UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1941 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 20 cents 739423 IV AS SET FORTH IN THE LAW ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION its Purpose is to PROMOTE THE CAUSE The various methods used by the THE Foreword HE SECURITY of a democratic State rests upon a soundly educated, liberty-loving people. Since the founding of our free public school system the realization has steadily grown that citizens who are to participate in a republican form of government must be enlightened. During that period there has been a remarkable development in public and private educational facilities, enrollments and other quantitative aspects of education. More recently the qualitative improvement of education in terms of curriculum and teaching personnel has been a marked feature of educational progress. The United States Office of Education was established 73 years ago. Its broad and basic function is to promote the cause of education in the country. In seeking to achieve this purpose, the Office necessarily works regularly and officially with and through State departments of education, institutions of higher learning, and local school systems. In general, its methods involve (1) cooperative relationships with State educational systems and agencies, especially through grants in aid of various forms of vocational education and for the operation of land-grant colleges and universities, (2) research and the dissemination of its findings, (3) leadership and clearing-house functions concerning education in general performed through National and State conferences, educational planning, publications and public addresses, and (4) experimentation and demonstrations to discover more effective educational policies and practices. This report for the year ending June 30, 1940, summarizes many activities of the Office of Education and reflects progress made in studying educational problems and meeting educational needs. The various chapters presented herewith are based upon reports prepared by appropriate administrative officials covering the activities of their respective divisions and services. Prior to 1933 the annual reports of the United States Commissioners of Education were published as separate bulletins; from 1933 to 1939 they are available only as a part of the annual report of the Secretary of the Interior. This report covers the first complete year that the Office has functioned as a part of the Federal Security Agency to which it was transferred July 1, 1939. It is hoped that the resumption of separate publication of the report will serve to make it more conveniently available and of greater usefulness to all persons interested in education. John W. Studebaker Commissioner. |