SHOULD like to speak of some specific areas in which the Federal and State governments are jointly interested and need to act cooperatively.

I select these subjects because I am sure they are of immediate interest to you, and because I have been privileged to gain a more intimate understanding of some of the problems connected with them.

General Education

The first subject I wish to discuss is that of education.

If America is to survive and prosper in this complex postwar world, we must demonstrate that we can make our form of democracy function. We must make sure that our political, economic, and social system is not static but is flexible enough to meet the needs of our people. We must always move forward toward the full realization of the ideals which are the spiritual foundation of our American society. "To preserve our democracy, we must improve it."

The best way to improve our democracy in the long run is to make sure that our children are well educated. Our schools teach what democracy is, why it is impor tant, and why it requires each citizen to take part in the work and life of the Nation.

Our children are facing a tremendously complex world. Serious economic and social problems inside and outside our country require solution. The best possible training and education will be needed to

enable them to achieve peace and happiness.

As a Nation, we have long recognized the basic importance of education. We have been moving forward toward the goal of education for all. In 1870 there were only 80,000 students in all our high schools. In 1940 there were more than 7,000,000. In 1870 there were 60,000 in our colleges, while in 1940 there were 12 million students. In those 70 years while our population went up 3 times, the number in secondary schools went up 90 times and the number in colleges 25 times.

At the present time we are having an extraordinary increase in the number of children reaching school age, as a result of the high birth rate in recent years.

Thus the clear goal before us is to provide better and better education for more children.

Three Difficulties

Let us consider first the problem of elementary and secondary schools. There seem to be three major difficulties to be

overcome.

One is primarily a State problem. That is the problem of better organization-better organization of State education departments, in some States, and better organization of school districts which are economically sound and able to finance a more adequate school program.

The other two major difficulties facing elementary and secondary education need to be considered by both Federal and State

Governments. One is the problem of attracting and holding enough competent teachers. The other is the question of replacement and new construction of school buildings.

Both of these problems force us to face the hard facts of Government finance. To recruit more and better teachers, we must

pay

them salaries that come somewhere near meeting the competition of jobs in private industry and in other types of Government service. To repair and build schools requires a heavy investment of funds particularly in view of the present high construction and maintenance costs.

In the face of these high costs the State governments have provided more money for education, even though their general financial situation is not an easy one.

There is another important financial fact in this picture. The ability of States to pay for adequate schools is by no means uniform, because income and wealth in this country are not uniformly distributed. Accordingly, many States have to tax their people and their business very heavily in order to provide a standard of education that other States can afford with much lower taxes.

We know that the States have done a remarkable job in the last few years in increasing funds for education. We also know that some of the States with the most. limited taxable resources have made relatively the best record of all. Even with

the effort the States are making, however, the situation remains critical.

Possible Solution

What can we do about it? In my opinion, the first thing is for the Congress to enact legislation authorizing Federal grants to the States for operating expenses of elementary and secondary education. That is the highest priority need today. The peak wave of children of school age which is starting to hit the elementary schools now will be felt in the secondary schools in the next 6 years. The urgent need now, above all else, is to secure more teachers and to meet the other increased operating

costs.

As to Federal funds for school construction, the situation is not so clear. The total size of the construction job, the rate of construction needed, the degree of Federal assistance which should be provided, if any, all need careful study.

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Over the past 10 years or more, substantial consensus has been achieved on method of providing Federal financial support for operating costs. There is general agreement that this can be done without interfering with State responsibility for the scope and content of education. There is general agreement on a method of distribution to take account of both the varying financial capacity of different States and the number of children of school age. However, as yet, there is no such general agreement in the case of Federal financial assistance for construction. I would not say that we should never look forward to Federal aid for building schools. I do think, however, that careful study is necessary to determine the need for the location and kind of building required to provide educational opportunity for children, youth, and adults. Such planning, evident in some areas now, should precede and accompany long-range programs of school construction.

Higher Education

Let us look beyond elementary and secondary education to the colleges and universities.

It becomes increasingly clear that as our national economy grows more complex, and as the United States assumes a greater position of leadership and responsibility in international affairs, higher education must be made available to every young American who is able to profit from it.

The President recognized this problem when he appointed his Commission on Higher Education. He stated the Commission's first concern to be "Ways and means of expanding educational opportunities for all able young people

The President's Commission found that. in terms of the number of young people with the ability to complete college and postgraduate work, the total enrollment in our institutions of higher learning should be more than double what it is today. It was found that the economic barrier is the greatest single factor that has so far restricted the number who receive higher education.

What part should the Federal Government play in meeting this problem?

Federal assistance to higher education is not new and is based on sound precedent. For many years the Federal Government has encouraged and assisted the colleges and universities, through grants of land and money and by exempting nonprofit institutions from Federal taxation. Recently, during the 1930's, more help has been given through construction grants for tax-sup

ernment can give scholarship aid to worthy young people who desire to continue their education.

