of 56 students during the past year, as compared with an enrollment of 48 for the previous year. The practice teaching work has been given in the high schools, where students have had charge of a portion of the regular trade and industrial work given in the evening. WEST VIRGINIA. Members of State board: M. P. Shawkey, State superintendent of schools; George S. Laidley, city superintendent; E. W. Ogleboy, farmer and manufacturer; W. C. Cook, county superintendent; L. W. Burns, city superintendent; H. M. Gove, business man; T. N. Syeafoose, lawyer. Executive officer: J. F. Marsh, State director of vocational education, Charleston. State supervisor of trade and industries: B. F. Leland. State supervisor of agriculture: C. H. Winkler; assistants, R. C. State supervisor of home economics: Rachel H. Colwell. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. Provisions for supervising agricultural education in the State continued practically as it was for the previous year. The supervisor, with his assistants, made 64 visits to vocational departments and held one State and five group conferences with teachers. A vocational department of agriculture was organized in Morgantown high school as a center for practice teaching. Two bulletins have been published during the year, besides a monthly news letter. Thirty-four schools, an increase of approximately 36 per cent over last year, were approved for Federal aid and enrolled 650 pupils in vocational work. The total income from directed or supervised practice in agriculture in 1918-19 was $1,137.40. The teacher-training department at the University of West Virginia enrolled 20 students. A six weeks' summer school was held, with an enrollment of 14. HOME ECONOMICS EDUCATION. In 1919-20 a member of the faculty of the University of West Virginia was loaned on part time to the State vocational board for supervision of work in home economics education. In 1920-21 this policy will be continued, but provision made for more time to be spent in the field. In 1919-20 two all-day departments in home economics were approved and five evening centers, with a total enrollment of 207. Night classes for factory girls at Wheeling were very successful in reaching the individual girls. The University of West Virginia, Morgantown, is designated for the training of teachers in home economics, and for 1920-21 West Virginia Institute has also been designated as a teacher-training institution for Negroes. TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION. Evening schools were approved this year in five cities of the State. No part-time work or full-time day trade schools were organized. WISCONSIN. Members of State board: E. W. Schultz, manufacturer; R. S. Cooper, manufacturer; E. J. Kearney, manufacturer; George F. Comings, farmer; Miles L. Hineman, farmer; F. W. Ploetz, farmer: J. H. McQuaid, employee; Oliver Ellsworth, employee; A. W. MeTaggart, employee; C. P. Cary, State superintendent of public instruction, ex officio; Thomas F. Konop, member of State industrial commission, ex officio. Executive officer: John Callahan, Madison. State director of vocational education: John Callahan, Madison. State supervisor of vocational agricultural education: G. W. Gebrand. State supervisors of trade and industrial education: W. F. Faulkes, E. E. Gunn, jr., A. R. Graham. State supervisor of vocational home economics education: Margaret Johnson. PROVISIONS FOR COOPERATION. The Federal act was accepted by State statute in 1917. The State board of vocational education was designated by the act of acceptance as the State board for vocational education. By legislation enacted prior to the Federal act State funds are available for the support of schools and classes entitled to receive Federal moneys. This appropriation, as fixed at the last session of the legislature, is $255,000 per year. Of this amount $30,000 is for office administration and supervision, $185,000 for State aid to vocational schools, $25,000 for part-time instruction in agriculture, and $15,000 for university and other scholarships, as the State board may direct. Wisconsin has had a compulsory part-time school law since 1911. This act has been amended at various times by the State legislature. At present all children between 14 and 17 years of age not attending the regular schools are required to attend vocational schools for not less than eight hours per week for at least eight months a year. The statutes also provide for the compulsory attendance of indentured appren tices for the first two years of their apprenticeship. During the ear 1919-20 the number of cities having vocational schools increased from 32 to 43, and organizations are being perfected in a number of other cities which will bring the number up to 50 or more during the year 1920-21. Under a recent act of the legislature, between 40 and 50 boys and girls were encouraged to return to school full time by means of a scholarship fund. Seventeen persons were selected from the trades during the year and placed in training at Stout Institute, Menomonie, Wis. These people are being given a two-year course and will be placed in the vocational schools as teachers upon completion of their courses. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. The State board employed a full-time supervisor of agriculture, who made 103 visits to schools; held 2 State, 4 sectional, and 4 county conferences of teachers; and prepared circular letters and blank report forms for teachers. During the year 6 county schools of agriculture and 20 high schools, with an enrollment of 726 pupils, were approved for Federal aid. Eleven other high schools applied for aid, but the limited funds available did not permit the recognition of additional schools. Successful part-time agricultural instruction was given in 4 of the county schools of agriculture. Teacher-training work was done at the University of Wisconsin, with an enrollment of 16 students. The supervised practice teaching was done in the University High School. HOME ECONOMICS EDUCATION. A State supervisor of home economics, on full time, was employed in 1919-20. At the present time there are 34 part-time home economics