exploration rather than teacher-telling.

(c) Curriculum construction. Curriculum construction and adaptation is far more of a teacher's responsibility and continuous task than is true where textbooks are widely used, and where changes in courses are infrequent. The teacher of adults must develop the ability to build and continuously modify the course around the interests of the adult students. Because class materials in large part must be developed and secured to meet new problems as they arise, and because a wide use of visual aids will be needed and expected, curriculum construction is a continuous function of the leader of adult groups. A definite part of curriculum construction is skill in securing and developing class materials from current and community sources. Again, the competent teacher of adults is aware of community as well as individual problems and sets the course in the framework of community living.

4. Prepare suggestions and provide assistance to the local school administrator in establishing an in-service. training program for teachers and leaders. Obviously the training of teachers will be adequate only when pre-service and in-service training program are closely geared together. Such assistance to the local school administrator should take the form of suggestions for training through periodic staff meetings, group projects and individual supervision.

Staff meetings should be more than the opportunity to conduct business and give orders. They should provide opportunities for the teaching staff, under competent leadership and administration, through group discussions and exploration to grow continuously as teachers of adults. Too frequently, courses in public-school administration and supervision for school officers have placed far too little emphasis upon the development of staff meetings and staff groups. The training of teachers of adults may help to underscore the fact that workshops need not be only annual occurrences held on a distant campus, but rather should be the basis of staff meetings.

5. Provide continuous assistance to the local communities. This may be done by arrangement with the local schools and the staff of the chief State

school officer in which faculty members of the training institution make periodic visits to communities to be of assistance in the local in-service training program. Again, it may be carried out by visits upon invitation. Such invitations will. be more freely extended as the pre-service and in-service training programs are worked out jointly by the training institutions and the local schools. In training of public-school teachers there has too rarely been any such mutual planning. Typically, the school of education plans the preparation of the prospective teacher and the local school merely accepts the result.

6. Prepare training manuals and materials for use in the local in-service training programs. Such materials may best be prepared by committees composed of representatives of teachers and administrators from various communities concerned with the problems.

7. Hold occasional conferences for administrators and leaders and acts as a clearinghouse for training ideas and program throughout the State. Functions of the local school administrator

1. Conduct periodic staff meetings designed continuously to explore all asspects of the program of the education of veterans.

2. Establish working committees or groups of teachers to develop better methods, materials, course content, evaluation, recruitment and publicity.

3. Explore the use of community resources in developing the in-service training program. For example, community leaders in such areas as vocations, home living, parent education, etc., may well be asked to work with teachers concerned with these problems.

4. Institute a program of supervision which as a training device should be less concerned with minor points of criticism and more concerned with securing information about general problems and successful solutions to form a basis for periodic staff or training meetings.

The above suggestions obviously are in skeleton form. They serve, however, to point out that the problems of training of teachers and leaders for the education of veterans is a crucial one and can be solved only if both schools of education, the staff of the chief State school officer, and the local schools work together toward its solution.

Report from Santo Tomas

A recent communication received by Herbert Swanson, specialist in agricultural education, teacher training, U. S. Office of Education, from one of his former students at Iowa State College, describes life in an internment camp at Santo Tomas University in Manila The writer, I. D. Butler, enclosed a panphlet issued at the camp which bega with these lines:

"After 37 long months, we celebrat our first day of freedom today (Febru ary 3, 1945) with the final departure of the Japanese from the city of Manila. and await with bounding hearts ou own, our friends, our Allies."

Among other things, the pamphle states that "a school of approximate 700 children and young people, from primary to college grades, operated wit permission but no help from the Japa nese and staffed by qualified teachers ( by experts in technical fields, was cor ducted in spite of grave lack of classroom space and shortage of textbooks and stationery.

"A similar number of persons atended special adult classes until pr hibited early in 1944."

The pamphlet indicates that as t food, "meat, milk, and eggs were totally absent"; while up to September (194) inclusive, a gross daily average of or ounce of fresh fish per person was pr vided; also an average of two sma bananas per person per month, and n citrus fruit at all. Green vegetable were almost all supplied by the ca garden."

Geographic School Bulletins

The Geographic School Bulletin published by the National Geograph Society, were resumed for the 1945+ school year on October 1, the Society has announced. Each of the 30 week issues will contain five articles and seve illustrations or maps.

The format of the bulletins is de signed so that each article, with illustra tions and suggestions for further read ing, is a complete unit, detachable for separate filing, for bulletin board us or for distribution to students in th classroom.

