Smyrna times., 1939-03-09
ENDORSES THE
SCHOOL SYSTEM
State Parent Teacher AssO
Representing 5000 Mem
bers, Pledges Support
MEET AT DELMAR

The Executive Committee Of the
State Parent-Teacher Association
representing a membership of ap-
proximately 5000. recorded Friday
its support of all those in the pub
lie school system of Delaware who
are working to make their prac-
tice conform with the results of
research in the field of education.
Members Of the committee preced-
ing the meeting were the luncheon
guests of Mrs. S. NJ. Ellis, at Del
mar. The National Congress of
Parents and Teachers with which
the Delaware branch has been af
filiated for 20 years, was organized
more than 40 years ago to bring
parents in touch with the knowl
edge being compiled in the child
development laboratories Of the
country. Since the organization
beginning it has published bulle-
tins to disseminate this informa-
tion. The January number of The
National Parent-Teacher, the Of
fetal magazine of the organization,
contains an article on How the
Child's Mind Crows by DR.. Beth
Wellman of the Iowa Child Wei
fare Research Station, which an
swers very pertinently some of the
criticisms hurled at Delaware
schools within recent weeks.
The Delaware Parent-Teacher
Association during the last decade,
it was pointed out at the meeting,
has been instrumental in bringing
to Delaware a long list of brilliant
men and women from such sci
entific stations as those at Yale,
Columbia, Johns Hopkins, the Uni
versity Of Iowa University Of Min
nesota, and the Merrill Palmer
School at Detroit.
The association recognizes that
the schools of the state are no
longer hit-or-miss affairs. They
proceed according to definite
charts in as direct and efficient a
way as the training, skill and ex-
perience Of the teaching personnel
make possible. 1t is as futile for
any individual of whatever bril-
lance to disregard these facts as
it would be for an attorney, for in
stance, to attempt to argue an i'm
portant point at law without sus-
tanning his position by precedent.
The nations teachers are max
ing heroic efforts to apply the re-
suit Of research in the classroom.
Delaware teachers stand out
among the crowd for their success
in this respect. A book, Pupil
Teacher Learning, in which the
teachers themselves describe their
progress, published last summer, is
now On the recommended reading
lists of three or four of the coun-
try's leading universities.
The Delaware Parent-Teacher
Association recognizes these facts
and takes this opportunity to COM
mend in this public way the work
of Delaware teachers"
Following an Interpretation of
Senate Bill 78, introduced by Sen
ator Purnell, to create a state de-
partment of public welfare, mo-
tion endorsing the bill was unan-
imously adopted.
April 18th was selected as the
date for the annual convention of
the association to be held in the
Delmar Public School building. A
fund to finance a recreational pro-
ject in the Smyrna colored school
resulting from work in the district
under the leadership of Mrs. Will
liam III. Morgan, representing the
State Association, was appropriat-
ed by the committee. The presi-
dent was empowered to appoint a
committee to study relationships