Evaluates the amount and character of he training in the field of speech, the relaionship of their training to their teaching ctivities, and their opinions as to the kinds of raining that might have been more useful o these college teachers of speech. A Study of the Living Conditions of North Dakota Teachers During the School Year of 1943-44, by Ernest E. Athey. Master's, 1945. University of North Dakota. 69 p. ms. Analyzes replies of 1,500 teachers to a questionnaire designed to determine the acual living facilities available to teachers in ne-room rural and village schools, and the ffect of these facilities on tenure. Teacher Application Blanks with Special Reference to the State of North Jarolina, by Grover L. Angel, Master's 946. George Washington University. 05 p. ms. Compares application blanks used in North Carolina with those used in other States and he District of Columbia. Includes a sugested application blank for use in the public chools throughout the United States. Teacher Certification in South Caroina, by William F. Loggins. Doctor's, 945. New York University. 179 p. ms. Reviews the development of laws, policies, ractices, rules and regulations pertaining to eacher certification in South Carolina. Evalutes the certification program, and shows the eed for basic changes to make the program cceptable. Teacher Load in the Secondary Schools of Ontario, by I. Ward Clubine. Doctor's, 1944. New York University. 87 p. ms. Studies the instructional, specially asgned, and extracurricular load of teachers n the public secondary schools of Ontario, nd finds inequalities in teacher loads within chools, and between schools and school ystems. Courses of Study The following courses of study were ecently received in the Office of Eduation Library. They are not available or loan or distribution by this Library. Chicago, Ill. Board of Education. "ourse of Study for Science for Grade - Chicago, 1945. 69 p. processed. Hartford, Conn. Board of Educaon. American History Course of tudy for Grade 8. Hartford, 1944. 7 p. processed. Long Beach, Calif. Public Schools. rains: A Unit of Work for Third rade Children. Long Beach, 1945. p. processed. olume 29, Number 1 Los Angeles County, Calif. Public Schools. World Citizenship. A Series of Five Units Emphasizing the Problems of and Opportunities for Teaching World Citizenship in the Areas of Race, Culture, Geography, Economics and Politics, Intended for use in Present Secondary School Social Studies Courses. Los Angeles County, 1945. 39 p. processed. (Social Studies Curriculum Monograph SS-55.) Orange, Tex. Public Schools. Use of Library and Supplementary Materials in the Elementary Schools. Orange, Tex., 1945. 48 p. processed. (Curriculum Bulletin 408.) Wyoming. Department of Education. A Guide for the Program of Instruction in the Language Arts, Elementary Schools of Wyoming, Grades 1-8. Cheyenne, 1945. 180 p. (Bulletin No. 18, Series C. S.) UNESCO (Concluded from page 10) Charles A. Thomson: Advisor, Office of International Information and Cultural Affairs. Helen C. White: Professor of English, University of Wisconsin. David G. Wilson: Assistant Chief of Area Division of Europe Department of State. Dr. Harold Benjamin, Director of the Division of International Educational Relations, U. S. Office of Education, had previously attended the preliminary meeting of experts on Education, and Floyde E. Brooker also of the Office of Education had previously attended the conference on Mass Media. ELEMENTARY SCIENCE (Concluded from page 29) many of you agree with this?" Chances are nine-tenths of the hands will wave in the air. But let's hope some won't. And the teacher will say, "Well, George, I'm glad you don't agree, because I don't either! What's wrong with it?" A discussion ensues. Result: You can't decide anything about all insects by observing just two. And the children continue to observe. They col lect pictures and books to assist them in a study of insects. Perhaps the teacher will say, "What shall we do with these insects?" "Kill them!" some of the children cry. "No, just kill the fly, let the grasshopper go," somebody else says. There's discussion. A problem is set: "How do insects help and harm us?" The children set up ways of finding out and a unit about helpful and harmful insects is begun. The activities that follow this approach, if carefully directed, can help to achieve the objectives set up for science teaching. Chances are, nobody will ever think of drawing a fly or a grasshopper and the structure of the insect will be noted in connection with questions about how insects are able to live in so many different places, how they get food, etc. The attention is directed into channels that are more significant than naming an insect's body parts. The objectives, if they are to be struck at, make this shift in emphasis mandatory. Can the children in second grade read about magnets, and in the sixth grade, about fossils? Sure, but again for what purpose? Not to find out what happens when an experiment is performed. Let the children perform the experiment carefully, then draw conclusions thoughtfully. Repeat the experiment if it seems advisable; then, since their abilities as experimenters are limited, they may look to a book authority to check their results and to add to the information they already have. Let them always beware when they read. Let them learn to evaluate sources of information. Let them use many sources; learn to differentiate between fact and fancy. They will gather reliable information; they will organize their findings and use them to solve their problems. They will learn that reading is a tool that proves extremely useful but if their teacher keeps her objectives for teaching science in mind, they won't just read the science book aloud and stop only to be corrected when they mispronounce a word or encounter an unfamiliar one. Yes, science is terribly important. It can do so much for our girls and boys if we let it. If we keep both eyes on the objectives and then challenge the things we do to see that they are directed toward achieving these objectives. Instructional Problems GLENN O. BLOUGH, Science. HELEN M. MANLEY, health instruction and physical education. Education of Exceptional Children and Youth ELISE H. MARTENS, Chief. SECONDARY EDUCATION GALEN JONES, Director. MARIS M. PROFFITT, Assistant Director. Organization and Supervision CARL A. JESSEN, Chief. WALTER H. GAUMNITZ, small and rural high schools. DAVID SEGEL, tests and measurements. ROOSEVELT BASLER, Chief. HOWARD R. ANDERSON, social sciences and geography. FRANK R. STAFFORD, health instruction, physical education, and athletics. PHILIP G. JOHNSON, Science. