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Vocational Division Publications (Revised January 1948)

Occupational Books, 1947-48 (April 1948) Business Experience for Business Teachers (1948)

How To Interpret Cumulative Records, Part 1 (October 1947)

Information Concerning Child Labor Standards (April 1948)

Library Statistics of Colleges and Universities With Enrollments of 5,000 Students or More, 1946-47 (Circular No. 243. June 1948)

Studies and Reports on Hospital Occupations and on Selection and Training of Personnel. A Partial Bibliography of Manuscripts and Publications Since 1939 (June 1948)

Life Adjustment Education for Every Youth (Revised)

Sources of Materials Dealing with Reading Difficulties

Class Size. A Selected List of References

by Year (from 1920 to 1948) (June 1948) The Major Principles of the Biological Sciences of Importance for General Education (April 1948)

Social Hygiene Education Bibliography No. 1. Books and Pamphlets for Small and Preadolescent Children (Reprinted April 1948)

Bibliography of Bibliographies on Adult Education (Adult Education References No. 1, July 1948)

Advance Statistics of State School Systems Methods of Instruction for Illiterates (Adult (May 1948, Circular No. 241) Education References No. 2, July 1948) Statistics of Education of Negroes (March Material for Adult Illiterates (Both Foreign 1948) and Native Born) (Adult Education References No. 3, August 1948)

Statistics of Public Libraries in Cities with Populations of 100,000 or more for 1947, with Comparative Summaries for 1945 and 1946 (May 1948)

Aviation Periodicals for Teachers and Pupils (April 1948)

Adaptations of Classics and Famous Fiction (Adult Education References No. 4, August 1948)

Adult Education Councils (Adult Education References No. 5, July 1948)

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DENT CANDIDATES

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Federal Security Agency

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IF YOU ARE a school administrator or a teacher, you are probably busier today than you have ever been in your educational career. Finding ways and means to accommodate in school and college record numbers of children and adults and helping to fashion educational offerings to meet their varied needs present challenges unprecedented in American educational history. It is our hope that you will find SCHOOL LIFE a month-to-month aid during the school year as you face both old and new educational problems and search for the best possible solutions. Let us hear from you. We shall try to be as helpful as we can in the months ahead.

A Visit to Midwood

Plans for Developing a School Building Program Project for Adult Education of Negroes.

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LOOK FOR TWO or three definitive articles in SCHOOL LIFE each month. Scan the re

maining pages for research finding high lights, briefed to save printing space and to conserve your reading time. Don't hesitate to reproduce or make available to others any information presented in SCHOOL LIFE. Use it as you wish. Simply credit SCHOOL LIFE as the source.

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SCHOOL LIFE IS indexed in Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, and in Education Index.

Published each month of the school year, October through June. To order SCHOOL LIFE send your check, money order, or a dollar bill (no stamps) with your subscription request to the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. SCHOOL LIFE service comes to you at a school-year subscription price of $1.00. Yearly fee to countries in which the frank of the U. S. Government is not recognized is $1.50. A discount of 25 percent is allowed on orders for 100 copies or more sent to one address within the United States. Printing of SCHOOL LIFE has been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget.

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THE Office of Education was established in 1867 "for the purpose of collecting such statistics and facts as shall show the condition and progress of education in the several States and Territories, and of diffusing such information respecting the organization and management of schools and school systems and methods of teaching, as shall aid the people of the United States in the establishment and maintenance of efficient school systems, and otherwise promote the cause of education throughout the

country."

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Students of Brooklyn's Midwood High School hold a board of estimate meeting similar to one conducted by the city government.

A VISIT TO MIDWOOD

by Ellsworth Tompkins, Specialist for Large High Schools

HAD the Sherlock Holmes feeling as I turned from Glenwood Road into Bedford Avenue on my way to the main entrance of Midwood High School in Brooklyn one bright Monday morning recently. I was after clues. What makes successful student government successful? How well is the student body acquainted with the status, activities, and functions of the student council? Is this one of the criteria of effective student government? To what extent is successful government the result of the principal's enthusiasm for it? If student government fails, why does it fail? Is it important for the student council to have a constitution? By what means do pupils learn about student government when they first come to the school? Questions such as these were running through my mind as I entered the school and was escorted to the principal's office, where I waited for Dr. Ross. It was immediately apparent that he was a busy man and that Midwood was a place of motion, action, and pleasantness. I wondered whether Midwood was too busy for a caller who wanted to look into its student government and not be hurried about it.

"My name is Ross. Very happy to meet you. Won't you come in?" It was the principal. And in I went. With the inVolume 31, Number 2

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"Perhaps it would be better if Miss Kroeber and Mr. Kussin joined us," Principal Ross suggested. "They know more about it. I'll ask them to come in. Mr. Kussin is the Adviser to the Student Government and Miss Kroeber is Administrative Assistant-that means vice principal outside of New York City."

