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THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA THE COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINIANA C379 N87p 19U2/U+ :t 1 UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 00030756085 This book must not be token from the Library building. NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS BIENNIAL REPORT PART I 1942-44 Educational Building for State Offices, Raleigh Th Publication No. 251 BIENNIAL REPORT of the SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION of NORTH CAROLINA Part I SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Issued by the State Superixtexdext of Public Instructiox Raleigh, North Carolina SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS (See page 105 for full recommendations) 1. Teachers' Salary Increase. "I propose, therefore, that the present State salary schedule be substantially increased, especially for persons holding Grade A and Graduate Certificates." 2. Coynjmlsory Attendance. "Not only should the upper age limita-tion be raised to 16 years of age—the enforcement machinery should be changed with provision being made for the employment of attendance officers throughout the State." 3. ^Supervision of Instruction. "Now, that the State is committed to the support of a nine months school term, that same State should round out the organization of the instructional program by providing for the employment of Supervisors from State funds." 4. Special Education. "A State worker, cooperating with both the schools and these other agencies, I believe, would fill the existing need." 5. Health and Physical Education. "In order to make such a pro-gram really effective, there is need for additional personnel both on the State and the local level." 6. Negro Education. "I heartily endorse any plans that may be pro-jected by the General Assembly in line with the recommendations made by the committee which made this study (on Negro Education)." 7. Free Textbooks for Eighth Grade. "I believe that the free text-book system should be extended to include the eighth grade and thus round out the system in making it apply to the entire elementary school." S. School Laic Codification. "I wish to recommend, therefore, that a law be enacted directing that this codification of the school laws be prepared and submitted at the next session of the General Assembly for enactment into law." 9. School Plant Facilities. "In our post-war educational program, the State should make plans to facilitate orderly programs of school plant construction and improvement." State of North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Raleigh November 1, 1944. Clyde A. Erwin Superintendent To His Excellency, GOVERNOR R. GREGG Cherry and Members of the General Assembly of 1945: Sirs : In accordance with the law I am submitting this Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the biennium ending June 30, 1944. In this publication, which has been printed as Part I, an effort has been made to present a picture of the public school situation for the State as a whole as it obtained at the end of this biennium. This part of the Report also indicates some of the changes that have taken place in the total situation during recent years. I am sure that each of you will be pleased with what has been accom-plished, but I believe you will also discern that there is much more to be done before we can say that the boys and girls of this State are given an opportunity that fills the needs of present day living. Some of these things I have pointed out under the section "What the Schools Need," and it is to these things that I wish to direct your special attention at this time. Subsequent parts of this Report will give detailed statistics covering every phase of the operation of the public schools in the county and city administrative units. Very respectfully yours, State Superinteyicleyit of Public Instruction. CONTENTS Page WHAT THE SCHOOLS DO. Introductory Statement 5 Social Studies 5 Language Arts 10 Science 13 Health, Physical Education and Safety 16 Art 24 Music 28 Mathematics 30 Business Education 30 Industrial Arts . 32 Vocational Education — Agricultural Education 34 The National Defense Training Program for Out-of-School Youths and Adults 39 Home Economics Education 42 Trade and Industrial Education 44 Vocational Training for War Production Workers 45 Distributive Education 48 Vocational Rehabilitation 50 Occupational Information and Guidance 52 School Libraries 53 HOW THE SCHOOLS OPERATE. Administration - 62 School Funds 65 The School Plant 80 The Transportation System 83 Textbooks 85 School Organization 87 Teachers and Principals 94 WHAT THE SCHOOLS NEED—RECOMMENDATIONS. Historical 100 Recommendations . 105 WHAT THE SCHOOLS DO INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT The biennium, 1942-44, is significant because it marks the beginning of the Twelve Year Program. The General Assembly of 1941 enacted a law which provided for the extension of the public school system to embrace twelve grades. This transition began in 1942-43, and the first generation of students to have the full benefit of the Twelve Year Program will be those who grad-uate regularly in 1944-45. The increase in the length of term from eight to nine months and the increase in the number of years from eleven to twelve will have a marked effect upon the boys and girls in our schools. The time element is important, and the added maturity is signifi-cant in a child's development. Education may be a spiritual process, but it is also a temporal process. It takes time to lay the proper foundation for growth, and to adjust the pupils to the spiritual possessions of the race—literary, scientific, institutional, aesthetic and religious. The chief business of the school is instruction. The discus-sions which follow indicate an awareness of this obligation. An honest and successful effort is being made to discharge this obli-gation fully. The war has made it necessary to do things never attempted before. Methods of teaching have been changed to meet changed and changing conditions. The curriculums in elementary and secondary schools have been revised in many instances in terms of pupil needs. The schools must become increasingly responsive to the legitimate demands of society not only in an emergency, but at all times. The following discussions show something of what is being done to educate the boys and girls in the public schools of the State. SOCIAL STUDIES During the past biennium the total public school program has been greatly influenced by the war. The more vital subjects in the social studies curriculum—history, geography, civics, econom-ics, and sociology—have been especially affected. The effects of the war have been felt chiefly in three ways : first, social studies courses have been more carefully appraised as to their function 6 Biennial Report of State Superintendent and value in American education and life ; second, the content of the various courses has been examined more critically and more carefully revised ; and third, better teaching has been made possible as a result of the intense interest in national and world problems which the war has created. World War II has served as a sharp reminder that we must always be prepared to defend democracy from within as well as from without. Citizens everywhere now realize that we cannot assume that democracy as a way of life has been ultimately and finally achieved. It is now more clearly understood that each generation must accomplish democracy anew in terms of the changing economic, social, and political conditions which face it. The role of the school is more sharply defined—it must be a lab-oratory for democracy, a training ground where pupils are imbued with democratic ideals and l^arn through participation in the life about them how to live democratically. All school life should contribute to this ultimate aim, but the social studies emerge as the very foundation of our curriculum when seen in this light. The development of democratic ideals and practices begins with the child in the home, is accelerated through his contacts in the community, and is broadened and enriched through his study of his State, his Nation, and the world. Recent revisions in the course of study have taken this into account. The result has been the creation of a twelve year program of social studies instruc-tion which builds fundamental democratic skills, traits, and understandings and then moves on, in keeping with the maturity of the child, to the complex social problems of the modern world. The scope of the program can be judged from a glance at the topics in the revised course of study : First Year, Living To-gether in School and Home; Second Year, Living Together in Our Community; Third Year, Community Living Now and Long Ago; Fourth Year, Selected Peoples of Other Layids; Fifth Year, The Story of the United States; Sixth Year, How the Present Grew out of the Past; Seventh Year, United States History and Relationships with Neighboring Lands; Eighth Year, The Story of North Carolina; Ninth Year, Liviyig Together in Our Democ-racy (Civics) ; Tenth Year, World History; Eleventh Year, United States History; Twelfth Year, Modern Problems—Eco-nomic, Social, and Political: Their Implications for the Com-munity, State, Nation and World. Recent surveys made by leading newspapers have shown that in the country at large many high school graduates are deficient North Carolina Public Schools 7 in their knowledge of American history, that thousands of youth are graduated without ever having had a high school course in American history. Such is not the case in North Carolina. A full year course in American history is required for graduation in every high school in the State. This requirement has been in force in North Carolina for more than 25 years. Also, American history is taught in the fifth and seventh grades of the elemen-tary school. As a part of the Twelve Year Program which was begun in 1942, committees of teachers and administrators coop-erated with members of the staff of the Division of Instructional Service to improve the teaching of history and the other social studies. Outlines for study, illustrative teaching units, lists of books for pupils and a professional bibliography were prepared as a means of helping teachers to do a better job of instruction. In addition, many conferences and study groups were arranged for the purpose of improving instruction. The study of geography has been seen in a new light as a result of the world-wide scope of the present war. Guadalcanal, Attu, Both thrift and good citizenship are taught through the sales of war savings stamps Air rjuies—a iiev; pa'ar hemisphere Saipan, Anzio, Aachen, and hundreds of other places seldom men-tioned in normal times have been emblazoned in newspaper head-lines to create a new interest in geography. The swift pace of the airplane and its victory over the trackless wastes have made possible new great circle routes of travel which make the polar regions, strategic islands, and remote inland landing strips of major importance for the future. The changes occurring during the war have in effect made necessary a reorientation in the field of geography. To help make this adjustment new supplementary texts have been adopted and lists of acceptable periodicals have been furnished teachers. Throughout the study of geography still more emphasis has been given to the importance of teaching fundamental concepts and relationships. The course in civics, required of all first year high school pupils, has been vitalized through a study of our government as it func-tions in war and through a comparison of democracy and fascism. Student participation in salvage drives, the selling of war bonds and stamps, the collection of clothing for Russian relief, commun-ity service through the Victory Corps, model aircraft building for the Army and Navy, assistance in rationing programs, and numerous other patriotic war activities have made it possible to teach citizenship through actual practice. Such participation helps develop desirable habits and attitudes and also creates new interest in the textbook. The twelfth grade elective course. Problems of American Democracy, continues to fill an urgent need to provide ways and means for the emerging citizen to study the social, economic and North Cakoi.ixa Public Schools 9 political problems of our State and Nation. The tensions of war as reflected in race troubles, controversies between capital and labor, juvenile delinquency, and religious and political intolerance make this social studies course a living, dynamic part of the cur-riculum and a prime factor in training for intelligent citizenship. A new interest in consumer education has grown out of the national programs of rationing and price control. No new courses in this field have been added to an already crowded curriculum, but considerable material on consumer education has been brought into such existing courses as economics, sociology, farm family living, civics, history, and problems courses. To assist teachers, a bulletin. Ways to Victory on the Home Front, was prepared by the Department of Public Instruction in cooperation with local school people and the O. P. A. and distributed to all schools in 1943. During the biennium considerable change occurred in the teach-ing of North Carolina history and geography. Formerly taught only in the fifth grade, a full year is now given in this field in the eighth grade. The maturity of the pupil at this higher level makes possible a more serious study of the State and the complex problems confronting it. Also, many texts, pamphlets, films, and reference books too difficult for younger pupils can be used at this level. As a part of the new eighth grade course on North Carolina special emphasis is given to resource-use education and regional problems. Research emanating from the Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina revealed long ago that a great gap exists between actual and potential standards of living in the State and in the southern region. To bridge this gap, youth must be educated in the fundamentals of resource use and be taught to conserve and use wisely the abund-ance of natural and human resources with which North Carolina is blessed. A new book, the Story of Conservatiori iyi North Caroliyia, was adopted and supplied free to all schools as a means of furthering this part of the program. Also, the Department of Public Instruction has issued helps for teachers in this field and has cooperated in institutes and professional study designed to improve the training and teaching ability of teachers in this area. Throughout the social studies program interest is being stim-ulated by the Department and by local leaders in the use of up-to- 10 Biennial Report of State SupERiNTENnENT date materials and improved techniques of teaching. Field trips, films, radio, current newspapers and magazines are being used to good effect in vitalizing this important area of the curriculum. LANGUAGE ARTS Special phases of language arts emphasized in the public school program include oral and written expression, reading and litera-ture, spelling and handwriting. There is also an increasing interest in more adequate training in speech, dramatics, story-telling and the use of the library. Courses of study and supple-mentary bulletins containing records of good practises and suc-cessful procedures have been provided each teacher. Basal texts in the language arts subjects are furnished free in the elementary schools. Supplementary readers containing a wide variety of reading materials, selected to complement and enrich the reading course in each grade, and library books have been available in adequate numbers in most schools. Complete lists of selected and State-adopted supplementary texts are distributed to each teacher in the beginning of the school year and library catalogs are available. Many schools have been provided with an adequate supply of appropriate and vitally important reading materials. However, there are some schools, mainly of the smaller type, which are yet to be provided with both supplementary and library books in sufficient quantities to insure an extensive use and en-richment of the reading course for pupils enrolled in these smaller-type schools. The success or failure of the language arts program as it con-cerns the progress of the individual pupil during the past two years has been the responsibility of the classroom teacher. Her preparation and ability to teach and the quality of her own train-ing as revealed in her habits, attitudes and interests in the lan-guage arts, has influenced to a great extent the progress and results of the language arts program and at the same time has likely been the chief factor determining the success of individual pupils. The good example by the teacher is always a powerful incentive to the pupil in his efforts to achieve success in the mastery and use of the language arts for everyday living expe-riences. Observations and records tend to show that in many of our schools more children than ever before have succeeded in the mastery and command of the skills involved in the language arts program, and also it is noted that a larger percentage of pupils North Cakolixa Public Schools 11 have developed wider reading interests through participation in dramatics and in the use of the library. However, there are far too many children who, by one reason or another, are not accom-plishing satisfactory work in learning to speak and write effect-ively nor in learning to read well enough to profit by the course of study in the grade in which they normally should be placed. Whatever handicaps to progress there may be involved, a determined effort should be made to remove them for every child enrolled in our schools. In order to further aid teachers to solve these and other prob-lems, the State Department of Public Instruction is publishing and will have ready for distribution in the late winter term, a 1945 revision of the State Course of Study in Language Arts for grades one through twelve. Brief statements indicating progress made and suggesting further needs in the several phases of language arts follow. Oral and Written Expression. Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the importance of training in correct oral and written expression. Awareness of the fact that people are judged upon the basis of their ability to express themselves correctly, ade-quately, and pleasingly has stimulated greater effort in the schools to help pupils of all grades and growth levels develop practices essential to success in this field. In the evaluation of the program as observed in our schools pupils are expected to possess certain abilities in oral and written expression as outlined in the course of study and to develop these to the extent or degree which their grade or growth level demands. It is also observed that the success of the pupil from year to year is as a rule dependent upon, first—readiness for the next step or new experience; second—adequate instruction and training; and third—sufficient experience or practice to insure easy command or use. Reading and Literature. Progress in the better instruction in reading and literature is evidenced largely by the renewed inter-est in developing a readiness program in reading; by the study of individual needs and interests in reading; by setting up read-ing programs in terms of children's individual differences to develop skill in understanding and comprehension of what they are reading; and by the increase in interest and use of a larger number of supplementary texts and library books. It is observed in some schools that more and more emphasis is placed upon the importance of good teaching followed by approp- Ti;e .oy and lalLfaction of accoirp'i hment is shown on the faces of these pupils as they give oral reports of their contributions to a unit on the study of trains date and adequate practice, leading to independence in the use of skills in reading as applied to experiences in reading for infor-mation, for pleasure and enjoyment. The various and special approaches to instruction as related to the content subjects and the sciences are given more considera-tion in the teacher planning, and as the pupil's background of experience expands and deepens he is led to relate that experience realistically to the reading in textbooks and reference materials which give purpose to the reading. Remedial reading as such is being questioned as wise procedure for the elementary school, since the pupil is very apt to feel that he is labelled as a reading failure. On the other hand, it is be-lieved that if the pupil is well taught in terms of his own abilities and achievements there will be little or no need for remedial reading. When the pupil shows that he does not have command of reading skills he should be given the best possible instruction as and when the needs of his reading program demands. It is gratifying to note the increase in the use of evaluation techniques and standardized tests, not only to measure the progress of the individual pupil in his general reading program but the tests are also used for diagnostic purposes and at regular intervals in many classrooms. It is becoming more evident that our secondary schools accept the responsibility of providing training and guidance in reading improvement. To carry on the program of reading instruction begun in the elementary school is a necessary function of the NoK'iii Cakoi.i.na Priii.ic S( iiooi.s 13 secondary school. The high school student who cannot read sat-isfactorily the high school texts and materials is given the specific training in reading skills that his needs demand even though the training and instruction given may be on the elementary school level. However, for the most part, the instruction in reading skills in the high school has to do with two types of reading — one for the purpose of mastering and retaining content (study) and the other for obtaining a wide background of information (rapid reading). Through excellent training in the understanding, interpreta-tion and appreciation of prose and poetry on each grade level, the schools have made advancement in administering the courses of study in literature. One evidence of this is presented through the reports from the libraries of the number and type of library books read by elementary pupils and high school students. Other evidences are the increased interest in dramatics, in story-telling, in creative work in prose and poetry, and the satisfying experi-ences in the integration of literature and the fine arts. SCIENCE Science in the elementary schools fulfills two purposes: (1) that of the child's desire to know more about that part of his environ-ment which pertains to plant life, animal life and the universe about him; and (2) that of helping the child to think in a more scientific way in the study of science specimens and in drawing conclusions and facts about his science problems. Children do not spring into these simple understandings as from a spring-board. It takes years of orienting them into studying the nature about them, its causes and effects upon their own living. Science has another side, that of answering questions by children from a natural interest of plant and animal life about them. The experimental side of performing simple experiments, of seeing things happen before their eyes, takes on much meaning under the guidance of teachers. The State course of study, Science for the Elementary School, suggests the topics for children's study or it provides a reference of materials for the subjects upon which children may be work-ing throughout the grades. Science is inseparable from the social studies. It is a part of healthful living in application but there is need for this organized program for the years 1-12 in order 14 BiEXNiAi, Report of State Superintendent that children will advance from year to year in a wider range of subjects and in a selection of subjects that have been considered by authorities in the field as being of most benefit to them. The child's interest is taken into account but we are moving from a program devised only from the child's interest to that of a more organized program of work from grade to grade throughout the schools. With more than 500,000 insects, that study alone could absorb a whole program for the children in the grades. There-fore, the school program is devised to have some directed study into some directed fields. There are a number of subjects that are emphasized continu-ously throughout the grades. Conservation of life, materials, products, humans ; science in relationship to nutrition ; the experi-mental study of proper foods and care upon the growth of animals and plants and with emphasis upon proper nutrition in practice in the child's daily life ; science in inventions that are used in the home, on the farm and in the industries that the child is acquainted with ; respect for the scientist and his research ; the science of disease, the application of what has been found about diseases and applying this in the child's life, are some of the emphases for years 1-12. In the last two years there has been an improvement in an observable way and in the statements on the Principal's Annual Reports that science has a place in the regular program of more teachers for more children. It is taking its place in the curricu-lum with reading, spelling and other subject fields. A most important phase of the science program is to help the child to think in a more scientific way. This begins in grade one and is in evidence not only in the child's science lesson but in his thinking and solving problems in any subject, and in drawing any generalization. The child's training in critical thinking, the spirit of inquiry, the recognition of cause and eff'ect relationships, the development of more scientific attitudes, the knowledge that valid data must be used in drawing opinions are equally impor-tant with the specific facts that the child learns. A fact proven by the child is not the whole objective. What the manipulative experiment directed by the scientific process does for the child is of appreciable value to him. Every child in grades 1-12 has the opportunities lor growth in science facts and in the development of a more scientific attitude through the organized program of science for the schools. ^nirNnr r^sr Science activities fulfils the child's desire to learn more about his environment Two years of science are required for graduation from the secondary schools, one of which must be in biology. General scince is offered in the ninth year, biology in the tenth, with chemistry and physics in the eleventh and twelfth years, respect-ively. Each accredited high school is equipped to offer three or more sciences. On account of the scarcity of science teachers due to war work, it has been difficult to maintain high standards. However, there has been an increase in the number of physics courses offered. Schools are attempting to build up equipment for science and to provide rooms which are equipped for doing a better type of science teaching. Supplying this equipment is an obligation of the administrative unit, and more and more it will be necessary to provide for this in the capital outlay budget where a school wishes its students to have access to the needed materials and equipment. 16 BiKXMAi. Report of State Stperixtexdext HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SAFETY In spite of the loss of trained physical and health education teachers in the white schools of the State, the total number of students enrolled in classes in physical education has increased from 90,509 in 1941-42 to 109,602 in 1942-43. There was a slight decrease in the number of students enrolled in health education. This decrease is due to the loss of trained health teachers to the armed services and to other occupations. Enrollment In Health, Physical Education, and Safety In 720 White High Schools 1941-42 1942-4.