STATE LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS FOR VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION.

The Federal act provides for cooperation between the Federal Government and the several States individually only through the acceptance of the Federal act by the State legislature.

The Federal law was enacted at a time when most of the State legislatures were in session. Thirty-nine of the States passed formal acts of acceptance in 1917; the remaining nine States accepted through their governors, the governors' acceptance being valid until 60 days after the beginning of the next session of the legislature. Through legislative enactment or the governor's action every State in the Union was qualified to participate in the benefits of the Federal funds for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1918. Of the nine States where the act was accepted by the governor, four had sessions of the State legislature in 1918, and in that session formally accepted the act. The remaining five passed enabling legislation at the 1919 session. At the close of the fiscal year 1918-19 every State of the Union had, through a formal act of the legislature, accepted all of the provisions of the Federal vocational education act.

The Federal law provides that State legislation shall specifically cover three points:

(1) The acceptance of the provisions of the Federal act.

(2) The creation or designation of a State board to administer the act.

(3) The appointment of the State treasurer as custodian of Federal funds.

These three points are now covered by the legislation in each of the States.

It is evident that State legislation covering only these three points would not place the State in the position of being able actively to cooperate with the Federal Board in the promotion of vocational education within the State except in so far as the funds available from the Federal Government could be matched dollar for dollar by funds raised in local communities or by funds otherwise appropriated by the State. Since the Federal Board for Vocational Education deals with the board created or designated by a State law, State provision for administration is absolutely necessary. Usually State funds did not exist which could be legally expended for the promotion of vocational education by the State board or its officials. Again, if vocational education is to be promoted within a State, State subsidies supplementing Federal moneys make it possible for the State to meet the vocational education needs of a State more completely than they can be met by requiring the Federal money to be matched by local money.

In many of the States the act of acceptance became what may be called the basic State vocational education act. The early experience of the State in the administration of vocational education made evident the necessity for State legislation which would provide adequate State funds and define the duties and powers of the State board for vocational education. Since the vocational work provided for in the Federal act is not always authorized by State legislation, some States have provided in the vocational act to give express power to local boards of education to organize vocational schools. The question of the certification of teachers also needed attention in many of the States in order that the State board for vocational education might have express legal authority to fix the qualifications of teachers of vocational subjects. Teacher training for teachers of agriculture, trades, and industries, and home economics must be conducted by the States subsequent to the fiscal year 1919-20, if the States are to continue to receive the benefits of the Federal act, and such teacher training must be under the direction and supervision of the State board for vocational education. In order that there might be no misunderstanding concerning this authority, many of the State legislatures passed acts specifically designating the State board for vocational education to have control of all vocational teacher-training work. For these and other reasons many of the States, at the 1919 session of the legislature, passed acts revising, supplementing, or amending the original act of acceptance, and in most instances providing additional State funds for vocational education.

The table on page 15 shows the date of legislative acceptance of the Federal act, the allotment from Federal funds for 1919-20, and the amount of State appropriation for vocational education for the year 1919-20. An examination of this table will show that 35 of the States have, for the fiscal year 1919-20, State funds equal to or greater than the maximum allotment from Federal funds.

The legislatures of 43 of the 48 States met in regular session in 1919. Of these 31 passed vocational legislation of importance other than such appropriation acts as would provide increased funds; 25 of these States passed legislation amending, reenacting, or extending a previous act of acceptance, or accepting the act for the first time. The new acts of acceptance and the revisions of the old acts generally provide for a complete definition of the powers of the State board for vocational education, provide for the establishment and maintenance of vocational schools by districts, and usually include provisions for increased appropriations.

INCREASED STATE APPROPRIATIONS.

In 40 of the 43 States meeting in 1919 provisions were made for appropriations for the promotion of vocational education in excess of those provided by previous sessions of the legislature. These

State funds in some cases are raised specifically to match the Federal funds; in other cases funds are available from previous State laws for the promotion of vocational education, and in three cases a mill tax is provided giving a permanent State fund for vocational education.

