A boy in welding took a job in West Virginia, came back a week later and took the whole class back to start work. The last 2 farm boys out of the electronics department in Lexington went to work for $625 a month-quite a salary for mountain boys with 2 years' training beyond high school. Industry keeps a sharp watch on the area around a vocational school as a place to put a factory. The Diamond Match Co. picked a site outside Paintsville, largely because of the Mayo School. The director said: "I've been kept busy the last 2 years showing the school to site-locators for industry." Kentucky has 13 other area vocational schools, but that isn't nearly enough. James L. Patton, State director of vocational education, says that every school has waiting lists. Minnesota has several fine area vocational schools in rural areas. Farm Journal goes on record as strongly in favor of State aid to provide for more funds for area vocational schools. We need such schools to keep America strong, and we need them for the sake of farm boys and girls. Why not do something about it in your community and your State? The CHAIRMAN. Any questions? Senator ALLOTT. I think not, for myself at this time. The CHAIRMAN, Doctor, we appreciate this very able presentation. As I said in the beginning, you have always been very helpful, and you have been very helpful this morning. Now we will have a statement submitted by Mr. J. Fred Ingram, State supervisor of trade and industrial education in Alabama. We welcome this contribution to the record of these hearings. Mr. Ingram is a splendid leader in the vocational education programs in our State. STATEMENT OF J. FRED INGRAM, STATE SUPERVISOR OF TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION IN ALABAMA Mr. INGRAM. My name is J. F. Ingram. I am State supervisor of trade and industrial education in Alabama. I have been actively engaged in public education for 37 years. This statement is presented on behalf of the American Vocational Association and represents the official position of its members on the measure, S. 3187. Two years ago it was my pleasure to serve as president of the American Vocational Association. In that capacity I had the good fortune to travel extensively in the United States. I saw much of public education in this country. I witnessed the almost universal problems of inadequate housing for schools, shortage of well-trained teachers, and the resultant lack of enrollments in certain areas of learning such as the sciences and mathematics. I talked with vocational educators throughout the Nation and found them greatly concerned over the deficiencies of vocational students in the areas of science and mathematics which are more and more basic and essential backgrounds for students learning a skilled trade or a technical occupation. S. 3187: A TRULY COMPREHENSIVE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL Never before has Congress had before it a truly comprehensive legislative proposal which included both general and vocational edu cation such as is true of S. 3187. However, it has long been recognized that general and vocational are both highly important to sound economic growth of a nation as well as to our national defense. Anything that will improve general education will also improve vocational education and vice versa. The proposals involved in S. 3187 would provide stimuli for our greatest intellects to pursue educational courses which would greatly improve their own economic status and in turn enable them to make their maximum contributions to our national welfare and defense. Great numbers of our young people with brilliant minds cannot possible finance themselves while getting a college education. This bill, if enacted, would make it possible for many of them to develop to their full capacities in certain critical areas. PRESTIGE FOR EDUCATION, SCIENCE, AND MATHEMATICS The mere enactment of such legislation would lend emphasis and prestige to education and to science and mathematics in particular. This would greatly increase the enrollments in these subjects. There can be no doubt but that it would have lasting and continuing results by enabling more people in generations to come to educate their children better. Perhaps one of the most excellent features of the bill is the one which will enable those who obtain scholarships, and who go into teaching as a career, to discharge their scholarship obligations if they teach for 5 years. As a general rule, many of those who teach for 5 years will probably continue as teachers. This provides an excellent means of recruiting well-educated teachers for our public schools. AREA VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Title XII, authorizing funds for area vocational education programs, gives the bill a degree of balance which should not be overlooked. Through the provisions of this title of the measure a great contribution can be made toward alleviating certain manpower problems. 1. It can help greatly in making it possible for the people of rural areas who are in excess to the manpower needs of agriculture to make the transition to employment in occupations essential to the national welfare. 2. It can help greatly through the training of technicians who can relieve the engineers of much of the routine nonengineering functions they now perform but which could be as well done by well trained technicians. 3. It can help greatly by providing opportunities for those displaced by automation and other technological changes, retraining for em ployment in essential occupations in which there are shortages of trained manpower. 