^ Enrolled in Physical Education 90,509 109,602 Enrolled in Health and Safety �� Nutrition 37,597 28,746 First Aid 43,311 31,944 Communicable Disease 26,092 20,161 Safety and Driver Training 37.688 27,708 Physical Education. In most of the elementary schools, physical educa-tion has been set up as a regular part of the school curriculum and the required time allotment of 30 minutes per day is included in the schedule. However, due to the lack of physical education courses offered in teacher training institutions until recent years, many teachers are not capable of conducting physical education activities. The in-service training program conducted by schools with the assistance of the State Department of Public Instruction and the teacher training institutions has done much to help elementary as well as high school teachers of physical education. During the past five years there has been a large increase in the number of schools and the number of students enrolled in physical education in the high schools. While the war has been responsible for the loss of trained personnel in physical education, at the same time the war has been in part responsible for an increased interest in physical fitness for boys and girls on the part of students, teachers and administrators. According to the High School Principal's Annual Reports 621 of the white high schools of the State provided for physical education classes: 245 schools gave physical education 5 days per week, 283 three days per week, and 93 two days per week; 4 25 of the high schools had the required physical education in the ninth grade, 30 5 made it a requirement in the 11th, and 213 in the 12th grade. Many schools do not have adequate facilities for modern programs of physical education. High School Principal's Annual Reports show the following facts: North Cakoi.ixa Pubiic S( hooi.s 17 Faiii.itiks as Rki'ohtki) hy 720 Whitk Hu;h Schools Number of schools with gymnasiums 439 Number of schools which provide — 3 to 4 showers for boys 158 3 to 4 showers for girls 138 5 to 8 showers for boys 73 5 to 8 showers for girls 55 Over 8 showers for boys 24 Over 8 showers for girls 2 2 Number of schools in which boys took showers after class 117 Number of schools in which girls took showers after class 8 5 Number of schools in which boys dressed in gym suits for class 181 Number of schools in which girls dressed in gym suits for class 172 Number of schools which provided lockers for students of physical education 102 Health Insti uctioii. Health instruction as set up in the Twelve Year Curriculum is being offered in the elementary grades and while improve-ment in the quality of teaching is in evidence, more in-service and pre-service training is needed by teachers to equip them for the most effective health teaching. In the high schools as noted in the table on page 16, the number of students enrolled in health has decreased since 1941. It should be pointed out, however, that the number of students enrolled during the school year 1941-42 exceeded the number enrolled in any previous year. This was due to the efforts of the schools to prepare more adequately boys for mili-tary service and girls for war work. From the standpoint of health, one of the greatest needs in developing proper health habits among school children is more adequate provision for handwashing. Very few of the schools have sufficient supplies of soap and towels, whereas still fewer schools have facilities for hot water. Sanitation. Since the war started, due to war restrictions on building materials and plumbing supplies, little progress has been made in the improvement of sanitation of the schools. In the Negro schools and in many of the small elementary schools, indoor toilet facilities are not provided. Inspections of these schools by county and district sanitarians show clearly that it is next to impossible to maintain outdoor toilets in a sanitary condition. The larger the school the more difficult it is to keep outdoor toilets sanitary. According to reports of 7 20 white high schools, sanitation was approved in 543 schools; 144 schools either were not inspected or failed to make a report on this item, whereas the sanitation of 21 schools was not approved by local health authorities, or by the State Board of Health: Health Se:v;ee.s by Health Departments and Private Physicians. One of the most difficult and yet one of the most needed phases of an adequate health and physical education program has been that of health service. The high schools of North Carolina have been dependent upon health de- 18 BiENXiAi. Report of State Slperixtexdext partments and volunteer help from private medical and dental personnel for whatever health services that have been provided for high school students. During the second half of the school year 1941-42, due to a State-wide campaign sponsored by the State Board of Health, the State Department of Public Instruction, State Medical and Dental Societies, and local health departments, a large percentage of the boys of junior and senior classes of high schools were examined. During that year 39,741 medical examinations and 19,4 80 dental examinations were given to high school students. In contrast to this, only 18,369 examinations were given last year. In view of the shortage of doctors and dentists the school people are gratified with the amount of health service provided by health depart-ments and private doctors and dentists. School administrators, teachers of health and physical education, public health officials and associations recognize the need for complete medical examinations for high school students before they take part in physical education and athletics, but even before the war only a few schools in the State could get this service. From a State-wide standpoint, health depart-ments have not had adequate personnel to provide the service and schools have not had funds to employ private physicians. In many schools private physicians and dentists have given generously of their services to help in examining high school students. However, in spite of the work of health departments and private physicians, only a small percentage of the stu-dents have been examined. Last year less than 20% of all those who engaged in physical education were given medical examinations. From the standpoint of the future health of the children the followup work to correct the defects found by medical and dental examinations is most important. However, it must be admitted that, according to reports Learning to be safe should begin earlv North Carolina Public S( hools 19 made to the State Department of Public Instruction, follow-up work has not been adequate nor effective in getting parents to have the defects of their children corrected. In some instances, parents were unable to pay for the services, whereas in other instances parents were not convinced that the defects were serious enough to necessitate medical or dental service. School people accept a part of the responsibility for not educating parents with regard to the need for attention to remedial defects. Most schools do not have trained health educators to give guidance and advice to students and parents with regard to the importance of and procedures for securing medical services for the correction of remedial defects. This is especially true of the small schools that do not have organized programs of health and physical education. Safety Education. The aims of the school safety program are to furnish insofar as possible, a safe school environment, to protect children from hazards, to give them a background of .safety information, to help them establish safety habits and to develop attitudes which lead to intelligent self direction in safe living. Schools have attempted to achieve these aims in various ways. Listed below are some methods used by schools to make safety functional: 1. By providing buildings, grounds and buses that are free from acci-dent hazards. 2. By stressing safe use of the buildings, grounds and buses in the daily activities of school life. This is a responsibility that is shar-ed by the total school personnel. 3. By emphasizing certain phases of safety each month. For example, fire protection is emphasized in October. 4. By the inclusion of safety units on particular safety problems, such as automobile safety, home safety, bicycle safety, etc. 5. By the inclusion of safety content in such courses as home econom-ics, physical education, health education, industrial arts and agri-culture. 6. By organizing special clubs for safety promotion and study, such as Safety Council, Safe Drivers Club, High School Motor Club, Bicycle Club, Safety Patrol, etc. 7. By a series of contests in poster making, essays and orations cov-ering certain phases of safety. 8. By assembling program which might be: a. A motion picture on safety. b. A talk on safety by some authority. c. A dramatization, play, skit, etc., on safety. 9. By including in the curriculum a special course in driver education on general safety. SCHOOL-HEALTH COORDINATING SERVICE The School-Health Coordinating Service began operating; in 1939 and has continued its activities since that time. It is a joint operation of the State Board of Health and the State Departircnt of Public Instruction, maintained by a joint budget which is con- Gymnastics is a part of the physical education program tributed to by each department. The budget is also supported by two organizations within the Rockefeller Foundation: The Inter-national Health Division and the General Education Board. The reason for the joint activity lies in the realization by both departments that, working separately, the fullest benefits to the children cannot be achieved. When first organized, the School-Health Service was a unique department in the United States. Since then at least three states have set up similar departments, stimulated perhaps by North Carolina's pioneer work. The purpose of the School-Health Service is to train teachers to do a large share of the health instruction in their daily contact with the pupils and, in cooperation with the local health depart-ments, to simplify and facilitate health service for the school children. To fulfill this purpose, three approaches have been utilized, (a) Teachers Colleges, (b) Summer Conferences, and (c) In-Service Training. There are three white and three Negro teacher colleges in the State, but nearly all colleges now operating in North Carolina train teachers. Stimulated in part by the School-Health Service, NdiMii Cauoi.ina Ff:: i-- S n > n.;^ 21 several teacher colleges are now proparing to give the necessary health instruction while the students are receiving their teacher training. This is a slow development, as faculty, curriculum, time, and funds must be found, but these points are receiving active consideration. This is a program which the teacher col-leges are anxious to develop. Summer Conferences have been held each year since 1940 at the Woman's College at the University (Chapel Hill), at the North Carolina College for Negroes ; and at Bennett College since 1941. The number of teachers who have been trained in the con-ferences since July, 1942, are 410 (153 white and 257 Negro). In addition, at the same conferences, training was given to 67 teach-ers (32 white and 35 Negro) from outside the State. The con-ferences last six weeks and the teachers receive six semester hours credit, either graduate or undergraduate. The conference which was to be held at the University in 1944 was cancelled on account of the poliomyelitis epidemic. The funds required for running the summer conferences, including scholarships and gen-eral expenses, have been provided by the General Education Board. These conferences should be continued indefinitely, as they furnish to those already graduated the only means of acquiring essential health information. The funds promised by the General Education Board have already been exhausted. In-Service Training occupies the major part of the time of the staflF. Upon invitation by the county school and health authori-ties, the staff enters a county and works in the schools for a period of two months, by means of group conferences and by means of visits to individual schools. In this work, instruction is given to all teachers, high and elementary, in health service, health instruction, healthful school living, nutrition, and physical education as follows : Health Service: Screening and eliciting defects by looking into the subjects of height, weight, eyes, ears, hair, skin, scalp, nose, throat, neck, teeth, hands, feet, signs of anemia, signs of malnutrition, posture, orthopedic defects, mental habits ; making home visits. Health Instruction includes (a) Personal Hygiene, which embraces such health habits as, the protection needed when sneezing and coughing, hand washing before eating and after using the toilet, eating, resting, sleeping, playing, clothing, and cleanliness ; safety ; and 22 Biennial Report of State Superintendent (b) Communicable Diseases, such as common colds, mea-sles, German measules, whooping cough, diphtheria, scarlet fever, acute rheumatic fever, mumps, hookworm, malaria, syphilis and gonorrhea, tuberculosis, pellagra, typhoid, and other communicable diseases; immunizations (smallpox, diphtheria, and typhoid). Healthful School Living, another expression of general san-itation, which includes: drinking fountains, wash basins, toilets and urinals, heating, ventilation, lighting, cleanliness, janitor service, lockers, drying room, isolation room, desks or tables, seats, first aid equipment, outdoors. Nutrition is an important development. The matter is pre-sented to teachers by lectures to teachers on nutrition prob-lems as found in school children ; nutrition teaching in both elementary and high schools ; school lunchroom demonstra-tions; home visiting; and local nutrition committees. Physical Education. The health attention which the child gets equips him to participate in physical education. The approach is through (a) Elementary Schools: organization and administration of a physical education program ; meth-ods and materials in physical education ; and activities — rhythms, mimetics, stunts, relays, and organized team games suitable for indoors and outdoors ; and (b) High Schools: instruction in sports and games, conditioning exercises, ob-stacle course, tumbling gymnastics, relays, combatives, and rhythms. On the completion of the work in the county the teachers, assisted by the local nurses, are informed about and can carry out such measures as screening, weighing, measuring, examining the eyes, ears, nose, throat, skin, and hair of the children. They can determine whether or not the posture is good and what should be done about it. The teachers have acquired also a good deal of information concerning malnutrition, foods, and their values, a minimum of information about communicable diseases, sanita-tion of the school building and the grounds, and the best methods of pursuing physical education in both the elementary and high schools. Screening consists in dividing the children into two groups: those who need the attention of a doctor, and those who do not need to see him. This procedure has simplified and lessened the work of the health authorities and has enabled each child to be NoKTTi Caromxa Pi^blic Snioor.s 23 seen by the doctor as soon as he needs to be seen. In every county in which the school-health work has been done, every child has been screened, and those needing attention, have been seen by specialists. In getting the defects corrected, the specialists have been most cooperative. Screening shows that from ten to fifteen per cent of the chil-dren require the attention of specialists who are particularly interested in conditions of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, and teeth. The other defects are minor and can be taken care of by the teacher and parent under the direction of the nurse and health officer. Since July, 1942, the white and Negro schools in the following units have been visited for in-service instruction: Durham, Ala-mance, Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt, Sampson, and Greene counties, and the city of Rocky Mount. There is considerable competition among county and city school systems for work of this sort. In all these schools, every teacher has been instructed in sub-jects already mentioned. All school children have been screened and those needing attention have been examined, the defects defined, and in many instances, attended to. The number of schools visited were 282 (226 elementary, 56 high) ; the number of teachers reached, 1,574 (1,157 elementary, 417 high) ; and the number of school children reached, 55,090 (40,495 elementary, 14,595 high). Staff. The staff used for In-Service Training is provided in part by the State Board of Health and in part by the State Department of Public Instruction. At present, they number ten: two doctors, three public health nurses, three health and physical education advisers, two nutritionists. Of this number, one doctor, one nurse, one health and physical education adviser, and one nutritionist are Negro and work in the Negro schools. In the budget for this year are items for one health educationist and one psychiatrist. When this additional staff is employed, the unit of field workers will be complete. Local Coordinators. Experience has shown that to be effective and lasting, there must be employed in the county a particular person whose duty will be to carry on the work after the school-health staff leaves. In order to develop this phase of the work, it was decided to train teachers in health education. The General Education Board was approached. Its officers supported the idea and awarded ten scholarships valued up to $2,000 each to be used to train teachers in health education over a period of twelve 24 Biennial Report of State Superintendent months at the University of North Carolina's School of Public Health. On the completion of the training, the teachers will return to the county to work under the school-health authorities. Candidates are now being selected by the local school and health authorities. Those accepted entered the University in September, 1944; they will be ready for county work in September, 1945. When this development is well established, it is believed that the school-health work will be enormously advanced in all its aspects, including health instruction and health service. ART The opportunity for creative expression as the right of every child is being interpreted more and more as an obligation in every school. Every child has some opportunities for a variety of ex-pressions in creative arts. Two definite improvements are notice-able in the program: (1) there is provision for art in the weekly schedule of work in more schools ; (2) there is evidence that more schools are providing art materials in greater quantity and variety. The functional use of art in the lives of children as they them- A seventh grade child told his story this way Caring for tooh is a part of the arl: Drograin ; the boys mate the box selves see its usefulness in their community living stimulates the desire for the varied types of activities that they carry on in their art program. Groups of children begin their program each year with the improvement of their own living situation, the classroom. The arranging of furniture, selecting of pictures, making of draperies, painting of pictures, planning for exhibit space for collections, balancing of the materials on the bulletin board, selecting an outstanding color scheme for the classroom, arranging nooks for attractive display of centers of interest are vital in a functional program. Particularly, in grades 4-12 chil-dren are using these interests in their own living arrangements within their homes. There are four big themes that are contin-uously evolving in the child's program, grades 1-12: art in the home, art in the child's costume, art in the classroom and build-ing, and appreciation studies of types of art from the earliest cultures to the present time. There is an observable evidence of a greater variety of media in use in the schools. The basic materials needed in the art program such as art colors, paints, brushes, paste, clay for modeling, cray-ons, fingerpaints, poster crayons, weaving materials, tools for textile designing, are available through State contracts. The amount needed is suggested in the art course of study. Approxi-mate costs are given. The children freely use these media in expressing themselves through flat (paint) designs, dramatiza-tion, simple wood cutting (sculpture), basket weaving, soap carv- 26 BiEXNiAL Report of State Superi>^tendent ing, puppets, simple pottery, simple costumes, interior decorating, and designs for their personal clothing. In the higher grades, about sixth to twelfth, children are using to some degree simple leather tooling, simple objects from wood, simple chip carving, cloth weaving, block printing and textile designing on cloth. Limited numbers of groups have worked in plastics. Schools have been particularly resourceful in the past two years in utilizing local products to supplement their needs in materials. Teachers have utilized new ways to use old products ; they have also been resourceful in using the suggestions for crafts and con-struction work in the State outline. Administrators and teachers are realizing that for an art pro-gram to survive there must be enough variety to stimulate the varying interests of large numbers of children. This is evident from the numbers of counties that have supplied the basic art materials given in the art course of study for each school in the county or city unit. Some of these are replacements and some are almost initial programs of materials supplied for all children of all schools. Teachers are also recognizing that they must have some skill in guiding the children in their development. Art in grades 1-8 is regarded as a regular part of the child's program and is taught by the regular teacher. Any elementary teacher who began teaching in 1929 or later has been required to have nine semester hours in the arts group in order to qualify for the Primary, or Grammar Grade, Class A Certificate. These nine hours include some credit in each of the areas of music, drawing and industrial arts. Interpretations of the art program in any school depend upon the meanings attached to the term "Art Education." The indi-vidual's art is his painting, his craft product, his costume, his room arrangement, his manner, his speech, his accessories, his home, his landscaping, his tools for work or play. There is noth-ing one does that he might not have done more or less artistically than he did do it, and we measure this difference to some degree by his use of art in its recognizable forms of color, arrangement, proportion, form, space, balance, rhythm, harmony, line and design. TI 3 coi": :T.ri3r phase of art begins in grade o:^? a':d exts-icb through adulthood. The schools are working on different phases of art in the lives of individuals—the creative, the appreciative and the consumer. The program suggests materials and motiva- Ninth year students utilized dark printing designs to fill creative and commercial needs 28 Biennial Report of State Superintendent tions, and measures the growth of the child by his creative prod-ucts and his evidences of appreciation of art in daily application. Every class room an art studio for the growth of the child in creation, appreciation and as a consumer, is the central theme of the art course of study suggesting the program of the North Carolina public schools. MUSIC The music education program in the schools includes apprecia-tion through listening to good music as provided through the use of the phonograph, vocal music through the learning of words and music in singing lessons, glee clubs, choral work, etc. as outlined in the course of study and provided in the music texts in the schools, and applied music through individual and group instruc-tion in piano, violin, and instruments of the orchestra and band. During the past two years, music instruction in the schools has been greatly enhanced through the use of the new course of study in music provided by the State Department of Pubhc Instruction and distributed to every school in the State. From this bulletin teachers may find real help in planning and developing a more definite training program in music education from grade one through twelve. In many schools there is a wide range as well as a diversity of music experiences provided and the pupils attending these schools have the opportunity to participate in the singing of songs, the reading of music, rhythmic activities, listening to music, creating music, learning how music is written and interpreting and inte-grating music in connection with other hfe activities. One special phase of music integration which is making rapid progress is that of verse choir work—an integration of music, literature, art and dramatics. Wherever there is such a program as outlined above there is a growing, developing interest in the appreciation of worthwhile music. However, there is a great need for extending and enriching the music experiences of children in many of our schools where the work is very limited and where little or nothing is being accom-plished in developing the child's innate musical interests and abil-ities and where little or no use is made of either the course of study or texts in music. Because of this situation there has been a strong demand for the employment of well-trained music teach-ers in these schools. Music leaders in the State are making an earnest effort to interest school authorities in equalizing oppor- North Cauoi.ixa PrBi.ic Schools LM) timities in musical training for all children. They would have in all schools where the music work is now inadequate a better instructional program for meeting children's needs. If a minimum program of music training as outlined in the course of study is to be available for every pupil, as it now is in a majority of the schools, then either the classroom teacher must have more training in music education or a full-time music teacher, well-trained in music education, must be provided. This seems to be the next step in progress in music for all children enrolled in our schools now that free texts in music are available for pupil use. To be able to sing well, to participate in instrumental music, and to understand and enjoy good music rendered by others is the right of every child. Success in contributing or in listening to good music never fails to bring joy and satisfaction to the learner. There is one phase of the music program which, in many com-munities in the State, has made remarkable progress, and that is the music festival. The festival is usually held near the close of the school term and provides an opportunity for thousands of The Music Festival Chorus is usually an outgrowth of the year's work and provides an oppor-tunity for large numbers of children to use their learnings in music through participation in the festival program 30 Biennial Report of State Superintendent children to use their musical learnings. The festival program as presented by many of our school communities is usually an outgrowth of the year's work in various phases of music educa-tion and indicates the extent and thoroughness of the music train-ing and experiences of the pupils participating in the festival program. MATHEMATICS Considerable adjustments have been made possible in mathe-matics by the twelve year program. Since the elementary school provides for a nine months' term and an additional grade it has been possible to move up some of the more difficult phases of mathematics to a higher grade than was formerly the case and to put increased emphasis upon the attainment of those skills which all students need in order to adjust properly to the quan-titative side of life. Arithmetic is emphasized in the elementary school. There is evidence that teachers in the elementary school have completed the adjustments in the field of mathematics. In the high school the first year of mathematics is general mathematics or elementary algebra. Schools are given freedom in selecting the program best suited to the particular school. The first year of high school mathematics is required and is followed by algebra or a second course in general mathematics in the tenth grade and geometry in the eleventh grade. In the twelfth grade it is possible, in most schools, to offer elective work in advanced algebra, trigonometry and solid geometry. In many schools twelfth grade pupils are offered courses in business arithmetic or a course in basic mathematics which covers the practical and fundamental operations in arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry. The World War has called the attention of school men to the importance of a knowledge of the fundamentals of arithmetic and other mathematical subjects. This has brought about in many schools the course in basic mathematics. This trend will likely affect the teaching of mathematics in the post-war period. BUSINESS EDUCATION Because of the importance of business education and the interest manifested in this field of instruction a revision of the 1935 Course of Study in Business Education was issued to the teachers of business education in May 1944. The title of the new pubhcation is "Tentative Course of Study in Business Education." North Cakoi.i.va Puhi.ic Schools 31 This course of study was prepared by a committee of teachers with the aid of a Consultant from the Office of Education. Insti-tutes were held in various section of the State during May, 1944. These institutes were attended by a large number of teachers. It is planned to make further study of the Tentative Course of Study in Business Education during the session 1944-45 in order to get this publication in form for printing and distribution to the teachers of business education. In continuing this study assist-ance of the teachers in t\\e high schools will be sought. The war has made so many demands upon persons trained in the field of business education that some of the schools are findmg it impossible to continue departments of business education be-cause teachers are lacking. While interest in this field has increased the supply of teachers has decreased and in a few instances departments have had to be closed. It is certain, how-ever, that new departments will be organized as soon as teachers are available. Nearly all of the city schools have departments of business education and every county administrative unit except six or eight has at least one high school in which business educa-tion is taught. Applied Business Education il msnerrasftmo: ^^^^^^^Q tmm^wnts -ill ^^^B Industrial Arts experiences provide explora'.cry expenriences and a foundational technical education essential for modern living INDUSTRIAL ARTS Increasingly, educators are coming to recognize that learning experiences in the Industrial Arts area of a modern school contain unique factors which make many valuable contributions to gen-eral education. Surveys now indicate that enlightened leaders in education hold the belief that Industrial Arts constitutes a vital part of their education program and records show that serious effort is being directed toward establishing and improving this work in the North Carolina public schools. Industrial Arts courses are rich in opportunities which will aid pupils in learning how to think. Due to developments in science and technology and their effects upon the lives of people, all per-sons should be provided with school experiences which will enable them to deal more realistically and intelligently with practical problems of living, many of which are industrial in origin. For all types of pupils, from the very superior to the very inferior in academic ability, a better balance is needed between learning situations in which abstract symbols predominate and those in which the reality of life predominates. NoKTii Cahoh.na Pum.ic Schools 33 A balanced program of modern education will provide Indus-trial Arts experiences for all age levels—elementary, secondary, and adult. Such a program will help individuals to know their aptitudes and to make the most of them ; to discover worthy and enduring avocations and to acquire the initial capacities necessary to pursue them ; to discover some broad vocational interest for which their aptitudes and interests fit them and to acquire capaci-ties essential for a successful beginning in that field ; and to understand, appreciate and behave more intelligently in a modern complex industrial society. To arrive at these goals North Carolina schools need more diversified and better staffed and equipped shops and laboratories, in most instances general shops or laboratories should replace the more expensive specialized unit shops limited only to mechanical drawing and woodwork. Professionally qualified teachers are a prime requisite of continued progress in Industrial Arts. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Notwithstanding the fact that in no period of the State's his-tory has there been a greater interest and more positive demand for vocational education than during the time covered by this report, the expansion of the program has been materially affected by the loss of personnel to the armed services and to employment in war industries. However, in agriculture this has been some-what counteracted by the increased services to out-of-school youth and adult farmers through the Food Production War Train-ing Program. In the Trade and Industrial Education Program the effects of the war emergency have been even more noticeable. The failure to expand in the regular activities of this department has been offset by the training of war production workers for out-of-school youth and adults. The home economics departments have continued to increase in numbers and in effectiveness. The scope of work in this depart-ment has greatly expanded because of the demands in connection with increased food production and the interest in the improve-ment of diet. The teachers of home economics have cooperated with the agricultural workers in rendering a real service to rural people in connection with production and processing of food for family use. The Department of Distributive Education has continued to emphasize the needs for adjustment in store practices and has 34 BiEXXiAi. Report of State Supeuintexdext cooperated with other agencies concerned with the better distri-bution of available goods and services. The war situation and the return of military personnel tends to accentuate the interest in guidance. The demands for this service on the part of both school people and other agencies are taxing the facilities of this department. The Vocational Rehabilitation service has greatly expanded during this biennium because of additional Federal legislation increasing the amount of Federal funds available, and the increas-ed number of accidents due to the speed-up in war work. Under the new program a wider variety of services are made available to physically impaired people, greatly increasing the demands upon the staff of this department. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION The Vocational Agriculture Service of the Division of Vocational Educa-tion, with its supervisory force of nine persons and an instructional personnel numbering 3 97 teachers of vocational agriculture located in 89 counties, is adjusting its classroom and community programs to answer the challenge of the war effort. Teachers. Strategically located in local communities, these 3 97 teachers of agriculture are rendering a valuable service in helping to win the war on the educational and agricultural fronts. They played a prominent part in the 1944 Food for Freedom and the Victory Garden programs and the drive for scrap iron. They took part in the 1944 production program by attending district, county and community meetings on production goals, serving on the county Farm Mobilization Day Committees, explain-ing the program to high school and adult evening class students and pre-paring news articles. The Vocational Agriculture teaching force is well organized for partici-pation in war effort programs. The teachers of the State are divided into 37 groups meeting monthly. Therefore, the message of any program can be carried to each of the 3 97 teachers in a period of two weeks. Also, each teacher has an advisory committee of seven persons functioning in his community. Over 3,500 persons can be reached, on short notice, through meetings of the advisory committee. Following are the mam ways in which the teachers of agriculture contribute to growing more food and feed: 1. Encourage the 75,000 students to have their home practical work in food crops. 2. Explain the necessity for more food to high school students and evening class or adult farmers. 3. Continue the repair of farm machinery courses so that farmers can bring into the school shops their machinery and tools to be repaired. Last year thousands of dollars were saved farmers by repairing the machinery in the school shops and many discarded implements were put back into use. 4. A very effective vehicle for promoting and explaining the produc-tion goals and program is the Rural War Production Training Program NoKTH C.vuoi.i.NA Pini.ir Stnooi.s 35 as set up in the Division of Vocational Education. Congress allotted fifteen million dollars for the nation and over $700,000 for North Carolina for the purpose of giving instruction to out-of-school persons in repair of farm machinery and in fourteen commodity courses. Students. Farm youth is so organized and located that they are of a tremendous influence in putting over the educational and agricultural ob-jectives necessary to winning the war. The Future Farmers of America, a State-wide organization with over 20,000 students of vocational agricul-ture as members; over 30,000 students of home economics; and the Victoi-y Corps, organized in high schools throughout the State, with 100,000 members, makes an army of 150,000 farm youth ready for action on the educational and agricultural fronts. The Future Farmers and the home economics students are adding materially to the food supply by growing food crops, gardens and livestock for home projects; and the home economics students are helping consid-erably in the conservation of foods on the farms. Then, too, the agricul-tui'e and home economics students are carrying the message of improved practices and better methods from their classrooms and leaders to their mothers and fathers. Future Farmer Activities, The State Future Farmers of America made the following contribution to the war effort in 1944: I. War-Time Accomplishments. A. More food and oil for victory by increasing scope and quality of supervised practice work, which included the following: Victory gardens 9,460 Laying hens 40 2,124 Broilers 80 6,810 Porkers 14,312 Brood sows 3,801 Dairy animals 6,360 Beef animals 2,218 Sheep 580 Acres of soybeans for oil 20,140 Acres of peanuts for oil 10.206 Total labor income from project work $1,870,718.81 B. Salvaging needed war materials: Pounds of scrap metal collected by F. F. A. Boys since Pearl Harbor 10,502,000 Pounds of rubber collected by F. F. A. boys since Pearl Harbor 361,000 Pounds of paper collected by F. F. A. boys since Pearl Harbor 802,000 C. Buying War Bonds and Stamps: Total value of War Bonds purchased by F. F. A. boys Since Pearl Harbor $516,410.00 D. Repairing and Reconditioning Farm Machinery: F. F. A. boys repaired 1.080 farm machines, such as tractors, combines and grain drills; 3.214 farm im-plements, such as plows, planters, and harrows; 5.461 farm tools, such as axes, hoes, rakes, etc., and completed 10,412 construction jobs, such as build-ings, lime-spreaders, hog and poultry feeders, wagon beds, etc. E. F. A. A. boys cooperated with WPB, U. S. Treasury, OCD, and other government agencies in the war effort. 36 BiExxiAi, Report of State Superintendent II. Membership. A. Total number of vocational departments in this State 352 B. Total number of active F.F.A. Chapters 342 C. Total active membership 10,520 D. Total associate members 9,254 E. Total honorary members 2,251 F. Total membership 22,525 III. Financial Status. A. Balance in bank June 30, 1943 $ 2,816.20 B. Total receipts for current year 11,853.37 C. Total expenses for current year 7,224.36 D. Balance in bank June 1, 1944 4,629.01 IV. Contest. The following contests were conducted with good results: Food for Victory Victory Pig-Litter Victory Egg-Laying Public Speaking Dairy Improvement Chapter Project Story V. State F. F. A. Publication. Four issues 16,000 copies each of Tar Heel Talks were printed and mailed to all active members and forty-seven State advisers and others on exchange list. Each copy consisted of eight pages, well-illustrated by use of action pictures. A classroom for students of vocational agriculture A chapter of Future Farmers in regular meeting VI. State and American Farmers. Sixty-five members were awarded the Carolina Farmer Degree and eight the American Farmer Degree. VII. General Activities. Three hundred chapters have approved F. F. A. libraries, 156 chap-ters held Father and Son Banquets, 300 chapters have complete meeting equipment, 7,5 64 members own F. F. A. manuals, 1,085 chapter Home Improvement Projects were completed, 1,160 crops and livestock demonstrations were conducted, 64 chapters issued news bulletins and 156 prepared publicity material regularly for county papers, 30 chapters prepared and rendered radio programs, and 215 chapter groups listened to the National F. F. A. programs, 112 chapters have active thrift banks with a total investment of $30,406.10. Total investment in farming by active members — $656,482.00. Negro Students. The North Carolina Association of New Farmers of America, an organization of Negro Vocational Agriculture students, affil-iated with the national organization, which operates in all states having separate schools, has maintained a progressive record for the years 1942-43 and 1943-44. They started out at the beginning of the biennium with eighty-four chapters, which number has been increased to a total of ninety chapters. All of the chapters have been supplied with vocational agricul-tural teachers, who serve as their advisors. These chapters operate under the guidance of the local. State and federal administration of public school official.s. In addition to an increase in the number of departments, there has like-wise been an increase in membership. The North Carolina Association '*''^i»mmm, A. boys putting the finishing touches on a trailer which have built in the cchool shop at a total cost of $12.00 plus strap, materials and labor ranks next to Texas in total membership. During the past year the mem-bers have been responsible for carrying out an excellent program in their various chapters in connection with the war effort. Chief among these has been that of the production and processing of food. Special educa-tional programs and exhibits of food produced and processed were held at the Fayetteville Teachers College; Elizabeth City State Teachers College; Shaw University of Raleigh and Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte. The purpose of these programs was to acquaint the students, school offcials and the public with the work being done by NFA members. Perhaps the most outstanding piece of work accomplished by the State association as a whole has been the organized effort to interest the mem-bership and the public in providing funds for the Negro Orphanage at Oxford. Last year, these boys raised sufficient funds with which to pur-chase and give to the orphanage four $1,000.00 war bonds and in addition $700.00 in cash. The work of this association has served to stimulate other groups to join them in their effort to raise funds for the orphanage, and as a result of these combined efforts more funds were raised last year through these groups than the total gifts for all other times. It is the purpose of the North Carolina Association of New Farmers of America to continue its project for the orphanage for ten years. Funds are being reserved with the hope that they will secure enough with which to erect a memorial in the form of a vocational building on the campus in honor of the late Dr. George W. Carver. North Carolixa Public Schools 39 << Cmmt ft c^ ^ Typical Rural War Production Class—this one in milk production Listed below is the total number of classes in the different courses and enrollment for the years 1943-1944: Classes Enrollment Mechanical courses, including farm machinery repair ^ 2,084 25,008 Commodity courses 360 3,800 Production, conservation, and processing of food for family use 1.567 29,054 Total 4,011 57,862 Some Results. As a result of the courses conducted in the operation, care, maintenance, and repair of farm machinery the following table gives some idea of the amount of farm machinery repaired and skills developed by the enrollees in these classes: No. No. No. Labor Valiue Built Repaired Painted of work done Farm machines and motors (harvester, mowers, hay rakes, tractors, trucks, etc.) 340 6,740 1,085 $120,780 Farm implements, (wagons trailers, plows, cultivators, harrows, etc.) 18,140 38,240 24,075 $178,460 Construction and remodeling jobs, (livestock feeders, brooder houses, wagon beds, etc.) 8,782 4,240 2,062 $ 98,316 Totals 27,262 49,220 27,222 $397,556 42 Biennial Report of State Superintendent As a result of the courses in production, conservation, and processing of food for family use, 250 school community canneries have been estab-lished vs^ithin the past tv^^o years. Twenty-nine thousand farm people have been trained in the most modern methods of conserving and processing a variety of nutritious food for family use. Over 5,000,000 cans of food have been processed in these school community canneries. In connection with school community cannery programs Federal funds in the amount of $150,000 have been spent for canning equipment. This amount has been supplemented by the local communities and county boards of education by providing special buildings for canneries valued at $350,000. HOME ECONOMICS EDUCATION Home economics education offers a unique opportunity for the develop-ment of human warmth through understanding human relationships. It is one of the major ways of teaching students and their families to live more effectively. In their study of homemaking, students and teachers now touch on all phases of family living which includes the discussions of typical family problems. The management of a home, for example, is not an end in itself. It is always tied up with achieving the kind of life which will help the members A few members of a class in food conservation preparing fruit for canning their home food supply The Home Economics Student Ciub Executive Board relaxes for a few minutes of the family enjoy their family life. It is taught in conjunction with family relationships. An encouraging growth in the field of adult education Is evidenced by the number of people who have taken the food production and conserva-tion course and made practical application of this learning through the school community cannery. These frequent meetings have promot&d a keener interest in solving other problems of homemaking. The homemaking teacher, through such informal contacts with the family, has helped parents understand their children more by interpreting to them their abilities and interests. The realization that many girls in the State had need of and desired some medium for personal development led to the organization of a State-wide home economics student club. At a club rally in the spring of 1944 the officers were elected and a constitution adopted. It is interesting to note that this constitution included objectives in personal development, participation in worthwhile activities in a community, preparation for vocations, and a desire to improve family living. The focusing of community attention to improving family life through education has resulted in four demonstration programs in large cities in the State. Under the sponsorship of the local boards of education, organizations are studying community assets and problems, hoping that the result will be improvement in family life in each locality. There were about 811 home economics departments in high schools of this State in 1943-4 4. Of this number 3 94 departments were reimbursed from State and federal vocational funds. The table shows the growth in vocational home economics over a period of twenty-four years. 44 BiEXxiAL Report of Statp: Siperixtexdent GROWTH IN NOKTII CaHOI.I.NA Pllil.K S( IKllll.S 45 Although special pre-induotion courses have not been given in the reg-ular T. & I. classes, the instructors have related their training in every possible way to give their students "basic knowledge and technical skills needed for modern combat. By doing this job well the schools will free resources of the Army for specialized technical military training."* Many of the shops have been able to secure additional equipment from the War Training Program. Since this type of instruction is necessarily dwindling, the shops will be able to offer more efficient training for the students to prepare them for post-war trades and industries. Training in Diversified Occupations, where students get their shop experience in industry on practical jobs and receive their technical infor-mation related to the job in school, is provided in practically all the larger schools in the State. This plan gives the student a chance to use the equipment in industries under real working conditions. The school may offer opportunities in all the trades represented in the community, while industries get the best students selected for their particular use. These are given related training by the school, thus working an advantage for all concerned. An experiment is being tried out to include students in rural schools who are not interested in agricultural courses. An area school in textiles has been established at Belmont in Gaston County. This plan should be enlarged to cover the entire State for domi-nant industries requiring skilled tradesmen in order that students wishing to learn a trade or industry may be able to do so even though it is not provided in their own community. GROWTH OF TR.\DE 46 BiExxiAi. Repokt of State Superixtendent ands of miscellaneous articles necessary to equip a modern army. The expansion necessary by industry to provide the production needed required a tremendous amount of worker training. For a major part of this training Congress called on the public school system. North Carolina responded to the call immediately by setting in motion courses designed to equip new workers with special skills that would be needed for war industries. This program has been in continuous operation since July 1940 and to this date 44,452 North Carolinians have been trained. How the Program is Administered. The program, while a definite part of the War Manpower Commisison's plan to recruit war workers, is admin-istered by the Division of Vocational Education of the United States Office of Education, through the divisions of vocational education of the state departments of education, and locally through the offices of the superin-tendents of schools in the various communities of the states. In North Carolina officials of forty different school systems have willingly coop-erated in the administration of this program. All of the costs of operation, including instructors' salaries, supplies, a part of equipment costs, current for power and lights, fuel, rent and janitorial costs are borne by the Federal Government. Thus far in this State $2,323,498.16 has been spent for instructional cost, and $394,267.92 for equipment. At the beginning there was a problem of equipment. Learning to operate a shaper North Carolina Public Schools 47 because the schools were poorly equipped; however, by the expenditure of some local funds and a generous allowance for this purpose by Con-gress, this equipment has been increased to a standard that is function-ally effective. Types of Persons Trained. For the most part, this training was not intended for persons regularly enrolled in the public schools, but for those above normal school age. There was no upper age limit. There were women as well as men and a large percentage of Negroes. All of the instructors were recruited from industry and qualified by having had occupational experience in the trade they taught. Training has been offered in the following different skilled occupations: Aircraft Woodworkers Aircraft Metal Workers Aircraft Welders Armature Winders Auto Mechanics Blacksmithing Blueprint Reading Garment and Textiles Electric Appliance Repair Supervisory Training Where Trainees Found Employment. Within the State those trained were employed by Wright's Automatic Machinery Company, Durham; Edwards Company. Sanford; Air Bases in Charlotte, Wilmington, Eliza- Machine Tool Operators Pattern Making Radio & Communications Sheet Metal Workers Ship Builders (Wood) Ship Fitters Ship Welders Textiles Gas Refrigeration Assembling wing section in airplane sheet metal trade 48 Biennial Report ok State Superintendent beth City and Goldsboro; N. C. Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington; Elizabeth City Shipyards, Elizabeth City; Fairchild Aircraft Corporation, Burlington; and a large number of small companies which had sub-contracts for parts. Out-of-State industries that have employed a large number of North Carolina workers are: Norfolk Navy Yard, Philadelphia Navy Yard, New-port News Drydock & Shipbuilding Corporation, Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Corporation in Baltimore, and many other companies from Maine to Florida. At the present time there is an enrollment of approximately 1200. The major part of this number are persons already employed and are receiving supplementary training designed to increase their present skills. DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION Distributive Education prepares high school students for entry into full-time employment in distributive occupations and trains regularly employed workers in retail and wholesale organizations toward more efficient service and increased income. In the high school program the student is enrolled in certain technical and related vocational classes which are given in conjunction with organ-ized practical experience in a distributive business, at a wage comparable with regular employees, for the purpose of recognizing knowledge and skill in a particular occupation, and under an arrangement whereby the students' time is divided between school and work. Substantial progress has been manifest during the five years in which the Distributive Education program has been in operation in the State. During the biennium 1941-43 there was an unusual upturn in the number of students enrolled in the cooperative program, primarily due to the demands of ret'ail businesses. The later drop in the number of classes offered during 1943-44 is due to the difficulty of retaining coordinators with the lure of higher salaried positions elsewhere. New programs were requested by several school units, but it was impossible to secure qualified persons as coordinators. COOPERATIVE Year 1939-40 1940-41 1941-42 1942-43 1943-44 1944-45 North Cakolixa Public Schools 49 PROGRAM "A"—To prepare new store workers as replacements for per-sons who have entered military service or gone into war industries. PROGRAM "B"—To familiarize experienced salespersons with regulations and adjustments affecting the sale of merchandise and store services in time of war. PROGRAM "C"—To provide through conferences for owners and man-agers of distributive businesses, discussion on laws and regulations affecting retail businesses. PROGRAM "D"—To provide instruction in on-the-job training for store supervisors and department heads. During 1942-43 there were 7,249 enrolled in all of these classes. In 1943-44 there were 2,695 enrolled. EXROI.LMEXT W. M. was rehabilitated in 1923 by means of an artificial leg and training in watchmaking at a cost of $414.00. In 1943 he paid Federal and State income tax totaling $1,786.04. He employs 0. B. at $40.00 per week. 0. B., severely crippled by arthritis, was recently rehabilitated at a training cost of $533.00. These men now support six dependents. Again, Rehabilitation pays off the disabled man of today in currency of tomorrow's opportunity, security, faith and self-respect. card lettering, shoes, personal improvement, government regulations, din-nerware, glassware, jewelry, textile care and conservation, and the Fed-eral Social Security Act. These guides are set up to provide specific infor-mation for the individual student. In addition, courses of study have been prepared in orientation of the student, store selling, store arithmetic, store speech, methods of teaching, and color, line and design. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION Vocational Rehabilitation is a service to conserve the greatest of all assets—the working usefulness of human beings. It is a service for the disabled, comparable to any activity for the general welfare of the public. The program is administered on a State-wide basis without discrimi-nation as to sex, age or race. There are five District Offices located at Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Greenville, with three Dis-trict Supervisors working out of each District Office. Any resident sixteen years of age or older, who by reason of a defect or infirmity, whether congenital or acquired by accident, injury or disease, and who is totally or partially incapacitated for remunerative employment, is eligible for services. Reason dictates that the eligible client, in order to be feasible of rehabi-litation, must have: Physical ability enough to work; mentality and education sufficient to learn and hold a job; adequate emotional stability North Carouxa Pi iu.k S( iioor.s 51 and willingness to work; and aptitude to attain a marketable skill or service. Each client is given a general medical examination, and an exam-ination by a recognized specialist if indicated. The key to all rehabilita-tion work is the recognition of one cardinal point, namely: very few jobs require all human faculties. Therefore it is a problem of fitting the abilities of the individual to the requirements of a job. It is a problem of placing a man according to his abilities—not rejecting him because of his disabilities. The fundamental services of counseling, guidance, training, and place-ment are available to every client. The equally basic service of furnishing training supplies, placement equipment, occupational licenses, transpor-tation, maintenance, prosthetic devices, and physical restoration are avail-able on an economic needs evaluation. CASE ST.\TUS .\.\D EXPENDITURES OF VOC.\TION.\L REH.\BILIT.\TION SERVICE Case Status 1. Case load at beginning of year. . 2. New cases during year 3. Total case load for year 4. Closures during year a. Cases rejected b. Cases not accepted c. Cases not rehabilitated d. Cases rehabilitated (1) with training (2) without training 5. Case load at end of year a. Cases reported b. Cases interviewed c. Cases with plans completed d. Cases receiving physi'^al restoration e. Cases being fitted with prosthesis f Cases in training g. Cases awaiting employment h. Cases in employment i. Cases with service interrupted 6. Total Expenditjres a. Local __ b. State c. Federal 7. .\verage Case Cost 486 486 374 112 ,122 441 79 $130,450.65 16,493.08 51,159.82 62,797.75 268.42 1940-41 2,122 722 2,844 762 350 10 402 338 72 2,082 759 834 442 47 $138,518.68 18,302.80 51,897.61 68,318.27 344.57 2,082 2,667 4,749 1,217 364 9 844 573 271 3,532 1,581 667 778 433 73 $175,818.34 17,fi62.04 71,033.49 87,122.81 208.32 1942-43 3,532 3,759 7,291 3,856 2,064 517 13 1,262 721 541 3,4.35 1.055 1,016 712 15 68 331 53 105 80 $168,664.10 21,717.32 63,647.38 83,299.40 133.65 1943-44 3,435 2,431 5,866 2,854 701 554 15 1,584 566 1,018 2,915 288 1,210 732 111 60 335 53 48 78 204,426.02 19,252.22 54,845.65 130,328.15 129.06 'Not reported. *Cases rehabilitated only. *These figures shown in 5-c above. When a person has been given a part or all of the above services to the extent that he has a permanent job with a self-supporting wage, his case is closed as rehabilitated. The program has advanced from a low of 18 cases closed as rehabilitated in 1922, at an average cost of $647.08 per 52 Biennial Report of State Superintendent person, to a total of 1,584 in 1944 at an average cost of $129.06 per person. It is evident that it costs less to rehabilitate a person for life than it does to maintain him at public expense for 12 months. Of the 1,584 rehabilitated cases in 1944, 137 were disabled veterans of World War II. It is felt that the individual case cost will increase during the coming year to approximately $250 per case, due to the fact that under Public Law 113 medical treatment and hospitalization to eliminate or modify physical impairments are being furnished now before vocational training has been provided. During this biennium the policy of the Division has been to offer short training courses in order to get physically impaired persons on war jobs and thus win the war as quickly as possible. Emphasis in the future will be placed on longer courses of training, such as college and trade training, in order to prepare handicapped persons to earn a satisfactory living for life. The Division will have to readjust displaced war workers, veterans with non-service connected disabilities, as well as all other persons injured in industry or crippled by disease or from congenital causes. At the present time the Division is actively working with 3,528 physically impaired persons. Of this number. 381 are dis-abled veterans. OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE Great impetus to the guidance movement in North Carolina came about when the Department of Public Instruction in 1939, taking advantage of Federal funds made available for guidance from vocational education funds, set up an Occupational Information and Guidance Service in the Division of Vocational Education. The primary purpose of the service was to strengthen the vocational education program and to assist schools in the development of better guidance programs. Each year more superintendents and principals indicate an interest in guidance as a major function of their school program, and more schools have designated some person in the faculty to give special direction to this program. Some of the more specific functions and purposes of the guid-ance service are: 1. To prepare and distribute special bulletins dealing with plans, courses of study, and literature on studies, investigations, and sur-veys in the field of occupational information and guidance. 2. To aid in initiating a guidance program in schools previously doing little work in this field. 3. To assist in evaluating the program in .schools already doing con-siderable guidance work, and to offer suggestions for expansion. 4. To meet upon invitation with educational or civic groups for the purpose of discussing general problems and phases of guidance. 5. To cooperate with other agencies interested in the broad aspects of various youth problems such as the State and National Voca-tional Guidance Associations, civic clubs, employer and labor groups, the Occupational Information and Guidance Service in the U. S. Office of Education, and The North Carolina Education Asso-ciation. 6. To promote the training of teacher-counselors in occupational infor-mation and guidance, and to advise with teacher trainers on all matters pertaining to the improvement of the program in the State. North Carolina Public Schools 53 7. To conduct, in cooperation with local authorities, group conferences for the purpose of improving local programs of guidance. 8. To answer by correspondence requests from schools and other interested agencies for sources of occupational and guidance information. A functional guidance program includes certain definite services which should be available for each pupil in all schools regardless of size. The important areas of a guidance program are: (1) an individual inventory, (2) a study of local, regional and national occupational information, (3) an exploration of additional and further training opportunities, (4) coun-seling, (5) placement, and (6) follow-up of all school-leavers. A guidance program should also reveal facts which point to needed changes in the curriculum. The 1943-19 44 annual report submitted by each high school principal includes a section pertaining to guidance. A summary of 930 of these reports reveals evidences of guidance programs as indicated by the per cent of schools having or engaging in the following: Individual cumu-lative record folders, 74.3 per cent; standard achievement tests at regular intervals, 44.3 per cent; file for occupational information, 49.2 per cent; file on further training opportunities, 31.0 per cent; regular course in occupations, 12.2 per cent; individual counseling about educational and vocational plans, 74.3 per cent; assistance in placing all pupils in next steps, 55.4 per cent; and follow-up of all graduates and drop-outs, 41.2 per cent. In addition 675. or 72.6 per cent, of the 930 high schools reported that someone had definitely been placed in charge of the guidance program. 