In order that the Federal act may accomplish its maximum purpose, each State should have upon its statute books laws which make the State a responsible partner with the Federal Government. This would include financial provision for the administration of vocational education and for reimbursement to schools. Federal aid is extended to the States as a stimulation to a program of vocational education in each State. The conditions on which the allotments are made recognize vocational education as a function of the State. In order then that each community within the State may have equal opportunity with every other community the State funds appropriated for vocational education should be sufficient to provide reimbursement to any and all communities meeting the standard set up by the State and desiring to receive such reimbursement. While few of the States hav; yet passed legislation covering all desirable points, progress made thus far indicates that additional constructive legis. lation will be passed at succeeding sessions of the State legislatures. State acts of acceptance and funds provided by States.

1 State funds in excess of Federal funds.

Fe leral act accepted by governor in 1917, acceptance effective until next regular session of legislature,

Special mill tax creates vocational fund.

⚫ State appropriations for special schools.

State acts of acceptance and funds provided by States Continued.

1 Federal act accepted by governor in 1917, acceptance effective until next regular session of legislature. 2 State appropriations for special schools.

Biennial appropriation.

ADMINISTRATION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION BY THE STATES.

As State funds have become available for administration of vocational education, there has been an increase in the number of trained supervisors and directors employed by the State boards.

During the year 1917-18 the State directors and supervisors numbered 139, for the services of 54 of whom reimbursement was made in part from Federal funds. During the year 1918-19 the State directors and supervisors numbered 182, for the services of 105 of whom reimbursement was made in part from Federal funds. Whether it conducts schools and classes directly or in cooperation with local communities, the State board for vocational education is responsible for seeing that the conditions for instruction are adequate and that the instruction given is satisfactory. The minimum provision that a State board can make for discharging this responsibility is some means of inspection. This includes visitation of the schools or classes by a duly qualified inspector and the examination by him of reports from such schools and classes.

This bare provision, however, is not sufficient if in those schools which are already established the State board is to further discharge the responsibility for the promotion of vocational education. Such promotion includes the improvement of the instruction. This improvement consists very largely in working with the instructors already in service. The schools and classes are widely scattered throughout the State. They are in operation the greater part of the year. There are two ways in which this improvement work is done. First, by calling the teachers together at some central point and there giving

them instruction; second, by sending assistance to the teachers while they are at work. If this sending of assistance takes the form of sending an individual usually called a supervisor who works with the individual teacher, assisting that teacher to improve, the term usually applied to such work is improvement of teachers in service. In the sense that a person who is doing this improvement work travels from one teacher to another or from one school to another, this is termed a phase of itinerant teacher-training.

The supervision of schools includes, then, inspection and improvement of teachers in service. These are responsibilities which under the provisions of the act belong to the State board for vocational education and can not be delegated by it to any other organization or institution.

During the first year of the operation of the vocational education act many of the State boards were of necessity compelled either to use persons already in the employ of the State board and engaged in other work than vocational activities for bare inspection of the work or to borrow supervisors from State institutions. With the provision of funds by the States for administration of vocational education, however, State boards for vocational education have equipped themselves with trained supervisors. This has put the State board in a position not only to adequately supervise work already underway but to promote vocational education in the State by making a study of the opportunities for vocational education in that State and working with local communities to meet the vocational needs.

EFFECT OF THE WAR ON VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.

In common with all the institutions of society, vocational education has been affected by the war. A sufficient period has elapsed since its close to warrant some conclusions with reference to the changes brought to pass in vocational education. These naturally group themselves under two heads; first, the effect upon the promotion and organization of the work during the war itself and, second, the permanent changes made in the philosophy and practices.

war,

In common with all governmental agencies the Federal Board from the time of its organization three months after the declaration of turned its attention to direct help. The activities of the board in assisting in the organization of vocational schools and classes to train conscripted men for Army occupations was fully discussed in the second annual report. Practically every vocational school in the country, both public and private, made every endeavor to cooperate with the Government in changing its courses of study to meet the the immediate need. Statistics showing the number of men who received training will be found in another part of this report.