various school districts of the several states, in the way of extending educational facilities, but responsibility is also placed in most definite ways upon the various state departments of education for promoting and extending ideas and practice in this field. All of this legislation is significant, and is indicative of a tendency in the United States to maintain educational advantages for all, irrespective of age, for the purpose of making up for lost years, to pro mote productive efficiency, to elevate standards of citizenship, and to promote the general welfare and well-being of the people as inidviduals, and the State at large (depending upon local conditions and circumstances) such legislation being also accompanied by suitable appropriation for the promotion, administra tion and general supervision of such efforts.

This Committee unreservedly endorses every public effort that is being made in the State toward the extension of educational facilities to children and adults. It is particularly conscious of the needs for increased facilities for adults, either in evening schools or in extension classes. It believes that the public school buildings of the State should be used increasingly wherever opportunity permits, to meet the needs of communities which these buildings may respectively serve. The Committee approves efforts being made to develop public school community centers in a wholesome way, and recommends that school buildings now erected or in process of construction shall be so arranged and equipped as to provide as much as possible for adults, as well as for children of all ages.

It recommends also that wherever possible suitable changes shall be made in existing school buildings so that they will be more useful and attractive to adults, whom the schools are increasingly expected to serve. When existing educational facilities are not adequate to meet the need, the Committee strongly approves various forms of extra-mural and extension effort under the direction and supervision of public school authorities, involving the organization and conduct of classes and other educational features, particularly among illiterates and non-English-speaking persons of foreign birth, in shops, factories, homes, or public buildings if those responsible for such work believe best results may be thus obtained.

Thorough study of local conditions is recommended to educa tional authorities throughout the State to the end that adequate educational facilities be provided and that supervision under the

rection of trained specialists shall be constant, thorough and instaking. Furthermore, it is recommended that State educaonal authorities, with the cooperation of the several cities, towns id school districts of the State, shall hereafter require special etailed reports upon all such efforts and their results.

Steps are being taken towards making educational facilities in ew York State more nearly adequate to changing conditions and eds in this great industrial and commercial State where illiterey runs high and where the duties and responsibilities of citizenhip are becoming increasingly complex and difficult. Extensions of educational opportunity are of the utmost importance and sigificance. The Committee is venturing a partial survey of the eduational movement in the State to serve as a guide for present and future action. A study of the school law of the State and of the extended powers and functions of the State Department of Education is indicative of these developments.

The foundation of a thorough-going and far-reaching system of ducation in New York State is laid with the development of the State system of public elementary and secondary schools, and with the development of responsibilities and functions of State supervision therefor.

Aside from the detailed developments within the system of clementary and secondary education in respect to the raising of the compulsory school age, the liberalizing and enrichment of courses, the provision of recreational facilities and physical training and the encouragement of various kinds of efforts looking towards exending the period of schooling for the children of the State, marked developments may be noted in the way of extending educational privileges and opportunities in keeping with the American spirit of self-help and self-development through adult years. Some of the steps toward promoting education beyond the grammar and high school grades are as follows:

1. Permissive legislation on the part of the State and the several cities and school districts looking toward the extension of evening school service. Under these provisions many cities and school districts of the State have provided educational facilities for people above the compulsory school age.

2. The utilization of school buildings and school facilities in the State, for the purposes of community centers.

Where this privilege is granted, however, the Committee reeommends that the closest scrutiny be made by the educational

authorities of the activities carried on in the public school buildings. The attention of the Committee has been called from time to time to the use of public school buildings in this State, particu larly in New York City, Buffalo and other large cities, by revolutionary organizations for meetings and also for lectures, which could have no other effect than to undermine the confidence of the audience in the government of this State and its institutions. Such use of public school buildings should in no case be permitted and suitable steps should be taken by the State educational author ities and by the various boards of education throughout the State to make such abuse of the public school buildings impossible.

In paragraph 455 of the Education Law of the State, as amended to July 1, 1919, will be found sections pertaining to the use of grounds and other property of the several school districts, when not in use for regular school purposes for any of the following purposes: (a) by persons assembling therein for the purpose of giving and receiving instruction in any branch of education. learning, or the arts; (b) for public library purposes; (c) for holding social, civic and recreational meetings and entertainments, and other uses pertaining to the welfare of the community, such meetings to be open to the public, except those for which fees are charged, in which case the proceeds are to be expended for educational and charitable purposes; (d) for polling places, or for use in holding primaries and elections for the registration of voters, and for holding political meetings; (e) for civic forums under proper supervision and community centers depending upon petitions of a minimum number of representative citizens residing within the district, such petitions designed for the purpose of promoting and advancing the general principles of Americanization and good citizenship.