585 schools, or 63.0 per cent, indicated that one or more staff members were assigned to do individual counseling. For these schools three hours per week had been included in the regular schedule for individual coun-seling. One of the most encouraging facts in connection with the guidance pro-gram is the increasing number of superintendents who are requesting assistance in county-wide in-service programs for teachers. The Occupa-tional Information and Guidance Service will assist with these programs just as far as possible. The real function of this service is to assist school administrators and teachers to do the best guidance job that is possible. SCHOOL LIBRARIES School libraries continue to serve increasingly in the instruc-tional program of the schools. Evaluation of the book collections in several hundred schools have been made at the request of the superintendent and principal, and their new purchases have been based on the needs of the particular school to provide variety in subject matter as well as in levels of reading difficulty. With many schools now securing library books through their cumulated funds on deposit with the Textbook Division, the type of books being selected is providing a library book collection better bal-anced, more outstanding in quality, and superior in physical make-up. 54 Biennial Report of State Superintendent The table on the "Number of Library Books Owned" is based on the total ownership in all schools of the State as shown on the superintendent's statistical report. The number of volumes per pupil is based on average daily membership. National standards recommend a minimum of five books per pupil. NUMBER OF LIBRARY BOOKS OWNED North Carolina Pi'ijlic Schools 55 The circulation of library books has increased in North Caro-lina schools in the past year, although during the preceding year there was a decrease as there was on a national scale. A survey was undertaken to determine causes for the decrease during 1942-43. Reports indicated that participation in war work; lis-tening to radio broadcasts, particularly war reports ; and greater home responsibilities affected the borrowing of books for home reading. On the other hand, librarians report a greater use of 56 BiEXXiAL Report of State Superintendent materials in the library with emphasis in the high schools on magazines, maps, and war-related materials. Apparently this interest carried over into home circulation during the second year of the biennium since there was an increase in circulation of nearly a million books and an average increase of one and one-half books per pupil. Statistics on circulation are taken from library reports received from schools. TOTAL North Carolina Public Schools 57 Expenditures for libraries are derived from local funds, county or city funds, State school fund for maintenance, and from rental fees handled by the Textbook Division. National standards rec-ommend an annual expenditure of $1.50 per pupil for keeping the library collection up-to-date and in order. Our State average is a little more than one-third of this recommended amount. Expenditures have increased in past years with the result that more adequate school library collections are available to our young people. EXPENDITURES FROM STATE SOURCES 58 BiEXXiAL Report of State Superintendent The realization that service requires personnel has been respon-sible for the increase in the number of librarians and teacher-librarians in the schools. During the past year, however, per-sonnel to meet the needs and requests has not been available. Many school librarians have accepted work in camp libraries or other positions where salaries are higher. The need for school librarians and recognition of their contribution to the educational program are finding expression from all sections of the State. One teacher from a remote mountain school expressed the feelings of many teachers when she wrote, "I hope that North Carolina soon passes a law or regulation to put trained librarians into all schools, for I believe if we had this service we would reach chil-dren that we have failed to reach otherwise." While the total number of personnel with library training responsible for the library has increased from 283 in 1931-32 to 771 in 1942-43, there were 1502 schools which reported having libraries which did not have library trained personnel. Among the 771 schools, many of the librarians had very limited time for library work and only 129 were employed as full-time librarians. The situation in 1943- 44 was even more critical than during 1942-43 as the total number of school librarians with training had decreased to 745 with the result that more schools were faced with operating their libraries without trained library personnel. This particular aspect of the library program needs and deserves greatest consideration in planning for a school program that uses maximally the materials provided for pupil growth and development. North Carolina Public Schools 59 NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING VARIOUS SUBJECTS, HI43-44 (From High School Principal's Annual Reports) SUBJECTS (Grades 9-12) TOTALS Language Arts English I English IL English III English IV English V Dranlatics Journalism Speech Other courses, including Spelling, Writing, Reading, Creative Wi-iting Mathematics I leneral Mathematics Algebra I_ Algebra II and Advanced Plane Geometry Solid Geometry Tiigonometry Other courses including Basic, Re-fresher, Textile, Aviation Mathe-matics Social Studies Citizenship World History United States History _.. Economics Sociology Problems Geography Ancient History Modern Current History Othei Courses, including Govern-ment, Guidance, Occupations and International Relations Negro History ___ Bible Science General Science Biology Chemistry Physics White No. No. Schools Students 738 148 700 715 14 36 43 24 526 384 224 495 28 31 109 605 129 654 496 489 47 317 13 26 107,175 37,989 7,879 28,884 24,598 309 1,090 1,085 743 5,712 22,329 20,290 7,958 12,010 519 627 25,181 4,823 28,893 12,179 11,228 1,150 7,637 848 805 883 3,952 Negro No. No. Schools Students 527 242 293 390 17,675 60 BiEXXiAL Report of State Superintexdent NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING VARIOUS SUBJECTS, 1943-44-Continued] (From High School Principal's Annual Reports) SUBJECTS (Grades 9-12) Other Courses, including Funda-mentals of Machmes, Radio, Senior Science, Aerona'utics, Electricity Health, including courses in First Aid, Home Nursing, Safety, Driver Education, etc Physical Education. Art Music Band, Orchestra Glee Club, Chorus, Choir. Vocal and Instrumental-.. Vocational Agriculture I j^gricult ure II Agriculture III and IV Home Economics I Home Economics II Home Economics III and IV Industrial Arts, including Printing, Mechanical Drawing Vocational Shop, including Building Trades, Sheet Metal Diversified & Distributive Education Business Education General Business. Typing I Typing II Business Arithmetic Elementary Bookkeeping Advanced Bookkeeping Shorthand I Shorthand II Business English and Business Cor-respondence Salesmanship Business Law Other Courses, including Banking, Consumer Economics, Personal Finances, Office Piactice, Secre-tai ial Pi actice White NoKTii Caroi.ixa Public Schools 61 NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS T.XKING V.\RIOUS SUBJECTS, (From High School Principal's Annual Reports) HOW THE SCHOOLS OPERATE ADMINISTRATION STATE AGENCIES State Board of Education. Under an amendment to the Constitution voted in 19 42 and subsequent legislation enacted by the General Assemblj^ of 1943 the State Board of Education whose membership formerly con-sisted of ex-officio constitutional officers and the four State agencies provided for by law, the State Board for Vocational Education, the State School Commission, the State Board of Commercial Education and the State Textbook Commission, were consolidated into one new State Board of Education as of April 1, 1943. This new Board has a membership of 15 persons consisting of the following: the Lieutenant Governor, the State Treasurer, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and one member appointed by the Governor from each of the 12 Congressional Districts. In this Board is vested "the general supervision and administration of the free public school system, and of the educational funds provided for the support thereof." Furthermore, "The State Board of Education shall succeed to all the powers and trusts of the President and Directors of the Literary Fund of North Carolina and the State Board of Education as heretofore constituted. The State Board of Education shall have power to divide the State into a convenient number of school districts; to regu-late the grade, salary and qualifications of teachers; to provide for the selection and adoption of the textbooks to be used in the public schools; to apportion and equalize the public school funds over the State; and generally to supervise and administer the free public school system of the State and make all needful rules and regulations in relation thereto. All the powers enumerated in this section shall be exercised in conform-ity with the Constitution and subject to such laws as may be enacted from time to time by the General Assembly." First appointments under the law were two years for members from odd numbered Congressional Districts and four years for members from even numbered Districts. Thereafter, all appointments shall be for four year terms. State Superintendent of Public In.struction. The Constitution provides for a Superintendent of Public Instruction, who shall be elected for a term of four years and whose duties shall be prescribed by law. The recent amendment to the Constitution states that "The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall have general supervision of the public schools and shall be secretary of the Board." Among the duties of the State Superintendent enumerated by law are the following: "1. To look after the school interests of the State, and to report bien-nially to the governor at least five days previous to each regular session of the General Assembly. "2. To direct the operations of the public schools and enforce the laws-and regulations thereto. NoKTii Cahoi.ina Priii.ic Schools 63 "3. To receive evidence as to unfitness or negligence of any superin-tendent and wlien necessary to report it to the local school authorities for action. "4. To send each school officer a circular letter enumerating his duties as described in the law. "5. To correspond with leading educators in other states, to investigate systems of public schools established in other states, and, as far as prac-ticable, to render the result of educational effort and experiences available for the information and aid of the legislature and the State Board of Education. "6. To acquaint himself with the peculiar educational wants of the several sections of the State, and to take all proper means to supply such wants, by counseling with local school authorities, by lectures before teachers' institutes, and by addresses before public assemblies relating to public schools and public school work. "7. To go to any county when necessary for the due execution of the ]aw creating a permanent loan fund for the erection of public schoolhouses. "8. To sign all requisitions on the auditor for the payment of money out of the State treasury for school purposes. "9. To have the school laws published in pamphlet form and distributed on or before the first day of May of each year; to have printed and dis-tributed such educational bulletins as he shall deem necessary for the professional improvement of teachers and for the cultivation of public sentiment for public education; and to have printed all forms necessary and proper for the purposes of this chapter." The Comptroller. The 194 2 amendment to the Constitution providing for the new State Board of Education also provides that "There shall be a comptroller appointed by the Board, subject to the approval of the Gov-ernor as director of the Budget, who shall serve at the will of the Board, and who, under the direction of the Board, shall have supervision and management of the fiscal affairs of the Board." Administrative Divisions. By direct authority of the law and by general authority of the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent in the supervision and administration of the law a number of divisions liave been created on the State level to assist in the administration of the public school system. These divisions are as follows: Division of Finance. It is through this division that all the financial affairs relating to the public schools are administered. Division of Instructional Service. Through this division the inspection and rating of schools and the improvement of the instructional program of the schools are provided. Division of Negro Education. As the name implies this division gives special attention to problems of Negro education and race relations. Division of Plant Operation. This division has to do with the object of "Operation of Plant" in the State budget, and as such looks after the fuel and janitorial needs of the schools. ^ Division of Professional Service. Through this division the rules and regulations governing the certification of teachers are administered, and relations between institutions of higher training are maintained. 64 Biennial Report of State Superintendent Division of Publications and SupiJlies. This is a service division liaving charge of editing, printing and distributing the various publications and other printed material used by the State offices and the local units. This division also serves as the purchasing agency for the State offices. Division of ScJwolhouse Planning. This division is concerned with the plans of new buildings and the location and erection of such buildings. School-Health Coordinating Service. This division is jointly operated by State health and school authorities, with financial assistance from the Rockefeller Foundation. It is interested in better programs of health in the public schools. Division of Texthooks. This office has charge of the purchasing and distribution of the free basal elementary textbooks and the administration of the rental system of supplementary reading and high school books. Division of Transportation. It is through this division that the school bus transportation system of the State is administered. Division of Vocatio7ml Education. The whole program of vocational education, agriculture, home economics, trade and industrial, distributive occupations, the civilian rehabilitation program, and occupational informa-tion and guidance service, are administered through this division. LOCAL AGENCIES On the local level the public schools of North Carolina are administered through 100 county units and 70 city units. In area the county unit cor-responds to the political governmental unit except in the 51 counties in which the 70 city units have been established. The county board of education is the governing authority for the county school units. These boards, usually consisting of from three to five mem-bers, are nominated biennially in the party primaries, or conventions, and appointed by an act of the General Assembly for terms of two, four, and six years, the length varying in the several counties. "It is the duty of the county board of education to provide an adequate school system for the benefit of all children of the county, as directed by law." The county superintendent of public instruction, who is elected by the county board of education and approved by the State Board of Education and State Superintendent of Public Instruction is the administrative officer for the county school unit. He is appointed for a two-year term. In city units the board of trustees is the governing authority. The exec-utive officer for this board is the city superintendent, who also serves for a two-year term under appointment by the board and subject to the approval of the State Superintendent and the State Board. The board of county commissioners, which is provided for by the Con-stitution, approves that part of the school budget not included as a part of the State budget and levies the taxes or otherwise provides the funds therefor. The commissioners are elected for a term of two years. Within city units the city commissioners, or other tax levying authori-ties, levy the taxes voted in the city unit for school purposes, and for any other purposes including debt service for which a vote of the people is not required. Within county units there is a local committee appointed by the county board of education for each school district. It is the dutv of this commit- North Cahoi.ixa Puhi.tc Schools 65 tee to select the teachers and principals subject to the ap])roval of the county superintendent and the county board of education and to have general custody and care of the school property in the district. SCHOOL FUNDS At the present time, by an act of the General Assembly of 1943, the cost of operating the public elementary and secondary schools for a nine months school term is assumed by the State. This total cost is ascertained by the application of certain standards, including salary schedules, school attendance, school size, and other budgetary information and in accordance with definite expenditure classifications which are given below. The funds thus appropriated from the General Fund of the State Treasury are for current expense purposes only. The local units are responsible for capital outlay and debt service obligations. The local units also provide any necessary funds for current expense items which are not included in the State budget, including funds voted to supplement State funds. State funds are administered by the State Board of Education. The local budgets must be approved by the State Board, but are administered by the local authorities. The discussion and tables which follow indicate the scope of the North Carolina school program in terms of expenditures. 1. State xlppropriatioiis. The Standard Term. The appropriations for operating the schools since 1940 ai'e as follows: Eight months school terra, 1940-41* $27,000,000 Eight months school term, 1941-42 28,158,324 Eight months school term, 1942-43 30,542,237 Nine months school term, 1943-44 37,712,874 In other words, as these figures show, there has been an increase of more than ten million dollars in the State appropriation for operating the regular school program within two bienniums. The appropriation for 1943-44, it will be noted, is for a nine months term. This amount includes the appropriation of $650,000 for new busses, most of which was not ex-pended during that fiscal year since busses could not be obtained. Vocational Education. The State appropriations for vocational educa-tion is separate from the standard term appropriation. In the past two bienniums these appropriations were as follows: 1940-41 $350,000 1941-42 600,000 1942-43 710,000 1943-44 919,055 These appropriations included the costs of State administration. Textbooks. The State appropriation for the purchase of free textbooks was $200,000 annually for the four years. This annual appropriation is made to supplement the funds available for this purpose from other sources. (See the section on textbooks, page 85 for a full treatment of this subject.) *Adniinistri\tive costs of State School Commis.sion inchuled this year. 66 Biennial Report of State Superintendent 2. Expenditures. The State Board of Education (and prior to 1943-1944 the State School Commission) divided the appropriation for the operation of the public schools for the standard term into five objects of expenditure: General Control, Instructional Service, Operation of Plant, Fixed Charges, and Auxiliary Agencies. General Control. This object includes the salaries of superintendents, travel of superintendents, salaries of clerical assistants, office expense, and the per diem for the county board of education. From State funds the total expenditures for this object for recent years have been as follows: 1940-41 $ 693.612.34 1941-42 719,757.50 1942-43 787,259.18 1943-44 1,017,774.77 Instructional Service. The largest proportion, 84.7%, of the State appro-priation is expended for the object of instructional service, which includes the salaries paid all teachers and principals and instructional supplies. These funds are allotted to the counties on the basis of the number of teachers permitted under the rules of the State Board and in accordance with the State Standard Salary Schedule. For recent years the total instructional service expenditures were as follows: 1940-41 $22,347,750.44 1941-42 23,417,864.64 1942-43 25,785,474.97 1943-44 31,428,462.25 Operation of Plant. The expenditures for this object include janitor's wages, fuel costs and amounts for water, light and power, janitorial sup-plies, and telephone service. The total annual expense from State funds for this object in recent years has been as follows: 1940-41 $1,308,334.73 1941-42 1,450,997.87 1942-43 1,582,306.48 1943-44 1,890,016.67 Fixed Charges. This object is not included as one of the objects of ex-penditure for which the State Board determines the costs of the operation of the public schools in section 115-356 of the General Statutes of North Carolina. In a subsequent section, however, it is provided that the pro-visions of the Workman's Compensation Act shall be applicable to all school employees, and that the Board shall make such arrangements as are necessary to carry out the provisions of that Act as it applies to em-ployees paid from State school funds. The law also provides for compensation in the case of injuries or death of children when riding on school busses, and authorizes the State Board to set up in the operatng budget for the public schools a sum of money sufficient to pay such claims. In both of these instances the State Board acts as a self-insurer. The amounts paid out for recent years for these purposes have been as follows: North Carolina Puiu.ic Schools 67 ComiK'iisation For Injured School Employees ('liikireii Total 1940-41 $8,890.92 $5,124.49 $14,015.41 1941-42 6,997.12 3,685.55 10,682.67 1942-43 6,225.37 5,990.10 12.215.47 1943-44 8,497.58 4,138.45 12,636.03 These figures represent the total paid from State funds for Fixed Charges. Naturally, they vary from year to year depending upon the need. Auxiliary Agencies. Except for libraries all the State money expended for this object Is for school transportation. In amount this object ranks next to that of instructional service, 7.0 9 per cent of the total budget from State funds in 1943-44 having been spent for that purpose. The balance is spent for library upkeep and replacements. For these two items the expenditures for recent years have been as follows: Year Transportation Libraries Total 1940-41 $2,490,494.46 $ 48,017.53 $2,538,511.99 1941-42 2,190,823.12 52,499.63 2,243,322.75 1942-43 2,203,196.44 71,906.63 2.275,103.07 1943-44 2.449,831.98 120,026.99 2,619.858.97 3. Audit Suiiiiiiaries. The following tables show audit summaries of the State appropriations for the support of the standard school term for 1942-43 and 1943-44. The first two are statements as to the disposition of available State funds for the current operation of the public schools, whereas the third shows the expenditures by objects and items from both State and local funds. 68 Biennial Report of State Superintendent North Carolina Public Schools 69 STATE NINE MONTHS SCHOOL FUND, 1043-1944 STATEMENT OF DISPOSITION OF AVAILABLE FUNDS I. Available Funds Appropriations: By SL 1943, Ch. 530, IX-1 $33,608,029.00 By SL 1943, Ch. 256, Sec. 3K' 3,454.845.00 137,062 By SL 1943, Ch. 530, IX-6- 4.00 650,000.00 $37 Receipts: Unused Unit Cash Balances Refunded as of June 30, 1943. Bus Equipment Salvage Insurance Recoveries 34,551.28 33.02 4,738.09 '12,874.00 39,322.39 Total .\vailable Funds. C. Unallotted June 30, 1943: Bus Equipment Insurance 21,927.47 117.22 $37,752,196.39 22,044.69 Total .\vailable Funds and Unallotted Equipment II. Disposition of Funds \. Support of Public Schools: Certification to School Units $37 , 006 , 723 . 1 1 $37,774,241.08 Cash Balances of Units June 30 70 Biennial Report of State Superintendent SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURES STATE EIGHT MONTHS SCHOOL FUND 1942-1043 Classification by Objects and Items White Negro Total A. State Aid Paid Out by Units: 61. General Control: 611 Salary: Superintendents $ 510,499.03 S S 510,499.03 612. Travel: Superintendents 41,324.08 41,321.08 613. Salary: Clerical .'Assistants 175,892.74 175,892.74 614. Office Expense 49,624.83 49,624.83 615. County Boards of Education 9,918.50 9,918.50 Total General Control St 787,259.18 S $ 787,259.18 62. Instriictional Service: 621. Salaries: Elementary Teachers $12,363,564.38 $5,285,483.74 $17,649,048.12 622. Salaries: High School Teachers 4,669,589.45 1,105,851.37 5,775,440.82 623. Salaries: 1 Elementary Principals 515,190.00 124,476.00 639,666.00 2. High School Principals 1,316,636.00 283.153.33 1,599,789.33 Sub-Total Salaries $18,864,979.83 $6,798,964.44 $25,663,944.27 624. Instructional Supplies 98,762.78 22.767:92 121,530.70 Total Instructional Service $18,963,742.61 $6,821,732.36 $25,785,474.97 63. Operation op Plant: 631. Wages: Janitors « 592,467.49 $ 82.608.22 $ 675.075.71 632. Fuel 566,535.47 116,785.91 683,321.38 633' Water, Light, Power 126,210.99 18,485.05 144,696.04 634. Janitors' Supplies 51,486.74 12,824.66 64,311.40 635. Telephones 13,691.35 1,210.60 14,901.95 Total Operation of Plant $1,350,392.04 $ 231,914.44 $1,5S2„305.4 65. Fixed Charges: 653. Compensation: School Employees $ 5,576.37 $ 649.00 $ 6,225.37 654. Reimbursement: Injuries Pupils 3,866.65 2,123.25 5.990.10 Total Fixed Charges $ 9,443.22 $ 2,772.25 $ 12,215.47 66. Auxiliary Agencies: 661. Transportation: 1-5. Operation $1,785,969.02 S 250,134.11 $2,036,103.13 6. Major Replacements 139,092.01 4,206.30 143,298.31 7. Principals' Bus Travel 20,517.50 3.277.50 23,795.00 Total Transportation $1,945,578.53 $ 257,617.91 $2,203,196.44 662. School Libraries 59,790.71 12,115.92 71.906.63 Total -Auxiliary Agencies $2,005,369.24 $ 269,733.83 $2,275,103.07 Total Paid Out by .Administrative Units $23,116,206.29 $7,326,152.88 $30,442,359.17 State Aid Paid Direct: Surety Bond Premium * 850.00 Workmen's Compensation Tax ' '^"•"" Grand Total-State Aid ^30 , 443 , 959 . 1 7 , Study of Twelve Year Program 14,381.36 Total Expense *30 , 458 . 340 . 53 Note: In addition, the State deposited in the Administrative unit accounts $34,551.28 which was unused and was refunded to State in 1943-44. Unallotted transportation equipment expenditures at June 30, 1943, $22,044.69. North C.^koi.ixa Public Schools 71 72 Biennial Report of State Superintendent S Q ^ 7 -^ £ hJ Jo Jo <z: ^M O Tm " E s; »g 2 S i^ w 9 z H 23 North Carolina Public Schools 73 TOTAL EXPENDITURES BY OBJECTS AND ITEMS, 1942-1943 Objects and Items State Funds Local Funds* Total 61. General Control: 611. Salaries of Superintendent .. . 612. Travel of Superintendent 613. Clerical Assistants 614. Office Expense 615. County Board of Education. 616. County Treasurer 617. Attendance: 1. Salary 2. Travel..-. 510,499.03 41,324.08 175,892.74 49,624.83 9,918.50 61S. Other: 1. Audit 2. Attorney's Fees. 3. Elections 4. Miscellaneous... 46,845.47 25,458.66 118,317.63 23,690.76 24,588.06 9,517.23 18,951.81 2,992.50 24,168.41 6,251.71 1,604.14 1,603.93 61. Total General Control. $ 787,259.18 303,990.31 1,091,249.49 62. Instructional Service: 621. Salaries: Elem. Teachers W. C. 622. Salaries: H. S. Teachers W. C. 623. Salaries: Cla.ssified Principals: 1 . Elementary _. W. "c. 2. High School W. C. 624. Instructional Supplies W. C. 625. Rural Superv: 1. .Salaries W. C. 2. Travel W. C. 626. Vocational Education: 1. Agriculture: A. Salaries W. c. B. Travel ."..W. C. 2. Home Economics: A. Salaries W. C. B. Travel W. C. 3 Trades—Industries: A. Salaries W. C. B. Travel W. C. 4. .\dult Education W. C. 627. Expenses: 1. Prin. White, Colored.... Commencement 12,363,564.38 5,285,483.74 4,669,589.45 1,105,851.37 515,190.00 124,476.00 1,316,636.00 283,153.33 98,762.78 22,767.92 789,169.19 267,588.30 541,358.35 90,707.54 66,872.81 14,385.23 39,976.58 11,793.45 107,786.04 14,252.13 39,943.67 14,007.57 4,842.49 3,626.53 842,629.47 139,752.82 96,947.95 17,939.9*1 493,502.88 70,175.12 46,794.26 6,929.23 185,992.82 29,285.17 1,675.08 3,735.23 69,024.79 7,511.18 58,674.23 11,305.08 13,152,733.57 5,553,072.04 5,210,947.80 1,196,558.91 582,062.81 138,861.23 1,356,612.58 294,946.78 206,548.82 37,020.05 .39,943.67 14,007.57 4,842.49 3,626.53 842,629.47 139,752.82 96,947.95 17,939.91 493,502.88 70,175.12 46,794.26 6,929.23 185,992.82 29,285.17 1,675.08 3,735.23 69,024.79 7,511.18 58,674.23 11,305.08 62. Total Instructional Service . $ 25.785.474.97 $ 4 185.10 $ 29,873,660.07 74 Biennial Report of State SupePvIXTendext TOTAL EXPENDITURES BY OBJECTS AND ITEMS, 1942-1943—Continued Objects and Items North Cakolixa Public St iiooi.s 75 TOTAL EXPENDITURES BY OBJECTS AND ITEMS, 1942-1943—Continved Objects and Items 76 BiEx>iAr. Report of State Superintexdent TOTAL EXPENDITURES BY OBJECTS AND ITEMS, 1943-1944 Objects and Items fil. General Control: 611. Salary of Superintendent 612. Travel of Superintendent 613. Salaries—Clerical Asst 614. Office Expenses 615. County Board of Education . 616. Treasurer 617. Attendance: 1. Salary 2. Travel..-. 618. Other: 1. 2. 3. 4. Audit Attorney Fees. Elections Miscellaneous.. State Funds* 625,098.53 45,493.68 270,876.00 66,432.06 9,874.50 Local Funds* 50,422.86 31,197.67 138,182.33 24,994.62 21,995.78 15,541.52 34,565.29 5,414.73 23,155.53 9,832.47 881.90 1,230.83 Total 675,521.39 76,691.35 409,058.33 91.426.68 31,870.28 15,541.52 34,565.29 5,414.73 23,155.53 9,832.47 881.90 1,230.83 61. Total General Control. $ 1,017,774.77 357,415.53 62. Instructional Service: 621. Salaries: Elem. Teachers W. C. 622. Salaries: H. S. Teachers W. C. 623. Salaries: Classified Principals — 1. Elementary W. C. 2. High School W. C. 624. Instructional Supplies W. C. 625. Supervisors: 1. Salaries 626. 627. 628. ..W. C. .-W. C. ..W. C. ._W. C. ..W. C. ..W. C. 3. Trades and Industries: a. Salaries W. C. b. Travel W. C. 4. Distrib. Education: a. Salaries. .W. C. Expenses: Principals White & Colored Commencement White & Colored S 16,287,947.19 7,135,224.52 4,016,178.92 981,933.24 655,762.19 176,329.46 1,612,382.81 369,702.21 153,141.16 39,860.55 2. Travel. Vocational Education: 1. Agriculture: a. Salaries b. Travel. 2. Home Economics: a. Salaries. b. Travel. 703,184.18 203,978.00 421,441.20 43,301.99 38,826.56 7,135.14 30,109.16 5,609.82 115,217.25 19,168.73 43,573.03 43,365.89 4,932.07 3,635.21 826,497.30 138,865.44 84,205.03 16,942.86 516,761.03 84,007.38 38,180.79 7,330.48 201,311.13 43,928.24 1,847.00 1,727.60 26,003.20 1,757.43 72,144.36 9,209.41 1,375,190.30 $ 16,991,131.37 7,.339, 202. 52 4,437,620.12 1,025,235.23 694,588.75 183,464.60 1,642,491.97 375,312.03 268,358.41 59,029.28 43,573.03 43,365.89 4,932.07 3,635.21 826,497.30 138,865.44 84,205.03 16,942.86 516,761.03 84,007.38 38,180.79 7,330.48 62. Total Instructional Service. $ 31,428,462.25 $ 3,754,196.91 $ 35,182,659.16 North Cakoi.ixa Public; Schools 77 TOTAL EXPENDITURES BY OBJECTS AND ITEMS, 1943-1944-CoNTiNnED 78 Biennial Report of State Superintendent TOTAL EXPENDITURES BY OBJECTS AND ITEMS, 1943-1944-Continued North Carolina Public School.s 79 4. Su|)i)leiiieiitar.v IJudsets. The expenditures for vocational education are a combination of Federal, State and local fun
Object Description
Description
Title | Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina to Governor..., for the scholastic years... |
Creator | North Carolina. |
Date | 1942; 1943; 1944 |
Place | North Carolina, United States |
Time Period |
(1929-1945) Depression and World War Two |
Description | Part 1 of 3; Title varies slightly; Period covered by reports is irregular. |
Publisher | Raleigh :Dept. of Public Instruction,1907-1971. |
Agency-Current |
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction |
Rights | State Document see http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,63754 |
Physical Characteristics | 34 v. :ill., ports., maps (part fold.) ;23-25 cm. |
Collection | Health Sciences Library. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Type | Text |
Language | English |
Format | Reports |
Digital Characteristics-A | 8,211 KB; 136 p. |
Digital Collection |
Ensuring Democracy through Digital Access, a North Carolina LSTA-funded grant project North Carolina Digital State Documents Collection |
Digital Format | application/pdf |
Audience | All |
Pres File Name-M | pubs_edp_biennialreportofspi1942pt1.pdf |
Pres Local File Path-M | \Preservation_content\StatePubs\pubs_edp\images_master\ |
Full Text |
THE LIBRARY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA
THE COLLECTION OF
NORTH CAROLINIANA
C379
N87p
19U2/U+
:t 1
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL
00030756085
This book must not
be token from the
Library building.
