Evening star., 1949-11-06
Truman Praises
Teachers, Opens
Education Week
Urges More Adequate
Equipment to Build
1omorrow's Citizens

President Truman yesterday
asked the Nation to join in pay
ing tribute to our loyal and de-
voted teachers with whom so much
responsibility lies for the guidance
OF our youth" during the coming
week which is being celebrated as
American Education Week.
The national observance, Mr..
Truman declared, should also be
a time for examining our COM
munities and searching our hearts
to see If we are being fair to our
school children and to our teach
ers in. the tools we give them for
the building of tomorrow's citi-
zens."
Officials of the National Educa-
ton Association, which sponsors
the observance in cooperation
with the National Congress of
Parents and Teachers. the Ameri-
can Legion and the United States
Office of Education, estimated that
more than 100000 persons will
visit their schools during the week.
School Programs Arranged.
Washington public schools are
planning special assembly pro-
grams or directing their regular
assembly programs toward observ-
ance of the week. A number of
schools will hold open house for
parents.
Mr.. Truman also called on the
Nation to rededicate itself to the
principle on which it was founded
that all men are created
equal" He added:
Finally, American Education
Week should be a time for broad
ening our vision to give thought
to children of other lands with
whom our children must live in
increasingly closer relationship as
modern communications lessen
distances. And beyond that we
should take firm resolution that
the spirit of education week shall
continue with us and inspire us
to make of our schools an instru-
ment of progress keeping pace
with the needs of each new gen.
Grafton"
Statements concerning the con-
tribution of the schools in making
democracy work, the theme for
this years observance, also were
issued by Gen. Bradley, chairman
OF the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
B.. M. McKelway, editor of The
Star and president of the Ameri-
can Society of Newspaper Editors.
Sees Basis For Peace.
Gen. Bradley said he felt that
in education lies the hope for a
peaceful future because it is In
the first years in school that a
child's development is launched.
Mr. McKelway said that democ-
racy can work only if the people
who live under such4a System are
capable of understanding and
meeting the obligations of citizen
ship. Public education, he said,
Is the practical and perhaps the
only method of teaching the
people the deeper meanings of
democracy and the individual
freedom that democracy should
guarantee.
Willard E. Givens, executive
secretary of the NEA, called upon
citizens everywhere to help elm
mate shortages that "are inflict-
ing damage on the education
American children are getting in
today's schools"
He cited five examples of de-
f1ciencies confronting the schools
today - teacher shortage, salary
problem, school construction lag,
overcrowding and half day ses-
sions.
pr. Givens predicted that in
the next 10 years. 100000 new
teachers will be needed for the
school children of the Nation.
Predicting a demand for new
elementary teachers of about 100,-
600 annually. he said such an
annual demand Stands in sharp
contrast with about one-fifth that
number now being prepared each
year"
The difference. he added, can be
met only by employment of teach
ers with sub-standard prepara-
tion, double sessions and larger
r1acSec