P. W. A. Builds for Education [Continued on page 10] projects, although Arizona now has one project to cost $70,000 under construction. Maine and Nevada also are now making use of P. W. A. funds for school-building purposes, or will shortly do so, since allotments have already been approved. Of the 349 completed projects in the various States, 32 were completed in California alone. For completed projects, up to July 30, Illinois received BULLETIN September 12th was set as the deadline date for receipt of applications for Public Works Administration loans and grants. How schools will share in the new Progress Administration appropriation of $4,800,000,000, has not yet been announced. allotments totaling $1,760,341 more than the amount obtained by any other single State. There are 644 non-Federal educational P. W. A. projects either now under construction or still to be constructed, for which allotments have already been approved. Of this number, 62 will be in California, 33 in Illinois, 76 in New York, and 72 in Texas. Approved allotments for P. W. A. school projects not yet started or still under construction total nearly $120,000,000. Status of P. W, A. allotments for non-Federal educational institutions by States, Aug. 1, 1935 Forums to the Fore "It may be fun to be fooled," goes the saying, "but it's more fun to know." The American people are beginning to feel that it is imperative to know about social and economic problems. Hence, we witness a renaissance of public discussion. It is the purpose of this column to record interesting facts about forums, particularly noting the role of public education in promoting adult civic education. 18,000 Attend Forums New York City Board of Education sponsored the activities of a forum and radio division as a feature of the emergency education program. More than 18,000 people attended the 239 public forums offered in 38 forum centers in Greater New York during April and May. A staff of 23 workers developed the programs, in which 1,500 volunteer speakers participated. More than 500 organizations, including labor unions, banking organizations, political party groups, racial, cultural, religious and international associations, cooperated in recommending speakers and aiding the movement in other ways. was Most of the 239 forums were conducted along open discussion lines on subjects of interest to the type of audience in attendance. In only a few cases the lecture method used. ranged between 50 and 100 at each forum, affording opportunity for audience participation. Attendance With the aid of some 30 specialized organizations, bibliographies were made on the major subjects under discussion to be distributed at the meetings. Cooperation with public libraries assured the availability of books and pamphlets covering subjects discussed by the forums. A forum division library was established to collect books and material on social, economic, and political questions for use of forum workers, in addition to keeping close touch with programs of other forums. Forum workers and leaders were all in promoting this precinct program of adult civic education are under consideration. Forums Pamphlet In its endeavor to stimulate the growing public affairs forum movement, the Federal Office of Education is preparing a pamphlet dealing with the various forum experiments, the Des Moines program, techniques for successful forum management, and summarizing the program for a national-community-forum program as put forward by United States Commis sioner of Education, John W. Studebaker. The pamphlet will cover 50 pages and contain numerous illustrations and graphs. prepare for a greatly enlarged program for ant librarian in the Office of Education. Some 50 books, pamphlets, and significant articles are listed and briefed. Free copies are available from the Office of Education, Washington, D. C. Ask for Bibliography No. 30. Pushes Forum Plan Putting forward a plan for precinct organization of public forum discussions on public affairs, a committee appointed by the Grand Rapids Bar Association has made its first report. precinct The report says in part, "Your committee believes that it is feasible to promote the organization of groups .. pledged to give at least 1 evening a month to a serious consideration of the duties and responsibilities of citizenship... Let such meetings be open to all citizens and prospective citizens. In short, let them be primary schools in citizenship where the people of a precinct may meet and consider the general welfare, and how and what part they may have in promoting it in their own precinct. Let the proposals of public leaders, of brain trusters, of new dealers, and of broadcasting prescriptionists be considered from the viewpoint of the citizen and his In neighbors in their election precinct. this way a well-considered and wellgrounded public opinion may be promoted, not based primarily upon propaganda, but rather upon the common sense viewpoint of the folks at home who pay the taxes and vote, who have no purpose to hold public office, who earnestly believe that the promotion of the public welfare should be the function of government, and expressed by spokesmen of their own choosing." Plans for cooperating with the public schools and educators in the community TWO useful folders listing the 28 mono graphs of the national survey of second ary education and the 6 volumes reporting findings of the national survey of the education of teachers are available free from the Federal Office of Education. Each folder gives a brief description of the survey, lists the publications and prices, and provides a very convenient order blank. For classes in secondary and teacher education, copies of these folders will be supplied on request. The Home Study Issue Grade 