NORTH CAROLINA
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BIENNIAL
REPORT
PART I
1942-44
Educational Building for State Offices, Raleigh
Th
Publication No. 251
BIENNIAL REPORT
of the
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION
of
NORTH CAROLINA
Part I
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Issued by the
State Superixtexdext of Public Instructiox
Raleigh, North Carolina
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
(See page 105 for full recommendations)
1. Teachers' Salary Increase. "I propose, therefore, that the present
State salary schedule be substantially increased, especially for persons
holding Grade A and Graduate Certificates."
2. Coynjmlsory Attendance. "Not only should the upper age limita-tion
be raised to 16 years of age—the enforcement machinery should
be changed with provision being made for the employment of attendance
officers throughout the State."
3. ^Supervision of Instruction. "Now, that the State is committed
to the support of a nine months school term, that same State should
round out the organization of the instructional program by providing
for the employment of Supervisors from State funds."
4. Special Education. "A State worker, cooperating with both the
schools and these other agencies, I believe, would fill the existing need."
5. Health and Physical Education. "In order to make such a pro-gram
really effective, there is need for additional personnel both on the
State and the local level."
6. Negro Education. "I heartily endorse any plans that may be pro-jected
by the General Assembly in line with the recommendations made
by the committee which made this study (on Negro Education)."
7. Free Textbooks for Eighth Grade. "I believe that the free text-book
system should be extended to include the eighth grade and thus
round out the system in making it apply to the entire elementary
school."
S. School Laic Codification. "I wish to recommend, therefore, that
a law be enacted directing that this codification of the school laws be
prepared and submitted at the next session of the General Assembly
for enactment into law."
9. School Plant Facilities. "In our post-war educational program,
the State should make plans to facilitate orderly programs of school
plant construction and improvement."
State of North Carolina
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Raleigh
November 1, 1944.
Clyde A. Erwin
Superintendent
To His Excellency, GOVERNOR R. GREGG Cherry
and Members of the General Assembly of 1945:
Sirs :
In accordance with the law I am submitting this Report of the
Superintendent of Public Instruction for the biennium ending
June 30, 1944.
In this publication, which has been printed as Part I, an effort
has been made to present a picture of the public school situation
for the State as a whole as it obtained at the end of this biennium.
This part of the Report also indicates some of the changes that
have taken place in the total situation during recent years. I am
sure that each of you will be pleased with what has been accom-plished,
but I believe you will also discern that there is much
more to be done before we can say that the boys and girls of this
State are given an opportunity that fills the needs of present
day living. Some of these things I have pointed out under the
section "What the Schools Need," and it is to these things that I
wish to direct your special attention at this time.
Subsequent parts of this Report will give detailed statistics
covering every phase of the operation of the public schools in
the county and city administrative units.
Very respectfully yours,
State Superinteyicleyit of Public Instruction.
CONTENTS
Page
WHAT THE SCHOOLS DO.
Introductory Statement 5
Social Studies 5
Language Arts 10
Science 13
Health, Physical Education and Safety 16
Art 24
Music 28
Mathematics 30
Business Education 30
Industrial Arts . 32
Vocational Education
—
Agricultural Education 34
The National Defense Training Program for
Out-of-School Youths and Adults 39
Home Economics Education 42
Trade and Industrial Education 44
Vocational Training for War Production Workers 45
Distributive Education 48
Vocational Rehabilitation 50
Occupational Information and Guidance 52
School Libraries 53
HOW THE SCHOOLS OPERATE.
Administration - 62
School Funds 65
The School Plant 80
The Transportation System 83
Textbooks 85
School Organization 87
Teachers and Principals 94
WHAT THE SCHOOLS NEED—RECOMMENDATIONS.
Historical 100
Recommendations . 105
WHAT THE SCHOOLS DO
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT
The biennium, 1942-44, is significant because it marks the
beginning of the Twelve Year Program. The General Assembly
of 1941 enacted a law which provided for the extension of the
public school system to embrace twelve grades. This transition
began in 1942-43, and the first generation of students to have the
full benefit of the Twelve Year Program will be those who grad-uate
regularly in 1944-45.
The increase in the length of term from eight to nine months
and the increase in the number of years from eleven to twelve
will have a marked effect upon the boys and girls in our schools.
The time element is important, and the added maturity is signifi-cant
in a child's development. Education may be a spiritual
process, but it is also a temporal process. It takes time to lay
the proper foundation for growth, and to adjust the pupils to the
spiritual possessions of the race—literary, scientific, institutional,
aesthetic and religious.
The chief business of the school is instruction. The discus-sions
which follow indicate an awareness of this obligation. An
honest and successful effort is being made to discharge this obli-gation
fully.
The war has made it necessary to do things never attempted
before. Methods of teaching have been changed to meet changed
and changing conditions. The curriculums in elementary and
secondary schools have been revised in many instances in terms
of pupil needs. The schools must become increasingly responsive
to the legitimate demands of society not only in an emergency,
but at all times.
The following discussions show something of what is being
done to educate the boys and girls in the public schools of the
State.
SOCIAL STUDIES
During the past biennium the total public school program has
been greatly influenced by the war. The more vital subjects in
the social studies curriculum—history, geography, civics, econom-ics,
and sociology—have been especially affected. The effects
of the war have been felt chiefly in three ways : first, social studies
courses have been more carefully appraised as to their function
6 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
and value in American education and life ; second, the content of
the various courses has been examined more critically and more
carefully revised ; and third, better teaching has been made
possible as a result of the intense interest in national and world
problems which the war has created.
World War II has served as a sharp reminder that we must
always be prepared to defend democracy from within as well as
from without. Citizens everywhere now realize that we cannot
assume that democracy as a way of life has been ultimately and
finally achieved. It is now more clearly understood that each
generation must accomplish democracy anew in terms of the
changing economic, social, and political conditions which face it.
The role of the school is more sharply defined—it must be a lab-oratory
for democracy, a training ground where pupils are imbued
with democratic ideals and l^arn through participation in the
life about them how to live democratically. All school life should
contribute to this ultimate aim, but the social studies emerge
as the very foundation of our curriculum when seen in this light.
The development of democratic ideals and practices begins
with the child in the home, is accelerated through his contacts in
the community, and is broadened and enriched through his study
of his State, his Nation, and the world. Recent revisions in the
course of study have taken this into account. The result has been
the creation of a twelve year program of social studies instruc-tion
which builds fundamental democratic skills, traits, and
understandings and then moves on, in keeping with the maturity
of the child, to the complex social problems of the modern world.
The scope of the program can be judged from a glance at the
topics in the revised course of study : First Year, Living To-gether
in School and Home; Second Year, Living Together in
Our Community; Third Year, Community Living Now and Long
Ago; Fourth Year, Selected Peoples of Other Layids; Fifth Year,
The Story of the United States; Sixth Year, How the Present
Grew out of the Past; Seventh Year, United States History and
Relationships with Neighboring Lands; Eighth Year, The Story
of North Carolina; Ninth Year, Liviyig Together in Our Democ-racy
(Civics) ; Tenth Year, World History; Eleventh Year,
United States History; Twelfth Year, Modern Problems—Eco-nomic,
Social, and Political: Their Implications for the Com-munity,
State, Nation and World.
Recent surveys made by leading newspapers have shown that
in the country at large many high school graduates are deficient
North Carolina Public Schools 7
in their knowledge of American history, that thousands of youth
are graduated without ever having had a high school course in
American history. Such is not the case in North Carolina. A
full year course in American history is required for graduation
in every high school in the State. This requirement has been in
force in North Carolina for more than 25 years. Also, American
history is taught in the fifth and seventh grades of the elemen-tary
school. As a part of the Twelve Year Program which was
begun in 1942, committees of teachers and administrators coop-erated
with members of the staff of the Division of Instructional
Service to improve the teaching of history and the other social
studies. Outlines for study, illustrative teaching units, lists of
books for pupils and a professional bibliography were prepared
as a means of helping teachers to do a better job of instruction.
In addition, many conferences and study groups were arranged
for the purpose of improving instruction.
The study of geography has been seen in a new light as a result
of the world-wide scope of the present war. Guadalcanal, Attu,
Both thrift and good citizenship are taught through the sales of war savings stamps
Air rjuies—a iiev; pa'ar hemisphere
Saipan, Anzio, Aachen, and hundreds of other places seldom men-tioned
in normal times have been emblazoned in newspaper head-lines
to create a new interest in geography. The swift pace of
the airplane and its victory over the trackless wastes have made
possible new great circle routes of travel which make the polar
regions, strategic islands, and remote inland landing strips of
major importance for the future. The changes occurring during
the war have in effect made necessary a reorientation in the field
of geography. To help make this adjustment new supplementary
texts have been adopted and lists of acceptable periodicals have
been furnished teachers. Throughout the study of geography
still more emphasis has been given to the importance of teaching
fundamental concepts and relationships.
The course in civics, required of all first year high school pupils,
has been vitalized through a study of our government as it func-tions
in war and through a comparison of democracy and fascism.
Student participation in salvage drives, the selling of war bonds
and stamps, the collection of clothing for Russian relief, commun-ity
service through the Victory Corps, model aircraft building
for the Army and Navy, assistance in rationing programs, and
numerous other patriotic war activities have made it possible to
teach citizenship through actual practice. Such participation
helps develop desirable habits and attitudes and also creates new
interest in the textbook.
The twelfth grade elective course. Problems of American
Democracy, continues to fill an urgent need to provide ways and
means for the emerging citizen to study the social, economic and
North Cakoi.ixa Public Schools 9
political problems of our State and Nation. The tensions of war
as reflected in race troubles, controversies between capital and
labor, juvenile delinquency, and religious and political intolerance
make this social studies course a living, dynamic part of the cur-riculum
and a prime factor in training for intelligent citizenship.
A new interest in consumer education has grown out of the
national programs of rationing and price control. No new courses
in this field have been added to an already crowded curriculum,
but considerable material on consumer education has been
brought into such existing courses as economics, sociology, farm
family living, civics, history, and problems courses. To assist
teachers, a bulletin. Ways to Victory on the Home Front, was
prepared by the Department of Public Instruction in cooperation
with local school people and the O. P. A. and distributed to all
schools in 1943.
During the biennium considerable change occurred in the teach-ing
of North Carolina history and geography. Formerly taught
only in the fifth grade, a full year is now given in this field in the
eighth grade. The maturity of the pupil at this higher level
makes possible a more serious study of the State and the complex
problems confronting it. Also, many texts, pamphlets, films, and
reference books too difficult for younger pupils can be used at
this level.
As a part of the new eighth grade course on North Carolina
special emphasis is given to resource-use education and regional
problems. Research emanating from the Institute for Research
in Social Science at the University of North Carolina revealed
long ago that a great gap exists between actual and potential
standards of living in the State and in the southern region. To
bridge this gap, youth must be educated in the fundamentals of
resource use and be taught to conserve and use wisely the abund-ance
of natural and human resources with which North Carolina
is blessed. A new book, the Story of Conservatiori iyi North
Caroliyia, was adopted and supplied free to all schools as a means
of furthering this part of the program. Also, the Department
of Public Instruction has issued helps for teachers in this field
and has cooperated in institutes and professional study designed
to improve the training and teaching ability of teachers in this
area.
Throughout the social studies program interest is being stim-ulated
by the Department and by local leaders in the use of up-to-
10 Biennial Report of State SupERiNTENnENT
date materials and improved techniques of teaching. Field trips,
films, radio, current newspapers and magazines are being used
to good effect in vitalizing this important area of the curriculum.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Special phases of language arts emphasized in the public school
program include oral and written expression, reading and litera-ture,
spelling and handwriting. There is also an increasing
interest in more adequate training in speech, dramatics, story-telling
and the use of the library. Courses of study and supple-mentary
bulletins containing records of good practises and suc-cessful
procedures have been provided each teacher. Basal texts
in the language arts subjects are furnished free in the elementary
schools. Supplementary readers containing a wide variety of
reading materials, selected to complement and enrich the reading
course in each grade, and library books have been available in
adequate numbers in most schools. Complete lists of selected
and State-adopted supplementary texts are distributed to each
teacher in the beginning of the school year and library catalogs
are available. Many schools have been provided with an adequate
supply of appropriate and vitally important reading materials.
However, there are some schools, mainly of the smaller type,
which are yet to be provided with both supplementary and library
books in sufficient quantities to insure an extensive use and en-richment
of the reading course for pupils enrolled in these
smaller-type schools.
The success or failure of the language arts program as it con-cerns
the progress of the individual pupil during the past two
years has been the responsibility of the classroom teacher. Her
preparation and ability to teach and the quality of her own train-ing
as revealed in her habits, attitudes and interests in the lan-guage
arts, has influenced to a great extent the progress and
results of the language arts program and at the same time has
likely been the chief factor determining the success of individual
pupils. The good example by the teacher is always a powerful
incentive to the pupil in his efforts to achieve success in the
mastery and use of the language arts for everyday living expe-riences.
Observations and records tend to show that in many of our
schools more children than ever before have succeeded in the
mastery and command of the skills involved in the language arts
program, and also it is noted that a larger percentage of pupils
North Cakolixa Public Schools 11
have developed wider reading interests through participation in
dramatics and in the use of the library. However, there are far
too many children who, by one reason or another, are not accom-plishing
satisfactory work in learning to speak and write effect-ively
nor in learning to read well enough to profit by the course
of study in the grade in which they normally should be placed.
Whatever handicaps to progress there may be involved, a
determined effort should be made to remove them for every child
enrolled in our schools.
In order to further aid teachers to solve these and other prob-lems,
the State Department of Public Instruction is publishing
and will have ready for distribution in the late winter term, a
1945 revision of the State Course of Study in Language Arts for
grades one through twelve.
Brief statements indicating progress made and suggesting
further needs in the several phases of language arts follow.
Oral and Written Expression. Too much emphasis cannot be
placed upon the importance of training in correct oral and written
expression. Awareness of the fact that people are judged upon
the basis of their ability to express themselves correctly, ade-quately,
and pleasingly has stimulated greater effort in the
schools to help pupils of all grades and growth levels develop
practices essential to success in this field.
In the evaluation of the program as observed in our schools
pupils are expected to possess certain abilities in oral and written
expression as outlined in the course of study and to develop these
to the extent or degree which their grade or growth level
demands. It is also observed that the success of the pupil from
year to year is as a rule dependent upon, first—readiness for the
next step or new experience; second—adequate instruction and
training; and third—sufficient experience or practice to insure
easy command or use.
Reading and Literature. Progress in the better instruction in
reading and literature is evidenced largely by the renewed inter-est
in developing a readiness program in reading; by the study
of individual needs and interests in reading; by setting up read-ing
programs in terms of children's individual differences to
develop skill in understanding and comprehension of what they
are reading; and by the increase in interest and use of a larger
number of supplementary texts and library books.
It is observed in some schools that more and more emphasis is
placed upon the importance of good teaching followed by approp-
Ti;e .oy and lalLfaction of accoirp'i hment is shown on the faces of these pupils as they give
oral reports of their contributions to a unit on the study of trains
date and adequate practice, leading to independence in the use
of skills in reading as applied to experiences in reading for infor-mation,
for pleasure and enjoyment.
The various and special approaches to instruction as related to
the content subjects and the sciences are given more considera-tion
in the teacher planning, and as the pupil's background of
experience expands and deepens he is led to relate that experience
realistically to the reading in textbooks and reference materials
which give purpose to the reading.
Remedial reading as such is being questioned as wise procedure
for the elementary school, since the pupil is very apt to feel that
he is labelled as a reading failure. On the other hand, it is be-lieved
that if the pupil is well taught in terms of his own abilities
and achievements there will be little or no need for remedial
reading. When the pupil shows that he does not have command
of reading skills he should be given the best possible instruction
as and when the needs of his reading program demands.
It is gratifying to note the increase in the use of evaluation
techniques and standardized tests, not only to measure the
progress of the individual pupil in his general reading program
but the tests are also used for diagnostic purposes and at regular
intervals in many classrooms.
It is becoming more evident that our secondary schools accept
the responsibility of providing training and guidance in reading
improvement. To carry on the program of reading instruction
begun in the elementary school is a necessary function of the
NoK'iii Cakoi.i.na Priii.ic S( iiooi.s 13
secondary school. The high school student who cannot read sat-isfactorily
the high school texts and materials is given the specific
training in reading skills that his needs demand even though the
training and instruction given may be on the elementary school
level. However, for the most part, the instruction in reading
skills in the high school has to do with two types of reading
—
one for the purpose of mastering and retaining content (study)
and the other for obtaining a wide background of information
(rapid reading).
Through excellent training in the understanding, interpreta-tion
and appreciation of prose and poetry on each grade level, the
schools have made advancement in administering the courses of
study in literature. One evidence of this is presented through
the reports from the libraries of the number and type of library
books read by elementary pupils and high school students. Other
evidences are the increased interest in dramatics, in story-telling,
in creative work in prose and poetry, and the satisfying experi-ences
in the integration of literature and the fine arts.
SCIENCE
Science in the elementary schools fulfills two purposes: (1) that
of the child's desire to know more about that part of his environ-ment
which pertains to plant life, animal life and the universe
about him; and (2) that of helping the child to think in a more
scientific way in the study of science specimens and in drawing
conclusions and facts about his science problems. Children do
not spring into these simple understandings as from a spring-board.
It takes years of orienting them into studying the nature
about them, its causes and effects upon their own living. Science
has another side, that of answering questions by children from
a natural interest of plant and animal life about them. The
experimental side of performing simple experiments, of seeing
things happen before their eyes, takes on much meaning under
the guidance of teachers.
The State course of study, Science for the Elementary School,
suggests the topics for children's study or it provides a reference
of materials for the subjects upon which children may be work-ing
throughout the grades. Science is inseparable from the social
studies. It is a part of healthful living in application but there
is need for this organized program for the years 1-12 in order
14 BiEXNiAi, Report of State Superintendent
that children will advance from year to year in a wider range of
subjects and in a selection of subjects that have been considered
by authorities in the field as being of most benefit to them. The
child's interest is taken into account but we are moving from a
program devised only from the child's interest to that of a more
organized program of work from grade to grade throughout the
schools. With more than 500,000 insects, that study alone could
absorb a whole program for the children in the grades. There-fore,
the school program is devised to have some directed study
into some directed fields.
There are a number of subjects that are emphasized continu-ously
throughout the grades. Conservation of life, materials,
products, humans ; science in relationship to nutrition ; the experi-mental
study of proper foods and care upon the growth of animals
and plants and with emphasis upon proper nutrition in practice
in the child's daily life ; science in inventions that are used in
the home, on the farm and in the industries that the child is
acquainted with ; respect for the scientist and his research ; the
science of disease, the application of what has been found about
diseases and applying this in the child's life, are some of the
emphases for years 1-12.
In the last two years there has been an improvement in an
observable way and in the statements on the Principal's Annual
Reports that science has a place in the regular program of more
teachers for more children. It is taking its place in the curricu-lum
with reading, spelling and other subject fields.
A most important phase of the science program is to help the
child to think in a more scientific way. This begins in grade one
and is in evidence not only in the child's science lesson but in his
thinking and solving problems in any subject, and in drawing
any generalization. The child's training in critical thinking, the
spirit of inquiry, the recognition of cause and eff'ect relationships,
the development of more scientific attitudes, the knowledge that
valid data must be used in drawing opinions are equally impor-tant
with the specific facts that the child learns. A fact proven
by the child is not the whole objective. What the manipulative
experiment directed by the scientific process does for the child is
of appreciable value to him. Every child in grades 1-12 has the
opportunities lor growth in science facts and in the development
of a more scientific attitude through the organized program of
science for the schools.
^nirNnr r^sr
Science activities fulfils the child's desire to learn more about his environment
Two years of science are required for graduation from the
secondary schools, one of which must be in biology. General
scince is offered in the ninth year, biology in the tenth, with
chemistry and physics in the eleventh and twelfth years, respect-ively.
Each accredited high school is equipped to offer three or
more sciences. On account of the scarcity of science teachers
due to war work, it has been difficult to maintain high standards.
However, there has been an increase in the number of physics
courses offered. Schools are attempting to build up equipment
for science and to provide rooms which are equipped for doing
a better type of science teaching. Supplying this equipment is
an obligation of the administrative unit, and more and more it
will be necessary to provide for this in the capital outlay budget
where a school wishes its students to have access to the needed
materials and equipment.
16 BiKXMAi. Report of State Stperixtexdext
HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SAFETY
In spite of the loss of trained physical and health education
teachers in the white schools of the State, the total number of
students enrolled in classes in physical education has increased
from 90,509 in 1941-42 to 109,602 in 1942-43. There was a slight
decrease in the number of students enrolled in health education.
This decrease is due to the loss of trained health teachers to the
armed services and to other occupations.
Enrollment In Health, Physical Education, and Safety In 720
White High Schools
1941-42 1942-4.^
Enrolled in Physical Education 90,509 109,602
Enrolled in Health and Safety
��
Nutrition 37,597 28,746
First Aid 43,311 31,944
Communicable Disease 26,092 20,161
Safety and Driver Training 37.688 27,708
Physical Education. In most of the elementary schools, physical educa-tion
has been set up as a regular part of the school curriculum and the
required time allotment of 30 minutes per day is included in the schedule.
However, due to the lack of physical education courses offered in teacher
training institutions until recent years, many teachers are not capable of
conducting physical education activities. The in-service training program
conducted by schools with the assistance of the State Department of Public
Instruction and the teacher training institutions has done much to help
elementary as well as high school teachers of physical education.
During the past five years there has been a large increase in the number
of schools and the number of students enrolled in physical education in
the high schools. While the war has been responsible for the loss of
trained personnel in physical education, at the same time the war has
been in part responsible for an increased interest in physical fitness for
boys and girls on the part of students, teachers and administrators.
According to the High School Principal's Annual Reports 621 of the white
high schools of the State provided for physical education classes: 245
schools gave physical education 5 days per week, 283 three days per week,
and 93 two days per week; 4 25 of the high schools had the required
physical education in the ninth grade, 30 5 made it a requirement in the
11th, and 213 in the 12th grade.
