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izing instruction in civics in city, town, and country schools. For this purpose he spent fully half the time from October 1 to May 1 in that State. This gave him an opportunity for investigation as to needs and opportunities for such instruction and for experiments in adapting instruction to local conditions, for many conferences with teachers, and for frequent demonstrations of methods of teaching.

For the purpose of making a definite beginning in the work of adapting general processes to local conditions and of developing centers for observation and for the preparation of teachers a few typical places were chosen. This work was begun in the schools of Wilmington and extended to Newark, New Castle, and Yorklyn, in New Castle County; Harrington, in Kent County; and Seaford and Georgetown, in Sussex County. In each of these places it was attempted to work out effective courses in community civics, and the results were satisfactory in all except two. At one of these two the work was begun very late in the school year, and in the other the teacher had to give up the work because of ill health.

In Wilmington a course in community civics was introduced in all eighth grade classes and in the classes of the first year of the high school. In the high school the civics course takes into consideration the vocational interests of the boys and girls. In this study of the vocational interests of the children every pupil in the first year of the high school was examined. Steps were taken for the reorganization and vitalization of other social studies in the elementary and secondary schools of Wilmington, and their coordination with instruction in civics.

The assistance given by the bureau's specialist consisted in:

1. Outlining the general character of the work.

2. Preparing a syllabus for the teachers, suggesting methods of work, source materials, and how to adapt the work to local conditions and needs.

3. Direct help to the teachers by class visitation, conferences, and demonstration lessons.

4. Setting agencies at work to gather and organize materials appropriate for teachers and pupils' use.

5. Meetings with parent-teacher organizations and other bodies of adults to explain what was being attempted and to solicit cooperation between the school and the community in behalf of effective civic education.

Through this cooperation of the bureau the State has become to some extent a laboratory for the study of problems of general interest. One such problem is that of the extent to which there should be a differentiation between the civics instruction given in cities and that given in rural districts and small towns, and the methods by which civics instruction in rural communities may be tied up to the life interests and community experience of the country boy and girl. Courses of study and textbooks have as a rule been prepared from the standpoint of the urban school, and have been transplanted

bodily to rural schools. A change is taking place in this respect. But it is particularly true of community civics, which deals with the actual community relations of the pupil, that to be effective it must be organized around the actual interests and experience of the pupil, and must meet the particular needs of the communities of which the pupils are members. How to make the adjustment of civic education to the needs of both urban and rural communities, as well as to the particular needs of the entire State, has been one of the chief points of attention in the work in Delaware.

Another problem which the Delaware cooperation has helped solve, to some extent at least, is that of starting work of this kind in schools in which the teachers have had little or no preparation for the work. The Delaware experiment seems to warrant the following conclusions:

1. Even where the great body of teachers have had a minimum of academic and professional training there may be found, here and there, individual teachers of marked teaching ability, who also have, or may readily acquire, the social viewpoint indispensable for effective work in the field of civic education.

2. A considerable number of other teachers can be found who, while lacking the exceptional qualifications of the group just referred to, can be successfully trained to the work in the course of a year or two while continuing in active service.

3. The exceptional teachers of the first group should be given very special attention in order that this class may attain to the character of "model," or "type," or "demonstration" classes in their several localities. These exceptional teachers should also be utilized to the fullest extent possible in the training of the next group of teachers. They should become leaders in institutes and local group conferences devoted to the discussion of civics work. 4. Special attention should be given to the subject in teachers' institutes and local conferences for the purpose of developing a general appreciation of the value of this kind of instruction.

5. Schools for the training of teachers should give more attention to methods o instruction in civics than they now do.

6. For the largest measure of success in this work instruction in a State or large city should be placed under the direction of a trained supervisor.

The specialist in civic education has assisted by correspondence and by personal visitations and conferences in the organization and reorganization of courses in civics in a number of cities, towns, and States, has continued his cooperation with the committee on social studies appointed by the National Education Association Commission on Reorganization of Secondary Education, and has acted as secretary of the committee, assisting in its investigations and in preparing its report for publication as a bulletin of this bureau. The report embodies a comprehensive and analytical discussion of the subject matter and methods of instruction for the entire range of social studies in the secondary period (grades VII-XII).

IMMIGRANT EDUCATION.

Interest in the better preparation of immigrants for American life and citizenship is rapidly increasing. The work of this division has been much enlarged and extended during the year. About the time of the opening of the schools last fall the division began the distribution of an "America first" poster printed in English and seven foreign languages, inviting foreigners to learn English by attending night schools, and to write to this bureau if there was no night school for them in their city or town. This poster was sent to all city and county superintendents of schools, to the principal post offices, industrial establishments, educational periodicals and magazines, and to organizations and individuals interested in this subject. More than 150,000 were distributed.

