ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Selected Characteristics of Reorganized School Districts. Bulletin, 1953, No. 3
Author: Fitzwater, C. O.
Date: 1953-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: School Districts,Urban Schools,School District Reorganization,State Programs,State Schools,Educational Change,Counties,Population Distribution

Few educational responsibilities have greater far-reaching importance to the people of a State than the establishment of a sound local district structure for administering the schools. Keeping that structure adapted to changing conditions in society by reorganization of small ineffective districts into larger administrative units more capable of providing needed educational services has for many years been a persistent problem in American education. It is also one in which much progress has been made, especially during the past 10 years when the total number of local school districts in the Nation has been reduced by more than one-fourth. Although that reduction has been accomplished by means of various procedures, a major portion of it has come as the result of State programs of local school district reorganization providing for the active participation of local people in developing local reorganization plans and delegating to them the responsibility of establishing new districts proposed in such plans. Since 1940 a number of State programs of this nature have been initiated while others having the same general characteristics of local participation and decision have been in operation considerably longer. This report is an outgrowth of a study conducted by the Office of Education for the purpose of providing information concerning some of the major characteristics of reorganized districts established in recent years and of indicating some of the most noteworthy educational changes resulting from their establishment. The second part of the study, dealing with educational changes in reorganized districts, will be made the subject of a separate report. This study has been a cooperative undertaking throughout the various stages of its development. The chief State school officers in each of the eight states (California, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, and Washington) approved the study as one which should be undertaken and in each instance designated a staff member to assist in conducting it. These State school officials assisted in the development of data-gathering schedules used for collection of information, and also designated the districts to be included in the study. An appendix presents the items from the inquiry form on which this report is based. (Contains 19 tables and 1 footnote.) [Best copy available has been provided.]
Educational Change in Reorganized School Districts. Bulletin, 1953, No. 4
Author: Fitzwater, C. O.
Date: 1953-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Educational Opportunities,Educational Change,School Districts,School District Reorganization,State Departments of Education,Educational Improvement,Educational Legislation

Results of school district reorganization may be viewed in a number of ways. Frequently progress is measured in terms of the number of local districts eliminated by incorporating their territory in larger units. Results may likewise be measured by increases in the number of new districts having certain characteristics of size or other features commonly associated with adequate local administrative units. Such methods have obvious practical values in looking at the results of reorganization and assessing its progress. Their validity rests on the conviction that larger districts are more capable of providing the scope and quality of services required in a modern program of education that can be provided effectively by districts of very small size. However valid this conviction may be, the establishment of larger districts is not a magic process automatically resulting in improvement of educational services. It merely makes such improvements possible. In other words, the larger district constitutes a more adequate structure which enables local people to provide better education for their children. This does not mean that school district reorganization is not directly concerned with better schools. Its important outcomes are educational in nature. Improvement of educational opportunity is the basic consideration. This is the underlying purpose of reorganization legislation and the guiding principle which charts the course for reorganization leaders. This report is an outgrowth of a study undertaken by the Office of Education with the assistance of eight State departments of education to provide information concerning some of the major characteristics and educational achievements of reorganized school districts established in recent years. The information obtained as a result of that study has been arranged in two reports. The first described the general characteristics of 552 reorganized districts located in the eight States participating in the study (California, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, and Washington). This second report presents information relating to certain educational changes which have been made in these 552 districts since their establishment. (Contains 21 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.]
Mathematics in Public High Schools. Bulletin, 1953, No. 5
Author: Brown, Kenneth E.
Date: 1953-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Mathematics Education,Mathematics Instruction,High Schools,Public Schools,Enrollment,Scheduling,Class Size,Required Courses,Field Trips,Mathematics Teachers