Many schools do not have adequate facilities for modern programs of
physical education. High School Principal's Annual Reports show the
following facts:
North Cakoi.ixa Pubiic S( hooi.s 17
Faiii.itiks as Rki'ohtki) hy 720 Whitk Hu;h Schools
Number of schools with gymnasiums 439
Number of schools which provide
—
3 to 4 showers for boys 158
3 to 4 showers for girls 138
5 to 8 showers for boys 73
5 to 8 showers for girls 55
Over 8 showers for boys 24
Over 8 showers for girls 2 2
Number of schools in which boys took showers after class 117
Number of schools in which girls took showers after class 8 5
Number of schools in which boys dressed in gym suits for class 181
Number of schools in which girls dressed in gym suits for class 172
Number of schools which provided lockers for students of
physical education 102
Health Insti uctioii. Health instruction as set up in the Twelve Year
Curriculum is being offered in the elementary grades and while improve-ment
in the quality of teaching is in evidence, more in-service and pre-service
training is needed by teachers to equip them for the most effective
health teaching.
In the high schools as noted in the table on page 16, the number of
students enrolled in health has decreased since 1941. It should be pointed
out, however, that the number of students enrolled during the school year
1941-42 exceeded the number enrolled in any previous year. This was
due to the efforts of the schools to prepare more adequately boys for mili-tary
service and girls for war work.
From the standpoint of health, one of the greatest needs in developing
proper health habits among school children is more adequate provision
for handwashing. Very few of the schools have sufficient supplies of soap
and towels, whereas still fewer schools have facilities for hot water.
Sanitation. Since the war started, due to war restrictions on building
materials and plumbing supplies, little progress has been made in the
improvement of sanitation of the schools.
In the Negro schools and in many of the small elementary schools,
indoor toilet facilities are not provided. Inspections of these schools by
county and district sanitarians show clearly that it is next to impossible
to maintain outdoor toilets in a sanitary condition. The larger the school
the more difficult it is to keep outdoor toilets sanitary.
According to reports of 7 20 white high schools, sanitation was approved
in 543 schools; 144 schools either were not inspected or failed to make a
report on this item, whereas the sanitation of 21 schools was not approved
by local health authorities, or by the State Board of Health:
Health Se:v;ee.s by Health Departments and Private Physicians. One of
the most difficult and yet one of the most needed phases of an adequate
health and physical education program has been that of health service.
The high schools of North Carolina have been dependent upon health de-
18 BiENXiAi. Report of State Slperixtexdext
partments and volunteer help from private medical and dental personnel
for whatever health services that have been provided for high school
students. During the second half of the school year 1941-42, due to a
State-wide campaign sponsored by the State Board of Health, the State
Department of Public Instruction, State Medical and Dental Societies, and
local health departments, a large percentage of the boys of junior and
senior classes of high schools were examined. During that year 39,741
medical examinations and 19,4 80 dental examinations were given to high
school students. In contrast to this, only 18,369 examinations were given
last year. In view of the shortage of doctors and dentists the school people
are gratified with the amount of health service provided by health depart-ments
and private doctors and dentists.
School administrators, teachers of health and physical education, public
health officials and associations recognize the need for complete medical
examinations for high school students before they take part in physical
education and athletics, but even before the war only a few schools in the
State could get this service. From a State-wide standpoint, health depart-ments
have not had adequate personnel to provide the service and schools
have not had funds to employ private physicians. In many schools private
physicians and dentists have given generously of their services to help in
examining high school students. However, in spite of the work of health
departments and private physicians, only a small percentage of the stu-dents
have been examined. Last year less than 20% of all those who
engaged in physical education were given medical examinations.
From the standpoint of the future health of the children the followup
work to correct the defects found by medical and dental examinations is
most important. However, it must be admitted that, according to reports
Learning to be safe should begin earlv
North Carolina Public S( hools 19
made to the State Department of Public Instruction, follow-up work has
not been adequate nor effective in getting parents to have the defects of
their children corrected. In some instances, parents were unable to pay
for the services, whereas in other instances parents were not convinced
that the defects were serious enough to necessitate medical or dental
service.
School people accept a part of the responsibility for not educating
parents with regard to the need for attention to remedial defects. Most
schools do not have trained health educators to give guidance and advice
to students and parents with regard to the importance of and procedures
for securing medical services for the correction of remedial defects. This
is especially true of the small schools that do not have organized programs
of health and physical education.
Safety Education. The aims of the school safety program are to furnish
insofar as possible, a safe school environment, to protect children from
hazards, to give them a background of .safety information, to help them
establish safety habits and to develop attitudes which lead to intelligent
self direction in safe living.
Schools have attempted to achieve these aims in various ways. Listed
below are some methods used by schools to make safety functional:
1. By providing buildings, grounds and buses that are free from acci-dent
hazards.
2. By stressing safe use of the buildings, grounds and buses in the
daily activities of school life. This is a responsibility that is shar-ed
by the total school personnel.
3. By emphasizing certain phases of safety each month. For example,
fire protection is emphasized in October.
4. By the inclusion of safety units on particular safety problems, such
as automobile safety, home safety, bicycle safety, etc.
5. By the inclusion of safety content in such courses as home econom-ics,
physical education, health education, industrial arts and agri-culture.
6. By organizing special clubs for safety promotion and study, such
as Safety Council, Safe Drivers Club, High School Motor Club,
Bicycle Club, Safety Patrol, etc.
7. By a series of contests in poster making, essays and orations cov-ering
certain phases of safety.
8. By assembling program which might be:
a. A motion picture on safety.
b. A talk on safety by some authority.
c. A dramatization, play, skit, etc., on safety.
9. By including in the curriculum a special course in driver education
on general safety.
SCHOOL-HEALTH COORDINATING SERVICE
The School-Health Coordinating Service began operating; in
1939 and has continued its activities since that time. It is a joint
operation of the State Board of Health and the State Departircnt
of Public Instruction, maintained by a joint budget which is con-
Gymnastics is a part of the physical education program
tributed to by each department. The budget is also supported by
two organizations within the Rockefeller Foundation: The Inter-national
Health Division and the General Education Board.
The reason for the joint activity lies in the realization by both
departments that, working separately, the fullest benefits to the
children cannot be achieved.
When first organized, the School-Health Service was a unique
department in the United States. Since then at least three states
have set up similar departments, stimulated perhaps by North
Carolina's pioneer work.
The purpose of the School-Health Service is to train teachers
to do a large share of the health instruction in their daily contact
with the pupils and, in cooperation with the local health depart-ments,
to simplify and facilitate health service for the school
children. To fulfill this purpose, three approaches have been
utilized, (a) Teachers Colleges, (b) Summer Conferences, and
(c) In-Service Training.
There are three white and three Negro teacher colleges in the
State, but nearly all colleges now operating in North Carolina
train teachers. Stimulated in part by the School-Health Service,
NdiMii Cauoi.ina Ff:: i-- S n > n.;^ 21
several teacher colleges are now proparing to give the necessary
health instruction while the students are receiving their teacher
training. This is a slow development, as faculty, curriculum,
time, and funds must be found, but these points are receiving
active consideration. This is a program which the teacher col-leges
are anxious to develop.
Summer Conferences have been held each year since 1940 at
the Woman's College at the University (Chapel Hill), at the
North Carolina College for Negroes ; and at Bennett College since
1941. The number of teachers who have been trained in the con-ferences
since July, 1942, are 410 (153 white and 257 Negro). In
addition, at the same conferences, training was given to 67 teach-ers
(32 white and 35 Negro) from outside the State. The con-ferences
last six weeks and the teachers receive six semester
hours credit, either graduate or undergraduate. The conference
which was to be held at the University in 1944 was cancelled on
account of the poliomyelitis epidemic. The funds required for
running the summer conferences, including scholarships and gen-eral
expenses, have been provided by the General Education
Board. These conferences should be continued indefinitely,
as they furnish to those already graduated the only means of
acquiring essential health information. The funds promised by
the General Education Board have already been exhausted.
In-Service Training occupies the major part of the time of the
staflF. Upon invitation by the county school and health authori-ties,
the staff enters a county and works in the schools for a
period of two months, by means of group conferences and by
means of visits to individual schools. In this work, instruction
is given to all teachers, high and elementary, in health service,
health instruction, healthful school living, nutrition, and physical
education as follows
:
Health Service: Screening and eliciting defects by looking
into the subjects of height, weight, eyes, ears, hair, skin,
scalp, nose, throat, neck, teeth, hands, feet, signs of anemia,
signs of malnutrition, posture, orthopedic defects, mental
habits ; making home visits.
Health Instruction includes (a) Personal Hygiene, which
embraces such health habits as, the protection needed when
sneezing and coughing, hand washing before eating and after
using the toilet, eating, resting, sleeping, playing, clothing,
and cleanliness ; safety ; and
22 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
(b) Communicable Diseases, such as common colds, mea-sles,
German measules, whooping cough, diphtheria, scarlet
fever, acute rheumatic fever, mumps, hookworm, malaria,
syphilis and gonorrhea, tuberculosis, pellagra, typhoid, and
other communicable diseases; immunizations (smallpox,
diphtheria, and typhoid).
Healthful School Living, another expression of general san-itation,
which includes: drinking fountains, wash basins,
toilets and urinals, heating, ventilation, lighting, cleanliness,
janitor service, lockers, drying room, isolation room, desks or
tables, seats, first aid equipment, outdoors.
Nutrition is an important development. The matter is pre-sented
to teachers by lectures to teachers on nutrition prob-lems
as found in school children ; nutrition teaching in both
elementary and high schools ; school lunchroom demonstra-tions;
home visiting; and local nutrition committees.
Physical Education. The health attention which the child
gets equips him to participate in physical education. The
approach is through (a) Elementary Schools: organization
and administration of a physical education program ; meth-ods
and materials in physical education ; and activities
—
rhythms, mimetics, stunts, relays, and organized team games
suitable for indoors and outdoors ; and (b) High Schools:
instruction in sports and games, conditioning exercises, ob-stacle
course, tumbling gymnastics, relays, combatives, and
rhythms.
On the completion of the work in the county the teachers,
assisted by the local nurses, are informed about and can carry
out such measures as screening, weighing, measuring, examining
the eyes, ears, nose, throat, skin, and hair of the children. They
can determine whether or not the posture is good and what should
be done about it. The teachers have acquired also a good deal
of information concerning malnutrition, foods, and their values,
a minimum of information about communicable diseases, sanita-tion
of the school building and the grounds, and the best methods
of pursuing physical education in both the elementary and high
schools.
Screening consists in dividing the children into two groups:
those who need the attention of a doctor, and those who do not
need to see him. This procedure has simplified and lessened the
work of the health authorities and has enabled each child to be
NoKTTi Caromxa Pi^blic Snioor.s 23
seen by the doctor as soon as he needs to be seen. In every county
in which the school-health work has been done, every child has
been screened, and those needing attention, have been seen by
specialists. In getting the defects corrected, the specialists have
been most cooperative.
Screening shows that from ten to fifteen per cent of the chil-dren
require the attention of specialists who are particularly
interested in conditions of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, and teeth.
The other defects are minor and can be taken care of by the
teacher and parent under the direction of the nurse and health
officer.
Since July, 1942, the white and Negro schools in the following
units have been visited for in-service instruction: Durham, Ala-mance,
Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt, Sampson, and Greene counties,
and the city of Rocky Mount. There is considerable competition
among county and city school systems for work of this sort.
In all these schools, every teacher has been instructed in sub-jects
already mentioned. All school children have been screened
and those needing attention have been examined, the defects
defined, and in many instances, attended to. The number of
schools visited were 282 (226 elementary, 56 high) ; the number
of teachers reached, 1,574 (1,157 elementary, 417 high) ; and the
number of school children reached, 55,090 (40,495 elementary,
14,595 high).
Staff. The staff used for In-Service Training is provided in
part by the State Board of Health and in part by the State
Department of Public Instruction. At present, they number
ten: two doctors, three public health nurses, three health and
physical education advisers, two nutritionists. Of this number,
one doctor, one nurse, one health and physical education adviser,
and one nutritionist are Negro and work in the Negro schools.
In the budget for this year are items for one health educationist
and one psychiatrist. When this additional staff is employed,
the unit of field workers will be complete.
Local Coordinators. Experience has shown that to be effective
and lasting, there must be employed in the county a particular
person whose duty will be to carry on the work after the school-health
staff leaves. In order to develop this phase of the work,
it was decided to train teachers in health education. The General
Education Board was approached. Its officers supported the idea
and awarded ten scholarships valued up to $2,000 each to be used
to train teachers in health education over a period of twelve
24 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
months at the University of North Carolina's School of Public
Health. On the completion of the training, the teachers will
return to the county to work under the school-health authorities.
Candidates are now being selected by the local school and health
authorities. Those accepted entered the University in September,
1944; they will be ready for county work in September, 1945.
When this development is well established, it is believed that the
school-health work will be enormously advanced in all its aspects,
including health instruction and health service.
ART
The opportunity for creative expression as the right of every
child is being interpreted more and more as an obligation in every
school. Every child has some opportunities for a variety of ex-pressions
in creative arts. Two definite improvements are notice-able
in the program: (1) there is provision for art in the weekly
schedule of work in more schools ; (2) there is evidence that more
schools are providing art materials in greater quantity and
variety.
The functional use of art in the lives of children as they them-
A seventh grade child told his story this way
Caring for tooh is a part of the arl: Drograin ; the boys mate the box
selves see its usefulness in their community living stimulates the
desire for the varied types of activities that they carry on in
their art program. Groups of children begin their program each
year with the improvement of their own living situation, the
classroom. The arranging of furniture, selecting of pictures,
making of draperies, painting of pictures, planning for exhibit
space for collections, balancing of the materials on the bulletin
board, selecting an outstanding color scheme for the classroom,
arranging nooks for attractive display of centers of interest are
vital in a functional program. Particularly, in grades 4-12 chil-dren
are using these interests in their own living arrangements
within their homes. There are four big themes that are contin-uously
evolving in the child's program, grades 1-12: art in the
home, art in the child's costume, art in the classroom and build-ing,
and appreciation studies of types of art from the earliest
cultures to the present time.
There is an observable evidence of a greater variety of media in
use in the schools. The basic materials needed in the art program
such as art colors, paints, brushes, paste, clay for modeling, cray-ons,
fingerpaints, poster crayons, weaving materials, tools for
textile designing, are available through State contracts. The
amount needed is suggested in the art course of study. Approxi-mate
costs are given. The children freely use these media in
expressing themselves through flat (paint) designs, dramatiza-tion,
simple wood cutting (sculpture), basket weaving, soap carv-
26 BiEXNiAL Report of State Superi>^tendent
ing, puppets, simple pottery, simple costumes, interior decorating,
and designs for their personal clothing. In the higher grades,
about sixth to twelfth, children are using to some degree simple
leather tooling, simple objects from wood, simple chip carving,
cloth weaving, block printing and textile designing on cloth.
Limited numbers of groups have worked in plastics.
Schools have been particularly resourceful in the past two years
in utilizing local products to supplement their needs in materials.
Teachers have utilized new ways to use old products ; they have
also been resourceful in using the suggestions for crafts and con-struction
work in the State outline.
Administrators and teachers are realizing that for an art pro-gram
to survive there must be enough variety to stimulate the
varying interests of large numbers of children. This is evident
from the numbers of counties that have supplied the basic art
materials given in the art course of study for each school in the
county or city unit. Some of these are replacements and some are
almost initial programs of materials supplied for all children of
all schools.
Teachers are also recognizing that they must have some skill
in guiding the children in their development. Art in grades 1-8
is regarded as a regular part of the child's program and is taught
by the regular teacher. Any elementary teacher who began
teaching in 1929 or later has been required to have nine semester
hours in the arts group in order to qualify for the Primary, or
Grammar Grade, Class A Certificate. These nine hours include
some credit in each of the areas of music, drawing and industrial
arts.
Interpretations of the art program in any school depend upon
the meanings attached to the term "Art Education." The indi-vidual's
art is his painting, his craft product, his costume, his
room arrangement, his manner, his speech, his accessories, his
home, his landscaping, his tools for work or play. There is noth-ing
one does that he might not have done more or less artistically
than he did do it, and we measure this difference to some degree
by his use of art in its recognizable forms of color, arrangement,
proportion, form, space, balance, rhythm, harmony, line and
design.
TI 3 coi": :T.ri3r phase of art begins in grade o:^? a':d exts-icb
through adulthood. The schools are working on different phases
of art in the lives of individuals—the creative, the appreciative
and the consumer. The program suggests materials and motiva-
Ninth year students utilized dark printing designs to fill creative and commercial needs
28 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
tions, and measures the growth of the child by his creative prod-ucts
and his evidences of appreciation of art in daily application.
Every class room an art studio for the growth of the child in
creation, appreciation and as a consumer, is the central theme
of the art course of study suggesting the program of the North
Carolina public schools.
MUSIC
The music education program in the schools includes apprecia-tion
through listening to good music as provided through the use
of the phonograph, vocal music through the learning of words and
music in singing lessons, glee clubs, choral work, etc. as outlined
in the course of study and provided in the music texts in the
schools, and applied music through individual and group instruc-tion
in piano, violin, and instruments of the orchestra and band.
During the past two years, music instruction in the schools has
been greatly enhanced through the use of the new course of study
in music provided by the State Department of Pubhc Instruction
and distributed to every school in the State. From this bulletin
teachers may find real help in planning and developing a more
definite training program in music education from grade one
through twelve.
In many schools there is a wide range as well as a diversity of
music experiences provided and the pupils attending these schools
have the opportunity to participate in the singing of songs, the
reading of music, rhythmic activities, listening to music, creating
music, learning how music is written and interpreting and inte-grating
music in connection with other hfe activities. One special
phase of music integration which is making rapid progress is
that of verse choir work—an integration of music, literature, art
and dramatics. Wherever there is such a program as outlined
above there is a growing, developing interest in the appreciation
of worthwhile music.
However, there is a great need for extending and enriching the
music experiences of children in many of our schools where the
work is very limited and where little or nothing is being accom-plished
in developing the child's innate musical interests and abil-ities
and where little or no use is made of either the course of
study or texts in music. Because of this situation there has been
a strong demand for the employment of well-trained music teach-ers
in these schools. Music leaders in the State are making an
earnest effort to interest school authorities in equalizing oppor-
North Cauoi.ixa PrBi.ic Schools LM)
timities in musical training for all children. They would have in
all schools where the music work is now inadequate a better
instructional program for meeting children's needs.
If a minimum program of music training as outlined in the
course of study is to be available for every pupil, as it now is in
a majority of the schools, then either the classroom teacher must
have more training in music education or a full-time music
teacher, well-trained in music education, must be provided. This
seems to be the next step in progress in music for all children
enrolled in our schools now that free texts in music are available
for pupil use.
To be able to sing well, to participate in instrumental music,
and to understand and enjoy good music rendered by others is
the right of every child. Success in contributing or in listening
to good music never fails to bring joy and satisfaction to the
learner.
There is one phase of the music program which, in many com-munities
in the State, has made remarkable progress, and that
is the music festival. The festival is usually held near the close
of the school term and provides an opportunity for thousands of
The Music Festival Chorus is usually an outgrowth of the year's work and provides an oppor-tunity
for large numbers of children to use their learnings in music through
participation in the festival program
30 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
children to use their musical learnings. The festival program
as presented by many of our school communities is usually an
outgrowth of the year's work in various phases of music educa-tion
and indicates the extent and thoroughness of the music train-ing
and experiences of the pupils participating in the festival
program.
MATHEMATICS
Considerable adjustments have been made possible in mathe-matics
by the twelve year program. Since the elementary school
provides for a nine months' term and an additional grade it has
been possible to move up some of the more difficult phases of
mathematics to a higher grade than was formerly the case and
to put increased emphasis upon the attainment of those skills
which all students need in order to adjust properly to the quan-titative
side of life. Arithmetic is emphasized in the elementary
school. There is evidence that teachers in the elementary school
have completed the adjustments in the field of mathematics.
In the high school the first year of mathematics is general
mathematics or elementary algebra. Schools are given freedom
in selecting the program best suited to the particular school. The
first year of high school mathematics is required and is followed
by algebra or a second course in general mathematics in the tenth
grade and geometry in the eleventh grade. In the twelfth grade
it is possible, in most schools, to offer elective work in advanced
algebra, trigonometry and solid geometry. In many schools
twelfth grade pupils are offered courses in business arithmetic
or a course in basic mathematics which covers the practical and
fundamental operations in arithmetic, algebra, geometry and
trigonometry.
The World War has called the attention of school men to the
importance of a knowledge of the fundamentals of arithmetic and
other mathematical subjects. This has brought about in many
schools the course in basic mathematics. This trend will likely
affect the teaching of mathematics in the post-war period.
BUSINESS EDUCATION
Because of the importance of business education and the
interest manifested in this field of instruction a revision of the
1935 Course of Study in Business Education was issued to the
teachers of business education in May 1944. The title of the new
pubhcation is "Tentative Course of Study in Business Education."
North Cakoi.i.va Puhi.ic Schools 31
This course of study was prepared by a committee of teachers
with the aid of a Consultant from the Office of Education. Insti-tutes
were held in various section of the State during May, 1944.
These institutes were attended by a large number of teachers.
It is planned to make further study of the Tentative Course of
Study in Business Education during the session 1944-45 in order
to get this publication in form for printing and distribution to the
teachers of business education. In continuing this study assist-ance
of the teachers in t\\e high schools will be sought.
The war has made so many demands upon persons trained in
the field of business education that some of the schools are findmg
it impossible to continue departments of business education be-cause
teachers are lacking. While interest in this field has
increased the supply of teachers has decreased and in a few
instances departments have had to be closed. It is certain, how-ever,
that new departments will be organized as soon as teachers
are available. Nearly all of the city schools have departments
of business education and every county administrative unit except
six or eight has at least one high school in which business educa-tion
is taught.
Applied Business Education
il msnerrasftmo: ^^^^^^^Q tmm^wnts
-ill ^^^B
Industrial Arts experiences provide explora'.cry expenriences and a foundational technical
education essential for modern living
INDUSTRIAL ARTS
Increasingly, educators are coming to recognize that learning
experiences in the Industrial Arts area of a modern school contain
unique factors which make many valuable contributions to gen-eral
education. Surveys now indicate that enlightened leaders
in education hold the belief that Industrial Arts constitutes a
vital part of their education program and records show that
serious effort is being directed toward establishing and improving
this work in the North Carolina public schools.
Industrial Arts courses are rich in opportunities which will aid
pupils in learning how to think. Due to developments in science
and technology and their effects upon the lives of people, all per-sons
should be provided with school experiences which will enable
them to deal more realistically and intelligently with practical
problems of living, many of which are industrial in origin. For
all types of pupils, from the very superior to the very inferior in
academic ability, a better balance is needed between learning
situations in which abstract symbols predominate and those in
which the reality of life predominates.
NoKTii Cahoh.na Pum.ic Schools 33
A balanced program of modern education will provide Indus-trial
Arts experiences for all age levels—elementary, secondary,
and adult. Such a program will help individuals to know their
aptitudes and to make the most of them ; to discover worthy and
enduring avocations and to acquire the initial capacities necessary
to pursue them ; to discover some broad vocational interest for
which their aptitudes and interests fit them and to acquire capaci-ties
essential for a successful beginning in that field ; and to
understand, appreciate and behave more intelligently in a modern
complex industrial society.
To arrive at these goals North Carolina schools need more
diversified and better staffed and equipped shops and laboratories,
in most instances general shops or laboratories should replace the
more expensive specialized unit shops limited only to mechanical
drawing and woodwork. Professionally qualified teachers are a
prime requisite of continued progress in Industrial Arts.
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Notwithstanding the fact that in no period of the State's his-tory
has there been a greater interest and more positive demand
for vocational education than during the time covered by this
report, the expansion of the program has been materially affected
by the loss of personnel to the armed services and to employment
in war industries. However, in agriculture this has been some-what
counteracted by the increased services to out-of-school
youth and adult farmers through the Food Production War Train-ing
Program.
In the Trade and Industrial Education Program the effects of
the war emergency have been even more noticeable. The failure
to expand in the regular activities of this department has been
offset by the training of war production workers for out-of-school
youth and adults.
The home economics departments have continued to increase in
numbers and in effectiveness. The scope of work in this depart-ment
has greatly expanded because of the demands in connection
with increased food production and the interest in the improve-ment
of diet. The teachers of home economics have cooperated
with the agricultural workers in rendering a real service to rural
people in connection with production and processing of food for
family use.
