SCHOOL LIFE is published monthly (except in Its purpose is to present current information concerning progress and trends in education; report upon research and other activities conducted by the U. S. Office of Education; announce new publications of the Office, as well as important publications of other Government agencies; and to give kindred services. The Congress of the United States, in 1867, established the Office of Education to "collect such statistics and facts as shall show the condition and progress of education in the several States and Territories"; to "diffuse such information as shall aid in the establishment and maintenance of efficient school systems"; and "otherwise promote the cause of education throughout the country." SCHOOL LIFE serves toward carrying out these purposes. Its printing has been approved by the Director of the Budget. The subscription rate is $1 per year in advance; to foreign countries in which the mailing frank of the United States is not recognized, $1.50. Club rate: For orders of 100 copies or more to be sent in bulk to one address within the United States, the Superintendent of Documents allows a discount of 25 percent. Subscriptions may also be entered through magazine dealers. Subscription orders with remittances should be sent to the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. Federal Security Administrator, PAUL V. MCNUTT Assistant to the Commissioner, C. F. KLINEFELTER Publication offices: U. S. OFFICE OF EDUCATION FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY Washington, D. C. Editorial That Schools Shall Be Encouraged THE ORDINANCE OF 1787 for the Government of the Northwest Territory specifically stated: "Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." The people of our Nation, despite periods of distress, have much to appreciate in the fact that our schools and the means of education have continued to be encouraged throughout the years. Glancing back into the history of American education, we see great strides of progress within its pages. And that is heartening to us all. Thoughtfully we face the 1939-40 school year now opening. What progress shall this year bring in educational endeavor? What can be done that schools and the means of education shall be further encouraged? Different communities will find different answers, and it is proper that they should. There is one answer however, that could well be woven into all others. It is: Let us have unselfish educational leadership. Full well we know that selfish leadership gone rampant can block progress in any cause. Democracy, through education, needs ever to guard against that danger, or democracy itself may be lost to us. In a world too full of strife, there is always the accompanying evil-intolerance. It may be intolerance in the home, in the community, in the Nation, or in the world. all leads to torn personalities, to collapsed causes, to stifled progress. But wherever there is devotedly unselfish leadership in education, there is a fine toleration of the many different viewpoints. There is opportunity to learn from all available resources. Then democracy works. Let us all unselfishly renew our endeavors for educational progress as much progress as can possibly be made that the "schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." J. V. Studebake U. S. Commissioner of Education. Discussions of timely controversial issues in education by noted authorities in their respective fields will be presented in SCHOOL LIFE, the coming school year, as SCHOOL LIFE's first Forum Panel. Each month a "live controversial issue" will be brought to the forefront. One panel member will take the affirmative side of the particular question and the other member will take the negative side. Each writer will have the privilege of reading the other panel member's viewpoints in advance of presenting his own, and each panel member will have opportunity for a brief rebuttal. That is the general plan. "Shall School Systems Be Independent of Other Government Agencies?" The above, for illustration, is to be the first subject in the series. It will be presented next month. Willard E. Givens, secretary of the National Education Association, answers "Yes" to the question and gives the reasons for his conviction. Jerome Gregory Kerwin, dean of students in the division of social sciences, University of Chicago, answers "No" and offers his studied viewpoints. SCHOOL LIFE, in presenting the Forum Panel series, in no way attempts to make decisions upon these controversial issues. It seeks only, through forum technique, to throw light on such issues and to inspire thoughtful thinking on subjects that concern the present and future of educational endeavor throughout the Nation. TO AMERICAN EDUCATORS by Paul V. McNutt, Administrator Federal Security Agency The U. S. Office of Education is now a part of the Federal Security Agency. As Administrator of that Agency I welcome the opportunity to greet the educators of this country. The public schools are organized within the framework of government-local, State, and National. They are in fact a most vital interest of government. As parents, citizens care for nothing else so much as for the education of their children. As voters, citizens rely upon no other agency so much as upon the schools to raise the quality of citizenship. Schools Must Be Free To Educate And yet, though a