III. East Central.-Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. Headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind.

IV. West Central.-North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.

V. Pacific.-Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, and California. Headquarters in San Francisco, Cal.

Two agents of the Federal Board have been assigned to each region. One of these agents is for the field of agriculture and one for the field of trades and industries. An additional agent responsible for agricultural education for Negroes is stationed at the Atlanta office. The Federal agents for home economics and the special agent for trade and industrial education for girls and women are stationed in the Washington office. All these Federal agents are in addition to act as administrative representatives of the Federal Board in the field, to gather information regarding methods adopted by the several State boards for the administration of the act, and to inspect the work of the State boards in so far as it has to do with the requirements of the law, with the decisions and policies of the Federal Board, and with the approved plans for the States.

To provide agencies representing the State the act requires that State boards of not less than three members shall be designated or created by act of legislature. Each State board works in cooperation with the Federal Board in carrying out the provisions of the act. On or before December 31, 1917, each of the 48 States had through legislative enactment or the governor accepted the provisions of the act.

The scheme of cooperation contemplates that each State shall submit to the Federal Board a plan outlining the method by which it proposes to conduct its vocational education activities. These plans the Federal Board must examine and if it finds them to be in conformity with the spirit and purpose of the act it directs that the moneys apportioned to the various States be paid; thus, partly by the act itself, partly by the Federal Board, and partly by the State board in cooperation with the Federal Board, standards on vocational education are established which meet with the approval of both the State and Federal Governments.

On or before De ember 31, 1917, each of the 48 States had submitted plans which met with the approval of the Federal Board and each State had been certified to the Secretary of the Treasury for the allotment for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918.

The staff appointed by the Federal Board for carrying out its policies relative to the administration of the vocational education

act consists of a director, who is the executive officer, a chief of the Division for Vocational Education, and four assistant directors, one for agricultural education, one for industrial education, one for home economics education, and one for commercial education, and regional and other agents reporting immediately to the assistant directors, a chief of the Division for Research and a staff of specialists and experts reporting immediately to him.

The two most important factors in the success of a State program for vocational education are supervision and teacher training. Proper provision for supervision and an adequate plan of teacher training in operation insure success.

The Federal Board is concerned with State administration and supervision because the State boards are the cooperating agencies with the Federal Board for the promotion of vocational education. The Federal and State boards become partners in carrying out the provisions of the act. The duties of each partner are specified in the law. The success of a partnership depends upon the ability of each member to carry out his part of the agreement. The provision which a State makes for administration and supervision is the best single index of the ability of the State to carry out its part of the agreement set up under the terms of the vocational education act.

The State board is concerned with State administration and supervision because the State has placed upon the board the responsibility of cooperating with the Federal Board in the promotion of vocational education in the State and because the State and Federal Governments have placed upon the State board the responsibility of disbursing Federal (and State) funds to schools which meet certain specific requirements and conditions. A State board can perform this double task of promotion and inspection only through representatives who are qualified by training and experience to encourage and stimulate, to advise and assist, to inspect and suggest, to approve and disapprove.

Both the Federal Board and State boards are vitally concerned with the question of so equipping the State board for vocational education as to enable it to discharge properly the responsibility placed upon it by the State legislature and Congress and to maintain its own prestige in the State. There has been much discussion to the effect that vocational education would be unable to maintain its standards and justify its existence if administered by the same board which administers the general education of a State. The sure way to prevent any such occurrence is to provide the board with a trained. staff upon whose recommendations they can rely. Such a provision would also have a salutary influence upon the attitude of the State toward proper assistance to the board in the administration of general

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education. In 32 States the State board of education has been designated as the State board for vocational education. In nine States there is no State board of education. With two exceptions the executive officer of the State board for vocational education is either the State superintendent of public instruction, the commissioner of education, State superintendent of schools, secretary of the State board of education, or the chairman of the State board of education. No absolute standards for administration and supervision may be projected for the country as a whole; what is adequate for one State might be entirely inadequate for another. The provisions which a State makes will necessarily depend upon conditions in that State. It should be noted, however, that the number of schools in operation is not the sole mark of need of supervision, since the promotion side of supervision in some States may be more needed than the actual inspection of schools under way.

A complete system of State administration of vocational education involves the following duties:

1. Directional:

(a) Outlining policies to present to the State board.

(b) Preparing State plans (with assistance of specialists).

(c) Directing the promotion of vocational education.

(d) Medium between State and Federal boards.

(c) Directing work of vocational staff.

(f) Preparing forms for reports of vocational schools and teachertraining classes.