3-Maximum of 20 minutes per day. An English writer has pointed out that home study is a godsend for many children in an age when, after playing games (if they happen to be athletically minded), or exercising some other recreative or creative hobby there is nothing left to do but to go to the movies. A reasonable amount of home study suitable to the child can be done with time left for games, for music, for reading, and for other pursuits as important as school work, and there may even be left "spaces of free and undisturbed time to just sit and stare'." After all, school work is for life, although we teachers sometimes get the idea that life is for lessons imposed by the school. Above all things, home study should never produce worry or loss of sleep, for worry gets one nowhere unless it be the madhouse, and in sleep we may solve problems that the waking mind finds impossible, and which the wakeful mind will certainly be less able to cope with on the following day. The Vocational Summary C ITY boys are interested in farm ing. Anyone who is skeptical on this score should visit the supervised farm projects carried on by city boys enrolled under the "6-6" plan in the vocational agriculture department of a Paterson, N. J., high school. Under the plan, boys pursue a classroom course in agriculture from October 15 to April 15, and spend the period from April 15 to October 15 on farms-either as partners on farms owned by their parents, or as helpers on the farms of others. And they earn while they learn, receiving substantial pay in return for their work. Their 4-year vocational agriculture course includes instruction in agricultural arithmetic; general science; agriculture general and specific; shopwork; and agricultural science; as well as English, civics, algebra, history, and physical training. And by continuing in school for a fifth year, the "6-6"-plan student may receive credit in additional academic subjects to qualify him for college entrance. Sixty-eight of these city boys were successfully employed in farm projects, seven on home farms, and the rest as helpers on the farms of others. Thirty-three were on truck farms, 10 on general farms, 7 on poultry farms, 4 on fruit farms, 4 on dairy farms, and 3 on nursery farms. All of these boys were making money and were interested in their work. Of one boy who lives on the home farm, Frederick Woelfle, Paterson agricultural instructor said: "He would rather work on his project than play ball, go to the movies, or fish." Yes, these city boys like farming and are making a success of it. Congress and convention The Tenth Annual Congress of Vocathe tional Agriculture Students and Eighth Annual Convention of the Future Farmers of America will be held in conjunction with the American Royal Livestock Show, Kansas City, Mo., October 19-26. Five different judging contests-livestock, meat, dairy, milk, and poultry contests-will be held for vocational agriculture students who attend the Congress. An exhibit and sale of livestock, owned and raised by vocational agriculture students, has been arranged. Exhibits showing the progress and present status of vocational education in agriculture will be displayed. As its contribution to the program of the Annual Congress of Vocational Agriculture Students, the Future Farmers of America will hold its annual convention; take part in the annual public-speaking contest in which the four victors in regional contests will fight it out for national honors; in the F. F. A. chapter contest, in which winning chapters from the 48 States will compete for honors; and in a national F. F. A. radio broadcast during the farm and home hour of the National Broadcasting Co., which will be a feature of the convention. And one F. F. A. member will be awarded the cash prize given each year by the Weekly Kansas City Star Adjusting a refrigeration unit in appliance to the Future Farmer whose record, in Topping the congress will be the annual Further information on this Annual Congress of Vocational Agriculture Students and the Annual Convention of the Future Farmers of America may be secured from J. A. Linke, Chief, Agri cultural Education Service, Federal Office of Education, and National Adviser for the Future Farmers of America, Washington, D. C. A busy teacher High-school girls, young women over high-school age, and adult homemakers were reached in a summer homemaking program carried on by Miss Maria Nelson, instructor in vocational home economics at Woodbine, Iowa. Miss Nelson is employed for a period of 12 months instead of 9. Classes for homemakers were held 1 afternoon a week, in which instruction in child development problems, meal planning, and other phases of homemaking education were given. A similar period was devoted to instruction in homemaking problems for young women over high-school age. Girls who during the summer were carrying on home project work assigned as a part of their 4-year course under Miss Nelson at the high school, met with her at regular intervals to discuss their progress. In addition to carrying on these summer classes, Miss Nelson visited the homes of her regular high-school students. These visits will enable her to base her course for the ensuing school year on the actual homemaking problems with which the girls of the community are confronted. More evidence! Every week brings new evidence of the value of instruction in vocational agriculture in fitting rural boys for successful farming. This time it's the record of three South Carolina boys-Raymond Ferris and Roger Gramling, of Orangeburg, and Harold Holder, of Pickens. They were in Washington, D. C., in July, on a trip provided for them as winners of a fertilizer-experiment contest sponsored by a national fertilizer manufacturing concern. Their records show why