This study reports data concerning: (1) enrollments in mathematics; and (2) administrative provisions for instruction in mathematics. The data are for the school year 1951-52 and the first semester of 1952-53. The scope and nature of this investigation were influenced by: (1) suggestions of leaders in mathematics education as to information most needed in mathematics education; and (2) nature of requests in correspondence concerning mathematics instruction to the United States Office of Education. In developing and carrying out this study, the author received valuable suggestions from the executive secretary, board of directors, past officers, and State representatives of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and other leaders in mathematics education. The author also wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the many principals of the Nation's public high schools who furnished detailed data which made the study possible. The sample used in this study is 1,171 randomly selected high schools of the 23,746 public high schools of the United States. Of these 1,171 high schools, 965 provided all or part of the information requested. There were 857 public high schools that provided complete and usable information upon which this study is primarily based. (Contains 60 tables and 5 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]
How Children Use the Community for Learning. Bulletin, 1953, No. 6
Author: US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education (ED)
Date: 1953-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: School Community Relationship,Educational Change,Physical Development,Educational Quality,Educational Improvement,Urban Schools,Cooperation,Cooperative Planning,Problem Solving,Student Participation,Academic Achievement,Student Development,Social Development,Aesthetics,Physical Health,Learning Activities

This bulletin is one of a series that tells how teachers, pupils, parents, and other citizens have worked together to improve the quality of education for the children of their communities. &quot;How Children Use the Community for Learning&quot; describes the work of a city school of 450 pupils with no regular supervision, the Garfield School of Cambridge, Ohio, from 1950 to 1952. The building in which the boys and girls and teachers worked was not a new or modern schoolhouse. Yet by working together to meet the needs of the children and solve problems as they arose, the staff, pupils, and community made the beginnings of a program that is meaningful to the children and promises to lead to better living. At the same time, the boys and girls made greater progress in the school subjects than had been made by the pupils of previous years. Other schools in the United States have the problem of providing good elementary school programs in similar situations. Perhaps the ways of working described in one locality will suggest ideas that many schools similarly situated can use in providing more meaningful curriculum experience for their boys and girls. The story of this bulletin begins with a study of a survey of the Cambridge schools in 1948. The survey tells how teachers, principals, and superintendents paused to take a critical look at procedures they had long taken for granted. In one section of the survey about the school program, teachers were asked to consider and answer certain questions centering in four commonly accepted objectives: (1) academic development; (2) social growth; (3) esthetic development; and (4) physical development and health. The teachers' answers indicated some of the deficiencies in the program at that time and showed the need for additional emphasis on the well-rounded development of the children. (Contains 6 footnotes.) [The professional staff responsible for the work discussed in this bulletin include the teachers, Lillian Davidson, Esther Pine, Ella Brown, Mary Smallwood, Marjorie Black, Mary Moore, Dora Allen, Ella Wave Riggle, Madge Miller, and Anthony Jefferson; the principal, Avilda Buck; the superintendent, A. E. Rupp; and the consultants, Esther Van Bockern and Marjorie Miner. Best copy available has been provided.]
A Directory of 2660 16mm Film Libraries. Bulletin, 1953, No. 7
Author: Reid, Seerley
Date: 1953-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Educational History,Directories,Film Libraries,Multimedia Materials,Films,Educational Technology,Audiovisual Aids,Documentaries,Instructional Films,College Libraries,School Libraries,Government Libraries,Public Libraries,Special Libraries,Organizations (Groups),Business,Corporations,Educational Resources,National Surveys,Questionnaires,Federal Programs,Public Agencies,Library Services,Library Materials,National Security

This directory of 16mm film libraries has been compiled for the use of teachers, school administrators, librarians, community leaders, and others who use or wish to use motion pictures in their educational and informational programs. It is a revision and an expansion of the Office of Education publication, "A Directory of 2,002 16mm Film Libraries," which was prepared and issued two years ago. It is hoped that this annotated directory of film libraries, arranged by States and cities, will be helpful to all groups interested in obtaining and using 16mm films and, furthermore, that the information provided in this directory concerning the resources and services of more than 2,600 film libraries will be useful in the national defense programs. The directory includes libraries which handle entertainment films and those which handle instructional films; it includes libraries which have only one film and libraries which have thousands of films. It includes commercial dealers, colleges and universities, city and State school systems, public libraries, industrial companies and trade associations, labor unions, civic groups, religious institutions, and Government agencies. [Best copy available has been provided.]
The Common Core of State Educational Information. Bulletin, 1953, No. 8
Author: Reason, Paul L., Comp.
Date: 1953-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Definitions,Information Sources,State Policy,State Programs,State Standards,State Agencies,State Officials,State Aid,Paraprofessional Personnel,Government Employees,Educational Finance,Expenditures,Vocational Rehabilitation,Occupational Mobility,Central Office Administrators,Institutional Characteristics,Operating Expenses,Administrative Organization,Instructional Development,Boards of Education,Adult Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Early Childhood Education,Higher Education

