ea go DEPARTMENTOF THE'INTERIOR BUREAUOF EDUCATION 4-,- 410 BULIF.TIN,1927, No.18 ye ,,,k 6 PUBLIC EDOCATIONOF ADULTS II IN THEYEARS1924-1926 1 ME- lor_a vi33f -1. L. R:ALDERMAN, SPECIALIST INADULTEDUCATiON . a [Advancesheets from theBiennial Surveyof Education L = L.- , in the UnitedStat.:,19241926) 4' 44; <Pk; i 4. g' s 4FIC 102de 166.01,1 11,.. Ail aim..dp 1' "0, 4. s IL .14 7 UNITED STATES I EOVERNMENTPRINTINGOFFICE WASHINGTON I9V L. , .." , I' ' . 41- a es. Ar 1 '41 .) OM& s s IkDDITIONAL COPIES Or THIS PUISLICATIONMAT BE PROCrRET) PROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OrDOCVMENTS GOVERNM ENT PRINTING OFFICE t. WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 5CF.NTS PER COPY f. e 11% o (. 1011. v. 3 s4 4.1 , 11. Alb 0 il f a ...a...LAF1Z *: 1 . .. .i.f .e i 'ri '' A, ..,it^ei-4 14c..;1,_ - ....W- " _ ifigat.1=-.1.....- Z."..:--6 -. ., t PUBLIC EDUCATIONOF ADULTSIN THE YEARS1924-192t; Theterm "adult education "hascomeinto generaluseduring the past fewyearspartly because ofthe wideuseof theterm in Europe, where largenumbers ofmature peoplearecontinuing their educa- tion.But perhapsthe-term hascomeinto generalusein thiscoun- trymore on account of the fact that thewordsadult education)' haze been substitutedfor the yord"Americanization."SinceSOIlle- timepreviousto the World War,so-calledAmericanization classes have been heldfor aliens whodesiredto become citizens. To these classesCamealso native-borncitizens that theymight learnto read and write theEnglish language.Itwas most evident that the term " Americanizationglasses"was not # suitablenamefor classe schoolsto which native-borncitizenscamethat they might become literate intheir nativelanguage.Adulischools and edulteduca- tion thuscameinto general 'use.The word" Americanization". couldnot be appliedto more than 13,700,000foreign-born residents. Theterm " adult education "mayhave applicationto all adults. For thepurposeof this report,adult education isassumedto have the followingcharacteristics: (1) Itis carriedonvoluntarilyand I during the leisuire timeofamature individual; .(2)the studYis seriously undertakenand is pursued under guidance. - .During thepast biennium there hasbeen much activityin.the field of adulteducation. The ideais slowlydeveloping thatthe normal4 individualshould continueto make mental adjustmentssolongashe lives.EduAtionis attained throughasucceissful effortto*make . , proper adjustments to environment,Inourdayenvironment isso many-sidoi,Ifrich, andsodiverse thatno one individualcanbe said to be,completelyadjustedto it. We haveascontributing factorsto ourenvironmentall that has beenpreserved from thepast,aswellas what is happeningnow.Our marvelousimprovement intravel and _ communicátion hasadded gieatlyto the individual'senvironment.. So much activityinth4field of adulteducationwas sure to result in Nationaland State organizations.In May, 1924, theUnited States Cominissionerof Educationt Dr.John J. Tijert,called'a liationst conference,onhome education,whichmet in Minneapolis, At: 1 a . 'to :'.1 mk% t 2 BIENNIAL SURVEYOF EDUCATION,1924-1926 thisconfeience 33 States wererepresentedby librarians,members of Statepareilt-teacherassociations,and universityextension officials. The objectof theconference was topromotehome reading. A com- mittee of seven wasappointed atthe closeof the'conferencetoformu- late plans topromotereading inthe home.This committeehas held twomeetings andhasrecommendedthat Statecommittees beset reading. In anumber ofStatescom- upfor the.promotionof home , mitteesareatworkonthis project. In 1924 thedepartient ofimmigranteducation ofthe National EducationAssociationwaschanged tothe departmentof adult edu- cation.This departmenthasgrowninnumbersand has now on its list of membersthe workers inthe fieldof adultelementary education inmanyStates. During 1925-26regionalmeetingswereheld to determinewhat supportthere would be for anationhtorganization to promoteadult education.In 1926the AmericanAssociation forAdult Education wasformed. Theassociationhisapaid staffwithheadquarters at No. 41 EastForty-second Street,New YorkCity, andfundsare available forthe prosecutionof the work. The object ofthis associationis set forthin ArticleII of the consti- tution, is follows: e shall be topromote thedevelopmentand improvementof adult . Its object education in theUnited- StatesandCanada.Ifshall undertake toprovide for the gatheringand disseminationofinformationconcerning adulteducation aims andmethods of work ;to cooperatewithorganizations andindividuals engaged ineducational workof this naturein the taskof securingbooks and instructors; toconduct acontinued studyof the workbeing done inthis field publish fromtime to timethe resultsof suchstudy; to respond to and to of study public interestin adulteducation and tocooperate inthe formation