The bulletins may be obtained from the General Headquarters of the S ciety, Washington 6, D. C. Price is : cents for each subscription.

High-School Dramatics

Dramatics Director's Handbook. Edited by Ernest Bavely. Revised Edition. Cincinnati 24

(College Hill Station), The National Thespian Dramatic Honor Society for High Schools, 1944. 67 p. Mimeographed. $1.50.

Designed primarily for those who are new in the field of high-school dramatics; suggests units and activities. Topics include: How to teach highschool dramatics: Organization of the high-school dramatics club; Standards for the selection of plays at the high-school level, and other pertinent information.

English Teaching

Children Learn To Write. Compiled by Fannie J. Ragland. Chicago 21, Ill., National Council of Teachers of English (211 West 68th Street), 1944. 78 p. (Pamphlet Publication No. 7) 50 cents.

Describes how the elementary classroom environment can promote good writing and shows how teachers may provide experiences that stimulate thought and reaction leading to a natural growth in organizing and expressing ideas.

The English Language in American Education. Prepared for the Modern Language Association of America, by Thomas Clark Pollock with the cooperation of William Clyde DeVane and Robert E. Spiller. New York, Commission on Trends in Education of The Modern Language Association of America (100 Washington Square East), 1945. 32 p. 25 cents.

Presents a statement of principles and objectives for English teaching on all levels from elementary school through college. Stresses the possibility of improving the English of the "nonacademic" students, suggests a practical approach to the problems of English teaching, and discusses a program for improved teaching of English and improved training of prospective teachers of English.

Guidance

Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Guidance Conference, Held at Purdue University, November 10 and 11, 1944. Edited by H. H. Remmers. Lafayette, Ind., Division of Educational Reference, Purdue University, 1945. (Studies in Higher Education 52) 75

66 p. cents.

The papers given at the Conference dealt with a variety of guidance problems including wartime and postwar adjustments.

Education and the Public

Public Understanding of What Good Schools Can Do. By Robert S. Fisk. New York, Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1944. 86 p. $1.75

States that education must move forward through the cooperation of educators and the public. Suggests a program based on the thesis that once parents and the general public are aware of what good schools are doing elsewhere they will demand the equivalent quality of education for their own children.

Attempts to construct a scale to measure the extent and degree of mental imagery in the silent reading of pupils in grades 4-6.

A Content Analysis of Selected Case Studies of Reading · Disability, by Clarence H. Shultz. Master's, 1943. University of Cincinnati. 181 p. ms.

Presents case studies of 10 pupils in elementary school and describes methods used in overcoming their disabilities.

An Evaluation of Reading Devices Used in a Fifth Grade, by Vivian R. Sweeney. Master's, 1944. University of North Dakota. 65 p. ms.

Describes an experiment in which outline drill, recall drill, word drill, and extensive reading were used with 35 fifth-grade children in an attempt to improve their reading ability.

An Evaluation of the Effect of Specific Training in Auditory and Visual Discrimination on Beginning Reading, by Helen A. Murphy. Doctor's, 1943. Boston University. 216 p. ms.

Describes exercises for developing auditory and visual discrimination and their use with beginning readers.

An Evaluation of the Relative Appeal of Reading Assignments, by Catherine L. Lyons. Master's, 1943. Boston University. 50 p. ms.

Analyzes responses of 300 boys and girls to an interest test designed to measure their interest in various kinds of reading assignments.

The Historical Development of the First Grade Reading Program Used by the Sisters of Mercy in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, by Sister Mary B. Tighe. Master's 1944. University of Cincinnati. 85 p. ms.

Traces the growth and development of the instructional program in first-grade reading from 1883 to date.

The Improvement of Reading Comprehension in a Seventh Grade, by Sister Ursula Harmeyer. Master's, 1944. University of Cincinnati. 65 p. ms.

Develops a program for improving reading comprehension.

Marks of Readable Style: A Study in Adult Education, by Rudolf Flesch. Doctor's, 1943. Teachers College, Columbia University. 69 p.

Studies the language elements that influence comprehension difficulty in reading based on statistical experiment using reading test lessons and magazine articles. Develops a readability formula for use in estimating the comprehension difficulty of a given

test.

Mechanical Methods for Increasing the Speed of Reading: An Experimental Study at the Third Grade Level, by Eloise B. Cason. Doctor's, 1943. Teachers College, Columbia University. 80 p.