This handbook contains the items, with their definitions, which comprise the common core of State educational information that should be available annually in each State department of education. Chapter one contains definitions of terms used in this handbook. These definitions explain general terms and not specific items for the collection of information. The terms are arranged alphabetically according to subject, with cross references. For example, the definition of "Intermediate administrative unit" appears under "Administrative unit, intermediate." However, for convenience, the term "Intermediate administrative unit" is inserted in alphabetical order with a cross reference to "Administrative unit, intermediate." This arrangement makes possible the grouping of terms in broad categories with the convenience of an alphabetical arrangement. For example, terms dealing with different types of administrative units are grouped together, and terms dealing with different types of personnel are grouped together. Chapters two through ten contain the items to be recorded and reported annually for the school year that has just been completed. Chapter eleven contains the items to be recorded and reported in the fall of each year for the school year in progress. All items have been numbered consecutively throughout the handbook, with the number always appearing at the left-hand margin of the page. An index is included. [Best copy available has been provided.]
Public Library Statistics, 1950. Bulletin, 1953, No. 9
Author: Dunbar, Ralph M.
Date: 1954-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Governing Boards,Library Services,Public Libraries,Statistical Data,Professional Associations,School Libraries,Library Materials,Trend Analysis,Income,Books,Geographic Regions,Taxes,Counties,Municipalities,Private Financial Support,Financial Support

The Office of Education has long been interested in the development of public libraries as agencies to further the educational progress of the nation. Beginning with 1870, it has issued at intervals statistical compilations on the status of the various types of libraries. Marking a change in that program, the comprehensive collection covering basic data for fiscal 1939 was devoted exclusively to public libraries as was also the one treating fiscal 1945 statistics. This current study, which deals with 1950 statistics, is thus the third in a new series designed to set forth at regular intervals the status of public libraries throughout the United States. These national analyses have proved useful to educators, library administrators, governing boards, appropriating bodies, professional associations, and others interested in the development, efficient management, and full utilization of these educational agencies. This compilation of 1950 data also carries some comparisons with statistics in previous studies, which may be helpful in noting trends. Answers were sought to the following questions covering the fiscal year ended during 1950: (1) How many public library systems are operating in the United States?; (2) How large are the collections of books and related library materials?; (3) How great is their use?; (4) What is the annual amount of public library income and what are the sources?; (5) For what purposes and in what amounts are public library incomes spent?; (6) What size staffs and what levels of workers are operating these libraries?; (7) What sizes of population groups are these libraries serving?; (8) What sizes of geographical areas are these libraries serving?; (9) What is the extent of bookmobile service?; and (10) What are the units of support for public libraries? In this nationwide study, the term "public library" has been defined as a "library which provides free library service of a general nature to the people of its community." In addition to the well-known tax-supported public library--municipal, county, or regional--this definition includes those privately controlled libraries, supported by endowment or other invested funds, which render without charge general library service to the community or to a considerable portion of it. Public-school libraries are not included unless they are open to the adult public and render service beyond that connected with the curriculum of the school. (Contains 16 tables and 19 footnotes.) [The statistical reports in this study were edited and the data tabulated by Mary M. Willhoite, assisted by Doris R. Chambers and Jessie C. Boehlert, under the general direction of Ralph M. Dunbar and Emery M. Foster. Best copy available has been provided.]
An Approach to Individual Analysis in Educational and Vocational Guidance. Bulletin, 1959, No. 1
Author: Segel, David
Date: 1959-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Vocational Education,Guidance Programs,Career Guidance,School Guidance,High Schools,Grade 7,Grade 8,Grade 9,High School Students,Dropouts,Academic Persistence,School Holding Power,Curriculum Development,Career Development,Intelligence Quotient,Academic Aptitude