4. It can help greatly by making it possible to provide extension training for people in skilled and technical occupations to enable them to keep abreast of the rapid technological and scientific changes. These are all very important contributions to any all out effort to shore up our system of education in order to compete successfully with other nations in this scientific and mechanical age. We must not overlook the fact that for each engineer there must be several technicians and several more skilled craftsmen to make the engineer's dream a reality and to make, install, service, repair, and maintain complicated and expensive equipment used in modern industry. CONSIDERATION FOR SKILLED, TECHNICALLY TRAINED WORKERS The authors of S. 3187 are to be commended for presenting a bill which gives consideration to the need for more skilled and technically trained workers than just the scientists and engineers which are also needed. However, scientists and engineers without an adequate number of supporting workers would be of little value. This bill, if enacted into law and funds authorized are appropriated, will go far toward the promotion and development of a sounder educational program in the United States. Members of the American Vocational Association are highly favorable to such a measure. The CHAIRMAN. That was an excellent presentation, for which we are deeply grateful. The next witness will be James L. Patton, State director of vocational education for Kentucky, from Frankfort, Ky., and in connection with Mr. Patton's appearance, may I say that I have a letter from our colleague and a distinguished member of this committee, Senator Sherman Cooper. Senator Cooper writes that he could not be here this morning because of the fact that he has a long-standing engagement to address the National War College, but he expressed deep regret in not being here, particularly to present Mr. Patton. He speaks of Mr. Patton's gifted leadership in directing our programs and of his wisdom and sound judgment, and how, under Patton's leadership, Kentucky, as we know, has become one of the leaders in this great cause of vocational education. LETTER FROM SENATOR COOPER I shall place Senator Cooper's letter in the record at this point, and say to Mr. Patton that, on behalf of Senator Cooper and the other members of the committee, we certainly welcome you here this morning. We are delighted to have you here and will be glad to have you proceed in your own way, sir. (Letter follows:) Hon. LISTER HILL, UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION, March 10, 1958. Chairman, Labor and Public Welfare Committee, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR HILL: I regret that a speaking engagement at the National War College prevents my being present at the beginning of tomorrow morning's testimony. I had especially wanted to be present to introduce to the other members of the committee Mr. James L. Patton, director of vocational education in the State of Kentucky. As you know, Kentucky's program of vocational training is widely recognized as one of the most efficient and effective in the Nation. Mr. Patton's gifted leadership in directing our program is outstanding. Early in his professional career, he studied the problems and opportunities of rural people--and he went on eventually to head one of our area schools, the Mayo State Vocational Trade School at Paintsville, for 8 years. Since then, his wisdom and sound judgment have considerably fostered the further development of sound vocational education in our State. I know that Mr. Patton will make an effective presentation, and I hope that my commitment with the War College will be concluded soon enough so that I can be present at least during part of tomorrow's hearing. I will appreciate this statement being part of the record of the hearing. With kind regards, I am, JOHN SHERMAN COOPER. STATEMENT OF JAMES L. PATTON, STATE DIRECTOR, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, FRANKFORT, KY. Mr. PATTON. Mr. Chairman, I shall proceed by presenting some charts. First, I would like to say I started my professional career as a one-room schoolteacher and a high-school teacher and high-school principal where I had an opportunity to introduce and develop agricultural home economics, trade and industries, and distributive educational programs in the high school. Then, for 8 years, I was director of a specialized State vocational school. For the last 5 years, I have been State director of vocational education for the State of Kentucky. ADMINISTRATION OF AREA VOCATIONAL PROGRAM (Mr. Patton then displayed a series of charts which appear on pp. 1063-1074.) This chart 1 shows the administrative setup of the area vocational program in Kentucky. We already have the administration machinery set up. We could inaugurate an expanded program with a very nominal increase in administrative cost. (See p. 1063.) You will also see that we have a flexible type of board that operates the schools. Ten of the area schools are operated by the local board of education. One is operated by a board of regents of a senior college. Three are operated by the State board of education. So you can see that it is flexible and can be operated at a very nominal cost, once the amendment is passed and more funds are provided. The next chart, chart 2, shows where these schools are located. The large dot shows the center, the headquarters of the area program. The other lines you see and the smaller green dots are extension centers that are reached with programs from the headquarters school, where area programs are being offered through extension courses. (See p. 1064.) That is very important for a rural State. That is the only way that you can get this type of specialized education to the rural people. We have been developing some mobile units that will offer different types of educational programs, but we have been unable to carry this plan out to the extent that we would like, because of the lack of finances. PHYSICAL NATURE OF AREA CENTERS Senator ALLOTT. Before you leave that, may I ask a question, Mr. Patton? Just what is the nature of these area centers, physical nature? Mr. PATTON. We have buildings and we have shop facilities and we have specialized courses in electronics and in radio and television, auto mechanics, diesel mechanics, machine shops, and so on and so forth. Then we have instructors who go out from these centers on extension programs carried on in the different communities in each area. Senator ALLOTT. With respect to these centers themselves where you have these particular facilities, is that post-high school or is that high school? Mr. PATTON. It is post-high school. It serves across the board from 16 years old and up. If they have dropped out of the regular highschool program, and by special permission of the school officials, we will take them in. It is also for adults and for post-high-school youth. It serves a wide range of people. NOT IN COMPETITION WITH HIGH SCHOOLS Senator ALLOTT. Ordinarily, it is not high school? Mr. PATTON. Not necessarily. We are not in competition with the high-school program, you see. We are working with school people. Senator ALLOTT. That is the point I wanted to clear up. Then, would this be comparable, in a sense, to that phase of junior colleges that have vocational programs? Mr. PATTON. To a degree, yes. Senator YARBOROUGH. What percentage of the population of Kentucky is rural? Mr. PATTON. About 65 to 70 percent of the whole area are rural people. |