Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-08
OR OUpS,BUILDING
TO BE COMPLETED THIS FALL
Headquarters Of National
Organization to Have
7-Story Annex.
Addition Made Necessary by
Great Increase in Orders
Membership.

The 1000 educators who are men,
bers Of the National Education Associa-
ton will pass a new milestone in the
development OF their organization this
Fall, when the seven-story annex to the
present headquarters building is COM
pleted at 1901 Sixteenth street.
The additional space is required be-
cause of the rapid growth of the organ
12atlon from 5000 members in 1917 to
It's present membership of 100000
nearly 5000 of which are life members
This growth has taken place during the
administration Of the present general
secretary, j. w. Crabtree, who left the
presidency of the River Falls (Wisc.)
State Teachers College to accept his
present position.
Moved Here in 1917.
The headquarters of the association
were moved in 1917 to Washington from
Ann Arbor, Mich, the last city used as
neaoquarters under the original plan OF
using the home of the current secretary
as the central Office.
the association was organized in
Philadelphia IN 1857. The chief reasons
Tor organizing nationally were to aid
IN bringing about through education q
Dettef understanding between the yari-
GUS sections of the country. to build a
more stable national spirit, and to in
splre renewed confidence In democracy
Durlng the early years the associa-
tlon was almost wholly a convention
organization. Its membership consisted
largely OF school administrators, and it
was not until the war period that the
policy OF encouraging classroom teach.
ers to join was adopted. This policy
under the guidance of Secretary Crab
tree has resulted in a membership thai
includes nearly one-fourth of the teach.
ers OF the United States and constitute,
IN? largest professional organization ir
the world.
The guiding purpose of the associa-
ton is the improvement Of educational
opportunity for American children
Among the aims adopted in the pursuit
OF that ideal are the promotion of the
principle OF equal educational oppor.
| tunity, better prepared teachers in all
grades. the development of scientific
educational research, the Interpretation
/ OF the needs. the aims and the result.
OF the schools, the decrease of illiteracy
In the Nation and the Americanizatior
! OF the foreign born. The association
also has encouraged the development OF
international ideals In education and the
organization of the World Federation
| of Education Associations, which has
JuSo SoAIPACCCu ITO plcHAlal COIlVenIlOn
at Geneva.
Thrift Work Encouraged.
Education in thrift and safety has
been fostered by the association, and
organizations such as the junior high
school. the junior college and vocational
education have been encouraged.
The journal of the National Educa-
| ton Association, published by the di-
vision of publications of the headquar-
tiers staff at the Sixteenth street ONCE
has the largest circulation of any pro-
fessional journal In the world and has
been for years unifying force in ed
ucation in this and foreign countries
In 1857 the association issued q total
! of 344 pages. The total number Of pages
now published annually approximates
1 SOC. 900.
Other publications than the Journal
include the proceedings Of the repre-