they were victorious in this contest. Raymond Ferris raised 2,176 pounds of cotton on 2 acres, or 1,088 pounds per acre. The average production for the State is 258 pounds. Harold Holder produced 120 bushels of corn to the acre, which is in contrast to 16 bushels per acre, the average for the State. Roger Gramling, who specialized in hay, raised 4.4 tons per acre, and the State average is 10 of a ton to the acre. The important thing to remember is that these three boys are all students in the vocational agriculture departments of their local high schools. Motion Pictures A unique feature was introduced into the commencement program of the Central Needle Trades School of New York City last June. Instead of the regular commencement address, arrangements were made to show several reels of motion pic Operating a multiple needle power sewing machine at Central Needle Trades School, New York City, for motion picture film. tures illustrating the activities carried on in connection with the courses offered by the school. The scenario for this film was carefully prepared with a view to comparing conditions during the early history of the school with present day conditions. Activities in the school shops and in the classroom were featured in the films. Retraining schools Both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have opened the shops of their vocational trade schools during the summer to adult workers seeking retraining in various occupations. Several hundred persons enrolled in these courses in each of these cities. The purpose of the courses was to better prepare unemployed persons to enter employment when opportunities are open to them. Valuable tation, and agricultural extension. It discusses the early efforts to secure Federal support of these three fields of educational work and the activities which culminated in the passage of the agricultural extension measure Smith-Lever Law in 1914; the national vocational education measure the Smith-Hughes Law-in 1917; and the national vocational rehabilitation measure-Smith-Fess Law in 1920. Subsequent Federal legislation covering the three fields is discussed, also, and the organization and operation of the cooperative systems under which vocational education, vocational rehabilitation, and agricultural extension are carried on, is explained in detail. Additional features of the publication include a copious bibliography and numerous statistical tables covering various phases of the three fields of education. Educators and those interested in rehabilitation and welfare activities will want a copy of this bulletin. It may be secured from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., for 25 cents a copy. From Pennsylvania A brief analysis, made by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction of developments in the State vocational education program last year, contains some interesting data. Seventeen new departments of vocational agriculture were established in local high schools last September. Enrollment of farm boys in vocational agriculture increased during the past year from 6,400 to 7,100. Adult farmers desirous of keeping abreast of changing agricultural conditions, brought the enrollment in evening classes to 2,500. Vocational agriculture teachers in local high schools in the State made 30,424 visits to farm projects undertaken by agricultural students-youths and adults. Significant, also, is the increase in enroll number ment in trade and industrial classes for adults carried on in the State. Enrollment in such classes rose from 6,800 in 1933-34 to an estimated enrollment of 14,000 for the past year, not including continuation schools. Of this about 30 percent were unemployed. The remainder were taking instruction which Federal Cooperation in Agricultural would enable them to adjust themselves Extension Work, Vocational Education, to changing conditions in industry, and and Vocational Rehabilitation, is the to improve their skill in their present title of Bulletin 1933, No. 15, recently occupations. Preemployment all-day issued by the Federal Office of Education. classes enrolled 17,000 during the year, Prepared by Lloyd E. Blauch, this puban increase of approximately 1,500 over lication reviews the economic, social, and 1933-34. An interesting development of educational background of the movement the vocational trade and industrial prowhich resulted in Federal cooperation in gram in the State was the establishment vocational education, vocational rehabili- city fire departments in which 1,400 of 50 classes for training members of men were enrolled. Gains in the field of Vocational home-economics instruction were marked. Thirty new departments were started in high schools in the State. Approximately half of the high schools of the State now offer homemaking training on either a general or vocational basis. Hawaii and Missouri One new Territory, Hawaii, has been added to the list of cooperators under the terms of the national vocational rehabilitation act. And the State of Missouri has resumed appropriations-discontinued in 1924-to match Federal funds available for vocational rehabilitation in that State. Miss Reta Mitchell has been appointed State supervisor of rehabilitation in Missouri and Mr. Paul M. Kinder as her assistant. The vocational rehabilitation program in Hawaii is being organized by Harvey L. Freeland, Territorial director for vocational education. 1,100 subjects Approximately 1,100 different vocational subjects in agriculture, trade and home industry, and economics were taught in courses conducted under the cooperative Federal, State, and local vocational program in the United States during the year ended June 30, 1934. These subjects ranged all the way from agricultural marketing, alfalfa production, |