Evening star., 1926-01-17
$4,000 TO ATTEND
CONFERENCE HERE
National Education Associa-
ton Sessions to Bring
Throng Here Feb. 21-26.

dSnlnStOn VIII be the educational
center of the world during the week
OF February 21-26 without fear of con-
tradiction from any part OF the globe,
Tor approximately $4,000 members Of
the National Education Association
and IA allied departments. in direct
contact with nearly 100000 teachers
IN the United States. will gathe' for
the greatest assembly of this body.
Local hotels have placed at the dis
poSal OF this convention more than
1000 rooms, and indication of to what
extent their presence will be felt In
the city can be gained from the fact
they have made such demands for aC
commodations for their sessions and
social functions that prominent pa
trlotlc organization OF the National
Capital was unable to obtain its GUS
tomary ballroom to hold a Washington
birthday celebration.
BaIIou Heads Group.
DR.. Frank w. Ballou Superin-
tendent of schools il president of the
department of superintendent of the
National Education Association. prob
ably the most prominent unit which
viii take part in the conclave. Mem
bership Of this body is made up Of
more than 1900 SuperintendentS, in
Guiding State superintendent. city
superintendent. county Superintend
ents and other school officials oCcu
pytng supervisory or administrative
positions.
Fourteen allied departments also
will meet at the same time. The
membership of these departments is
made up of groups of persons in
administrative and supervisory ca
pacity, such as principals of ele-
mentary schools. principals of Junior
high schools, principals of senior high
schools and directors of kinderSar-
tens.
The last time the department of
superintendence met in Washington
was in 1906, Is years ago. At
that time the department was COM
paratively small. President Roose-
Velt held a public reception in the
east room of the White House one
afternoon for those attending the
meeting and delivered an address.
To Meet at Auditorium.
The general meetings will be held
in the Washington Auditorium, which
will be headquarters of the conven-
ton. Many interesting exhibits from
all parts of the country will be ar
ranged in this building. The Depart
ment of the Interior will show spe-
cially prepared exhibits of rare educa-
tional value.
On Sunday, February p. the open
ing day, the educators will make a
pilgrimage to Arlington. Sunday af-
ternoon they will attend vesper sery-
ices in Memorial Continental Hall.
John J. Tigert. United States Com
missioner of Education, will be the
first speaker at the opening session
of the department of superintendenCe
on Monday, February 20, taking for
his subject what Is Public Elemen-
tary Education For" Commissioner
Tigert is expected TO sound the key
note of the convention.
Address Is Timely.
His address is forecast as especially
timely a this time. when there is 50
much discussion airut returning TO
the teaching of the three rs" and
the elimination Of the so-called 'fads
and frills" from pubic education.
The Reorganization of Our Admin
istrative Units will be the theme for
a series of three general sessions.
Speakers Of national prominence will
be heard at the general meetings. The
executive session and the annual busi-
ness meeting will be held Tuesday
, morning. Three other general ses
sions will be devoted to the discussion
of elementary education. Junior high
schools and senior high schools. The
platoon system of school organizat tion
will receive attention. There will be
a discussion of the characteristics of
the efficient elementary school prin-
cipal.
Many Group Meetings
Many group meetings will be held
during the week The department
of rural education will hold three
regular sessions in the auditorium of
the Department of the Interior. In
addition there will be sectional con
ference of county superintendents
and a similar one for State super
, visors of rural schools.
Preceding the opening of the gen
eral convention the National Voca-
tional Guidance Association, an or
ganization concerned with educa-
tional and vocational guidance. will
gather February IS, 19 and 20 at
Central High School.
Members of the local entertainment
committee include Miss Mary Stewart.
chairman, director of the junior divi-
sion, United States Employment Sery-
ice, Department of Labor: Miss +. VI.
Matthews, director of industrial divi-
sion, Children's Bureau, Department
of Labor: Mrs. Anna l.. Burdick
agent for trade and industrial educa-
tion. Federal Board for Vocational Ed
ucation: l.. J. O'Rourke, director of
research, Civil Service Commission:
j.. r. Alderman. specialist in adult ed
ucation. Bureau of Education, DEPART
ment Of Interior; Stephen l.. Kramer,
assistant superintendent of public
schools. Miss Jessie LaSalle. assistant
superintendent in charge of research;
Miss Fay /. Bentley, in charge of at
tendance; Mrs. Arthur c. Watkins,
secretary National Congress of Par
onts and Teachers and Mrs. Giles
Scott Rafter. president Dictrict of Co
lumbia Congress of Parent-Teachers
Association.
Need for Guidance.
II is pointed out by Assistant
Superintendent of Schools Kramer Il
member of the committee, that the
A., need for vocational guidance is illus
> rrated from the following facts:
I'm this country fully so per cent
of our children leave school by the
end of the sixth grade; 20 per cent
by the end of the grammer school,
and more than one-haf of those who
enter the high school leave before
graduation.
Aims of the vocational guidance
are cited as follows: /. To assist in
dividuals in choosing, preparing for,
entering upon and making progress
in occupations .. To give q knoWl-
edge of the common occupations. and
of the problems of the oCcupational
world, so that pupils may be prepared
for vocational as we'll as political
citizenship. 3. To help the worker
10 understand his relationships to
workers IN his own and other occu-
'pations and to society as a whole. i.
To secure better cooperation between
l,or nd nd a