Under this law much socialization of educational facilities may be accomplished helpfully, and the interest and co-operation and participation of adults may be promoted in a most wholesome and effective way. What is known as the Community Center School Law, is of recent date, being enacted as an amendment to the School Law by the Legislature in April, 1917.

3. Requirements for school districts to conduct evening schools. The substance of this law has been indicated in paragraphs preceding. Under this law as an amendment to the Education Law of the State, cities and school districts are required under mandatory action to provide evening school facilities.

4. Compulsory education for minors. By legislation the State requires a speaking, reading and writing knowledge of Engh for every person under twenty-one years of age equal to the lity of a child of the fifth grade. This law has been referred under that section referring to compulsory education. 5. The educational qualifications for voting. The concurrent solution now pending in the Senate and Assembly, proposing an endment to Section one of Article II of the State Constitution à relation to the qualification of voters, is important. In subance this amendment provides that after January 1, 1922, no son shall become entitled to vote in the State by attaining a jority, by naturalization, or otherwise, unless such person is so able, except by physical disability, to read and write English. The Legislature furthermore is empowered by suitable laws to nforce this provision. The Committee heartily endorses this udment as being logical and urgently necessary and consistent wh the highest ideals of American citizenship. The Committee thermore suggests that it is only with the extension of educaSonal facilities in the State among adults, particularly among he foreign-born, that the best intent of this law may be realized. 6. Extra-mural education. Efforts toward extending educaional privileges outside of school buildings to meet local condiions and needs is based largely upon interpretations of the school aw of the State rather than upon specific provisions. It has been found essential, particularly in providing various forms of immigrant education, to develop shop classes in factories and industries, hotels, laundries, homes, clubs, and wherever the opportunity is presented. This work is done on the principle that extended lucational privileges, particularly for adults, must be taken to em, rather than that adults should be under the handicap of ging long distances at inopportune times and under unfavorable onditions to places where formal and more or less arbitrary educaional facilities or provisions are made.

7. Continuation and part-time schools. Under legislation taking Feet May 10, 1919, the State undertook the development of extended education for minors above the age of fourteen years and low the age of eighteen years who are not now in regular attend

upon instruction. The State Department of Education is how engaged in working out the details of this system of educaonal extension, designed to wipe out much of the lost time sufred by the youth of the State in the years from fourteen to eigh

HAN 100

TO 5,00

teen, during which period they are not receiving ins needed to equip them for vocational pursuits or for citiz500 This is one of the most far-reaching pieces of legislation th has undertaken, and is peculiarly significant at this time 1.000 more efficient citizenship in every respect is imperatively in this as well as every other commonwealth. Notwithsta0 2.500 the difficulties incidental to the administration, conduct and ing of this new program of education in New York State now realized that the safety and the welfare of the State deo 10,0 increasingly upon such measures. During the years from teen to eighteen the habits of youth are largely fixed, and the AND of most loyal citizenship are planted in the hearts of the war the State, thus guaranteeing not only a citizenry more enlighte intelligent, informed and dependable, but also more loyal, patri and law-abiding.

8. Extension education for all adults. The Education Law amended July 1, 1919, in Article III, section 52, has the foll ing clause:

"Extension of Educational Facilities. The regents m extend to the people at large increased educational opp tunities and facilities, stimulate interest therein, recommen methods, designate suitable teachers and lecturers, condu examinations and grant credentials, and otherwise organi aid and conduct such work."

It is on the basis of this law that the Committee recommends Senate bill No. 1273. The intent of this bill is to extend educ☛ tional privileges to all adult citizens of the State, native and foreign-born alike, for the purpose of teaching English, citizenship history and any other subject (as the bill indicates) needed to promote the general vocational and civic interests of the citizens of the State. It especially provides for additional competent teachers imperatively needed now to supplement present effort and to carry out faithfully the intent of the present law in respect to illiterates and non-English-speaking persons.

This proposed legislation is directly in line with the steps of educational development previously outlined. It places upon the Department of Education the responsibility for the execution of the law and also the duty of developing a body of competent, trained, experienced teachers not only for the most needy nonEnglish-speaking groups, but also among all groups within the