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Show THE ci&a siATEisAsssoAiiaa The N. E. A. Asks For Dapartment of Education The Department of Superintendence of the National Education Association, meeting in Boston. Mass , in annual session, directed a resolution to the 70th. session of Congress asking for the passage of the pending Curtis-Heed Bill, which provide! for a department of Education with a secretary in the President's Cabinet. Efficiency and economy were the grounds stressed in the resolution, which was overwhelmingly approved after an impartial hearing of all criticism crit-icism offered by opponents of the measure. Tt was held by the assembled educators that current practice, experiments exper-iments and the results of investigations should be made available to individual schools by a national agency and tliat "This service can be rendered without, in any way, interfering with the constitutional con-stitutional right of the several states to control, administer, and supervise their own schools." For Better Citizenship 1 Of no little importance wa s the action act-ion of the educators in favoring closer cooperation between the Bureau of Naturalization, local courts, and public schools to the end that "admission to I American citizenship shall include a reading as well as a speaking knowledge know-ledge of English and that there shall be an appreciable understanding of American history, American institutions, institu-tions, and American ideals on the part of aliens seeking citizenship." It was urged that definite steps be taken toward equalization of school opportunities for rural and city child- ren, as well as effective methods of publicity which would stress the aims land procedure of the schools to the .people. In connection with this a re-1 re-1 solution looking to the possibility of conducting a nation-wide radio teaching teach-ing program was passed. A committee was formed "to perfect an organization organiza-tion which will prepare and broadcast educational programs for schools use". It is planned that educators themselves shall do the radiocasting, the rcccMfig set in large institutions to be controlled at the office of the principal and m the one room schools to be operated from the teacher's desk. Lesson leaf lets will be sent to the pupils to prepare them for the radiocasts. Prominent Educator's Views William M. Davidson, superintendent of schools' in Pittsburgh and an ardent advocate of the proposed Department of Education, made a most logical plea for the establishment of this great educational ed-ucational need when he stated: "More than $1,500,000,000 is spent annually an-nually by local boards of education, Much of the money spent for buildings and school equipment could be saved ii school boards had the advantage of a central organization which could pro vide expert information on costs of such equipment. "We are not asking for federal control con-trol or' direction of education. The Constitution guarantees tha the ssntcs shall control their own schools. But school directors, administrate s and teachers, and the P!'1 raUv pav the bills look to the Federal Govern . m ait to do things that the states cannot can-not do for themselves. One of tne.e is lo coordinate rcderal educational activities act-ivities now scattered; another is to up a clearing house of information another is to recognize the dignity of education by the place in the Cabinet. Mr. Davidson Further St ileil ; "A new feature of the bill as it is being introduced in the Seventieth Cm nress is the provision for a national council on edeucat.ion, composed ot the ehief school officers of the various staws who will meet annually at the -a'l of the secretary of education m Wa-ivn-ton to discuss common educational edu-cational and administrative problems In tins annual conference slate school .! superintendents will present their ' needs and will request the Department : of Education to make studies in order ' .hat adequate solutions may be fou-.d , I for the ultimate benefit of the 25,000,-000 25,000,-000 pupils in the American schools." |