(g) Recommendations to State boards regarding schools and classes for approval and reimbursement.

(h) Bringing together all parties interested in vocational education to the support of a State program.

(i) Educating the State as to the meaning of vocational education.

2. Supervisory:

A. Fields of supervision.

(a) Agriculture.

(b) Home economics.

(c) Trades and industries.

(d) Teacher training.

B. Duties within each field.

(a) Assist the directive officer in special field.

(b) Inspect schools.

(c) Assist teachers in improving work.

(d) Studying conditions of State in special line with a view to recommending establishment of schools or classes.

(c) Assisting in establishment of schools or classes.

(f) Preparing bulletins and other special literature.

A SUMMARY OF PROGRESS.

The first task which confronted the Board was that of organization. Approximately the first month was spent in these preliminaries in securing a director and a staff qualified to begin the execu

tion of the duties prescribed by law. At the same time a series of conferences with the representatives of the States which had accepted or were about to accept the act were arranged for the last 10 days of August. These conferences were designed to serve the double purpose of clarifying in the minds of the Board the problems to be met and of inaugurating the kind of contact with the States, without which success would be impossible. The conferences are a matter of formal stenographic record. From the discussions around the table. there were developed a series of memoranda outlining the requirements of the law itself, stating the preliminary policies of the Board, and setting forth the opinions of the legal adviser on points which required special interpretation.

Inasmuch as a new school year was about to begin, it was necessary to proceed as rapidly as possible to an examination of the plans proposed by the State boards for vocational education. Under the law, these plans must be approved by the Federal Board before Federal moneys can be paid out for the salaries of teachers and for the training of teachers in subjects prescribed by the statute. Before the 1st day of January, 1918, 48 States had accepted the law, either by specific provisions of the legislature or by act of a governor. The plans of all 48 States had been examined by the Board, approved, and the Board had certified to the Secretary of the Treasury that these States were entitled to receive the allotments for the year 1917-18 apportioned by the terms of the statute. Thus in four months a plan of vocational education was set up in each of the 48 States. A board in each State was in existence for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the vocational education act and the plan agreed upon between that board and the Federal Board. This rapid organization of the country for the promotion of vocational education necessitated the passage of acts of acceptance in many of the States before any general policies were formulated by the Federal Board and before the States had an opportunity to study their needs. As a consequence some of the States have been handicapped by lack of funds for administration; others have been handicapped by lack of funds for matching Federal funds; and in various other ways the program for the promotion of vocational education in the States has been delayed until the State legislature met to remedy the shortcomings of the acceptance acts. Representatives of the Federal Board have met with representatives of the State board in many of the States to assist them in preparing adequate bills for the consideration of the State legislature. This is one of the pieces of work which is fundamental to the success of a national program of vocational education.

Not a small part of the time and energy of the staff of the Board has been expended in assisting the States to formulate and revise the

plans of cooperation between the various States and the Federal Board. With growing experience it has been possible to give material assistance to the States both in the content and the arrangement of the plan. Owing to the shortness of the time intervening between the organization of the Federal Board and the latest date upon which States could be certified to the Treasury, it was necessary for the staff of the Federal Board to do more in the way of formulating a working plan than will be necessary in the years to come when the States have had more experience in vocational education and when the State boards have been provided with larger and better trained staffs.

To aid the States in the establishment of vocational schools and classes, and to institute adequate instruction in agriculture, trades, and industries, commerce and commercial pursuits, and home economics, a series of studies and investigations have been undertaken by the Board. Bulletins have been prepared for the assistance and the guidance of the States. The Board has formulated a statement of principles and policies for the administration of the act. Through its agents the Board has assisted the States both in the promotion of a better understanding of the principles of vocational education within the States and in the establishment of concrete pieces of work along lines of vocational education.

Along with the gradual building up of the cooperative work with the States the Board has from time to time entered into working arrangements and cooperative agreements with various Government departments and private agencies. The relationships are varied, depending entirely upon the nature of the work undertaken and upon the facilities both of the Board and the cooperating agencies for carrying on the work.

The fact that the vocational education act was approved by the President less than two months before the entrance of the United States into the great war has naturally made cooperative work carried on by the Board deal very largely with problems connected with or arising out of the war. It was early apparent in this country that we were in need of vocationally trained men and women and our want of facilities for training men and women vocationally was readily apparent. The war furthermore disclosed a military and industrial shortage of trained workers and without doubt has stimulated the States to their response to the cooperation offered by the vocational education act.

Probably the most direct and effective piece of work the Board has done is the assistance in the organization of classes along technical and mechanical lines which look toward the preparation of men for Army occupations.