Studies the use of reading materials marked to emphasize phrasing and material supplemented by sheets reproducing the selection with spaces between the phrases. Describes the use of the Matron-oscope.

Motivation Through Basic Reading: A Study of the Motivational Content of Readers Used in Elementary Schools, by Ernest V. Estensen. Doctor's, 1943. University of North Dakota. 366 p. ms.

To Develop Audio-Visual Programs

The public schools of Virginia are in a position to develop strong audiovisual programs, according to announcement by the State Board of Education, which points to a recent appropriation by the General Assembly of approximately $1,112,000, plus $100,000 for the production of films of distinctive natural resources and historic sites throughout the Commonwealth.

Authorized details of the program have been reported by the Board's director of school libraries and textbooks, who states that the funds appropriated are to be used for the purchase of maps, globes, charts, slides, films, projectors, and other teaching aids. It is understood that a major portion of the funds will be used for the purchase of films and film equipment.

Films are already made available to the public schools of Virginia by the State Board of Education through a central film bureau with regional and local branches.

Collection of Public Library Data

A Nation-wide collection of basic public library data is now under way by the Library Service Division, U. S. Office of Education, designed to include all public libraries and to cover the 1945 fiscal year.

The present collection of public library statistics is the second in a new series of comprehensive surveys begun in 1938-39 by the Division in an attempt to secure a detailed report on size, support, and service from every public library in the United States, regardless of size. The responsibility of the Office for the collection and publication of public library data is not new. Beginning in 1875, the Office has collected periodically, statistics from selected public libraries along with similar data from society, school, and college libraries. Such statistics have been published in various forms by the Office covering the years 1875, 1884-85, 1891, 1896, 1900, 1903, 1908, 1913, 1923, and 1929.

types of libraries, including the collection and publication of basic data from school, college, and university libraries, as well as from public libraries. Carrying into effect this new program, the Office has published Public Library Statistics, 1938-39 (Bulletin 1942, No. 4) and College and University Library Statistics, 1939-40 (Biennial Survey of Education, 1938-40, Vol. II, Chap. VI). Now in press and due to appear shortly is the publication, Public School Library Statistics, 1941-42.

Division of Libraries Established

The enactment of legislation combining the various library activities of the State of New Jersey into a Division of Libraries of the State Department of Education under a qualified director is. reported by the New Jersey Library Association in a recent News Letter as an outstanding result of its efforts during the past year.

According to the president of the Association, this legislation serves to recognize the public library as an educational institution with the need for professional qualifications in those who hold responsible library positions.

The legislative committee of the New Jersey Library Association, in its annual report, indicates that the new legislation may offer an approach to State certification of librarians, designed to strengthen their position in the public interest.

What American Boys and Girls Like

American boys and girls seek humor, adventure, and imagination in their reading, according to the American Library Association, which has completed a survey among representative school and public librarians to ascertain which children's books published in the last 5 years are most popular with youth.

The results of the survey indicate that youngsters still prefer good stories, regardless of the quality of writing. They like animal stories, books based on family life, and adventures of everyday boys and girls in America, with

the scene laid in either the past or present. Books with a foreign setting do not appear to be a first choice with children. Many libraries report that first-hand reports from war correspondents are more popular with young readers than war books written especially for them.

The A. L. A. survey indicates further that children do not demand books

right from the press. Their reading choices appear to be influenced by personal recommendations either from librarians or from other boys and girls. An author's popularity among boys and girls, once established, is said to last for some time, and some writers develop devoted followings of young readers who favor immediately any titles written by them.

"All Hands" Made Available

Librarians and teachers may be interested to know that All Hands, the Navy's general service publication, has been made available to the public at large. It is a monthly publication, fully illustrated, and covers subjects of general naval interest.

The response from copies of All Hands sent home by naval personnel has led the Navy Department to feel that this periodical may be of considerable interest to students and school libraries.

All Hands may be secured from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C., at a price of 20 cents per copy, or $2 a year by subscription.

Conferences for

Extended School Service

The needs in extended school services are as varied as the children served.

Thus the training needs of teachers are equally varied. To meet some of these needs in Alabama, a series of 2-week training conferences are being held. They are centered around special problems, and a small group of teachers are elected to attend.

