Teachers Colleges
Broaden Offerings
By Dr. T .M. Stinnett
Executive Secretary, National Com
mission on Teacher Education
and Professional Development,
National Education Association.
WASHINGTON UP) —The rapid
rate of change in society in recent
years has had its impacts upon our
schools. Since World War II, edu
cation, like fabled Alice, has had
to run as fast as it could just to
keep up with itself.
Preparing teachers for the
schools has changed as rapidly as
the general educational scene.
Teacher education has become big
business, turning out almost one
third of all first degree college
graduates each year; and more
than 1,100 of the nation’s 3,000 col
leges and universities of all types
are involved in the task.
At the start of World War II, the
number of positions in the schools
was actually declining, and we
needed only about 50,000 new
teachers each year to staff our
schools. Now the annual need is at
least from 150,000 /to 175,000. Then,
only nine states required a full col
lege education for beginning ele
mentary school teachers; now 43
states do.
Forty years ago, more than 30
of the states did not even require
high school graduation for ele
mentary school teachers; and only
four required any college work
at all for such teachers to be cer
tified. Then the typical route into
elementary school teaching was to
take an examination in elementary
school subjects or take a short
normal school course in high
school or in the special normal
schools which most states main
tained. Today, virtually the ex
clusive path into teaching is to
prepare for it by going to college
and compleing the degree. All
states have now dropped the ex
amination route for admission to
teaching.
Switch in Training
What kind of colleges prepare
our teachers now? The critics still
belabor (the “teachers colleges,”
leaving the impression that they
turn out most of our teachers. This
is erroneous. Years ago, they did
produce most of the elementary
school teachers. Now, about one in
five of our new teachers come from
teachers colleges. Moreover, the
single-purpose teachers college is
fast disappearing. There are only
about 75 such colleges — private
and public—left, whereas 30 years
ago there were about 150, and at
the turn of the century more than
300 normal schools.
What has happened to them?
They have become general purpose
state colleges and, in some instan
ces, universities.
Currently, about one-fifth of our
new teachers come from the 75
teachers colleges, one-fifth from
the 551 private liberal arts col
leges, one^fifth from the 154 public
general colleges, one-tenth from
the 128 private universities, and
one-fourth from the 93 public uni
versities produce two-thirds of the
new teachers and the private insti
tutions one-third.
Balanced Curriculum
The shift in the content of teach
er education has been as pro
nounced. The critics have often left
the impression that all, or the ma
jor part, of the curriculum for
teachers is in professional educa
tion courses. In the early years of
this century, in the heyday of the
normal schools, preparation of el
ementary school teachers did con
centrate heavily upon know-how
courses. But with the shift of these
schools to degree-granting teachers
colleges and later to state colleges
and universities, the trend has
been toward a reasonable balance
between professional and academic
subjects. Of course, a few horrible
examples of imbalance can still be
found, but not many.
The typical high school teacher
completes 24 hours or 20 per cent
of the bachelor’s degree program
in education and 96-100 hours in
liberal arts courses. The typical el
ementary teacher takes 33 hours
(less than 30 per cent) of the de
gree program in education. These
are the curriculum requirements
of the colleges; state. certification
reqirements are somewhat lower.
The big weakness still is often in
adequate concentration in the sub
jects to be taught. This, for the
most part, is a hangover from the
needs of so many small high
schools. With the steady decrease
in the numbers of the small schools
where each teacher had to teach
several subjects, teaching majors
and minors are being stepped up.
The subject matter preparation of
elementary school teachers is be
ing toned up, with special attention
to science and mathematics. There
is a developing trend toward re
quiring a major portion of the
graduate year for high school
teachers to be taken In the teach
ing field or subjects.
SUPERMAN
The real conquering hero today
is the fellow who has conquered all
his bad habits.
Crime never pays—but we all
have to pay heavily for it.
George Fox college students at
Newberg, Oregon, rolled a bowling
ball 30 miles down a highway in
5 hours, 3 minutes. They claimed
that their three-2-man teams set a
new world record. Previously West
mont college students at Santa
Barbara, California, went 30 miles
in 7 hours, 35 minutes.
Mosquitoes anil Flies
Dea't he chewed to bits by these blood
thirsty peso. Just bora s little BUHACH
wbarerar you want peact and comfort.
SS BUHACH
—Safe—Seay To Use—ieonomlceri— *
Mirror classifieds bring results.
Christian Film: “Highest Mountain”
Sunday Evening, August 20 at 7:30 P. M.
WHERE: Kodiak Christian Center
One of The Finest in Christian Films.
shop KRAFT’S
FOR ALL YOUR
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
NEEDS
ALL THE NEWEST
JANTZEN Sweaters
FOR FALL
• Pullovers
• Cardigans
• Plain Colors
• Patterns
• Bulky Knits
taw s
13%" BOTTOM
DENIM JEANS
'-—
SIZES 29 TO 34
SPORT
SHIRTS
• Short Sleeve
• Long Sleeve
• New Knits I
• Wash & Wear
up
Men’s
OXFORDS,
LOAFERS,
CASUALS,
Wellington
BOOTS
FROM OUR
COMPLETE MEN’S
SHOE DEPT.
TAPERED SLACKS
Handsome tailoring and
washable too.
SPORT COATS
Smart styling. New
colors and patterns. •
ALLIGATOR “SAMTHUR”
RAIN TOPPERS
t
SHARP PLAID-LINED
NEW KNEE-LENGTH 51 1195
SIZES 36 TO 46.
Back-to-School Jackets
McGREGOR DRIZZLERS
McGREGOR ANTI FREEZE
SMART NEW CAR COATS
AND INSULATED JACKETS
FOR FALL AND WINTER
Kraft’s Mens Store