New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-11
LEAVE SCHOOL FOR WORK
Vocational Guidance Survey
Making Study of Problem.
DIRECTOR GIVES HER VIEWS
Says so Per Cent of Children
Fail to Graduate and Prove
Inefficient Workers.


explained.
I'VE are" said Miss Barrows. "a popular
expression of CONSERVATION at the fact that
about one-half of the children Of the coun-
try leave school before they graduate and
drop into the first thing that comes along,
with the result that they are a trial TO
their employers, a source of worry to their
Parents and Of discomfort TO themselves.
Since such workers are inefficient and
don't specially fl any place they are likely
so be eventually thrown on the refuse heap
This has grown so Dig now that the state
has walked up TO the fact that something
must be done about It, The mass Of inet-
f1cients clog the wheels.
The history of vocational guidance is not
very long" continued Miss Barrows THE
movement began about four years ago, in
Boston. Frank Parsons noticed how many
children " ere out Of work. He said: Since
thew don't get into their life work" we'll
have 10 start bureau TO give advice about
life work In other parts Of the country
people met the same problem by saying:
These children are out Of work; let's set
them Jobs Up to the present the move
n1ent has been divided into these TWO
oamps-that is. to get them Jobs or to give
them advice about how to get jobs
Our organization here in New York IS
going AT II in rather a different way. we
admit that II is an appalling SITUATION
children are becoming increasingly lnefh-
Gent We think 1t Is so appalling that we
HAD better go down 10 the roots OF IL ana
find first what is the cause. l thnK Inc
cause OF the whole trouble Is the NAL
adjustment between the schools and So
clety.
Industry has progressed geometricalIN'
while the school has come on In arithmeu-
cal progression. and the result Is Dig gap
between the two. We have TO rememper
that chasms are not usually crossed ny
Ieaping into the air supported by great
desire to reach the other side Even II you
succeeded in crossing, you might lana III
the enemy's camp. Before bridging TINS
cbasro il is desirable to study the topoE-
ranbv Of the country on both sides. After
+bo+ is done we NAV know what should be
the approaches to the bridge, how 1t shoulo
no supported and where TO locate It's terhl-
nal.
"IVe On on this hypothesis; we don I care
IA start employment bureaus or give ao-
vice lust because we don't know yet VIVA
advice TO give and we can't find out until
We have studied the important elements
in the problem. /. G.. the children tle
schools and industry. We can't learn these
in q day. either. -.
IF we gave general information doou'
Jobs 10 a boy whose whole problem was
specifc it would be very sorry comfort lot
him when he is at work in SUBDIVISION VI
y subdivision OF d trade at So a week. To
give valuable information we must Klo"
the facts, and it takes time TO get al t"e
facts.
This wear all we have tried to do is 10
study the first of the three elenents-Ine
children. We are trying to find out "ha'
is the product OF the schools. why the chill
dren leave school and If all the talk we
hear about economic pressure is true. we
have 10 learn the home conditions and DIS
cover what the children do after leaving
school
ITO do this We plan the work Just as II
We were prospecting for mine. we want
general background OF Information In
the form Of statistics about all workinS
children leaving school. This Is Ike a
General mine survey. Then we sink two
shafts to lind the vein of ore. We take
two districts for intensive study. We talk
with the children while they are in the
schools, also in their homes, and again IN
their homes after they have been at work.
You see, We are trying to make scien-
itihc study before making constructive
plan We think II worth while, because "A
carefully worked out study of any repre-
sentative group is suggestive OF plans for
q much larger group.
..You understand" Miss Barrows added,
that we are concerning ourselves only with
the elementary schools. Our work would
he impossible if We did not have the cordial
cooperation Of the Superintendent OF
Schools The schools have been willing 10
help US in every way. The superintendent
last report contains suggestions with regard
- Industrial training that are along the Tine
Cf the most progressive thought in the mat
tcf of the need for more vocational schools
ard experiments in continuation schools.
The Vocational Guidance Survey was
started by joint committee Of the JUROR
League and the Public Education Asset
alton. with Mrs. Joseph r. Swan as chair
man. 4 slight preliminary survey was
made from February TO June last year, and
the regular staff OF six workers began in
earnest last September
eve can't give our conclusions yet" Miss
Burrows explained. because the survey is
not finished, but one or two ideas have al
ready come TO the SuIIdCt. TOT 'AdiilIic'
VIC are coming to think that perhaps the
greatest service vocational guidance can
render is not in giving advice about Jobs
Cos which we know little) but in giving
advice as to training. Vocational guidance
will have the opportunity to be Of great
helm 10 schools in giving them informa tlon
about trades that will enable them to start
courses in industrial training that are up to
dete.
Till now we have been studying the
whole trade education movement from a
medieval point OF view The very names
Of trades as they are listed show this. We
list things that are no longer trades, but
crafts and subdivisions of larger modern
industries For instance, carpentry as a
trade is decadent II is now part of the
building trade. and the boy who wants TO
learn It should realize that 1t Is only a
branch OF a large industry.
''If we started an employment bureau
now II would be merely an agency for du-
rlicating its own work. The same ineffi-
Gent children would come back again and
aga,u. We want TO learn how TO help the
school TO help the child, and possibly this
will prevent some kinds OF private schools
from being started-the kind that hold out
homes of 81 short cut TO industrial educa-
ZION. A short cut to education may be
long way around 10 efficiency
-A---
yn0pK AMONG IMMIGRANTS