part of government, and rooted deep in the esteem of the citizens who support the government, the schools are in a sense outside the government. While the schools are subject to control by government—mainly local and State government—the people of all political parties need always to understand that in a democracy the schools must be free to educate. Any time that the schools, including the colleges and universities, feel restraint on their freedom exerted by the political leaders in power or by any pressure group, the torch which the schools are expected to hold aloft to light the way of democracy is dimmed. I take pride in the reputation which the United States Office of Education has maintained during the 72 years since it was established and down to date for nonpartisan service to the cause of education and to the Nation as a whole. I am determined that it shall enjoy freedom as a great professional agency. Only those who hold partisanship above public welfare will ever use their political positions to restrict or distort learning and thus block the march of truth. But truth is not always easy to find. In the search for it, and in even the most conscientious efforts to teach it, teachers and professors sometimes lose their way and find themselves confused. That is inevitable if truth is to be sought in the areas of controversy. The public must be tolerant of these mistakes. But in the same spirit teachers must recognize controversy and not be dogmatic. If they hope for the support of a tolerant public they must play their part as guides, not as partisans frankly and, above all, honestly. In their classrooms they must be teachers, opening the way to complete understanding, not advocates who seek to secure agreement with their personal opinions. Democracy So Buttressed Will Endure Practice in the weighing of evidence, the balancing of the pros and cons, is the first requirement in the training for civic duties. What to believe at any moment is generally less important than how to determine what to believe. It taxes the skill of the best teacher to make this practice in weighing evidence seem genuine to his pupils. But of one thing there can be no doubt: The teacher must delve into the realities of the current social, economic, and political situations, and must adapt his methods and materials to the age levels of his pupils. With schools free from the stifling control of partisanship and pressure groups, and with the teachers carrying out with ability and with integrity their indispensable roles as molders of tomorrow's citizens, the United States can demonstrate to the world that democracy so buttressed will endure. Ground plan of the model preschool child development center, Melbourne, Australia. Australian Preschool Education by Christine M. Heinig, Educational Director, In the oldest of continents and the youngest of all white civilizations, Australians are setting about their job of child development on a national basis. During this year six model preschool centers will be designed along modern lines each built to house 100 children. The children will range in age from 2 to 6, or school entrance age, and their daily program will follow the general lines established in American nursery schools. A program of research is also planned, the emphasis to be placed on the mental and physical aspects of child growth. The whole program is being sponsored for a period of 5 years by the Commonwealth Department of Health under the supervision of the Director General of Health, Dr. J. H. L. Cumpston. The details of administration and local responsibilities for the centers will be carried by the Australian Association for Preschool Child Development, a newly formed national organization consisting of representatives of the Free Kindergarten Unions of each of the six States. The educational director of that association will be in charge of the educational aspects of the schools. One model center is to be built in each of the capital cities, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. It is also anticipated that a center will be built in the National Capital itself, Canberra. The Goal The goal is to demonstrate best procedures in child care and guidance to parents, to persons interested professionally such as dieti PRE SCHOOL CHILD DEVELOP MENT CENTRE AT CARIT WORKING 105' 1 MARCUS MARTIN & TRIBE ARCHITECTS 430 CHANCERY LANE MELBOURNE, tians, physicians, teachers, nurses, and child welfare agencies and schools. Information regarding child care will also be gathered and made available throughout Australia. Headquarters offices will be established in the Institute of Anatomy Building, Canberra City. During the 5 years in which Government funds will be used to finance the program in these six model centers it is expected that local, private, and State organizations, which at present have not found funds to establish demonstration centers, will be able to set up a number of preschools which will carry the dual program of child care and parent education. This Federal preschool program, though launched prior to the Australian 1939 National Fitness Campaign, fits exactly into that picture. Infant Welfare Program Australia stands second only to New Zealand in its record of lowest infant mortality rate. The fine program of infant welfare in these two continents is doubtless not a coincidence in winning this record. Federal and |