TOPIC II Summary of statements-Continued Good public-school organization should include the county or intermediate The library services of the U. S. Office of Education should be expanded__ The U. S. Office of Education should coordinate all educational activities of the Federal Government__ The research services of the Office of Education should be extended, and current and accurate information should be available to individuals and agencies on request--- The Office of Education should publish annually the results of significant research in education, continuously report on State laws affecting education, and make studies of important educational developments abroad__ Equalization of educational opportunity is the responsibility of the State, providing local districts make reasonable efforts on their own behalf_ The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare should make a thorough and careful analysis of the Constitution of the Virgin Islands and what it means in terms of reorganization of education for efficiency and economy Number of tables 31 1 1 1 1 1 TOPIC III Libraries are basic rather than merely desirable facilities in elementary and secondary school buildings___. Facilities for the use of audiovisual materials are basic in elementary and secondary school buildings__. In certain States an obstacle to meeting school building needs is the operation of segregated schools, causing uneconomical use of funds for construction___. Schools provided by the Federal Government for the education of American military dependent children overseas should meet minimum American standards of design and construction__. A more substantial and long-range program should be initiated by the Federal Government for the replacement of obsolete buildings and equipment, and for the provision of modern units with possibilities for expansion and growth in the Virgin Islands_. 1 1 1 1 TOPIC IV A number of fully qualified Negro teachers in certain States were displaced as a result of racial integration in the schools. A means of utilizing these teachers should be found__. 1 Summary of statements-Continued Number of tables No mention was made in the White House Conference report of the most practical of all kinds of channels in this country for the communication of the teacher need. The first ones to become aware of teacher needs should be those whose jobs it is to be the lookouts for their membersthe business, labor, professional, women's fraternal, service, and church organizations of this country. These organizations must be imbued, as never before, with the conviction that the long-term future of their members depends on enough good teachers, more than upon any other single factor in the whole society-. The United States Office of Education, with cooperation of the States, county, and local school districts, and professional education associations, should develop a national campaign to dramatize the advantages of teaching as a profession. This campaign should be concerned primarily with junior and senior high school students___. 1 1 A program of national insured loans to top qualified high school and college students is proposed as a means of increasing teacher supply. The program would operate on a sound financial basis similar to the FHA housing loan program-‒‒‒ 1 Teachers should be afforded more opportunity for advancement within their own school systems___. 1 Consideration should be given to a 12-month school year as a means of increasing teachers' salaries_ 1 TOPIC V Without in any way deprecating the importance of and the services rendered by nonpublic schools, public funds should be restricted to public schools--- Auxiliary services of a noneducational nature, such as hot lunches, certain medical services, and bus transportation could well be provided also for children attending nonpublic schools out of funds provided by the Federal Government if such funds are to be provided more generally for the schools of our land___. TOPIC VI 1 1 The Office of Education is urged to continue and expand periodic meetings with national public interest groups looking toward keeping them abreast and toward their working with the Office for the furtherance of educational goals in this country- We recommend that youth be included as active participants in all citizen educational committees on the community, State, and national levels. We also recommend that States be encouraged to establish broadly representative youth councils, advisory to State youth committees and commissions-- 1 1 Summary of the Reports of State and Territorial Conferences on Education Each of the 53 States and Territories invited to participate in the White House Conference on Education conducted a conference program in preparation for the national Conference. Thirty-five States, in addition to holding State conferences, organized community, county, and regional conferences. Approximately 3,600 of these were reported to the Committee for the White House Conference on Education. The States and Territories determined their own agendas, their conference mechanics, and representation at their conferences. The President's Committee and its staff offered assistance only on request. The great majority of the States and Territories adopted the agenda suggested by the Committee, which includes the six problem areas discussed at the White House Conference. This part of the report summarizes the State and Territorial findings on these six topics. In some States, subjects were added, usually higher and adult education, and in a few States 1 or 2 of the 6 topics were not discussed. All but 6 of the 53 States and Territories applied for conference funds as authorized by Public Law 530, 83d Congress. Those accepting these funds were obligated to submit to the United States Office of Education a report on conference findings, and all but one of these have done so. The six States which did not apply for funds have cooperated fully in the conference program and have submitted reports. The following is this Committee's summary of conclusions and recommendations contained in the State and Territorial conference reports. No attempt has been made to give a comprehensive view of all of the proceedings, records of which cover thousands of pages. Those desiring more information about the reports may write the various State and Territorial