After the distribution of the poster many letters from superintendents, principals, teachers, private organizations, industrial plants, and individuals were received, asking for suggestions in organizing and conducting classes, for suitable subject matter and methods of instruction, textbooks, and the like, to such an extent that the "America first" campaign formed the basis for the work of the entire year.

Petitions, signed by large numbers of foreigners, for the establishment of evening school facilities have been received and referred to the respective school officials. The bureau has been successful in several instances in having these requests granted.

During the year a questionnaire on immigrant education was sent out in three parts. Part I covers organization and administration, maintenance, supervision, teachers, teachers' institutes, special training classes, terms and sessions, publicity and cooperation, classification of pupils, number of schools, classes, teachers, attendance, nationalities, civics classes, and special features. Part II deals with special information, subject matter of instruction, and method of instruction, while Part III deals with the education of immigrant children. The information collected in Part I has been organized into a bulletin on "public facilities for educating the alien" and is now in the hands of the printer.

A follow-up letter was sent to the industrial establishments requesting additional posters and asking for a statement of the educational, safety-first training, and welfare work for the benefit of their non-English-speaking employees. From the data thus obtained a report on this subject has been prepared.

A survey of Wilmington, Del., was made by this division with a view to having night schools for foreigners established. The board of education was unable to assume the expense of such classes, but

an Americanization committee was organized, money appropriated, and classes opened on January 3, 1916.

Ten circular letters have been prepared and distributed. Copies of a professional training course for service among immigrants, prepared by this division, were sent to 155 colleges and universities making the request for them, 34 of which expressed deep interest and the possibility of adopting the course in whole or in part. This course is now being revised on a basis of 15 lectures given at Yale University by the chief of the division during the past semester, and a bibliography to accompany this revision is in preparation. At the suggestion of the bureau a course of eight lectures on immigration and Americanization was given in the Catholic University of America, and three of the lectures were given by the specialists in this division.

Seven articles on various phases of the subject of the education of immigrants have been prepared for associations, papers, and magazines. The division has prepared a list of textbooks for foreigners learning English.

Approximately 75 charts, diagrams, and photographs in regard to inability to speak English, total illiteracy, school attendance, and factory classes, have been prepared and displayed at various national and local conferences, and a set of 75 lantern slides has been prepared, showing sample letters from immigrants, diagrams, and statistics. Other charts and diagrams have been prepared, showing the character of immigration to the United States from 1820 to 1915, and other matter pertaining to immigration and education. The division is now preparing, at the request of superintendents of schools and private organizations, a syllabus on civics teaching for immigrants.

The division has cooperated with many organizations interested in this subject by formulating programs and sending printed matter, by correspondence and personal interviews. Among these are the California Commission of Immigration and Housing, Erie County Civic Education Association, National Americanization Committee, United States Chamber of Commerce, National Safety Council, National Education Association, New York State Teachers' Association, American Library Association, Council of Jewish Women, Civic Club of Allegheny County, Daughters of the American Revolution, Federation of Women's Clubs, League of Library Commissions, Polish National Alliance, Sons of the American Revolution, Washington State Teachers' Association, and other civic, patriotic, and religious organizations.

A conference committee on safety education of the National Safety Council and the Bureau of Education has been organized and has held four meetings, at which plans were discussed for the introduc

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tion of safety instruction in the public schools and other educational institutions, especially the evening and night schools for foreigners. The chief of the division is chairman of this committee. More than 50 addresses have been made and conferences have been attended in 18 cities in the States of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

The correspondence of the division for the year includes 6,037 letters received and 6,399 letters sent out.

Work has been begun on a schedule of standards and methods in the education of immigrants, covering legislation, organization, administration, and instruction.

KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION.

The division of kindergarten education, maintained through the cooperation of the National Kindergarten Association and the International Kindergarten Union and having offices both at Washington and New York City, through the addition of a statistician and a writer for the press has been able to extend and intensify its work. The work of the division includes statistics of kindergartens and kindergarten work, the promotion of kindergarten legislation and the establishment of new kindergarten schools, and constructive studies of the problems of kindergarten theory and practice.

Bulletins prepared last year have been distributed and manuscripts have been prepared for new bulletins on the following subjects: Kindergarten buildings and equipment; Problems of kindergarten supervision; An annotated list of 100 books on the education. of young children; and The extending and improving of kindergartens through legislation.

A study has been made of open-air kindergartens and out-door kindergarten work. To the office comes evidence that schools for the training of kindergartners are making sincere efforts to bring their work into conformity with the standard set by the bureau's bulletin on kindergarten training schools.

The annual statistical survey made by this division shows that there are now in the United States approximately 10,000 kindergarten schools, with an enrollment of nearly 500,000 children. The number of children reported for this year is 20,932 more than for the previous year. An investigation as to the cause of the discontinuance of kindergarten schools in many places shows the need of bringing to the people of all communities in which kindergartens are established for the first time information as to the purpose and value of the kindergarten and as to its place in the education of the child.

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