MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, On., Thursday, November IS, If 51 7A
Great American Education Need ToOd Expert iff America to Keep lead
PROF. WILLARD S. ELSBEE
Director Div. of Administration and
Guidance. Teachers (ollefe,
Colombia 1,'niversity
(Written for
United Press International)
New York -TPD- What are
the most urgent needs today
of the public schools in Am
erica? I believe thoughtful
students of education would
include most, if not all, of
the following in their re
sponse to this query:
1. Better qualified teachers.
Public school teachers are
vastly better prepared today
than a quarter of a century
ago, but socio-economic con
ditions and resulting manpow
er shortages have combined
to slow up the improvement
in the quality of our staff per
sonnel. Teachers, whose, wisdom
and skill condition the ulti
mate efficiency of the mem
bers of all professions and oc
cupations, have been and are
being recruited too often from
the middle or lower-middle
groups in scholastic attain
ment, personality and intelli
gence. A larger proportion of gift
ed high school and college
students must be guided Into
teaching if high quality in
struction is to be assured.
2. The standard of living of
teachers needs to be elevated
substantially.
This need is obviously close
ly related to the need just
discussed. Whereas teachers
must be dedicated persons and
possess more than an average
amount of the missionary
spirit, they cannot meet their
responsibilities and render
their best service on current
salaries.
To measure up to the re
quirements of the office, tea
chers must be generously
paid. To pay a salary of $4,-
Out SMC
mm
It's the balance of ingredients
in baking powder that governs
its leavening action. Only when
these are scientifically balanced
can you be sure of uniform ac
tion in the mixing bowl plus that
final rise to light and fluffy tex
'ture in the oven ... That's the
story of Clabber Girl's balanced
double action.
Guaranteed 1
CLABBER
VjIKL.
SlJiiI
500, the typical annual sum
now awarded to public school
teachers in America, is a pen
ny wise and pound foolish
policy.
3. The current tax base
needs to be revised and a larg
er share of the cost of educa
tion borne by the State and
Federal Governments.
With income taxes limited
primarily to the - State and
Federal Governments, the tax
returns from real estate have
been almost the sole reliance
of local districts in financing
schools in most parts of the
country. The State is gradual
ly entering the picture and
lifting - some of the burden
from the backs of the poorer
districts, but the situation is
still serious and quality edu
cation is being provided in a
relatively small number of
school systems.
4. Teacher preparatory in
stitutions must be greatly im
proved. The public school teaching
profession is in a state of tran
sition and, unlike medicine
and law, "it has because of
its numbers and its relative
youth as a profession been
slower to emerge as one of
the truly learned professions.
One can scarcely classify
teachers with less than col
lege preparation, and we have
a significant number who fall
in this category, as profession
al. Not only are we in need
of increasing the amount of
preparation of teachers, but
we. must also improve the
quality of the instruction pro
vided in our teacher prepara
tory institutions.
5. Certification arrange
ments need to be overhauled.
Education being a State
function and not a Federal
one, it is understandable that
a variety of requirements
would emerge over the years
as the number of teaching po
sitions increased, a supply and
demand relationships shifted,
and as standards were eleva
ted to meet the demands of
the changing social scene. Re
gional efforts have resulted
in compacts and agreements
between states which have
eliminated much of the local
ism which characterized early
practices and policies. But
there is still need for greater
flexibility and for a broaden
ing of the requirements so as
to admit to teaching those
whose qualifications are clear
ly superior.
6. The public image of the
American public school tea
cher must be radically chang
ed.
Teachers as a group have
not enjoyed the prestige ac
corded members of other pro
fessions. The public image of
a school teacher, as reflected
in the movies and television
programs, is wholly distorted.
While one can cite numerous
exceptions, teachers are view
ed as somewhat strange, less
human, and to some degree
as socially inferior.
The psychological reasons
for this are probably some
what complex. But so long as
this image exists, able, enthu
siastic, dynamic young men
and women will hesitate to
Editor's note: If the United States is to meet the
challenge presented by Soviet Russia's tremendous con
centration on improving its school system, says U. S.