A substantial number of students drop out of high school at or below the tenth grade. Approximately 35 percent of those entering the ninth grade do not complete high school, and another large group goes through high school avoiding on the one hand direct training in vocational education and on the other the sequences in high school which will prepare them adequately for college. Therefore, about 50 to 60 percent of our youth are ill-prepared for any particular advanced training or for any occupation requiring specialized skills or competencies. Then, too, many students who are adequately prepared for college do not enter college. There are two important courses of action which high schools may take to hold students in school and to encourage the scholastically capable students to continue their education beyond high school. One is to develop curriculums appropriate to the needs of students to prepare them for successively higher level educational and vocational activities. The other course of action is to provide the guidance services needed to enable wise student choices in curriculums and occupations and to stimulate motivation to remain in the appropriate sequences. This bulletin outlines an approach in guidance designed to estimate and utilize characteristics of students at the seventh- to ninth-grade level which should increase the effectiveness of educational and vocational guidance work. The original question which prompted the writing of this bulletin was, "How can we improve the selection of students for vocational education (in high school)?" Upon analyzing the situation, it was concluded that much better "selection" or better "guidance" for aiding students in choosing vocational courses and could be attained. However, it was also concluded that guidance for this particular purpose should probably be considered a part of the total school guidance program and not as an independent and highly specialized procedure. This approach should be helpful in the process of educational planning for all students irrespective of their ultimate educational and occupational goals. Appended are: (1) Two Minor Limiting Features; (2) Note on Cumulative Records for Use With the Essential Data Discussed in This Approach; and (3) Addresses of Publishers of Measurements Mentioned in This Approach. (Contains 29 footnotes, 4 tables, and 6 charts.) [Best copy available has been provided.]
Federal Funds for Education, 1956-57 and 1957-58. Bulletin, 1959, No. 2
Author: Munse, Albert R.
Date: 1959-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Educational Finance,Federal Aid,Expenditures,Federal Programs,Resource Allocation,State Programs,Statistical Data,Tables (Data)

This bulletin is the fourteenth in this series of publications issued biennially by the Office of Education. The bulletin is prepared on the basis of responses given by Federal Departments and Agencies to requests for information about Federal expenditures for educational programs. Through this series of publications, the Office of Education has attempted to provide a central source of authoritative data on Federal activities in education. Information on Federal funds presented in this bulletin is for the latest year available, usually the 1957-58 school year. However, for some programs the Federal offices are unable to report figures beyond those for the 1956-57 school year. Details on the amounts of Federal funds allocated State-by-State and also amounts expended on programs which are national in scope are reported. In addition, summaries show the totals of annual distributions and the amounts provided over periods of as much as ten years. An index is included. (Contains 108 tables.) [This bulletin was prepared under the direction of Clayton D. Hutchins. Best copy available has been provided.]
Foreign Language Laboratories in Schools and Colleges. Bulletin, 1959, No. 3
Author: Johnston, Marjorie C.
Date: 1958-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Instructional Materials,Secondary Schools,Colleges,Questionnaires,Language Laboratories,Modern Languages,High School Students,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Surveys,Costs,Equipment

The Office of Education, in cooperation with the Modern Language Association of America, conducted a survey of language laboratories in secondary schools and institutions of higher education during the school year 1957-58. The procedure was to send a short questionnaire to all the schools and colleges known to have a language laboratory and subsequently to additional places suggested by persons returning the questionnaire. The present bulletin contains a summary of replies to the questionnaire and other pertinent data received from language laboratory directors who supplemented the completed form by sending accounts of how their laboratory was established, how it is maintained and operated, how instructional materials are prepared and used, how problems and difficulties are overcome, and other discussions of assistance to persons planning or operating a language laboratory. The laboratories reported are of all sizes, have many types and combinations of equipment, and employ the equipment in numerous ways. The bulletin is intended to serve: school administrators and teachers; laboratory directors and instructors; research directors, teachers, and graduate students; librarians and directors of curriculum centers; and students. Appended are a sample description of the basic design and possible functions or a language laboratory, the questionnaire, and a list of language laboratories (1957-58) in secondary schools and in colleges and universities. (Contains 24 footnotes and 7 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.]