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION (Staff members for this Division will be listed as soon as the reorganization is completed.) RAYMOND W. GREGORY, Assistant Commissioner for Vocational Education. JERRY R. HAWKE, deputy assistant. W. P. BEARD, executive assistant. Agricultural Education W. T. SPANTON, Chief. Business Education B. FRANK KYKER, Chief. Home Economics Education Occupational Information and Guidance Trade and Industrial Education HIGHER EDUCATION CENTRAL SERVICES KENNETH O. WARNER, Director and Executive Assistant to the Commissioner. RALPH C. M. FLYNT, Assistant Director. Research and Statistical Service FRANCIS G. CORNELL, Chief. EMERY M. FOSTER, head, reports and analysis. LESTER B. HERLIHY, city school studies. Information and Publications Service G. KERRY SMITH, Chief. OLGA A. JONES, editor in chief. MARGARET F. RYAN, senior editorial assistant. NOLIA D. FRAZER, editorial assistant. WILLIAM HAROLD MARTIN, information and distribution. WILLIAM N. THOMPSON, Supervisor, graphics. MARY A. WALKER, statistical draftsman. The Library RICHARD H. LOGSDON, Chief Librarian. MARGARET MALTBY, cataloger. Administrative Management and Services FRANCIS R. POORE, Chief. MARIE E. SCHUTT, budget and fiscal officer. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL RELATIONS HAROLD R. BENJAMIN, Director American Republics Educational Relations Sec M. GORDON BROWN, specialist in the tex of English. THOMAS E. COTNER, educationist. DELIA GOETZ, specialist on Latin Ame education. WILLIAM A. SHAMBLIN, educationist. PAUL E. SMITH, senior educationist. CHARLES T. STEWART, assistant specialis exchange of information on educatio evaluation of credentials. GLADYS A. WIGGIN, assistant specialist ? change of information on educatio evaluation of credentials. European Educational Relations Section GEORGE J. KABAT, Acting Chief. ALINA M. LINDEGREN, assistant speciale exchange of information on educati evaluation of credentials. Near and Far Eastern Educational Relations Serg C. O. ARNDT, Chief. JOHN BARROW, assistant specialist fo change of information on educator evaluation of credentials. AUXILIARY SERVICES RALL I. GRIGSBY, Director. Services to Libraries RALPH M. DUNBAR, Chief. NORA E. BEUST, School and children's litr W. O. MISHOFF, public libraries. Educational Uses of Radio FRANKLIN DUNHAM, Chief. R. R. LOWDERMILK, technical phases. GERTRUDE G. BRODERICK, script and tras tion exchange. Visual Education FLOYDE BROOKER, Chief. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION E. B. NORTON, Director. TIMON COVERT, school finance. E. GLENN FEATHERSTON, pupil transper WARD W. KEESECKER, School legislation. School Housing RAY L. HAMON, Chief. SURPLUS PROPERTY UTILIZATION (Temp H. F. ALVES, Director. School Life Published monthly except August and September Federal Security Administrator----WATSON B. MILLER U.S. Commissioner of Education---JOHN W. STUDEBAKER Purpose The Congress of the United States established the United States Office of Education in 1867 to "collect such statistics and facts as shall show the condition and progress of education in the several States and Territories;" to "diffuse such information as shall aid in the establishment and maintenance of efficient school systems;" and to "otherwise promote the cause of education throughout the country." SCHOOL LIFE serves toward carrying out these purposes. Its printing is approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget. REEDOM of speech and of the press are the inalienable rights of mericans and fundamental to the nerican way of life. Underlying ese rights is the basic assumption that ople are intelligent, that in dealing th important issues they are able to to pinion and anxious to ascertain the ts, and that they thus can arrive at so ned and wise decisions. Dictatorps have always rejected the idea that ople can be trusted to think for themves. Dictators therefore announce e official point of view on important ues, give currency only to facts which pport the official point of view, and mp out contrary opinions and those o hold them. Obviously the greater responsibility aced on the common man in American mocracy calls for the development of ilities which would be superfluous and en dangerous to the State in a dicta torship. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that these abilities are possessed equally by all Americans or that citizens generally can be expected to acquire them without special preparation. In recent years all of us have experienced frustration in trying to think through complex problems of public policy and have found it difficult to get the facts needed to take a wise stand on important issues. The schools would be remiss in their function of preparing youth for democratic living if they did not make every effort to develop a wholehearted interest in public affairs, the abilities needed to think effectively on important questions, and the will to contribute positively to the working out of wise solutions to important problems. If citizens generally are not interested in public affairs, are unwilling to do the work involved in getting at the facts, and indulge in shallow thinking or blindly accept the pronouncements of others, American democracy is in serious danger. Some Steps in Considering an Important Problem Effective thinking and action in the realm of public affairs involves these steps: (1) identifying a problem and recognizing its ramifications, (2) learning to use available sources of information and to evaluate conflicting evidence and points of view, (3) reaching tentative conclusions in the light of the evidence and consistent with democratic values, (4) taking the best course of action under these circumstances, and (5) keeping currently informed and standing ready to revise tentative conclusions and to follow a different course of action if new evidence is uncovered. Although effective thinking and action with respect to important problems de |