, Chairman. New York, Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1948. 303 p. $3.

Surveys the nature, history, and advantages of the metric system and offers suggestions for its adoption in classroom and general use.

School Days. Suggestions for Daily Programs in Maine Elementary Schools. Augusta, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, State Department of Education, 1948. 149 p., illus. 75 cents to other than Maine teachers.

Based on classroom experiences; includes examples of different types of daily programs.

Speech Handicapped School Children. By Wendell Johnson, Spencer F. Brown, and Others. New York, Harper and Brothers, 1948. 464 p. $3.

Designed to help classroom teachers, supervisors, and school administrators in the education of speech-defective children.

Two-Way Street; The Emergence of the Public Relations Counsel. By Eric F. Goldman. Boston, Bellman Publishing Co., Inc., 1948. 23 p. $1.25.

Traces the development and growth of the new profession of counsel on public relations.

UNICEF. New York, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, 405 East 42d St., 1948. 16 p., illus.

A report to those who have made the work of UNICEF possible.

Your Part in Your Child's Education. An Activity Program for Parents. By Bess B. Lane. New York, E. P. Dutton & Co., 1948. 252 p. $2.50.

A handbook for parents and parent groups interested in community-centered education.

School Administration

A Comparative Study of State Certification Requirements for Teachers, Supervisors, and Directors in Vocational, Trade, and Industrial Education in the United States. By Basil S. Warner Doctor's, 1946. New York University. 331 p. ms.

Recommends that certification terminology be standardized and simplified; that certification regulations require higher educational attainment of teachers, supervisors, and admin. istrators; and that the State have the exclusive right to issue certificates.

Contributions of Major Surveys or Investigations to the Program of Secondary Education. By Edna C. Miller. Doctor's, 1947. University of Cincinnati. 260 p. ms.

Discusses criteria for evaluating the contributions of the investigations.

The Fiscal Status of Joint High Schools in Pennsylvania Under Act Number 403. By Lewis N. Snyder. Doctor's, 1947. Temple University. 162 p.

Determines the financial effects of this Act on present and proposed joint high schools, and suggests possible new legis. lation to supplement or extend the benefits of the Act.

Evolution of the Legal Status of the City Superintendent of Schools in Selected States. By John B. Geissinger. Doctor's, 1945. University of Pennsylvania. 254 p.

Studies laws and court decisions affecting the city superintendent of schools in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts, and notes trends.

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History of Public School Financial Legislation in North Dakota. By John Hove, Jr. Master's, 1946. University of North Dakota. 65

p. ms.

Analyzes the laws that have determined the tax base, legal levy, and debt limitations, together with laws that have

The Reports of the Elementary Principal to the Local Superintendent of Schools. By Henry C. Ducker. Doctor's 1945. New York University. 144 p. ms.

Analyzes 276 replies to a questionnaire sent to 450 principais of elementary schools throughout the United States in an attempt to determine the phase of administration and supervision most frequently reported to the superintendent and how and when this information is presented to the superintendent by the principal.

Standards for School Plant Construction Established by State Requirements. By Milton W. Brown. Doctor's, 1946. University of Chicago. 169 p.

Attempts to discover the requirements established by different States for materials and methods in the erection and alteration of school buildings, and to determine whether the newer codes are adequate and more complete than the older codes.

A Study of Teacher Reaction to Supervisory Practices. By Mollie B. Whitlock. Master's, 1946. George Washington University. 49 p. ms.

Analyzes data obtained from a questionnaire submitted to 136 elementary school teachers in the Alexandria, Va., city school system.

A Summary of the Literature of 1929-44 Relating to the Supervisory Duties of the Elementary School Principal. By William T. Armstrong. Master's, 1946. University of Cincinnati. 132 p. ms.

Studies problems met by the principal in the performance of his supervisory duties, and the proposals for the solution of these problems, as revealed in the literature.

Supervisory Practices of Principals of Secondary Schools in Metropolitan Washington. By Elizabeth Rolston. Master's, 1946. George Washington University. 60 p. ms.

Describes the development of criteria and of a question. naire which was sent to 24 principals of junior and senior high schools in the Washington area. Shows that the supervisors are interested in the growth and welfare of their teachers.

theories of equalization.

An Inquiry Into the Supervisory Services Desired by the District Superintendent, Principals, and Teachers of a Supervisory District in New York. By Erwin W. von Schlichten. Master's, 1945. Syracuse University. 79 p. ms.

Discusses the supervisory services desired by all of the teachers, principals, and district superintendent of one supervisory district of one county.

Management Practices in the Elementary Schools of the Greater Washington Area. By Katherine C. DeShazo. Master's, 1947. George Washington University. 47 p. ms.

Studies administrative practices as they relate to manage. ment planning, management execution, and management control found in a sampling of the elementary schools of the greater Washington area.

The Relations of City School Systems to the City-Manager Form of Government. By Forbes H. Norris. Doctor's, 1945. Harvard University. 282 p. ms.

Discusses conflicting views of school-city relations, and presents case studies of five cities, studying the structural organizations and personnel.

U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1948