groupswhetherwithin or withoutregular educationalinstitutions; to keep education in its membersinformed ofthe achievementsand problemsof adult other eouotriex ;toeoneltict schools andconferencesfor theinstruction and training of thoseengaged in thework ofadult education;and to serve, insuch other ways as maylie deemed advisable. In the year1925 theUnited StatesBureauof Educationaddedw its list ofspecialists onein adultedelcation,whose businessit is to collect anddistribute data onall phasesof thework. Manygroupsand societiés, uponbecoming,conscious of thefact that theyhave beenworking inthe fieldof adulteducation, which beforewasnotclearlyunderstood, arepurposelymaking theirw4rk moreandmoreeducational in nature.For instance, one groupwh h heretoforecontented itselfwithmereentertainment, uponbecomig awarethat it waslargelyaneducational'institution, changedthese purelyentertainmentfeatures totalks and reports of aserious and worth-while nature.The membersof mostsocieties like tofeel that PUBLICEDUCATION 07AIYUL113 3 theyaredoing workthat is educational,andasthey becomecon-* scious of this theymake itmore so. The nineteenthcentury is said to havebeenatime whenthe rights of cbildhoodwereemphasized.The firstquarter of thetwentieth century witnessedamarvelousgrowth, in the fieldofsecondary education.Daring thattime theattendance inpublic secondary schools in theUnited Statesincreased 437.7per cent.During the sameperiodattendance inelementary schoolsincreased only37.9 per cent.It isnowthe belief ofmanypeople that thesecondquarter of the twentiethcentury is startingwith the promisethat education 1 will be accessibleto allpersonsin the UnitedStates. Theadult-educationmovement is perhapspartly dueto the fact that adultsnowhavemoreleisure thaneverbefore andalsoto the fact that theprinciplesof educationarebetterunderstood.It has been demonstratedthat the mindgrowsbyuseand thalkoitsability to acquirenew concepts doesnot -stop with maturitybut is infact dependent largelyuponw_hat it has alreadyAcquired. Thereadjust- ment of education for thewhole of the lifeof theindividualissure to haveveryimportanteffectsuponthekind,of educationthat is provided foryouth. Thisreport has been mideverylargely fromrepliesto question- naires whichthe bureausent out and will dealwith theprogress that hasbeen madeduring thebiennium1924-1926 in thefollowing fields ofadult education: F ire.What Statedepartments ofeducttionhave beendoing tj) promote elementaryeducation of both nativeilliterates andforeign- P. born residentswhoarepiacticallyilliterate in theEnglishlanguage. Second.What cityschOolsystems have doneto provideeduca- tional opporfunitiesfor theiicitizens who didnot attend theregular day schools. Third.What4colleges anduniversities haVedone to giveoppor- timityto those who forany reason do notgo tothese institutions. , i. J. II BlExptvisuirvar,orEDUCATION,1924-1926 TABUS1..--StateoeHritieainadulteducation e. Ras State Does Doss Number enacted State What Numbe4 of of insti- Ras State jiveper cent State 1¢alopdepart- local com- Enrollment oftuttoss in Lion finan-of cost munities in State giv- an alit- ment ofcial aidof adult adult illiteratesing train-ersey Pro educa- State havingand foreign-born State to localclams classes for ng mai- tion com- is pro- in all adult rnbl iad% super- foreign-born,classes in Btate ms to classes muni- i vided ornative teachers SWIM /Me ties for by in Eng-adult illiterates of adult lish and adult iState? clams citizen-0900claws?; p? 1926-28 Yes Nci. YesNo YesNoYesN4) i 94-2 1926- 1924-25 o X X 50 173 172 5, 984 7, 193 , OP Alabama. X oX.... ...X 0 Arizona X. a, . 2 X X 180 2, 929 Arkansas X f e so 46. 518 44, 363 3 X. X X. X California 25 35 ,. X Colorado XX X 0 .9, 532 8,961 2.....X i 42 43 fa MI X 00410 I 15 Connecticut__ X a 0 X 61 2,809 X - Fil Delawue X X X 3 X X... 90 1 1 183 1, 290 Dist. Columbia.1 X X , . as. X X - ......... S Florida X - 1 X Georgia X 0 0 3 1 X 000 X Idaho 0 nlinois X 0 X. Indisaa X 00 0 a Iowa X 40 40 700I -).( Kansas X____ X X Kentucky X 18 Z 442 4,612 1 ....X O 000 I owl% 1,8 _ X X. 2 X Maine 1 17\ 3. 902 4, OSO )1( 00000 0 Maryland...... X 50 177 179 28, 903 27.759 2 - Massachusetts.. X -. X Michigan X 04 t so 371 9,185 Ps 2M 1 )c X X'000X 41 2 2 23 X - - X isrourr X OW. X X .. X Montana X I so 0 0 Nevada_ X X . at X 0 13 14 11,061 2,960 X00400X0000. .X X New liampshtre 50 50 7, 572 8, 000 ...- X .0.. k.11, . $5 New 'envoy 0 X New Mexico X X Id, 75, 023 ; . ao 94 96 or New York - X X 672 672 :0X North Caroll4a X X k o 1 1 589 771 o000X X X" ao X North Dakota 0 o 33. 425 42, 1113 o Ohio )) X X X o 4, 500 6, 400 X.. Oklahoma x 2, 000 1 X. X X O 30 Oregon so 65 10,000 X 000 4....X Pennsylvania. X X X0000 33 1 X 16 17 2, 885 2, 405 . d 0..0X Rhode Island 345 329 10, 729 10, Zi1 2 x Carolina X00,00 I 80 *X* South 50 6 6 425 4410