The Department of Distributive Education has continued to
emphasize the needs for adjustment in store practices and has
34 BiEXXiAi. Report of State Supeuintexdext
cooperated with other agencies concerned with the better distri-bution
of available goods and services.
The war situation and the return of military personnel tends
to accentuate the interest in guidance. The demands for this
service on the part of both school people and other agencies are
taxing the facilities of this department.
The Vocational Rehabilitation service has greatly expanded
during this biennium because of additional Federal legislation
increasing the amount of Federal funds available, and the increas-ed
number of accidents due to the speed-up in war work. Under
the new program a wider variety of services are made available
to physically impaired people, greatly increasing the demands
upon the staff of this department.
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
The Vocational Agriculture Service of the Division of Vocational Educa-tion,
with its supervisory force of nine persons and an instructional
personnel numbering 3 97 teachers of vocational agriculture located in
89 counties, is adjusting its classroom and community programs to answer
the challenge of the war effort.
Teachers. Strategically located in local communities, these 3 97 teachers
of agriculture are rendering a valuable service in helping to win the war
on the educational and agricultural fronts. They played a prominent
part in the 1944 Food for Freedom and the Victory Garden programs and
the drive for scrap iron. They took part in the 1944 production program
by attending district, county and community meetings on production
goals, serving on the county Farm Mobilization Day Committees, explain-ing
the program to high school and adult evening class students and pre-paring
news articles.
The Vocational Agriculture teaching force is well organized for partici-pation
in war effort programs. The teachers of the State are divided
into 37 groups meeting monthly. Therefore, the message of any program
can be carried to each of the 3 97 teachers in a period of two weeks. Also,
each teacher has an advisory committee of seven persons functioning in
his community. Over 3,500 persons can be reached, on short notice,
through meetings of the advisory committee.
Following are the mam ways in which the teachers of agriculture
contribute to growing more food and feed:
1. Encourage the 75,000 students to have their home practical work
in food crops.
2. Explain the necessity for more food to high school students and
evening class or adult farmers.
3. Continue the repair of farm machinery courses so that farmers can
bring into the school shops their machinery and tools to be repaired. Last
year thousands of dollars were saved farmers by repairing the machinery
in the school shops and many discarded implements were put back into
use.
4. A very effective vehicle for promoting and explaining the produc-tion
goals and program is the Rural War Production Training Program
NoKTH C.vuoi.i.NA Pini.ir Stnooi.s 35
as set up in the Division of Vocational Education. Congress allotted
fifteen million dollars for the nation and over $700,000 for North Carolina
for the purpose of giving instruction to out-of-school persons in repair of
farm machinery and in fourteen commodity courses.
Students. Farm youth is so organized and located that they are of a
tremendous influence in putting over the educational and agricultural ob-jectives
necessary to winning the war. The Future Farmers of America,
a State-wide organization with over 20,000 students of vocational agricul-ture
as members; over 30,000 students of home economics; and the
Victoi-y Corps, organized in high schools throughout the State, with
100,000 members, makes an army of 150,000 farm youth ready for action
on the educational and agricultural fronts.
The Future Farmers and the home economics students are adding
materially to the food supply by growing food crops, gardens and livestock
for home projects; and the home economics students are helping consid-erably
in the conservation of foods on the farms. Then, too, the agricul-tui'e
and home economics students are carrying the message of improved
practices and better methods from their classrooms and leaders to their
mothers and fathers.
Future Farmer Activities, The State Future Farmers of America made
the following contribution to the war effort in 1944:
I. War-Time Accomplishments.
A. More food and oil for victory by increasing scope and quality
of supervised practice work, which included the following:
Victory gardens 9,460
Laying hens 40 2,124
Broilers 80 6,810
Porkers 14,312
Brood sows 3,801
Dairy animals 6,360
Beef animals 2,218
Sheep 580
Acres of soybeans for oil 20,140
Acres of peanuts for oil 10.206
Total labor income from project work $1,870,718.81
B. Salvaging needed war materials:
Pounds of scrap metal collected by F. F.
A. Boys since Pearl Harbor 10,502,000
Pounds of rubber collected by F. F. A.
boys since Pearl Harbor 361,000
Pounds of paper collected by F. F. A. boys
since Pearl Harbor 802,000
C. Buying War Bonds and Stamps:
Total value of War Bonds purchased by
F. F. A. boys Since Pearl Harbor $516,410.00
D. Repairing and Reconditioning Farm Machinery:
F. F. A. boys repaired 1.080 farm machines, such as
tractors, combines and grain drills; 3.214 farm im-plements,
such as plows, planters, and harrows;
5.461 farm tools, such as axes, hoes, rakes, etc., and
completed 10,412 construction jobs, such as build-ings,
lime-spreaders, hog and poultry feeders, wagon
beds, etc.
E. F. A. A. boys cooperated with WPB, U. S. Treasury,
OCD, and other government agencies in the war effort.
36 BiExxiAi, Report of State Superintendent
II. Membership.
A. Total number of vocational departments in
this State 352
B. Total number of active F.F.A. Chapters 342
C. Total active membership 10,520
D. Total associate members 9,254
E. Total honorary members 2,251
F. Total membership 22,525
III. Financial Status.
A. Balance in bank June 30, 1943 $ 2,816.20
B. Total receipts for current year 11,853.37
C. Total expenses for current year 7,224.36
D. Balance in bank June 1, 1944 4,629.01
IV. Contest.
The following contests were conducted with good results:
Food for Victory Victory Pig-Litter
Victory Egg-Laying Public Speaking
Dairy Improvement Chapter Project Story
V. State F. F. A. Publication.
Four issues 16,000 copies each of Tar Heel Talks were printed and
mailed to all active members and forty-seven State advisers and
others on exchange list. Each copy consisted of eight pages, well-illustrated
by use of action pictures.
A classroom for students of vocational agriculture
A chapter of Future Farmers in regular meeting
VI. State and American Farmers.
Sixty-five members were awarded the Carolina Farmer Degree and
eight the American Farmer Degree.
VII. General Activities.
Three hundred chapters have approved F. F. A. libraries, 156 chap-ters
held Father and Son Banquets, 300 chapters have complete
meeting equipment, 7,5 64 members own F. F. A. manuals, 1,085
chapter Home Improvement Projects were completed, 1,160 crops
and livestock demonstrations were conducted, 64 chapters issued
news bulletins and 156 prepared publicity material regularly for
county papers, 30 chapters prepared and rendered radio programs,
and 215 chapter groups listened to the National F. F. A. programs,
112 chapters have active thrift banks with a total investment of
$30,406.10. Total investment in farming by active members
—
$656,482.00.
Negro Students. The North Carolina Association of New Farmers of
America, an organization of Negro Vocational Agriculture students, affil-iated
with the national organization, which operates in all states having
separate schools, has maintained a progressive record for the years 1942-43
and 1943-44. They started out at the beginning of the biennium with
eighty-four chapters, which number has been increased to a total of ninety
chapters. All of the chapters have been supplied with vocational agricul-tural
teachers, who serve as their advisors. These chapters operate under
the guidance of the local. State and federal administration of public school
official.s.
In addition to an increase in the number of departments, there has like-wise
been an increase in membership. The North Carolina Association
'*''^i»mmm,
A. boys putting the finishing touches on a trailer which have built in the cchool shop
at a total cost of $12.00 plus strap, materials and labor
ranks next to Texas in total membership. During the past year the mem-bers
have been responsible for carrying out an excellent program in their
various chapters in connection with the war effort. Chief among these
has been that of the production and processing of food. Special educa-tional
programs and exhibits of food produced and processed were held at
the Fayetteville Teachers College; Elizabeth City State Teachers College;
Shaw University of Raleigh and Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte.
The purpose of these programs was to acquaint the students, school offcials
and the public with the work being done by NFA members.
Perhaps the most outstanding piece of work accomplished by the State
association as a whole has been the organized effort to interest the mem-bership
and the public in providing funds for the Negro Orphanage at
Oxford. Last year, these boys raised sufficient funds with which to pur-chase
and give to the orphanage four $1,000.00 war bonds and in addition
$700.00 in cash.
The work of this association has served to stimulate other groups to
join them in their effort to raise funds for the orphanage, and as a result
of these combined efforts more funds were raised last year through these
groups than the total gifts for all other times. It is the purpose of the
North Carolina Association of New Farmers of America to continue its
project for the orphanage for ten years. Funds are being reserved with
the hope that they will secure enough with which to erect a memorial in
the form of a vocational building on the campus in honor of the late Dr.
George W. Carver.
North Carolixa Public Schools 39
<<
Cmmt
ft
c^
^
Typical Rural War Production Class—this one in milk production
Listed below is the total number of classes in the different courses and
enrollment for the years 1943-1944:
Classes Enrollment
Mechanical courses, including farm machinery
repair ^ 2,084 25,008
Commodity courses 360 3,800
Production, conservation, and processing of
food for family use 1.567 29,054
Total 4,011 57,862
Some Results. As a result of the courses conducted in the operation,
care, maintenance, and repair of farm machinery the following table gives
some idea of the amount of farm machinery repaired and skills developed
by the enrollees in these classes:
No. No. No. Labor Valiue
Built Repaired Painted of work done
Farm machines and motors
(harvester, mowers, hay
rakes, tractors, trucks,
etc.) 340 6,740 1,085 $120,780
Farm implements, (wagons
trailers, plows, cultivators,
harrows, etc.) 18,140 38,240 24,075 $178,460
Construction and remodeling
jobs, (livestock feeders,
brooder houses, wagon
beds, etc.) 8,782 4,240 2,062 $ 98,316
Totals 27,262 49,220 27,222 $397,556
42 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
As a result of the courses in production, conservation, and processing
of food for family use, 250 school community canneries have been estab-lished
vs^ithin the past tv^^o years. Twenty-nine thousand farm people have
been trained in the most modern methods of conserving and processing a
variety of nutritious food for family use. Over 5,000,000 cans of food
have been processed in these school community canneries.
In connection with school community cannery programs Federal funds
in the amount of $150,000 have been spent for canning equipment. This
amount has been supplemented by the local communities and county boards
of education by providing special buildings for canneries valued at
$350,000.
HOME ECONOMICS EDUCATION
Home economics education offers a unique opportunity for the develop-ment
of human warmth through understanding human relationships. It
is one of the major ways of teaching students and their families to live
more effectively. In their study of homemaking, students and teachers
now touch on all phases of family living which includes the discussions
of typical family problems.
The management of a home, for example, is not an end in itself. It is
always tied up with achieving the kind of life which will help the members
A few members of a class in food conservation preparing fruit for canning
their home food supply
The Home Economics Student Ciub Executive Board relaxes for a few minutes
of the family enjoy their family life. It is taught in conjunction with
family relationships.
An encouraging growth in the field of adult education Is evidenced by
the number of people who have taken the food production and conserva-tion
course and made practical application of this learning through the
school community cannery. These frequent meetings have promot&d a
keener interest in solving other problems of homemaking.
The homemaking teacher, through such informal contacts with the
family, has helped parents understand their children more by interpreting
to them their abilities and interests.
The realization that many girls in the State had need of and desired
some medium for personal development led to the organization of a State-wide
home economics student club. At a club rally in the spring of 1944
the officers were elected and a constitution adopted. It is interesting to
note that this constitution included objectives in personal development,
participation in worthwhile activities in a community, preparation for
vocations, and a desire to improve family living.
The focusing of community attention to improving family life through
education has resulted in four demonstration programs in large cities
in the State. Under the sponsorship of the local boards of education,
organizations are studying community assets and problems, hoping that
the result will be improvement in family life in each locality.
There were about 811 home economics departments in high schools of
this State in 1943-4 4. Of this number 3 94 departments were reimbursed
from State and federal vocational funds. The table shows the growth in
vocational home economics over a period of twenty-four years.
44 BiEXxiAL Report of Statp: Siperixtexdent
GROWTH IN
NOKTII CaHOI.I.NA Pllil.K S( IKllll.S 45
Although special pre-induotion courses have not been given in the reg-ular
T. & I. classes, the instructors have related their training in every
possible way to give their students "basic knowledge and technical skills
needed for modern combat. By doing this job well the schools will free
resources of the Army for specialized technical military training."*
Many of the shops have been able to secure additional equipment from
the War Training Program. Since this type of instruction is necessarily
dwindling, the shops will be able to offer more efficient training for the
students to prepare them for post-war trades and industries.
Training in Diversified Occupations, where students get their shop
experience in industry on practical jobs and receive their technical infor-mation
related to the job in school, is provided in practically all the larger
schools in the State. This plan gives the student a chance to use the
equipment in industries under real working conditions. The school may
offer opportunities in all the trades represented in the community, while
industries get the best students selected for their particular use. These
are given related training by the school, thus working an advantage for
all concerned. An experiment is being tried out to include students in
rural schools who are not interested in agricultural courses.
An area school in textiles has been established at Belmont in Gaston
County. This plan should be enlarged to cover the entire State for domi-nant
industries requiring skilled tradesmen in order that students wishing
to learn a trade or industry may be able to do so even though it is not
provided in their own community.
GROWTH OF TR.\DE
46 BiExxiAi. Repokt of State Superixtendent
ands of miscellaneous articles necessary to equip a modern army. The
expansion necessary by industry to provide the production needed required
a tremendous amount of worker training.
For a major part of this training Congress called on the public school
system. North Carolina responded to the call immediately by setting in
motion courses designed to equip new workers with special skills that
would be needed for war industries. This program has been in continuous
operation since July 1940 and to this date 44,452 North Carolinians have
been trained.
How the Program is Administered. The program, while a definite part
of the War Manpower Commisison's plan to recruit war workers, is admin-istered
by the Division of Vocational Education of the United States Office
of Education, through the divisions of vocational education of the state
departments of education, and locally through the offices of the superin-tendents
of schools in the various communities of the states. In North
Carolina officials of forty different school systems have willingly coop-erated
in the administration of this program.
All of the costs of operation, including instructors' salaries, supplies, a
part of equipment costs, current for power and lights, fuel, rent and
janitorial costs are borne by the Federal Government. Thus far in this
State $2,323,498.16 has been spent for instructional cost, and $394,267.92
for equipment. At the beginning there was a problem of equipment.
Learning to operate a shaper
North Carolina Public Schools 47
because the schools were poorly equipped; however, by the expenditure
of some local funds and a generous allowance for this purpose by Con-gress,
this equipment has been increased to a standard that is function-ally
effective.
Types of Persons Trained. For the most part, this training was not
intended for persons regularly enrolled in the public schools, but for
those above normal school age. There was no upper age limit. There
were women as well as men and a large percentage of Negroes. All of
the instructors were recruited from industry and qualified by having had
occupational experience in the trade they taught.
Training has been offered in the following different skilled occupations:
Aircraft Woodworkers
Aircraft Metal Workers
Aircraft Welders
Armature Winders
Auto Mechanics
Blacksmithing
Blueprint Reading
Garment and Textiles
Electric Appliance Repair
Supervisory Training
Where Trainees Found Employment. Within the State those trained
were employed by Wright's Automatic Machinery Company, Durham;
Edwards Company. Sanford; Air Bases in Charlotte, Wilmington, Eliza-
Machine Tool Operators
Pattern Making
Radio & Communications
Sheet Metal Workers
Ship Builders (Wood)
Ship Fitters
Ship Welders
Textiles
Gas Refrigeration
Assembling wing section in airplane sheet metal trade
48 Biennial Report ok State Superintendent
beth City and Goldsboro; N. C. Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington;
Elizabeth City Shipyards, Elizabeth City; Fairchild Aircraft Corporation,
Burlington; and a large number of small companies which had sub-contracts
for parts.
Out-of-State industries that have employed a large number of North
Carolina workers are: Norfolk Navy Yard, Philadelphia Navy Yard, New-port
News Drydock & Shipbuilding Corporation, Glenn L. Martin Aircraft
Corporation in Baltimore, and many other companies from Maine to
Florida.
At the present time there is an enrollment of approximately 1200. The
major part of this number are persons already employed and are receiving
supplementary training designed to increase their present skills.
DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION
Distributive Education prepares high school students for entry into full-time
employment in distributive occupations and trains regularly employed
workers in retail and wholesale organizations toward more efficient service
and increased income.
In the high school program the student is enrolled in certain technical
and related vocational classes which are given in conjunction with organ-ized
practical experience in a distributive business, at a wage comparable
with regular employees, for the purpose of recognizing knowledge and
skill in a particular occupation, and under an arrangement whereby the
students' time is divided between school and work.
Substantial progress has been manifest during the five years in which
the Distributive Education program has been in operation in the State.
During the biennium 1941-43 there was an unusual upturn in the number
of students enrolled in the cooperative program, primarily due to the
demands of ret'ail businesses. The later drop in the number of classes
offered during 1943-44 is due to the difficulty of retaining coordinators
with the lure of higher salaried positions elsewhere. New programs were
requested by several school units, but it was impossible to secure qualified
persons as coordinators.
COOPERATIVE
Year
1939-40
1940-41
1941-42
1942-43
1943-44
1944-45
North Cakolixa Public Schools 49
PROGRAM "A"—To prepare new store workers as replacements for per-sons
who have entered military service or gone into
war industries.
PROGRAM "B"—To familiarize experienced salespersons with regulations
and adjustments affecting the sale of merchandise and
store services in time of war.
PROGRAM "C"—To provide through conferences for owners and man-agers
of distributive businesses, discussion on laws and
regulations affecting retail businesses.
PROGRAM "D"—To provide instruction in on-the-job training for store
supervisors and department heads.
During 1942-43 there were 7,249 enrolled in all of these classes. In
1943-44 there were 2,695 enrolled.
EXROI.LMEXT
W. M. was rehabilitated in 1923 by means of an artificial leg and training in watchmaking at
a cost of $414.00. In 1943 he paid Federal and State income tax totaling $1,786.04. He
employs 0. B. at $40.00 per week. 0. B., severely crippled by arthritis, was recently
rehabilitated at a training cost of $533.00. These men now support six dependents. Again,
Rehabilitation pays off the disabled man of today in currency of tomorrow's opportunity,
security, faith and self-respect.
card lettering, shoes, personal improvement, government regulations, din-nerware,
glassware, jewelry, textile care and conservation, and the Fed-eral
Social Security Act. These guides are set up to provide specific infor-mation
for the individual student.
In addition, courses of study have been prepared in orientation of the
student, store selling, store arithmetic, store speech, methods of teaching,
and color, line and design.
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION
Vocational Rehabilitation is a service to conserve the greatest of all
assets—the working usefulness of human beings. It is a service for the
disabled, comparable to any activity for the general welfare of the public.
The program is administered on a State-wide basis without discrimi-nation
as to sex, age or race. There are five District Offices located at
Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Greenville, with three Dis-trict
Supervisors working out of each District Office. Any resident sixteen
years of age or older, who by reason of a defect or infirmity, whether
congenital or acquired by accident, injury or disease, and who is totally
or partially incapacitated for remunerative employment, is eligible for
services.
Reason dictates that the eligible client, in order to be feasible of rehabi-litation,
must have: Physical ability enough to work; mentality and
education sufficient to learn and hold a job; adequate emotional stability
North Carouxa Pi iu.k S( iioor.s 51
and willingness to work; and aptitude to attain a marketable skill or
service. Each client is given a general medical examination, and an exam-ination
by a recognized specialist if indicated. The key to all rehabilita-tion
work is the recognition of one cardinal point, namely: very few jobs
require all human faculties. Therefore it is a problem of fitting the
abilities of the individual to the requirements of a job. It is a problem
of placing a man according to his abilities—not rejecting him because of
his disabilities.
The fundamental services of counseling, guidance, training, and place-ment
are available to every client. The equally basic service of furnishing
training supplies, placement equipment, occupational licenses, transpor-tation,
maintenance, prosthetic devices, and physical restoration are avail-able
on an economic needs evaluation.
CASE ST.\TUS .\.\D EXPENDITURES OF VOC.\TION.\L REH.\BILIT.\TION SERVICE
Case Status
1. Case load at beginning of year.
.
2. New cases during year
3. Total case load for year
4. Closures during year
a. Cases rejected
b. Cases not accepted
c. Cases not rehabilitated
d. Cases rehabilitated
(1) with training
(2) without training
5. Case load at end of year
a. Cases reported
b. Cases interviewed
c. Cases with plans completed
d. Cases receiving physi'^al
restoration
e. Cases being fitted with
prosthesis
f Cases in training
g. Cases awaiting employment
h. Cases in employment
i. Cases with service
interrupted
6. Total Expenditjres
a. Local __
b. State
c. Federal
7. .\verage Case Cost
486
486
374
112
,122
441
79
$130,450.65
16,493.08
51,159.82
62,797.75
268.42
1940-41
2,122
722
2,844
762
350
10
402
338
72
2,082
759
834
442
47
$138,518.68
18,302.80
51,897.61
68,318.27
344.57
2,082
2,667
4,749
1,217
364
9
844
573
271
3,532
1,581
667
778
433
73
$175,818.34
17,fi62.04
71,033.49
87,122.81
208.32
1942-43
3,532
3,759
7,291
3,856
2,064
517
13
1,262
721
541
3,4.35
1.055
1,016
712
15
68
331
53
105
80
$168,664.10
21,717.32
63,647.38
83,299.40
133.65
1943-44
3,435
2,431
5,866
2,854
701
554
15
1,584
566
1,018
2,915
288
1,210
732
111
60
335
53
48
78
204,426.02
19,252.22
54,845.65
130,328.15
129.06
'Not reported. *Cases rehabilitated only. *These figures shown in 5-c above.
When a person has been given a part or all of the above services to the
extent that he has a permanent job with a self-supporting wage, his case
is closed as rehabilitated. The program has advanced from a low of 18
cases closed as rehabilitated in 1922, at an average cost of $647.08 per
52 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
person, to a total of 1,584 in 1944 at an average cost of $129.06 per
person. It is evident that it costs less to rehabilitate a person for life
than it does to maintain him at public expense for 12 months. Of the
1,584 rehabilitated cases in 1944, 137 were disabled veterans of World
War II.
It is felt that the individual case cost will increase during the coming
year to approximately $250 per case, due to the fact that under Public
Law 113 medical treatment and hospitalization to eliminate or modify
physical impairments are being furnished now before vocational training
has been provided. During this biennium the policy of the Division has
been to offer short training courses in order to get physically impaired
persons on war jobs and thus win the war as quickly as possible. Emphasis
in the future will be placed on longer courses of training, such as college
and trade training, in order to prepare handicapped persons to earn a
satisfactory living for life. The Division will have to readjust displaced
war workers, veterans with non-service connected disabilities, as well
as all other persons injured in industry or crippled by disease or from
congenital causes. At the present time the Division is actively working
with 3,528 physically impaired persons. Of this number. 381 are dis-abled
veterans.
OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE
Great impetus to the guidance movement in North Carolina came about
when the Department of Public Instruction in 1939, taking advantage of
Federal funds made available for guidance from vocational education
funds, set up an Occupational Information and Guidance Service in the
Division of Vocational Education. The primary purpose of the service was
to strengthen the vocational education program and to assist schools in
the development of better guidance programs.
Each year more superintendents and principals indicate an interest in
guidance as a major function of their school program, and more schools
have designated some person in the faculty to give special direction to this
program. Some of the more specific functions and purposes of the guid-ance
service are:
1. To prepare and distribute special bulletins dealing with plans,
courses of study, and literature on studies, investigations, and sur-veys
in the field of occupational information and guidance.
2. To aid in initiating a guidance program in schools previously doing
little work in this field.
3. To assist in evaluating the program in .schools already doing con-siderable
guidance work, and to offer suggestions for expansion.
4. To meet upon invitation with educational or civic groups for the
purpose of discussing general problems and phases of guidance.
5. To cooperate with other agencies interested in the broad aspects
of various youth problems such as the State and National Voca-tional
Guidance Associations, civic clubs, employer and labor
groups, the Occupational Information and Guidance Service in the
U. S. Office of Education, and The North Carolina Education Asso-ciation.
6. To promote the training of teacher-counselors in occupational infor-mation
and guidance, and to advise with teacher trainers on all
matters pertaining to the improvement of the program in the State.