We Americans believe in a "free market

of ideas." We are convinced that in the struggle between democracy and totalitarianism, only people who have been trained to make sound individual judg ments, can effectively resist a dogma or "party line" imposed from above. If America is to retain its freedom in a world of conflicting ideologies, we must take steps to assure every American youth the opportunity to receive the highest level of education by which he can profit. A soundly conceived Federal scholarship program is a necessary step in achieving this goal. Scientific Research and Development

At the same time, we should consider another matter, closely related to higher education. That is the problem of scientific education and research.

All of us are aware how much our modern civilization depends on the advance of scientific knowledge. From the broad problems of national defense down to the

ported institutions, and a program of student aid under the National Youth Administration.

Scholarship Aid

At the present time, over a million veterans of World War II are attending higher educational institutions all over the country, and under the GI bill they receive their tuition and subsistence from the Federal Government. This greatly increased enrollment, while it has taxed the facilities of our colleges, has at the same time given us an indication of how many young people really want to continue their education, if they have the opportunity to do so.

In the next few years, I believe we must plan, in the light of the report of the Presi dent's Commission on Higher Education, the best means by which the Federal Gov

questions of better methods of building houses or organizing municipal police departments, modern science is the pivot for action and progress.

We know that as the frontiers of our knowledge have been pushed forward, the wealth of America has increased by leaps and bounds and the American way of life has improved. There are no known limits to the discovery of knowledge. We have discovered considerable new knowledge in our time some of it under the stress of emergency.

Some of the knowledge we gained in wartime has awed and appalled us, but one good thing we gained. That is the deepening realization that we stand only at the gateway to a world of new knowledge. The use we make of our new knowledge is mankind's to decide. Our responsibility is to

proceed intelligently in our search for this knowledge.

The President's Scientific Research Board, of which I had the honor to be Chairman, reported that as a Nation we need more trained scientists, and in the next few years we should seek to double the amount of money we are spending on scientific research.

This Board pointed out that in the past our scientific strength lay in development rather than in discovery. They warned us that we were woefully lagging in the field of basic scientific research, the area most vital to progress and for which we were almost completely dependent upon Europe. We can no longer afford the luxury of importing basic scientific knowledge. We must develop our own.

What should we do about this problem? I believe that the State government and the Federal Government have similar roles to play. The State universities and colleges need support from State governments for greatly expanded programs for training all kinds of scientists and for scientific research. The Federal Government should devote more funds to scientific training and research in its own laboratories and research agencies, through grants to colleges and universities, and through scholarships and fellowships.

Doubling of Budgets

Although such programs require money, the amount is very small compared to total Government expenditures either State or Federal. Consider your own State universities a doubling of their budgets for scientific training and research would be a very small percentage of the total State education budget. In the case of the Federal Government, outlays such as I have recommended are almost negligible beside the total cost of the Army or Navy or Air Force.

And yet these relatively small outlays can be tremendously fruitful. If through support of basic research we can find a preventive or cure for cancer or if by scholaships we give training to men who can lead the way to a successful United Nations think of the enormous dividends we would receive on our investment.

These are the reasons why I believe so strongly that the Federal legislation for a National Science Foundation should be enacted soon. This Foundation would provide the coordinating agency we need to gear

together the various Federal research and scientific training programs. And the Foundation would provide the national focus so badly needed to give guidance to all scientific research and training public and private guidance not in the sense of direction and control but in the sense of suggestions for program balance and emphasis.

It is clear, for example, that a portion of the funds expended by the National Science Foundation should be used to strengthen the weaker, but promising, colleges and universities, and thus to increase our total scientific potential. It is clear, also, that the Science Foundation would aid students in every part of the country to contribute to the advance of scientific knowledge.

In the Minds of Citizens

I want to conclude my remarks to you tonight by referring to the last report of the Executive Director of the Council of State Governments. He said that more and more

our local and State governments must concentrate on improving and preserving the American type of democracy wherein lies. our strength and our welfare. With that statement I thoroughly agree.

That is why I have wanted to talk to you tonight about better education and increased knowledge. The ultimate strength of our democracy lies in the minds of its citizens. And it is through an enlightened citizenry devoted to right principles that our democracy will be improved and preserved.

I believe that your work along the lines I have discussed tonight will carry us forward toward that goal. In all these enterprises the Federal Government is not an overseer but a partner. Upon the success, my friends, of this partnership in the safeguarding of our liberties and in the strengthening of our democracy, depends the safety not only of our own great America, but of the world.

IN A STRANGE and imaginary city, the Superintendent of Schools was called before the Board of Education. He was told that he and all the teachers and principals in his schools would not have their contracts renewed the next year. The President of the Board said, "Yes, sir, we are cleaning house this year. We have just had a survey made by those college professors, and they found out that when pupils leave our schools they are not educated. Why, they say that when pupils leave our schools they have to keep on learning! Now we have been behind our schools, but we have no other choice than to fire all of you. Children should get all the education they need by the time they graduate from our schools. They shouldn't have to spend the rest of their lives learning."

