The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-09-28
Liberal Viewpoint
by DR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

THE opening Of schools. colleges and uni
Il versitieS re-emphasizeS the educational
experiences In American life.
But there is a vast new educational expert
ment going on which many of us are entirely
unaware. This is the broad educational pro-
gram Of the Federal Emergency Relief Admin
instration, admirably described by Miss Beush
Amidon in the Survey Graphic.
This began in August, 1885, and when it got
well under way, about 100000 a month was
allocated by the relief administration to the
support of various educational projects
The federal government always has been
loath to enter education in a large way, but
the depression has been something that edu-
cation logic never was able to achieve.
The general purpose and scope Of this new
educational venture carried on by the federal
government is well described in the following
paragraph:
Between August and October, 1888, the
FERA authorized the use of relief funds for six
educational purposes to keep rural schools open;
to establish and conduct nursery schools; to
teach adults to read and write English; to pro-
vide vocational training; to give vocational re-
training to the handicapped to provide general
adult education including workers education
and parent education. Work relief for needy
college students was later added"
|
THERE was no dearth Of expert pedagogical
i and available for the experiment. There were
about $4,000 unemployed school teachers, and
some $4,000 Of these had been put to work in
various emergency education projects.
In addition to this, funds were turned over
to rural communities which enabled them to
keep the local schools open and to retain some
10000 teachers who would have otherwise been
joblesS
Another mode of aid to existing educational
activities and institutions came in the assistance
given to some $4,000 young men and women who
were thereby enabled to continue in their college
and university courses.
The procedure followed is to have the state
department of education in each state submit
a plan and definite budget for federal aid. These
are passed upon by experts in Mr.. Hopkins Of
fee in Washington and the federal fund is then
allocated.
The emergency education program has taken
more than $4,000 little run abouts" off the
street and put them in nursery schools, which
have provided employment for 5000 teachers,
nurses and nutritionists.
Many classes for adult illiterates have been
organized and instructed. In Mississippi alone
there have been 1000 students in classes for
the illiterate.
! A CONTRIBUTION both to education and to
N industrial betterment exists in the case
of the marked attention given to classes in voca-
tional instruction teaching trades. More than
100000 have enrolled in these vocational classes,
which have required nearly 1000 teachers
| Lie u6eQ IOr WOIkerS 10 nave a DTOdQer VI
sion OF the present social scene has been recog-
nized in the extensive program of workers edu-
cation, where instruction in the social sciences,
general natural science, English and public
speaking have predominated
The major need of parents today is to have
money enough to shelter, feed and clothe their
children, but family responsibility involves some
thing more than this. Hence, classes have been
established for parent education, in which more
than $4,000 have been enrolled.
All in ALL more than $4,000 teachers and half
a million pupils have participated in the educa-
tional experiment. of the government to date.
AS Miss Amidon concludes:
Probably the most important result of enler-
gency education is the way it has widened the
horizons of its students and its teachers The
program has brought fresh viewpoints into the
schools themselves. And this is perhaps the
largest item of the credit side Of the far-fung,
| colorful uneven emergency progran-the posi-
bilities opened up for growth and adventure for
adults and children and the communities in
which they live"