SECTION II.

ADMINISTRATION.

The object of the inquiries covered in this section was to assemble data showing how part-time schools are being administered, who is ultimately and who is directly responsible for organization and administration of the work, and how these authorities are carrying out their responsibilities.

THE EXECUTIVE STAFF.

Who heads the part-time educational system; who directs part-time education; who supervises part-time education? Have any of the above officers authority over the character of the outside work or employment?

TABLE XXI.-GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION HEAD OF PART-TIME EDUCATION.

WHO HAS ACTIVE SUPERVISION OF PART-TIME SCHOOLS ?

22

100

71

21

95

21

100

16

5

76

24

In all but 1 of the 22 places visited the superintendent of schools is ultimately responsible for the part-time work. In one city the

responsibility is placed upon a representative board independent of the regular board of education.

In 16 cases the superintendent of schools himself acted for the board of education, but in 5 places the superintendent was represented by some intermediary officer, such as an associate superintendent of schools, or a director of vocational education for the city. The direct administration of part-time education was the duty of the superintendent of schools in only one instance, but was a part of the regular duties of an associate superintendent of schools in 2 places. In 4 cities the director of vocational education or the supervisor of industrial education acted as chief executive officer for part-time work, but in all the remaining places some special representative of the part-time staff was chief directing agent of the work.

In 10 places there were employed directors of part-time education or supervisors of continuation schools, and in other places the principal of the part-time high school, the principal of the part-time school, the supervisor of manual training, and, in one instance, a director of part-time education, assisted by a woman supervisor for part-time work, were the officers held directly responsible for its

success.

SUPERVISION.

Supervision of the classes in part-time education was nowhere assumed by the superintendent of schools. In a number of instances the director of vocational education was the only supervisor furnished for part-time work, and in nearly all instances where a special director for part-time education was employed this director acted, with or without assistants, as a general supervisor.

TABLE XXII.-WHO SUPERVISES CLASSWORK.

One place only admitted having no supervision and 7 left the supervision more or less in the hands of the part-time school principal.

In many cases, however, this principal was provided with considerable assistance. In one city he is assisted by the supervisor of home economics and commercial work from the city system.

In one other place the principal of each continuation school is assisted by all the regular high-school supervisors for the special courses taught.

In still another place the principal supervises only the work for boys, the work for girls being supervised by the head teacher, assisted by the home economics supervisor of the city.

Again, the principal of the part-time school and the principal of the commercial high school provide supervision between them, while in still other places the director of vocational education and the principal of the part-time schools are both concerned in the work of supervision. Specially hired supervisors are also not infrequent. One city has three trained supervisors, two men and one woman, reporting directly to the associate city superintendent. In another city the director is assisted by two coordinators, who combine the work of supervising and coordinating at the same time.

Special supervisors are hired in the one city where the work is done under a representative board, and in another place the director of part-time education, the vocational counselor, and a special woman supervisor all devote their attention to this part of the work.

In two instances members of the office force assist in supervisionin one, an executive secretary assists the director of part-time education in supervisory work, and in the other a placement secretary is engaged with two special supervisors in guiding the work of the teachers.

In but few instances have any of these officers any control whatever over the outside occupation of pupil.

TABLE XXIII.-AUTHORITY TO CHANGE PUPILS' EMPLOYMENT.

Eighteen communities reported that school authorities had no power whatever to criticize or change the occupations in which their pupils were employed. Four reported having some measure of influence over this phase of the child's education. In 2 of the 18 places power rested with the board of labor industries; in 1 with the State factory inspectors, and in the other 15 instances the school authorities were unable to state specifically whether or not any agency had suffi

cient authority to remove a pupil from a position because of its undesirability.

In one case if the work was not satisfactory the superintendent or director of vocational education could discontinue the class but could not remove the pupils from the occupation. In another instance the State industrial commission and the city inspector of factories had direct authority, but the part-time school was asserting a powerful influence by cooperating with the employment manager's council of the chamber of commerce.

In only one city was it possible for the department of education, through the issuing of work permits, to safeguard the occupation of the pupil by refusing to issue a permit for an undesirable occupation, each case being judged on its individual merits.

In summing up, it may be said that the consensus of opinion in this country is that responsibility for part-time education should be placed in the hands of the superintendent of schools, but that a specially trained officer acting under him should be provided to care for the direct administration of the work. It may be added further that, although in many cases the necessity for careful supervision has been considered, there are still far too many instances where the parttime executive officer is expected, with or without the assistance of a principal, to handle all the supervision of the school. It is evident also that as yet-either in consequence of the domination of existing agencies, or in view of the difficulties attendant upon putting into operation a new system of education, or simply from lack of appreciation of the importance of the matter-no considerable attention has been given throughout the country to influencing the character of the outside work or employment of the pupil.

Four principal sources of influence in the education of youth may be specified-the home, the social activities of leisure hours, the school, and the employment. The last of these should in all instances be controlled by some State authority. Preferably this control, under safeguard, should be placed in the hands of the same authorities who provide part-time schooling. These authorities should exercise their control either through control of the issuance of work certificates or through inspection by coordinators and supervisors. Wherever it is placed in the hands of some other State authority it is desirable that the schoolmen be thoroughly familiar with the working of the department which exercises the control, with the personnel of that department, and with its rules and regulations, and, further, it is desirable that schoolmen exert every effort to develop a cooperative basis of activity whereby they may influence the character of the employment.

Have supervisors special training for part-time work?

Twenty-two of the places visited made reports on the qualifications of the person or persons supervising the work.

TABLE XXIV.-TRAINING REQUIRED OF SUPERVISORS OF PARTTIME CLASSES.

Eleven places reported that the supervisor had no special training or experience for the work he was doing. One city reported that part of the supervisors were trained and part of them were untrained. Four communities who answered "yes" specified training based on experience in some line of vocational work previous to entering the part-time service, such as, for instance, experience as supervisor of grade manual training or as teacher of junior high-school industrial work, while one supervisor had had experience in part-time teaching in another State.

In 5 cases only out of the 22 had the supervisor taken any special courses of instruction or special training dealing directly with parttime pupils. Two of these supervisors had taken summer courses, and the other three residence courses at universities.

Special attention should be called here to the fact that the average part-time teacher has been but slightly prepared for the work, and that therefore the necessity for expert supervision is very great. The character of part-time pupils varies from one type of school to another. In general part-time school problems are specifically so different from the problems of the all-day school-whether academic, vocational, manual training, or commercial-that it is inadvisable to depend wholly upon experience in these other lines of work, although that experience may have great value as an aid to interpreting the problems of the part-time school. Short intensive courses of training covering 6 to 10 weeks should be offered and should be required, preferably before employment as part-time supervisor, but if not before then certainly during the first year of such employment. These courses should be given by an instructor of actual experience in the work and should cover such points as types of courses offered, method of securing subject matter for these courses, sources of such