Commissioner of Education Dr. Lawrence G. Derthick,
"we cannot afford to tolerate a single weakness in our
educational system."
Yet most American experts point to one great weak-
By LOUIS CASSELS
UPI Correspondent
Washington-CPD-A close-up
look zt Russia's school system
is "somewhat frightening" to
Americans who believe that
education is the key" to the
future.
That's the reaction of Dr.
Lawrence G. Derthick, U. S.
Commissioner' oi Education,
who recently returned from
a month-long official visit to
the Soviet Union.
Derthick led a delegation of
10 prominent U. S. educators
who studied Soviet schools at
every level from kinderparten
through college.
They found weaknesses as
well as strengths. They came
away convinced that Russia's
system "would not fit our
way of life." But they were
nevertheless awed by the
sheer scope of the Soviet ed
ucational effort.
"The Russians have made a
total national commitment to
education," Derthick said in
an interview. "It is a kind of
grand passion with them.
They are convinced that fu
ture supremacy belongs to
those with the best-trained
minds.
"The desperate intensity of
their race for knowledge is
somewhat frightening. We
came back convinced that we
cannot afford to tolerate a
single weakness in our edu
cational system."
The visiting educators were
especially impressed by the
abundance of money available
to Soviet schools. Russia is
invest from 10 to 15 per cent
choose (teaching as a career.
The problem cannot easily be
resolved. The agencies which
have a great influence in
molding public opinion, such
as the movies, TV and the
radio, could, if persuaded,
change the public image to
one that held appeal for virile
young men and women.
7. Teachers should be grant
ed freedom to teach and en
couraged to be creative.
Historically, public school
teachers have been subjected
to close supervision and have
had little freedom with re
spect to what and how they
taught. Supervisors and prin
cipals have devoted much of
their time in the past to
training teachers to teach and
with justification, since the
latter were, poorly, educated.
The training job was only
partially completed in normal
schools and colleges.
But it is impossible to de
velop a great profession of
teachers (or for that matter
any other profession) without
freeing the members to make
decisions and allowing them
to experiment. There will be
mistakes and failures if free
dom is granted, but the loss
sustained will be minor in
comparison with the gains re
alized.
cf its gross national product
in education. The U.S. invest
ment is less than five per
cent.
Russian schools have plenty
cf teachers. Teaching is a
highly respected profession,
and salaries are comparable
to those of doctors and en
gineers. There are about six
times as many applicants as
there are teaching jobs.
Staff of 102
At a typical Russian school
in the Lenin Hills District of
Moscow, the amazed Americ
ans found a staff of 102 per
sons, including a doctor and
a nurse, serving a student
body of 928 children. Like the
United States, Russia has a
classroom shortage. This has
necessiated double shifts in
many schools. But both shifts
get a full schedule of classes,
rot the abbreviated "half day"
schedule found in overcrowd
ed U. S. schools. Russian
school children assigned to
the "second shift" don't get
home until nearly 8 p.m.
Much publicity has been
given to the curriculum of
Russia's 10-year schools, in
which every student is re
quired to take mathematics
through trigonometry, six
years of foreign languages,
five years of physics and four
years of chemistry.
When Russia beat America
into space last October, U. S.
high schools came under na
tionwide pressure to eliminate
some of the "frill courses"
from their own curriculums,
and to put "more emphasis on
math and science, "like they
are doing in Russia."
In light of this recent his
tory, the visiting American
educators were intrigued to
discover that Russian schools
nets in that system a shortage of teachers both in num
bers and proper qualifications.
In the following dispatches, Dr Derthick sounds the
warning to American education, and one of the nation's
foremost authorities on the problems of teachers tells
what he feels must be done to make American teaching
what it should be.
"direct comparisons" between
Soviet and American educa
tion. The goals of the two
home economics, automobile j
driving, vocational training
and other "practical" studies
of the type long found in U.S.
high schools.
Trying New System
This fall, some Russian
schools are trying out a new
system under which students
from the 9th grade up will
attend classes only three days
a week The other three days
they spend at work on farms
or in factories.
