Evening star., 1942-07-24
Functional Literacy
Great Need Today,
Says Dr.. Studebaker
Educational Conference
Reminded Of Americas
Millions Of IIIiterutes

Deploring the illiteracy he noted
among 209 soldiers being taught
their ABCs at nearby military
post by a staff of commissioned and
enlisted personnel, United States
Commissioner of Education John
w. Studebaker yesterday described
functional literacy" as one of the
great needs of the day.
DR.. Studebaker spoke before a
large gathering OF educators at the
Second Annual Conference of Ad-
ministrators and Supervisors at
George Washington University,
sponsored jointly by the university
and the National Education Asso-
citation.
Pointing to the percentage of low
education in the United States,
DR.. Studebaker said recent sur
vey showed there were 74,500,000
persons over IS years old who were
not functionally literate. Of these,
he said, 10,1O4 900 did not go beyond
the fourth grade, but only l,600,000
Of these were men of draft age.
Those men having to be taught
their ABCs before they could be
trusted to function properly in the
Army should have been taught much
more than that in schools years ago,
he said.
He referred to recent claims that
Russia has mot one illiterate" in
the Army, and that Germany has
ceased taking census of illiterates,
because there were no more,
Japan's illiteracy, he said, was only
eight-tenths of one percent.
The technical demands OF in
dustry also demand iteracy," de
clared DR.. Studebaker. Stresslng
the need for more emphasis on
mathematics and physics in this
chronological world, he said the
once of Education had sent out
20 900 leaflets offering to provide
content courses" to teachers VINO
need "refresher" courses, on these
two subjects.
A capacity audience participated
In three sessions of the conference
Yesterday afternoon. Delegates
came from the District. Maryland
and Virginia. Several speakers
from the National Education As
sociation. the Once of Education,
nearby universitits and the public
schools Of Washington and nearby
counties addressed the gathering.
DR.. James Harold Fox, dean OF
the G. w. U. school of education,
presided.
Physical Development Urged.
Mai. Thomas C. Ferguson, special
services officer of Fort George G.
Meade. Md, emphasizing he spoke
personally and not on behalf OF
the War Department, recommended
school physical training programs
with more vigor for both boys and
girls, to build up intestinal forti-
tude."
He recommended the schools
should teach boys to dance and
swim. and he proposed more climb
ing, lifting. throwing and heavier
exercises to "give strength and en-
durance."
Predicting that Fort Meade soon
would get 1877 members of the Wo-
mems Army Auxiliary Corps, he
recommended that schools teach
girls more vigorous forms Of exer-
else.
Willard E. Givens, executive Sec
retary of the National Education
Association, recommended a "dy-
manic program of inservice growth"
as a challenge to educational leader
ship. School programs, he said,
should be "recast. reconsidered in
the light Of 1912 values, morale OF
teachers should be maintained, and
serious thought given to the question
as to whether some outside activi-
ties were crowding the regular
school activities aside, with serious
loss to education"
Cites Pay Average.
Reporting that survey showed
81 Al year to be the average
teachers salary, Ben w. Frazier of
the once of Education declared
that is one factor responsible for
teacher shortages
Lawson J. Cantrell, assistant su-
perintendent of District schools. said
the teacher shortage was affecting
courses in physical education and
the sciences because so many man
teachers were going to war.
w. T. Woodson, superintendent of
schools at Fairfax, Va. said the
schools there had lost 80 per cent
Of their teachers between July, l941,
and June, 1912.
Edwin w. Broome, superintendent
Of schools in Montgomery County,
Md. recommended that more teach
ers be brought back into the service,
and higher salaries to meet present
living conditions.
Walter E. Hager, president of Will
son Teachers College, said more