Mr. ARNOLD. All of the regional conferences conducted by the Office of Education include on the agenda the matter of how to utilize the junior college and community college. I might say, sir, there are more than 200 junior and community colleges participating in the program now throughout the States. Mr. FARNUM. To your knowledge, are they moving forward in the field of paramedic training that can be conducted at the community college level? Mr. LUDINGTON. There is a growing amount of interest in these programs. Mr. FARNUM. Are there any of the programs in existence today? Mr. BUSHNELL. In the research provision under 4 (c). We have been supporting several studies in the paramedical occupational field. We have one in Phoenix, Ariz. We are bringing together several hospitals in setting up a paramedical educational program with the junior college participation. In Pittsburgh, Pa., we have another program in the planning stage which will unite several hospitals together with the junior college facility to provide this kind of subprofessional training. We also had a conference in St. Louis directed at the problem you have mentioned on bringing together personnel in the junior colleges responsible for the technician-level training in the medical field. These people are now addressing themselves to the Mr. FARNUM. Are these programs or these research projects designed for all of the teaching to take place in the hospital with supervisory capacity by the junior or community college or is it academic training at the college then with internship in the hospital? Mr. BUSHNELL. The program is designed to bring the experienced teachers from the hospitals into the junior colleges. They are a scarce resource. The idea is to get a unified program at one central facility. Mr. FARNUM. So it starts out as an academic training program first? Mr. BUSHNELL. That is right, and then they use the on-the-job training. RETRAINING FOR EXISTING HOSPITAL TECHNICAL PERSONNEL Mr. FLOOD. Do you have any upgrading or retraining or advanced training for existing hospital technical personnel? Mr. BUSHNELL. We have this under planning at the moment with a joint committee, the American Association of Junior Colleges, and the National Health Council. They have joined together to set up several inservice training programs for its personnel. Mr. ARNOLD. I might say there are ongoing adult programs under the health occupation training program for which there is a special earmarked appropriation, ongoing adult, upgrading occupational training programs that have been going since 1956, and they are increasing each year I might say that in the first year of the new Vocational Education Act, the enrollments took Mr. FLOOD. I am speaking now of paramedical operations. Mr. FLOOD. Well, I am not. He is talking about paramedicine and so am I. Now, this fellow here tells me that attention is being given to this, that there will be inhouse training for these people, the existing staffs. I happen to be on the board of a hospital and I am interested in this potential. Mr. ARNOLD. What I am saying is, there are already ongoing programs as a result of the Health Amendments Act of 1966 and what is happening is an expansion to a variety of paramedical occupations. It isn't what it should be. It is a very dire need and it isn't being met yet. Mr. FARNUM. In the two projects that you have, is it concentrated on only those hospital services where they need people to be trained to perform those hospital services or are you looking at the clinical service and the physician service, as well? Mr. BUSHNELL. This goes to the broader medical community so it can be medical secretaries and medical technicians operating in the individual doctors' offices as well as the hospital. Mr. FLOOD. That is good. Mr. FARNUM. That is all, Mr. Chairman. RESIDENTIAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS Mr. FOGARTY. We will adjourn now and come back at 1:30. Mr. Howe. Mr. Chairman, could I make one request? In regard to our discussion of these residential schools, this is a matter I really haven't had a chance to look into. If you will allow me, I would like to discuss it with the Secretary and submit something for the record on it. Mr. FOGARTY. Very well, but can you be back here at 1:30? Mr. Howe. Yes, sir. (The information referred to follows:) RESIDENTIAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS Thousands of young people in the United States, between the ages of 15 to 21, come from crowded slums where the home environment makes it impossible for them to obtain an education. Many of them almost literally live on the streets, have dropped out of high school, and are unemployed. The success of any educational program is largely dependent upon factors other than the quality of formal instruction itself. The environment in which the school is located, the cleanliness, the attractiveness, the safety of passage through the neighborhood-all strongly influence the student's desire to attend school, his respect for education, and his willingness to accept the goals and purposes for which the school exists. The pressures on the student against educational achievement-scorn for schools among his neighborhood gang, hunger from inadequate diet, hostility or lack of concern for study at home, necessity of earnings subsistence-these and other basic factors may so detract from any attempts at education that successful formal schooling is impossible. The purpose of the residential vocational schools is to attempt to find a new approach to meeting this critical national problem. The schools would be built and operated on a demonstrative basis to test and evaluate a variety of techniques and approaches in dealing with these socially disadvantaged youths. If proven successful, these techniques could be employed by States and cities to help these young people find a worthwhile place in society. The following are criteria that will be taken into consideration in the establishment of residential vocational education schools, with special consideration to the needs of large urban areas where these conditions prevail : (1) The principal objective of the educational program of such schools will be employment upon completion of a prescribed training program. A program with this objective should contribute substantially to good citizenship and social competence of the students. (2) The school will offer board and room and require that full-time students reside at the institution. The environment of the school and the living conditions along with health and recreation services should be such that the students can achieve maturity and a high degree of personal development in a total training span of no less than 3 years in the higher skilled occupations. Students could be exited at any time they are deemed to be ready for employment and independent living. (3) The curriculums of the school will be flexible so as to permit a variety of adaptations to meet the needs of each individual without the necessity to conform to traditional accreditation standards, such as course credit units and fixed period scheduling. The curriculums should also challenge the individual and build in an incentive that will encourage the continuation of his education upon exit. (4) The schools will provide a program of varied civic and social group activities to supplement the training program. (5) The school should be staffed with specially skilled counselors who know and understand the students and their problems. They should also provide placement and followup services in order to assure close coordination with employers. (6) The school should be promoted and advertised widely as an important educational institution which is an integral part of the total community educational system. (7) There will be provisions in the curriculums for the offering of remedial education up to technical education and sufficient flexibility to accept transfer students from other schools and agencies. (8) Therefore residential schools conducive to sound, social, and educational growth will compensate for those adverse conditions in the environment of the disadvantaged that prohibit successful completion of vocational and technical training. AFTERNOON SESSION Mr. FLOOD. The committee will come to order. Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Chairman, I regret that yesterday, when Commissioner Howe was giving his overall testimony, I had to be down before another subcommittee on items I was particularly interested in. So I would like to preface my questioning here with several questions in the overall category. INCREASE IN EMPLOYEES FOR OFFICE OF EDUCATION How many new employees have been added to the Office of Education in the past year? Mr. HowE. This, I do not have the answer to myself. Mr. MICHEL. May we have that supplied for the record? Mr. Howe. Yes. (The information requested follows:) Under the "Salaries and expenses" appropriation, we have increased our employment by 461 since June 30, 1965. Mr. MICHEL. How many more will be requested for this coming fiscal year? Mr. KARSH. 548. PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL ON STAFF Mr. MICHEL. In the overall employment of the U.S. Office of Education, how does this break down between professional educators and clerks? Mr. KARSH. I believe we run somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 percent professional staff and the other 50 percent would be the clerical support. Mr. MICHEL. Now, of the roughly 50 percent professional people, how many would come from the education field? Mr. HowE. A relatively high percentage. Again, we would have to get the exact figures. We would need some clarification here of who is a professional educator and who is not. Is an economist a professional educator, or not? This kind of question gets into that. Mr. FLOOD. That is a fair question, is it not? Mr. KARSH. Who joined the office from an institution? Mr. MICHEL. Yes. Drawn from the field of education as opposed to taking someone at random from industry. Mr. HowE. We draw lawyers and that type of person. (The information requested follows:) Seventy-four percent of our professional staff are educators. UNFILLED POSITIONS Mr. MICHEL. How many unfilled positions do you currently show? Mr. MICHEL. They would be in what kind of categories? Mr. MICHEL. Why are they unfilled? Mr. KARSH. We received the authorization for the new positions quite recently. We received 330, for example, in the Elementary and Secondary Act at the end of September. We received another 200 about November 8. The early part of November was the date of the Appropriation Act for Higher Education, so in fact they have been vacant and authorized a relatively short time. We have over 500 right there. Mr. MICHEL. If by some given set of circumstances tomorrow all these positions could be filled, is there money to fulfill the obligation? Mr. KARSH. We do have the funds. Mr. HowE. We would hope that stroke could be committed. Mr. KARSH. I do not see a need for that. RETIREMENTS IN OFFICE OF EDUCATION Mr. MICHEL. How many retirements have there been from the Office of Education in the past year? Mr. KARSH. Not too many. I checked on terms of the recent retirement bill that was passed and to my recollection we had maybe 30 during the year, most of which came during the month of December. We had about 10 then. We had about 30 during the year. Mr. MICHEL. Has the Department circulated to the employees any memorandums with respect to the possibility of retirement? Mr. KARSH. No, sir. When the new bill came out, the new retirement bill which provided increased benefits, we made available to anyone who wanted it the information pertaining to the bill so they would be familiar with the facts of the new authorization so they would at least be informed. Mr. MICHEL. Was any pressure brought to bear on any employees to take advantage of this? Mr. KARSH. Absolutely not. DISCONTINUING FUNDS BECAUSE OF CIVIL RIGHTS LAW Mr. MICHEL. From how many school districts have you had to cut off funds because they did not comply with the civil rights law? Mr. Howe. Very few. Here again we will have to get you a figure. Mr. MICHEL. Has that question been asked? Mr. Howe. No, it has not. There have been some, however. Mr. MICHEL. Would you detail for the record the individual school districts around the country that have been denied funds? Mr. Howe. By name? Mr. MICHEL. Right. Mr. Howe. I think we could do this very easily. It is a relatively small number. Mr. MICHEL. And how much money was involved in each of these school districts? Mr. Howe. That is just their eligibility? Mr. MICHEL. Right. (The information requested follows:) No school district have had their funds permanently denied. The first 16 decisions of hearing examiners, under the title VI procedure, have recently been handed down recommending that funds be discontinued. These decisions are subject to review by the Commissioner of Education and the Secretary and then must be reported to the appropriate committees of the Congress. They become effective 30 days after the reports are made. Decisions in another 36 cases are expected shortly. Although no funds have been finally withdrawn, nevertheless, under the departmental regulation all new commitments to school districts were deferred as of January 3, 1965, until they filed acceptable assurances or desegregation plans. Names of the 16 districts mentioned above: Barbour County, Ala. Bibb County, Ala. Tarrant City, Ala. St. Bernard Parish Schools, Louisiana. Union Parish, La. Vermilion Parish, La. Webster Parish, La. West Carroll Parish, La. Amite County, Miss. Mr. MICHEL. Are these funds, in cases of this kind, reallocated for other uses once they have been denied a school district? Mr. KARSH. Wherever the authority exists for reallotment they are. Mr. Howe. As I understand it, we try to go into a process of negotiation with the school district and try to get them on the track and qualified again, and if they so qualify, we do manage to make funds available. CHICAGO CASE Mr. MICHEL. In the celebrated Chicago case, was this what went on, negotiation? Mr. Howe. I cannot speak to this in detail. I was not in the midst of that. That was a December affair. Certainly, whether you describe it as negotiation, or something else, the fact is the authorization was restored. Mr. CARDWELL. The funds were never permanently denied Chicago. |