The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-27
Guidance Clinics
 To Be Established
State Department of Education to Coordinate Work;
 Appropriation of $65,O6O to Be Requested

Five guidance clinics, located at strategic centers in the state, and a bureau of guidance in the State De- partment of Education to coordinate their work, are proposed by the State Board of Education. A request for $65,O60 will be made of the next legislature to enable the board to put the plan in action.
 The justification of the program, according to Dr. Alonzo G. Grace, Commissioner of Education, can be found in the many needs of the young men and women of the state for proper vocational and educa- tional advice while in school pre- pairing for vacations and advanced training. The vocational and educa- tional maladjustment of youth has been forcibly brought before the people of the state within the last year by the demands of industry for competenly trained workers.
 Dr. Grace, in presenting his pro posal says, Renewed emphasis in Conencticut on preparation for oc- cupational competency in high and trade school graduates makes guidance and selection more imper- ative than ever, in the opinion ot many educational and lay leaders" {"
 The state board of education oe- lieves that the development of a statewide program of guidance Is essential to education. The program advocated is broad in its scope and would function not only during the school life of the students but would be concerned with their voca- tional adjustment when they leave school for careers in industry and business. Every teacher would have a share in making the guidance pro- gram effectvie.
 Each of these guidance clinics would act as an advisory and con- sultant "serivce station" for the schools, both rural and urban, ln it's area needing help in setting up and maintaining guidance programs. In addition to the guidance service furnished to the schools, free edu- cational and vocational counselling service would be provided for youth and adults already out of school, either employed or unemployed.
 The state department recom- mends that the school systems of the larger towns and cities estab- fish guidance departments of their own. At present few Connecticut towns have such departments.
 e,%r INf rr,Iir5oH1nn nticn f11 Connecticut'S high schools has been made by the Division of Guidance and Planning of the state depart inent of education under the direc- ton of Dr. Joseph A. Baer, chief of the division, and Dr. Robert H. Mathewson, guidance consultant and research assistant in the state department and secretary of the Connecticut Youth Council. The findings have just been mad public in pamphlet called Guidance Practices in Connecticut High Schools"
 One of the conclusions derived from the study is that Guidance practices in secondary schools throughout the state present dis similar and inadequate development. At least 40 per cent of the schools acknowledge the absence of any sys- tematic program of guidance and some of the remaining schools frankly state rudimentary and un- developed character of their pro- grams.
 Some advanced and expert guid- ance is carried on in few schools, but, side by side with these, there exist educational systems that have just begun to consider the necessi- ties of organized guidance"
 Virtually every school realizes the need of providing guidance, the bull letin states, but many require pro- fessional aid in establishing and op- erating effective and practical programs. Guidance, occupational, personal and educational, is one of the foremost recognized needs of the 100000 boys and girls in the junior and senior high schools of the state," according to Dr. Mathew son.
 l Schools that have reported in the study seem to believe that they are doing well in connection with pupils choices of courses and student ac- tivities, and securing the least sat- isfactory results in relation to