Late last year, a general plan for the special conferences was worked out for the local supervisor, State supervisor, and the nursery school staffs of the

State colleges in a joint meeting. Recommendations had been sent in from teachers listing their specific needs in training. These recommendations were used in evolving the plan and determining which type of special conference would be held first. The opening conference was held at Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Attendance was limited to 15 and it was an orientation course for new nursery school teachers. Teachers who had had no previous training in nursery education were invited. The objectives of this conference were to develop with the group the purposes and philosophy of nursery education; to analyze teaching situations in nursery education; to gain some experience with play, art, and music media in nursery schools; and to observe in a well-planned nursery school.

The second conference, held at the University of Alabama, was centered around the problems of the head teachers, and only head teachers were invited. The objectives of this conference were. to review the purposes of nurseryschool education, discuss scheduling and program planning, suggest some aids in personnel and general management, do a job analysis, and meet special problems of individuals.

A third conference, held at Alabama College, took the form of a workshop. Teachers of nursery-school children were invited to attend. The college nursery school was at the disposal of the teachers under the guidance of the nursery-school director. The problems for this conference centered around room arrangement, care and arrangement of equipment, nutrition, parent contacts, health care, etc. The teachers were responsible for complete management of the nursery school under the guidance of the college director.

Two head teachers' conferences were held-one at the University of Alabama, attended by white teachers, and another at the State Teachers College at Montgomery, attended by Negro teachers. A similar plan as described above was used at these conferences.

Another conference centering around nursery-school methods, with particular help on activities and fundamental background of child development, was held at the University of Alabama. Teachers with limited training were

invited. A workshop built entirely on a problem basis was conducted at the State Teachers College at Montgomery.

It is planned that two or more conferences will be held this fall and several in the winter terms. These will center around interests as they develop in the field such as music, arts, special problems of the school-age group, the 5-year-olds, parent education, nutrition, and care and repair of equipment. From time to time there will be orientation workshops for new teachers and head teachers' conferences.

"It is too early to evaluate this type of plan. We have tried large conferences and were not satisfied with the results. Small conferences built on special interests more nearly carry out the philosophy which we are trying to build," stated Lula Palmer of the Alabama State Department of Education, who gave the above report on the conferences.

Nutrition Workshop

Participants in the nutrition workshop held during the past summer at the Central Washington College of Education, Ellensburg, Wash., and cosponsored by the State department of public instruction and the college, were convinced that the elementary school must take the primary responsibility for strengthening and improving health habits, according to a report from the workshop.

Demonstration teaching in the second. and fourth grades each morning gave concrete evidence that children in these grades, if given opportunity, can acquire and apply both the concepts and attitudes necessary for healthful food habits. It is at the elementary level that children are establishing health habits. By the time they reach the junior high school their habits of living are established to the extent that it is difficult to change them. Therefore, it is in the elementary school that nutrition. education can best function.

The college and elementary teachers, supervisors and administrators, health workers and nutritionists present agreed on the following ways of enriching health teaching.

1. The study of food and its relation to health should be a part of school

living and included in social studies. science and arithmetic work, and especially in the selection of food in the lunchroom.

2. Kits of teaching aids should be made available to superintendents for use in the elementary schools; these packets to include general materials for the teachers and additional packets for the children at the primary, intermediate, and upper-grade levels.

3. Nutrition should become an im portant part of the in-service training made available to teachers. School systems should be encouraged to offer short periods of intensive study and conferences where teachers may receive the help of specialists both in nutrition and elementary school procedures.

4. Nutrition should be an essentia part of the required teacher-education curriculum. This curriculum should stress means of applying the knowledg and including such experiences as wil make clear the importance of good food selection in child health.

5. The nutrition program should be based on the needs of the school as shown by physical examinations, observation, and other screening tests by teachers and nurses, diet records, and other health records. A school health council to consider these needs and ! plan ways of meeting them most effec tively may well include an administra tor, members of the teaching staff. 3 doctor and/or nurse, a lunchroom man ager or cook, the custodian, and studen representatives.

6. Instructional aids should be analyzed by each teacher for the specifi learnings intended. After such aids have been employed for specific empha sis and followed by checks to show their value in relation to the purpose intended, the usefulness of these aids and suggestions for additional needed mate rials should be made known to those who produce them.

7. Parent participation is essential, in the school health program to build the right attitudes and improve the health of the community. When parents and teachers plan together and realize that they are working toward the same goals the effectiveness is more than doubled. Newer concepts whic the school presents and established hab its in the family must be reconciled i good is to result.