Evening star., 1943-05-02

|
the beginning of the school year to $4,000
In March.
| While selective service and the war In
| dustries will somewhat decrease normal
| student enrollments in the colleges, the
| Army and Navy collegiate training pro-
| grams inaugurated In nearly 500 institu-
tions are bringing in thousands of servics
men. There will be a serious need for
| more teachers in more war-related sub
| jects, educators declare.
Unfortunately, the Office Of education
| says, teacher shortages are largely in
those fields of study and training that
| contribute to the war effort :. math-
ematics, physics chemistry -. . engineer
ing and the industrial arts :. physical
education and economics.
Turnover Terrific.
| The turnover rate In the teachers has
risen to 20 per cent and IN some places
to IS and 40 per cent, as compared with
the normal rate of 10 per cent prevailing
| three or four years ago. Near some war
| industry centers, the same teaching jobs
have had to be filled two or three times
in one school year because Of resigna-
tions.
| Requirements for teaching permits are
being lowered:
The practice of issuing emergency
certificates, or permits, by State au-
| thorities upon the recommendation OF
local school officers, Is growing rapidly
throughout the country. according to DR..
Frazier, who adds that such issuance
usually Indicates that the regular State
certif1cation standards are being lowered
In order to secure teachers"
| In some States only one year of college
| IS required, and the minimum age is but
II years, when such certificates may be
issued to inexperienced applicants In
certain districts, a high school diploma
is the only requisite.
| $4,000 Emergency Certificates.
| The number of emergency certificates
issued during the 41-'42 school year
almost doubled the number issued the
preceding year. Approximately $1,000
such certificates have been issued up to
| March this year, DR.. Frazier says.
At least half of the man teachers have
gone into the armed forces, the Office OF
Education reports, but generally the ques-
tion of salaries seem to be the main
cause of the shortage. The only method
of solving the problem used by about 81
per cent of the schools has been to in
crease the teachers salaries, the Office
reports.
1t says teachers salaries have risen
perhaps or per cent in the last two
years, while living expenses have gone
up somewhere around 20 per cent.
| Average Salary Low.
The average salary for public school
teachers is about 81 500, the office reports,
with 40 teachers in every 100 paid less
than $1,000 year, and nearly eight in
every 100 paid less than $500.
Many instances have been reported OF
successful retraining of teachers for the
necessary courses in which there are
shortages. In the colleges there was a
surplus of nearly /, 400 teachers of courses
which could be spared, Dr. Frazier says
chiefly English, history, languages and
professional education.
New York University questioned It's
entire faculty and brought to light much
untapped talent in other fields" An ex-
French teacher and teacher of music
at the University TO Chicago, after an
| intensive short-term course, were used tn
teach direction finding in the NAVY
Training School.
Colleges Hard Hit.
Faculty shortages in colleges are re-
ported chiefly in the following subjects:
Medicine. engineering, economics, chem
lstry, physics, mathematics and physical
education for men,
City public schools, the Office of Edu-
cation says, lost larger percentage OF
teachers for the entire system than rural
schools. Breaking the numbers down,
however, disclosed that rural schools
suffered the greatest loss in elementary
teachers, while the city schools felt the
greater loss in high school teachers.
Losses in both rural and city public
schools were noted chiefly in the courses
IN industrial arts, including all war pro-
ductlon subjects physical education for
ton, agriculture (more than 1000 such
departments were closed this year., =,
chemistry, physics and it's applications,
home economics and the trades and in
dustries.
In an effort to determine the causes
for these shortages the Office of Educa-
tion sent questionnaire to every super
intendent and principal in the country
at the end of the school year, June, 1912.
Reasons for Losses.
Reasons given in the order of impor-
tance, by approximately $4,000 man
teachers were: Entrance into armed
forces, other teaching jobs with better
pay, usually in the cities; war industries,
Government employ, other business or
commercial jobs.
Out of more than 81 900 woman teach
ers questioned, reasons given were: Other
teaching jobs, married, war industries,
Government employ, retired, other busi-
nesses, entrance into WAACS, WAVES,
SPARS, marines
Still, while the need for teachers
grows more acute, there is continued
decrease in the student enrollments OF
all schools. Last october there were
approximately 100000 fewer pupils in
the public school systems than in the
school year '39-'40, the Office of Educa-
ton reports.
Decreases for both bows and girls was