Premier Nikita Krushchev,
who decreed a new system,
told Soviet educators they
must stop giving children a
purely academic course which
is "divorced from life," and
concentrate on prep aring
them to perform a "produc
tive role" as Soviet workers.
On the face of it, this
sounds as though Russia were
going whole-hog for the "life
adjustment education" phil
osophy which has been ac
cused of wrecking the aca
demic standards of American
high schools.
Derthick warned against
making too much of this ap
parent trend, at least for the
present. Russian students are
still getting massive doses of
math, science and languages
far more than the average
American student.
Has "Full Pipeline"
The most likely explanation
of Khrushchev's sudden inter
est in vocational .education is
that Russia has a "full pipe
line" of future scientists and
engineers all that its colleges
can handle in the next few
years. So the Kremlin has
ordered the school system to
shift into production of farm
and factory hands for a while.
This is a good illustration
of why Derthick considers it
are now adding courses in virtually impossible to make
Quotes From the News
By United Press International
Washington - Harold Stassen, who led an unsuccessful
"dump Nixon" drive in 1956, on why he failed to include
Vice President Richard Nixon in a list of GOP presidential
contenders: "
"My views on that are well known and I believe the
results of the recent elections proved ma right."
Atlanta - Rep. Brooks Hays (D-Ark.), a moderate recently
defeated by a segregationist candidate, on the South's racial
problems:
"I believe that this problem that has grown into severe
racial tensions will be finally solved largely by extra-govern
ment efforts outside of government. Congress or the courts.
Tacoma, Wash. - U. S. District Judge George H. Boldt,
trying former teamster President Dave Beck on income tax
evasion charges, on a defense attorney's objections to news
paper coverage:
"Let's not try this case in the newspapers. The gentlemen
of the press must do their job just as you must do yours and
I must do mine."
Yosemite National Park, Calif. - Wayne Merry, one of
three men who climbed the sheer granite face of a cliff called
El Capitan, on why he did it:
"Some people play golf, some bridge, soma tiddlywinks.
I climb rocks."
2
Lb.
Pkg.
TABLE ROCK ROAD AT 4 CORNERS PHONE NO 4-1511
STEW OR FRICASSE
OMENS in 35
$U5
FISH FILLET 23
U.S. GRADED GOOD
CHUCK STEAL 55'
SUGAR CURED
BACON JOWLS 25
MEDIUM YELLOW
onions so. im
CELLO BAG
CARROTS -2..15'
CRISP GREEN
CABBAGE lk 4
SNOW WHITE
CAULIFLOWER W
GOLDEN DELICIOUS
apples mm
NEBERGALL'S BEST
BACON 25
OCEAN FRESH SNAPPER
MIDGET PRICES
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
OPEN 8 A.M. TILL 7 P.M. EVERY DAY
ROYAL CLUB STRAWBERRY
PRESERVES .11 W-
SANALAC
PRY MILK! s69
HOODY'S
PEANUT BUTTER . 49.
BEST FOODS
MAYONNAISE 59
CAMPBELL'S
SOUP ......... J , 40
FOLGER'S
COFFEE regular ... .'u,83
CANNED DOG FOOD
BONNIE 8 93
SUNSHINE KRISPY
CRACKERS 2 . 49
GENUINE TILLAMOOK
CHEESE 163
school systems are vastly dif
ferent. Russia s schools exist
only to serve the needs of the
state for trained manpower.
American schools are con
cerned with the individual de
velopment of each child, for
his own sake, as well as for
the sake of society.
POSTING bail on drunk
driving charge, Lady Mary
Hardwicke, 30, wife of Sir
Cedric Hardwicke, British
actor, leaves Los Angeles
police station.
POSITIVE THINKING
Los Angeles -IUPB- Dr. Nor
man Vincent Peale, author of
the best-selling book "The
Power of Positive Thinking,"
advised the county board of
supervisors" Wednesday that
positive thinking is just what
they need in dealing with the
smog problem. "You must be
lieve you can eradicate smog,"
he said, "if you think you'll
never get rid of it, you never
will."
NO LONGER RECEIVING
Los Angeles -(UPD- Fred L.