North Carolina Public Schools 53
7. To conduct, in cooperation with local authorities, group conferences
for the purpose of improving local programs of guidance.
8. To answer by correspondence requests from schools and other
interested agencies for sources of occupational and guidance
information.
A functional guidance program includes certain definite services which
should be available for each pupil in all schools regardless of size. The
important areas of a guidance program are: (1) an individual inventory,
(2) a study of local, regional and national occupational information, (3)
an exploration of additional and further training opportunities, (4) coun-seling,
(5) placement, and (6) follow-up of all school-leavers. A guidance
program should also reveal facts which point to needed changes in the
curriculum.
The 1943-19 44 annual report submitted by each high school principal
includes a section pertaining to guidance. A summary of 930 of these
reports reveals evidences of guidance programs as indicated by the per
cent of schools having or engaging in the following: Individual cumu-lative
record folders, 74.3 per cent; standard achievement tests at regular
intervals, 44.3 per cent; file for occupational information, 49.2 per cent;
file on further training opportunities, 31.0 per cent; regular course in
occupations, 12.2 per cent; individual counseling about educational and
vocational plans, 74.3 per cent; assistance in placing all pupils in next
steps, 55.4 per cent; and follow-up of all graduates and drop-outs, 41.2
per cent.
In addition 675. or 72.6 per cent, of the 930 high schools reported that
someone had definitely been placed in charge of the guidance program.
585 schools, or 63.0 per cent, indicated that one or more staff members
were assigned to do individual counseling. For these schools three hours
per week had been included in the regular schedule for individual coun-seling.
One of the most encouraging facts in connection with the guidance pro-gram
is the increasing number of superintendents who are requesting
assistance in county-wide in-service programs for teachers. The Occupa-tional
Information and Guidance Service will assist with these programs
just as far as possible. The real function of this service is to assist school
administrators and teachers to do the best guidance job that is possible.
SCHOOL LIBRARIES
School libraries continue to serve increasingly in the instruc-tional
program of the schools. Evaluation of the book collections
in several hundred schools have been made at the request of the
superintendent and principal, and their new purchases have been
based on the needs of the particular school to provide variety in
subject matter as well as in levels of reading difficulty. With
many schools now securing library books through their cumulated
funds on deposit with the Textbook Division, the type of books
being selected is providing a library book collection better bal-anced,
more outstanding in quality, and superior in physical
make-up.
54 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
The table on the "Number of Library Books Owned" is based
on the total ownership in all schools of the State as shown on the
superintendent's statistical report. The number of volumes per
pupil is based on average daily membership. National standards
recommend a minimum of five books per pupil.
NUMBER OF LIBRARY BOOKS OWNED
North Carolina Pi'ijlic Schools 55
The circulation of library books has increased in North Caro-lina
schools in the past year, although during the preceding year
there was a decrease as there was on a national scale. A survey
was undertaken to determine causes for the decrease during
1942-43. Reports indicated that participation in war work; lis-tening
to radio broadcasts, particularly war reports ; and greater
home responsibilities affected the borrowing of books for home
reading. On the other hand, librarians report a greater use of
56 BiEXXiAL Report of State Superintendent
materials in the library with emphasis in the high schools on
magazines, maps, and war-related materials. Apparently this
interest carried over into home circulation during the second year
of the biennium since there was an increase in circulation of
nearly a million books and an average increase of one and one-half
books per pupil. Statistics on circulation are taken from
library reports received from schools.
TOTAL
North Carolina Public Schools 57
Expenditures for libraries are derived from local funds, county
or city funds, State school fund for maintenance, and from rental
fees handled by the Textbook Division. National standards rec-ommend
an annual expenditure of $1.50 per pupil for keeping the
library collection up-to-date and in order. Our State average is
a little more than one-third of this recommended amount.
Expenditures have increased in past years with the result that
more adequate school library collections are available to our
young people.
EXPENDITURES FROM STATE SOURCES
58 BiEXXiAL Report of State Superintendent
The realization that service requires personnel has been respon-sible
for the increase in the number of librarians and teacher-librarians
in the schools. During the past year, however, per-sonnel
to meet the needs and requests has not been available.
Many school librarians have accepted work in camp libraries or
other positions where salaries are higher. The need for school
librarians and recognition of their contribution to the educational
program are finding expression from all sections of the State. One
teacher from a remote mountain school expressed the feelings of
many teachers when she wrote, "I hope that North Carolina soon
passes a law or regulation to put trained librarians into all
schools, for I believe if we had this service we would reach chil-dren
that we have failed to reach otherwise." While the total
number of personnel with library training responsible for the
library has increased from 283 in 1931-32 to 771 in 1942-43, there
were 1502 schools which reported having libraries which did not
have library trained personnel. Among the 771 schools, many
of the librarians had very limited time for library work and only
129 were employed as full-time librarians. The situation in 1943-
44 was even more critical than during 1942-43 as the total number
of school librarians with training had decreased to 745 with the
result that more schools were faced with operating their libraries
without trained library personnel. This particular aspect of the
library program needs and deserves greatest consideration in
planning for a school program that uses maximally the materials
provided for pupil growth and development.
North Carolina Public Schools 59
NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING VARIOUS SUBJECTS, HI43-44
(From High School Principal's Annual Reports)
SUBJECTS
(Grades 9-12)
TOTALS
Language Arts
English I
English IL
English III
English IV
English V
Dranlatics
Journalism
Speech
Other courses, including Spelling,
Writing, Reading, Creative Wi-iting
Mathematics
I leneral Mathematics
Algebra I_
Algebra II and Advanced
Plane Geometry
Solid Geometry
Tiigonometry
Other courses including Basic, Re-fresher,
Textile, Aviation Mathe-matics
Social Studies
Citizenship
World History
United States History _..
Economics
Sociology
Problems
Geography
Ancient History
Modern Current History
Othei Courses, including Govern-ment,
Guidance, Occupations and
International Relations
Negro History ___
Bible
Science
General Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
White
No. No.
Schools Students
738
148
700
715
14
36
43
24
526
384
224
495
28
31
109
605
129
654
496
489
47
317
13
26
107,175
37,989
7,879
28,884
24,598
309
1,090
1,085
743
5,712
22,329
20,290
7,958
12,010
519
627
25,181
4,823
28,893
12,179
11,228
1,150
7,637
848
805
883
3,952
Negro
No. No.
Schools Students
527
242
293
390
17,675
60 BiEXXiAL Report of State Superintexdent
NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING VARIOUS SUBJECTS, 1943-44-Continued]
(From High School Principal's Annual Reports)
SUBJECTS
(Grades 9-12)
Other Courses, including Funda-mentals
of Machmes, Radio,
Senior Science, Aerona'utics,
Electricity
Health, including courses in First Aid,
Home Nursing, Safety, Driver
Education, etc
Physical Education.
Art
Music
Band, Orchestra
Glee Club, Chorus, Choir.
Vocal and Instrumental-..
Vocational
Agriculture I
j^gricult ure II
Agriculture III and IV
Home Economics I
Home Economics II
Home Economics III and IV
Industrial Arts, including Printing,
Mechanical Drawing
Vocational Shop, including Building
Trades, Sheet Metal
Diversified & Distributive Education
Business Education
General Business.
Typing I
Typing II
Business Arithmetic
Elementary Bookkeeping
Advanced Bookkeeping
Shorthand I
Shorthand II
Business English and Business Cor-respondence
Salesmanship
Business Law
Other Courses, including Banking,
Consumer Economics, Personal
Finances, Office Piactice, Secre-tai
ial Pi actice
White
NoKTii Caroi.ixa Public Schools 61
NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS T.XKING V.\RIOUS SUBJECTS,
(From High School Principal's Annual Reports)
HOW THE SCHOOLS OPERATE
ADMINISTRATION
STATE AGENCIES
State Board of Education. Under an amendment to the Constitution
voted in 19 42 and subsequent legislation enacted by the General Assemblj^
of 1943 the State Board of Education whose membership formerly con-sisted
of ex-officio constitutional officers and the four State agencies
provided for by law, the State Board for Vocational Education, the State
School Commission, the State Board of Commercial Education and the
State Textbook Commission, were consolidated into one new State Board
of Education as of April 1, 1943. This new Board has a membership of
15 persons consisting of the following: the Lieutenant Governor, the State
Treasurer, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and one member
appointed by the Governor from each of the 12 Congressional Districts.
In this Board is vested "the general supervision and administration of
the free public school system, and of the educational funds provided for
the support thereof." Furthermore, "The State Board of Education shall
succeed to all the powers and trusts of the President and Directors of the
Literary Fund of North Carolina and the State Board of Education as
heretofore constituted. The State Board of Education shall have power
to divide the State into a convenient number of school districts; to regu-late
the grade, salary and qualifications of teachers; to provide for the
selection and adoption of the textbooks to be used in the public schools;
to apportion and equalize the public school funds over the State; and
generally to supervise and administer the free public school system of
the State and make all needful rules and regulations in relation thereto.
All the powers enumerated in this section shall be exercised in conform-ity
with the Constitution and subject to such laws as may be enacted from
time to time by the General Assembly."
First appointments under the law were two years for members from odd
numbered Congressional Districts and four years for members from even
numbered Districts. Thereafter, all appointments shall be for four year
terms.
State Superintendent of Public In.struction. The Constitution provides
for a Superintendent of Public Instruction, who shall be elected for a term
of four years and whose duties shall be prescribed by law. The recent
amendment to the Constitution states that "The State Superintendent of
Public Instruction shall have general supervision of the public schools and
shall be secretary of the Board."
Among the duties of the State Superintendent enumerated by law are
the following:
"1. To look after the school interests of the State, and to report bien-nially
to the governor at least five days previous to each regular session
of the General Assembly.
"2. To direct the operations of the public schools and enforce the laws-and
regulations thereto.
NoKTii Cahoi.ina Priii.ic Schools 63
"3. To receive evidence as to unfitness or negligence of any superin-tendent
and wlien necessary to report it to the local school authorities for
action.
"4. To send each school officer a circular letter enumerating his duties
as described in the law.
"5. To correspond with leading educators in other states, to investigate
systems of public schools established in other states, and, as far as prac-ticable,
to render the result of educational effort and experiences available
for the information and aid of the legislature and the State Board of
Education.
"6. To acquaint himself with the peculiar educational wants of the
several sections of the State, and to take all proper means to supply such
wants, by counseling with local school authorities, by lectures before
teachers' institutes, and by addresses before public assemblies relating to
public schools and public school work.
"7. To go to any county when necessary for the due execution of the
]aw creating a permanent loan fund for the erection of public schoolhouses.
"8. To sign all requisitions on the auditor for the payment of money
out of the State treasury for school purposes.
"9. To have the school laws published in pamphlet form and distributed
on or before the first day of May of each year; to have printed and dis-tributed
such educational bulletins as he shall deem necessary for the
professional improvement of teachers and for the cultivation of public
sentiment for public education; and to have printed all forms necessary
and proper for the purposes of this chapter."
The Comptroller. The 194 2 amendment to the Constitution providing
for the new State Board of Education also provides that "There shall be
a comptroller appointed by the Board, subject to the approval of the Gov-ernor
as director of the Budget, who shall serve at the will of the Board,
and who, under the direction of the Board, shall have supervision and
management of the fiscal affairs of the Board."
Administrative Divisions. By direct authority of the law and by general
authority of the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent
in the supervision and administration of the law a number of divisions
liave been created on the State level to assist in the administration of the
public school system. These divisions are as follows:
Division of Finance. It is through this division that all the financial
affairs relating to the public schools are administered.
Division of Instructional Service. Through this division the inspection
and rating of schools and the improvement of the instructional program
of the schools are provided.
Division of Negro Education. As the name implies this division gives
special attention to problems of Negro education and race relations.
Division of Plant Operation. This division has to do with the object of
"Operation of Plant" in the State budget, and as such looks after the fuel
and janitorial needs of the schools.
^ Division of Professional Service. Through this division the rules and
regulations governing the certification of teachers are administered, and
relations between institutions of higher training are maintained.
64 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
Division of Publications and SupiJlies. This is a service division liaving
charge of editing, printing and distributing the various publications and
other printed material used by the State offices and the local units. This
division also serves as the purchasing agency for the State offices.
Division of ScJwolhouse Planning. This division is concerned with the
plans of new buildings and the location and erection of such buildings.
School-Health Coordinating Service. This division is jointly operated
by State health and school authorities, with financial assistance from the
Rockefeller Foundation. It is interested in better programs of health in
the public schools.
Division of Texthooks. This office has charge of the purchasing and
distribution of the free basal elementary textbooks and the administration
of the rental system of supplementary reading and high school books.
Division of Transportation. It is through this division that the school
bus transportation system of the State is administered.
Division of Vocatio7ml Education. The whole program of vocational
education, agriculture, home economics, trade and industrial, distributive
occupations, the civilian rehabilitation program, and occupational informa-tion
and guidance service, are administered through this division.
LOCAL AGENCIES
On the local level the public schools of North Carolina are administered
through 100 county units and 70 city units. In area the county unit cor-responds
to the political governmental unit except in the 51 counties in
which the 70 city units have been established.
The county board of education is the governing authority for the county
school units. These boards, usually consisting of from three to five mem-bers,
are nominated biennially in the party primaries, or conventions, and
appointed by an act of the General Assembly for terms of two, four, and
six years, the length varying in the several counties. "It is the duty of the
county board of education to provide an adequate school system for the
benefit of all children of the county, as directed by law."
The county superintendent of public instruction, who is elected by the
county board of education and approved by the State Board of Education
and State Superintendent of Public Instruction is the administrative officer
for the county school unit. He is appointed for a two-year term.
In city units the board of trustees is the governing authority. The exec-utive
officer for this board is the city superintendent, who also serves for
a two-year term under appointment by the board and subject to the
approval of the State Superintendent and the State Board.
The board of county commissioners, which is provided for by the Con-stitution,
approves that part of the school budget not included as a part of
the State budget and levies the taxes or otherwise provides the funds
therefor. The commissioners are elected for a term of two years.
Within city units the city commissioners, or other tax levying authori-ties,
levy the taxes voted in the city unit for school purposes, and for any
other purposes including debt service for which a vote of the people is not
required.
Within county units there is a local committee appointed by the county
board of education for each school district. It is the dutv of this commit-
North Cahoi.ixa Puhi.tc Schools 65
tee to select the teachers and principals subject to the ap])roval of the
county superintendent and the county board of education and to have
general custody and care of the school property in the district.
SCHOOL FUNDS
At the present time, by an act of the General Assembly of 1943, the cost
of operating the public elementary and secondary schools for a nine
months school term is assumed by the State. This total cost is ascertained
by the application of certain standards, including salary schedules, school
attendance, school size, and other budgetary information and in accordance
with definite expenditure classifications which are given below. The funds
thus appropriated from the General Fund of the State Treasury are for
current expense purposes only. The local units are responsible for capital
outlay and debt service obligations. The local units also provide any
necessary funds for current expense items which are not included in the
State budget, including funds voted to supplement State funds.
State funds are administered by the State Board of Education. The
local budgets must be approved by the State Board, but are administered
by the local authorities. The discussion and tables which follow indicate
the scope of the North Carolina school program in terms of expenditures.
1. State xlppropriatioiis.
The Standard Term. The appropriations for operating the schools since
1940 ai'e as follows:
Eight months school terra, 1940-41* $27,000,000
Eight months school term, 1941-42 28,158,324
Eight months school term, 1942-43 30,542,237
Nine months school term, 1943-44 37,712,874
In other words, as these figures show, there has been an increase of
more than ten million dollars in the State appropriation for operating the
regular school program within two bienniums. The appropriation for
1943-44, it will be noted, is for a nine months term. This amount includes
the appropriation of $650,000 for new busses, most of which was not ex-pended
during that fiscal year since busses could not be obtained.
Vocational Education. The State appropriations for vocational educa-tion
is separate from the standard term appropriation. In the past two
bienniums these appropriations were as follows:
1940-41 $350,000
1941-42 600,000
1942-43 710,000
1943-44 919,055
These appropriations included the costs of State administration.
Textbooks. The State appropriation for the purchase of free textbooks
was $200,000 annually for the four years. This annual appropriation is
made to supplement the funds available for this purpose from other
sources. (See the section on textbooks, page 85 for a full treatment of
this subject.)
*Adniinistri\tive costs of State School Commis.sion inchuled this year.
66 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
2. Expenditures.
The State Board of Education (and prior to 1943-1944 the State School
Commission) divided the appropriation for the operation of the public
schools for the standard term into five objects of expenditure: General
Control, Instructional Service, Operation of Plant, Fixed Charges, and
Auxiliary Agencies.
General Control. This object includes the salaries of superintendents,
travel of superintendents, salaries of clerical assistants, office expense,
and the per diem for the county board of education. From State funds
the total expenditures for this object for recent years have been as follows:
1940-41 $ 693.612.34
1941-42 719,757.50
1942-43 787,259.18
1943-44 1,017,774.77
Instructional Service. The largest proportion, 84.7%, of the State appro-priation
is expended for the object of instructional service, which includes
the salaries paid all teachers and principals and instructional supplies.
These funds are allotted to the counties on the basis of the number of
teachers permitted under the rules of the State Board and in accordance
with the State Standard Salary Schedule.
For recent years the total instructional service expenditures were as
follows:
1940-41 $22,347,750.44
1941-42 23,417,864.64
1942-43 25,785,474.97
1943-44 31,428,462.25
Operation of Plant. The expenditures for this object include janitor's
wages, fuel costs and amounts for water, light and power, janitorial sup-plies,
and telephone service. The total annual expense from State funds
for this object in recent years has been as follows:
1940-41 $1,308,334.73
1941-42 1,450,997.87
1942-43 1,582,306.48
1943-44 1,890,016.67
Fixed Charges. This object is not included as one of the objects of ex-penditure
for which the State Board determines the costs of the operation
of the public schools in section 115-356 of the General Statutes of North
Carolina. In a subsequent section, however, it is provided that the pro-visions
of the Workman's Compensation Act shall be applicable to all
school employees, and that the Board shall make such arrangements as
are necessary to carry out the provisions of that Act as it applies to em-ployees
paid from State school funds.
The law also provides for compensation in the case of injuries or death
of children when riding on school busses, and authorizes the State Board
to set up in the operatng budget for the public schools a sum of money
sufficient to pay such claims.
In both of these instances the State Board acts as a self-insurer. The
amounts paid out for recent years for these purposes have been as follows:
North Carolina Puiu.ic Schools 67
ComiK'iisation For Injured
School Employees ('liikireii Total
1940-41 $8,890.92 $5,124.49 $14,015.41
1941-42 6,997.12 3,685.55 10,682.67
1942-43 6,225.37 5,990.10 12.215.47
1943-44 8,497.58 4,138.45 12,636.03
These figures represent the total paid from State funds for Fixed
Charges. Naturally, they vary from year to year depending upon the need.
Auxiliary Agencies. Except for libraries all the State money expended
for this object Is for school transportation. In amount this object ranks
next to that of instructional service, 7.0 9 per cent of the total budget from
State funds in 1943-44 having been spent for that purpose. The balance
is spent for library upkeep and replacements. For these two items the
expenditures for recent years have been as follows:
Year Transportation Libraries Total
1940-41 $2,490,494.46 $ 48,017.53 $2,538,511.99
1941-42 2,190,823.12 52,499.63 2,243,322.75
1942-43 2,203,196.44 71,906.63 2.275,103.07
1943-44 2.449,831.98 120,026.99 2,619.858.97
3. Audit Suiiiiiiaries.
The following tables show audit summaries of the State appropriations
for the support of the standard school term for 1942-43 and 1943-44. The
first two are statements as to the disposition of available State funds for
the current operation of the public schools, whereas the third shows the
expenditures by objects and items from both State and local funds.
68 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
North Carolina Public Schools 69
STATE NINE MONTHS SCHOOL FUND, 1043-1944
STATEMENT OF DISPOSITION OF AVAILABLE FUNDS
I. Available Funds
Appropriations:
By SL 1943, Ch. 530, IX-1 $33,608,029.00
By SL 1943, Ch. 256, Sec. 3K' 3,454.845.00 137,062
By SL 1943, Ch. 530, IX-6-
4.00
650,000.00 $37
Receipts:
Unused Unit Cash Balances
Refunded as of June 30, 1943.
Bus Equipment Salvage
Insurance Recoveries
34,551.28
33.02
4,738.09
'12,874.00
39,322.39
Total .\vailable Funds.
C. Unallotted June 30, 1943:
Bus Equipment
Insurance
21,927.47
117.22
$37,752,196.39
22,044.69
Total .\vailable Funds and Unallotted Equipment
II. Disposition of Funds
\. Support of Public Schools:
Certification to School Units $37 , 006 , 723 . 1
1
$37,774,241.08
Cash Balances of Units June 30
70 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURES STATE EIGHT MONTHS SCHOOL FUND
1942-1043
Classification by Objects and Items White Negro Total
A. State Aid Paid Out by Units:
61. General Control:
611 Salary: Superintendents $ 510,499.03 S S 510,499.03
612. Travel: Superintendents 41,324.08 41,321.08
613. Salary: Clerical .'Assistants 175,892.74 175,892.74
614. Office Expense 49,624.83 49,624.83
615. County Boards of Education 9,918.50 9,918.50
Total General Control St 787,259.18 S $ 787,259.18
62. Instriictional Service:
621. Salaries: Elementary Teachers $12,363,564.38 $5,285,483.74 $17,649,048.12
622. Salaries: High School Teachers 4,669,589.45 1,105,851.37 5,775,440.82
623. Salaries:
1 Elementary Principals 515,190.00 124,476.00 639,666.00
2. High School Principals 1,316,636.00 283.153.33 1,599,789.33
Sub-Total Salaries $18,864,979.83 $6,798,964.44 $25,663,944.27
624. Instructional Supplies 98,762.78 22.767:92 121,530.70
Total Instructional Service $18,963,742.61 $6,821,732.36 $25,785,474.97
63. Operation op Plant:
631. Wages: Janitors « 592,467.49 $ 82.608.22 $ 675.075.71
632. Fuel 566,535.47 116,785.91 683,321.38
633' Water, Light, Power 126,210.99 18,485.05 144,696.04
634. Janitors' Supplies 51,486.74 12,824.66 64,311.40
635. Telephones 13,691.35 1,210.60 14,901.95
Total Operation of Plant $1,350,392.04 $ 231,914.44 $1,5S2„305.4
65. Fixed Charges:
653. Compensation: School Employees $ 5,576.37 $ 649.00 $ 6,225.37
654. Reimbursement: Injuries Pupils 3,866.65 2,123.25 5.990.10
Total Fixed Charges $ 9,443.22 $ 2,772.25 $ 12,215.47
66. Auxiliary Agencies:
661. Transportation:
1-5. Operation $1,785,969.02 S 250,134.11 $2,036,103.13
6. Major Replacements 139,092.01 4,206.30 143,298.31
7. Principals' Bus Travel 20,517.50 3.277.50 23,795.00
Total Transportation $1,945,578.53 $ 257,617.91 $2,203,196.44
662. School Libraries 59,790.71 12,115.92 71.906.63
Total -Auxiliary Agencies $2,005,369.24 $ 269,733.83 $2,275,103.07
Total Paid Out by
.Administrative Units $23,116,206.29 $7,326,152.88 $30,442,359.17
State Aid Paid Direct:
Surety Bond Premium * 850.00
Workmen's Compensation Tax ' '^"•""
Grand Total-State Aid ^30 , 443 , 959 . 1
7
, Study of Twelve Year Program 14,381.36
Total Expense *30 , 458 . 340 . 53
Note: In addition, the State deposited in the Administrative unit accounts $34,551.28 which was unused
and was refunded to State in 1943-44. Unallotted transportation equipment expenditures at June 30, 1943,
$22,044.69.
North C.^koi.ixa Public Schools 71
72 Biennial Report of State Superintendent
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