The Omaha guide., 1938-07-30

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1884, 56 classes a year ago.
Outstanding among the accom-
plishments of the year." DR.. Alderman
declared has been the achievement of
a 5 year goal of teaching 100000
men and women, hitherto illiterate, the
fundamentals of reading, writing and
arithmetic. Efforts to eradicate litter
acy will continue undiminished, how
ever, for there are at least 100000
more adult iliterates in the nation"
The report is based on compare
tive satisfies for April in tina years 81
and '38. Cumulative totals for the en-
tire year, allowing for new enrollees
and drop outs, are not maintained, DR..
Alderman explained, adding that the
April figures are representative of the
net enrolment for the year.
Enrolment in illiteracy and nat
uraIization classes totaled 278,440 in
April, an increase of more than $4,000
over the same month last year, the re-
port showed. The literacy education
program will not close down for the
traditional summer vacation this year.
On the contrary, plans are being made
in many localities for its expansion. In
at least three states-North Carolina,
Georgia and Louisiana-the program
is being augmented by the use of sup
Elemental state and local public funds.
Glasses in home-making, cooking,
household budgeting, sewing, hygiene
and care of the sick-were attended by
1862 wives and mothers during the
month covered by the report. Sixty-five
thousand others participated in classes
related to child welfare and family re-
lationships. So popular has this type of
instruction become with low income
families, the Education and the Depart
ment of Agriculture to provide a high
er type of trainin' for the homemaking
and parent education teachers during
the summer.
Closely associated with the above
are nursery schools for children two
to four years old. Fifteen hundred of
these schools, with enrollments total
ing 44,190 were in operation during
the month studied. In addition to furn-
ishing healthy environment for play
and recreation, the nursery schools
gave n~ourshing and well balanced Jun
ches which, in many cases, the report
points out, proved to be the only ade-
quate meal hundreds of children re-
ceived during the day.
One of the most significant educa-
tional fields which the WPA has en-
tered, DR.. Alderman declared, is that
of furnishing correspondence courses
for persons living in remote farm and
mountain regions. While only eight
states conducted programs of this sort
enrolIments were distributed over the
entire nation and increased from 20,
400 in 1867 to more than 10000 last
year.
Such courses, of either high school
or college level are conducted coopera-
lively with state universities in Michi-
gan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Okla
homa, Oregon and Washington, and
with state departments of education in
California and Ihaho. All teaching
personnel is taken from WPA roles
while the universities furnish quarters
and general supervision. Trade and
professional subjects dominate the
courses of study selected by the cor
r~espondence students, the report indi-
Gates, yet the most popular single sub
ject is. English. Others in order of
popularity are Diesel engineering, au-
to mechanics, mathematics, practical
arts, forestry, history and aeronautics.
Business subjects are also popular, as
are several courses in liberal arts.
Other types of education offered
under the program and the numbers
participating are as follows. workers