It is improbable that such an event will ever occur. Teachers do not agree with the statement made by the President of the Board. Why then do they fail to take advantage of opportunities to continue their education? Why is there resistance to an in-service training program among teach

At the same time, let us face facts. Teachers do not participate in in-service training programs very readily. In fact, visits throughout the country during the last few years have convinced me that not one out of fifty schools has an organized in-service training program. Why not more? Repeatedly, the schools have placed the blame on the lack of interest or unwillingness of teachers to participate in any training program. How can we secure their participation? How can we get teachers and counselors to expend the extra

effort? This is more than the $64 question; it is the crux of the entire problem of in-service training. To answer completely such a question within the limits of this article is impossible. But it is more than a space limitation. Our knowledge of motivation is still too fragmentary for such a task.

As a partial answer, we may find that lack of attention to the psychological principles involved in motivation has caused our difficulty in securing participation. Certainly these principles are frequently overlooked in the organization of in-service programs. For example, we have announced in-service training programs and expected teachers to attend because it was good for them. We have depended solely upon an appeal addressed to them on an intellectual plane, with little regard for their feelings. It would not be wise to organize an in-service training program solely on the basis of emotional appeal. However, we can longer neglect the needs and drives of potential enrollees in our in-service training

program.

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One of the most important of these needs is a feeling of security, and if in-service training is to succeed, we must consider this factor. Teachers, counselors, or administrators are not different from other human beings. We cannot forget this fact when we organize a training program. Like others, they need a feeling of security, and they resist with all that is in them any activities which threaten to destroy that security. We cannot blame them. We do it ourselves. But, if we are to organize effective training programs, we must give attention to this need. In fact, it is a tenable thesis that by organizing training programs in such a way that they do not threaten security, we not only build stronger programs, but also get greater participation. Three Important Considerations

How can we meet the need for security? First of all, teachers must feel secure enough in their employment to risk admitting their shortcomings. Picture if you will the resistance that must be overcome in a school where no one dares admit he is doing less than a perfect job. In a certain school a teacher-rating system completely destroyed the value of supervision. Promotions and dismissals were based on the rating made by supervisors. Would these teachers admit the need of help to the person holding their job in his hand? Not on your life! Teachers in that situation did

what we would have done they put their best foot forward. So the relationship became one of putting on a good show every time the supervisor came into their room. Unless teachers can feel secure in their jobs. we cannot have effective in-service training.

Secondly, teachers must feel secure with their fellow teachers. This security must be felt strongly enough to allow them to engage in in-service training. Most of us are greatly influenced by our estimate of others' opinion of us. In a school where the majority of the faculty is unsympathetic with guidance procedures, and where they make such remarks as, "It's all a fad"; or, "We have gotten along all right without any of that so far"; and, "I wonder how long before this storm blows over"; we cannot expect to have very much participation in an in-service training program devoted to guidance work. Teachers have to live and work with their fellow teachers. If their associates think it foolish to enroll in a training program, teachers are not likely to participate. Unless an atmosphere is created in which in-service training is accepted, and in which those who participate in an in-service training program are respected rather than scorned, participation will be limited.

Of more importance than job security or security with their fellows is another factor: In-service training participants must feel secure enough to try out the new skills or to operate on the basis of new understandings derived from the in-service program. When we try anything new, we wonder whether or not we shall be successful. A teacher who learns to prepare anecdotal records during an in-service training program must feel that it would be safe for her to try the procedure out in her own school. A person who learns to confer with parents must be given the support of the administration in conducting parent interviews, even though mistakes are made. Here training may conflict with administration. Principals want their schools to run smoothly. Using the old procedures will almost certainly guarantee that the school will run about as well as in the past. The introduction of new procedures may upset the routine. Some of the suggestions gleaned from an in-service training program can be expected to fail when put into practice. But if teachers are to see a purpose in in-service training, the administration must guarantee the freedom to put their learnings into practice. What point is there in spending hours in improving your techniques

only to meet the actual problem and find that you must use the old, the traditional, and put your new, if imperfect, techniques. on the shelf.

Security Key to Participation

The task of increasing teacher participation in in-service training extends beyond the planning of an interesting and stimulating program. The school must follow practices which contribute to the teachers' feel

ings of security. This article has pointed out that teachers should feel secure in their jobs, with their fellows, and in putting their new learnings into practice. Schools fostering these feelings of security are in a favorable position to secure teacher participation in the in-service training program.

Great Britain's Teacher
Recruitment Plan

WHAT IS BEING DONE in Great Britain to recruit and train teachers? According to Educational Notes No. 1, a new periodical publication issued by the British Information Services, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 20, N. Y., a 5-year plan for recruitment and training of British teachers has been initiated. The aim is "to raise the total number of teachers in the publicly financed schools from the present 196,000 to 237,000 by 1953.

"This meant that it was necessary to extend the permanent training facilities." In 1948, 6,000 women were admitted to 2-year courses in permanent training colleges, 750 more than were admitted in 1947, and nearly double the number admitted in an average prewar year. It is hoped to have facilities for 8,000 women entrants and for 2,000 men in 1949.

NOTICE

"Atomic Energy-Here to Stay," supplement to SCHOOL LIFE, is scheduled to be off the press March 1. SCHOOL LIFE addressees will receive one copy free. Order additional copies from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington 25, D. C. The estimated price per copy is 10 cents.