Edwards, 32, caught looting a
Beverly Hills dress shop, told
police "I needed $350 for a
court appearance on, a charge
of receiving stolen goods."
Smorgasbord Is
Planned al Big Y
The Southern Oregon Sales
man's club is sponsoring a
smorgasbord on the porch of
th.; Big Y, just north of Med
ford, Friday starting at 11
a.m.
Proceeds from the event
will go to the Medford High
school band fund to help pay
expenses for the band to. at
tend the annual East-West
Shrine football game in San
Francisco in late December.
This is the eighth consecutive
year the Medford band has
been invited.
A similar smorgasbord to
the one which is planned here
was held in Grants Pass re
cently to help finance the trip
for the Grants Pass High
school band.
Booths will be set up on the
porch of the Big Y, and per
sons will be charged 25 cents
for all they can eat.
Tickets are available at the
Big Y, the Elks club in Med
ford, and Crater Department
store in Central Point. Prizes
will be given away at draw
ings every 15 minutes.
Three Plead Guilty
In District Court
Three men pleaded guilty
in district court Monday af-1
ternoon to charges of petty
larceny.
Johnson Creed Sells, Eu
gene, John Arnold Simmons
and Riqhard Earl Smith, both
of Medford, all waived the
privilege of having an at
torney. Their cases were con
tinued for sentencing on
Nov.-17.
The three men are charged
with taking cash from Charles
Milton Turner.
Charles Vernon Burgess,
Klamath River, Calif., pleaded
guilty in district court Mon
day, to furnishing liquor to
minors. Judge James Main
ordered him released to Cali
fornia authorities to be tried
there on felony charges. Bur
gess signed a waiver, he said.
He was charged with giving
beer to two minors Nov. 7.
A. C. Smith Named
Director of Congress
A. C. Smith of Medford Cor
poration has been elected to
a one-year term as a director
of the Pacific Logging Con
gress, which met recently in
Portland. ...
Directors were elected from
11 states and two Canadian
provinces to the board of the
logging organization, which is
celebrating its 49th year.
S.R.O.
Toms River, N.J.-dTD-There
were 72 prisoners in Ocean
county jail, which has a legal
capacity of 28, so Sheriff Har
ry Roe boarded out the over
flow in the prisons of five
other counties.
More than 500,000 milk
bottles are lost in Britain
daily. Each costs the equiva
lent of five cents.
WHY WAIT?
DONT BE LATE
THEN SUFFER
A CHILLY FATE!
CALL SP 2-8086
TIMBER
PRODUCTS
COMPANY
Serving th Valley
"Fuel From Timber
Since 1918"
Kibbled with
6 FLAVORS,
6 COLORS!
meat, liver, milk,
fish, vegetable, chicken
only Kibbled that's
slow-baked for quicker
mixing with liquids.
only Kibbled that's kennel-tested for
complete nutrition.
Buy Friskies Kibbled today-it's another eomplete .
dog food from (arnation
on
Delicious new hot cereal discovery with
active protein for active people
Rich, whole-wheat flavor like you've never tasted
before! Carnation Instant Wheat provides all the truly active
protein of natural whole wheat - the kind of protein you can't
possibly get from any cold cereal. The secret is
Carnation's special "low-heat" process that
does not harm the protein or
precious B-vitamins. Try this
wonderful new cereal. Save .
10$ on your first package
with coupon below. ' . ,
-
V 1
m in
fTcrotrr
mm-m
VHEAJ
I I I iftft4.-2V Vw
''ff y'
To Daalan This coupon la
redeemable for 10 (plus 2
for handling) through Albers
salesman or if mailed to
CARNATION-ALBERS. LOS
ANGELES 5. CALIFORNIA,
provided it has been used
for the purchase of Carnation
Instant Wheat in accordance
with offer shown above. Void
in any state or municipality
where prohibited, taxed or
otherwise restricted. Cash
value 120 cent.
Albert Milling Company
a Division of Carnation Co.
5 I 'J
2KM
ISTAtrr
Limit: one per family. Expiration date: Feb. 28, 195?.?
tm i
I
i
m