The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1916-11-29
( Social Studies In
: the High School

How history, civics, and kindred
subjects in the high school may
be made to meet the requirements
OF present-day citizenship and the
needs OF boys and girls as grow
ing citizens is told in a report on
the Social Studies in Secondary
Education just published as a
bulletin of the United States Blu
reau of Education of the Depart
ment of the Interior.
This report is the first to appear
OF the final reports of the Com
mission on the Reorganization of
Secondary Education, which was
appointed in 1912 by the National
Education Association. The COM
mission, organized in 10 commit
tees which include in their men,
bership more than 200 superin-
tendents, principals, and teach
ers representing nearly all the
states of the Union, has been at
work continuously since its ap-
polntment. The report on social
studies comprises a six-year pro-
gram, embracing the work of the
seventh and eighth grades and
that of the present four-year high
school.
While the educational val
tie of all the social studies (such
as history, government, econo-
mics, and geography is kept in
the foreground of the report, es-
pecial emphasis is given to orgaiz-
ed clvics instruction, of the com
munity civics' type, in the eighth
and ninth years. The fact is en-
phaslzed, however, that the pupil
is member not only of a local
community, but also of a nation
al community. 1T would be in
expressibly unfortunate if the
study of local community life and
relations should supplant a study
of national life and national civic
relations. The two aspects of
civic life should clearly supple
ment each other .Oues-
tons of health, of education, of
Industry can no longer be consid-
cred in their local bearings alone,
but must be dealt with in the
light of national policy and to the
end of national efficiency )"
Other topics dealt with in Part
IL OF the report are the civic re-
latlons of vocational life, the
adoption of civics to rural condi
tons, and the relation of civics to
history, In connection with the
first of these topics it is said that
the chief purpose should be "the
development of an appreciation
OF the social significance of all
work; of the social value and in
Independence of all occupations :;
OF the social responsibility of the
worker, not only for the charac-
ter OF his work, but for the use
OF its fruits; of the opportunities
and necessity for good citizen
ship in vocational life; of the duty
of the community to the worker; ;
OF the necessity for social control,
governmental and otherwise, of
the economic activities of the
community; and of the part that
government actually plays in reg
ulating the economic life of the
community and of the individual"
For the last year of the high
school the report proposes a CON
crete study Of problems OF
democracy" These problems
will naturally vary from year to
year and from class to class, but
they should be selected on the
ground o. of their, immediate in
terest to the class, and (2) of their
vital Importance to society" "The
purposes of secondary education
and not the intrinsic value of any
particular body of knowledge
should be the determining consid-
Grafton. 1t is far less i'm.
portant that the adolescent youth
should acquire a comprehensive
knowledge of any or all of the So
.cial sciences than it is that he
should be given experience and