Evening star., 1945-07-08


Wide World Photo.
growing, vegetable growing, forestry.
general business, merchandising, book
keeping, finance, insurance, electricity,
drafting, commercial art, surveying and
blueprint reading. E+
Army officers point out that the
students will be able to take advan-
tage Of their situation in Europe for
a number of interesting expeditions
to gain knowledge In their various
fields.
Opportunities Are Great
Students of Shakespeare can, within
a few hours, make a pilgrimage to
Stratford-on-Avon to see the bard's
birthplace Those in the school of
journalism (they will edit daily news
paper, incidentally can explore the
newspaper officers and famous old
taverns of Fleet street In London. Those
studying dairying will be taken to the
Isle of Jersey, the habitat of the Jer-
sey cow, and to see large-scale modern
dairying in Holland and Denmark. Stu
dents at the Sarbonne in Paris and at
the Universities of Rome and Florence
may study are in the worlds most
famous museums.
The Army is arranging for law stu
dents to go to historic Inza Court in
London and for doctors who want to
reorientate themselves in their profess
sion to study in British and French
hospitals and clinics.
Textbooks by the Million
Extensive physical arrangements have
been under way for more than a year
in preparation for the great Army
university abroad Several million text
books-some specially edited and others
prepared solely for this educational
program-have been bought from pub
fishers and some of them were printed
by the Government Printing Office here.
number of graphic charts have been
prepared for classroom work, and refer
ence libraries composed Of standard en-
cyclopedias, aliases and technical die
tionaries have been shipped abroad.
AS early as last year the Army began
series of half-hour educational radio
programs, which are being continued.
They are piped through more than
400 overseas outlets to the troops in
Europe. Still more are planned. These
programs include dramatizations of
world history, research in the develop
ment of natural and social sciences,
personalities and events in the American
scene, and discussion programs on eur
rent issues.
Educational Standards
After the World War the Army
planned an educational program for SOL
diers on smaller scale than the pres
ent one. Some 100000 servicemen at
tended one or more of seven categories
of schools, and veterans were given
Federal assistance in attending civilian
schools after their return. In mapping
out the present plan, the War Depart
ment is benef1ting by the earlier ex-
perience and is seeking to avoid its
major mistakes. ,
One of these. according to the War
the current program, was the system of
blanket credit" allowed veterans by
American universities. Under this sys-
Sem veterans were given college credits
proportional to the amount of time they
lad spent in the armed forces.
Such an obviously unfair and indis-
;riminate exchange" the War De-
oartment says in current study, mat
urally created educational chaos and
accrediation headaches. 1t brought in
justice upon some brilliant individuals
whose educational levels had risen con-
siderable while in service; 1t heaped
credits on some others who were dull
and undeserving. Blanket credit threat
ened to scuttle American educational
standards.
schools and colleges competed in the
generosity of credit they could shower
on veterans. This cheapened the value
of all educational credit. Sometimes
it embarrassed returning servicemen
who were unprepared to perform aca-
demic work on levels where they were
arbitrarily placed by such time-swap
system.
Motives behind blanket credit were
undoubtedly patriotic. The system was
short-sighted, however, and this doomed
it to failure. American education and
returning seryicemen both suffered"
This time, after consulting with the
American Council on Education, the
Army decided to work out scientific
system by which o civilian school can
judge accurately the credit to be al
lowed students for the learning they
have gained while in the service. The
Army schools themselves will grant no
credits.
The Council, the National Association
of Secondary School Principals and the
armed forces sat down and worked out
a scientific plan to guide schools In
awarding the proper credit to soldiers.
First, the Council drew up q references
handbook called "a Gs:ide to the Evalu-
Continued on Page c-s0