schools, 36 evening centers, and 6 all-day schools. These schools were approved, but Federal funds were not used. A few trade extension classes for nurses and housemaids have been organized. The evening school courses are planned on the short-unit basis, with the idea of reaching the needs of all women. Appleton has very fine up-to-date rooms and equipment for girls' work in the new vocational school, and the Marshfield Vocational School has fine housing and new equipment with the Junior High School. The Madison Vocational School will move into very complete new quarters next year. The Milwaukee General Continuation School has completed the boys' unit of its wonderful new building, and when the girls' part is finished the school will be second to none. The University of Wisconsin has been approved for the training of teachers of home economics. The practice teaching in the university is done in the Madison Vocational School and in the Madison and University High Schools. The students also have homemaking experience in the practice house of the university. TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION. The State of Wisconsin has had a system of industrial education in operation for a number of years, and employs three supervisors for trade and industrial work. The industries of the State are exceedingly varied. They include iron and steel, foundry and machine shop, leather-work products, sheet-metal work, paper manufacturing, woodworking and furniture, automobile, motorcycle, and gas-engine manufacture, and shipbuilding. Women's and girls' trades are largely represented in Milwaukee, especially in the knitting and hosiery mills. The industries of the State are chiefly located in cities of 25,000 to 50,000, although many towns of less than 25,000 are important manufacturing centers. In this respect southern Wisconsin resembles Ohio. Since the State has already a well-defined system of vocational training, the problem is not one so much concerned with promotion as with alequate supervision. During the present year 36 evening centers and part-time centers and 3 all-day schools were approved for Federal aid. It is to be noted that in 43 cities of the State supervisors for industrial education are employed. Stout Institute, at Menomonie, is designated to train instructors for trade and industrial subjects. In addition, some extension courses have been carried on. This training includes both shop and related subject instructors. WYOMING. Members of State board: James Morgan, publisher; Mrs. Katherine Morton, State superintendent of public instruction; J. J. Early, city school superintendent; P. J. Quealy, mine owner; C. S. Parks. banker; Mrs. Charles Stone, housewife; Earl E. Hanway, publisher. Executive officer: James R. Coxen, Laramie. State director of vocational education: James R. Coxen. State supervisor of agricultural education: L. R. Davies. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. Some of the work carried on by the part-time State supervisor of agriculture included 28 visits to high schools in the State, of which 19 are credited to improvement of teachers in service and 9 to supervision; 1 general conference was held; and Vocational Education Bulletin No. 1, "Agricultural Education Under the Smith-Hughes Net," was prepared. Several report forms and blanks were prepared supervisory purposes. Items concerning vocational agriculture re published in the Wyoming Bulletin of Education, issued nthly by the State department of education. Five schools were approved for Federal aid and enrolled 107 pupils in vocational work. The total income from directed or supervised practice in agriculture in 1918-19 was $4,382.26. Two-thirds of the supervisor's time was devoted to teacher training at the State university. Seven teachers in the State received special assistance from the teacher-training department through individual conferences, correspondence work, and personal letters. The outlook for development of vocational agricultural instruction in the schools is assuring. Ten requests for agricultural work are now filed, pending an increase in funds. HOME ECONOMICS EDUCATION. A member of the teacher-training staff of the State University was loaned for one-third of her time for supervision of home economics. This amount of time was not sufficient, because of the promotional work to be done and the distances to be covered. The whole vocational program of the State is handicapped because of lack of State funds. There were 2 all-day vocational schools, both departments in high schools, with an enrollment of 54 students. The teachers of these schools were employed for 12 months. Four evening-school centers, with 9 classes and 16 teachers, enrolled 298 women. The training of vocational teachers of home economics was done at the State University. There were 8 students enrolled in the vocational course. TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION. One general industrial school, started last year, was continued and one new all-day school was started. The latter was at Rock Springs, where a two-year course in mine-electrical work was introduced. The local need for mine electricians fully justifies the establishment of this course. The need for unit trade courses in other Wyoming towns is very limited, although there is a possibility of a course for oil-refinery chemists in the schools at Laramie and Casper. Evening classes in mining work were planned for a number of the mining towns, but the miners' strike interfered until after the holidays. Even then a number of the classes were not started. The classes were successful in most places, although hampered by a lack of books and pamphlets for class use. The training of teachers was done entirely by extension work, since there were no candidates for training at the University of Wyoming. The plant and equipment there is really inadequate for the training of shop teachers, and the need for such teachers will be very slight for a number of years. It is the plan of the State department of education to provide, after the current year, the extension teacher-training work from this office, thus relieving the university of this duty. |