departments of education. The reports are public and in many cases have been printed and widely distributed. No two State conferences were organized in exactly the same way. In some instances the conference mechanics were designed so that votes could be taken, either at the final general session attended by all conference members or at the final meetings of the various discussion groups. This was so in a minority of States. In most, no attempt was made to obtain formal conference approval or disap proval of discussion group reports. In these instances the general conclusions reached by the discussion groups on the topics under con- · sideration are summarized in the State reports. In summarizing the State and Territorial reports here, each report has been given equal weight regardless of the mechanics of the conference or whether formal consensus was attained. What Should Our Schools Accomplish? The State and Territorial reports are primarily concerned with two questions concerning goals: What should be taught in the schools, and what services should be provided? The former is given the greater consideration. Throughout the discussions of Topic I, aspirations concerning the kind of training children should have in a complex democratic society are expressed. In many cases there are listed such general goals as loyalty, a sense of responsibility, leadership, healthful living, honesty, tolerance, respect for others. Some reports express themselves largely in these terms and do not relate the desired goals to a curriculum nor indicate specifically where the emphasis of education should be. The majority of reports, however, are intent on weighing which should be the proper goals of education and determining what specific responsibilities belong to the schools. The educational goal most frequently stressed is adequate training in the fundamental skills. The prevailing opinion appears to be that primary emphasis should be given to intellectual competence, to teaching a common core of basic information and skills, such as learning to read, think, compute, and write effectively and accurately. Of almost equal importance is training in citizenship-the understanding of the responsibilities and duties of living in a democratic society and of our governmental system and cultural heritage. The reports show considerable concern with the need for children to develop a true sense of democratic values. A third goal mentioned by almost all of the reports is the improvement and, in some cases, the extension of vocational training programs. The obligation of the schools to prepare young people for a vocation is repeatedly emphasized, but it is also stressed that vocational training cannot and need not be given at the expense of training in the fundamental skills. It is urged that a basic vocational studies program be adopted which would avoid a narrow field of application and combine general education with training in a particular technical field. Several reports recommend that specialized vocational training come after high school. One report observes that liberal-arts instruction is fundamental to all other parts of the curriculum and must be made sufficiently challenging to hold the attention of all pupils. A quotation from one of the State reports expresses a common attitude toward the value of vocational training: In an industrial society, the ability to become a contributing member of an economic community has an important bearing upon one's feeling of selfrespect, of security, and of social worth. The school can help students to acquire the information and develop some of the skills and the attitudes which will help them to become both efficient producers and intelligent consumers. The study of consumer economics may lead to the more effective utilization of the Nation's resources and to a better management of personal and family finances. Effective vocational guidance and appropriate vocational education not only reduce the human and social waste that results when young people spend years drifting from job to job; they also improve the morale of high-school students by helping them to see the purpose of their educational activities. There is much that all secondary students can gain from properly regulated and guided employment experience. Considerable attention is given to special services which should be offered by the schools. Most often mentioned are those needed for the physically handicapped, the mentally retarded, and the gifted child. A number of the reports recognize the advances that have been made in improving facilities for exceptional children, but all are agreed that a great deal more must be done, especially in arousing public interest in the problem. Also noted is the lack of adequately trained personnel for this work. Several reports give particular emphasis to the needs of the gifted child. Adult education is also widely discussed. In some reports it is given equal importance with elementary and secondary education. Emphasis on improving vocational skills and the understanding of civic affairs is urged. One report suggests that school boards "should authorize or make surveys in the community to discover the needs for adult education of less than college grade, that a properly constituted lay advisory council should be set up by the school board to study, recommend policies for, and advise on a program of adult education for the community ***" Also frequently suggested is the creation of public junior colleges which would be designed to offer terminal vocational education programs and general courses which would qualify students for 4-year schools if they chose to continue. In brief, there is a clear recognition by the State conferences that every child should be given the opportunity to develop his capacities to the fullest; that the focus of his training should be on the fundamental tools of learning; that he should be taught the responsibilities and meaning of citizenship in a democratic society and an understanding of his cultural heritage; that he should be given the opportunity to acquire a salable skill; and that the home, the Church, the Community, and the school must share responsibility in inculcating moral and spiritual values. The reports indicate a particular interest in improving education for the exceptional child, and the needs of the gifted |