I had remembered those names from the Midwood Baedeker, the school handbook, which had been sent to me, along with copies of the Argus, the school newspaper. The Argus had interested me because it had freely, analytically, and constructively criticized the activities and projects of the student government.

"Do you devote much of your time to student government in the school?" I asked.

"You probably know what we call our student government. All the students know it as the City of Midwood. No, I believe I don't put too much time on it, but I do give it a lot of emphasis. As for the students, they put a lot of time on it, however. And that's the

way it should be, in my opinion-oh, come in, please! This is Miss Kroeber, and this is Mr. Kussin. I was just saying that as principal I put considerable emphasis on the importance of the City of Midwood."

"That's true, and the emphasis you give it is so very important. It's one of the chief reasons for whatever success we have," said Miss Kroeber.

"I know you call it the City of Midwood, but why do you?" I asked.

What About Taxes?

"We say City of Midwood," she continued, "because our student government is patterned after that of New York City. I really think it's relatively unimportant what form is used, so long as participation is effective. The city government of New York is rather complicated, in case you don't know it, and we believe our students will become better acquainted with their city government by using it as a pattern for Midwood. That's my opinion."

How easy for Midwoodites to like Miss Kroeber! Attractive, alert, gracious, wellspoken, soft-voiced, pleasant in manner.

"Then, if the City of Midwood is a miniature replica of the city of New York, what do you do about taxes?" I said facetiously.

They laughed. "That's right, there are taxes, levied and collected, and argued over," said Mr. Kussin, the adviser, a tall young man, who gave the impression of quiet strength.

"You better explain how it works," Dr. Ross added.

"Well, the City of Midwood is headed. by a mayor chosen by the student body at large. This term the mayor of Midwood is David Fischer. Then we have eight term-presidents (corresponding to borough presidents), and they are elected by the different classes-you know-senior 1, senior 2, junior 1, and so forth. That's because we have graduation twice a year, not once a year. Then we have a comptroller, chief justice of the student court, and secretary, all of whom were elected by the whole student body. But the really basic position is the president of the homeroom, elected by each homeroom group. He supervises all activities in his room and serves as delegate to the city council. Now the." As Mr. Kussin looked at Miss Kroeber, she continued what he was saying. "Yes, the city council a. m. and

p. m.

"Do you have a double session at Midwood?" I inquired.

"Yes we do. We have school from about 7:45 a. m. to about 5:30 p. m., and we don't care too much for it, because of the fact that many of our pupils attending school on the afternoon session get home so late."

"That must be quite a draw-back to you and the students in promoting successful student government, isn't it?"

Miss Kroeber said, "Well, I don't know about that: I've worked in other schools, you know, and I think there is not too much connection between daily time schedule, school size, all the mechanical details of school management and the success of student government. Of course, we could use that as an excuse. But to us it is a challenge to have good student government despite some of these apparent handicaps. So, to answer your question, I should say the double session has not inter

"Taxes were 40 cents last term," Principal Ross put in. "Forty cents per student. Once he pays that he is entitled to all the normal activities of the City of Midwood and he's a citizen of Midwood."

"That seems somewhat complicated. Do the pupils understand it?" Ask the Pupils

"I think so, without much difficulty. But you can probably find that out best by asking the pupils," said the principal.

There was indication that this thread of explanation had spun out, so I said, "Maybe now is the time to ask you about the strong points of your student government."

"Well, I should say that one strong point is the fact that the City of Midwood has complete responsibility for drawing up the budget, for approving disbursements through our budget commission," said Mr. Kussin. "The students levy the taxes, collect them, and spend them. That gives them

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fered with the progress of our student government as much as might be expected. But we have one council for the morning session and one for the afternoon, and these two councils are made up of the homeroom presidents. Each council then elects its own chairman, and he or she and the officers elected by the entire student body and the eight term-presidents comprise the board of estimate, and now we're around to taxes. They are set by the board of estimate after the rigmarole of budgetary proceedings and hearings. After the budget is made up, it must be passed by the city council. And before any homeroom president votes, he discusses the budget with his section."

a sense of power and responsibility in being able to run their finances. That seems to be one of our most evident strengths. Then, through the election commissioners, the City of Midwood sets up procedures for all platforms and elections. If you look over that election notice on the table, you will see that the two election commissioners wrote that themselves. I didn't write it, Dr. Ross didn't. They did, with only an English teacher to approve style, not content, as required by City of Midwood regulations. That is another strength."

"I think," Miss Kroeber was speaking, "that the City of Midwood is responsible student government because it is not being

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