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Because of the individual authority of each State for its own educational program, practices and policies differ widely among them in many respects. Yet in the midst of differences there are also common elements of development. The U. S. Office of Education, in presenting this series of monographs, has attempted to point out those common elements, to analyze the differences, and to present significant factors in State educational structure. In so doing, it accedes to the requests of a large number of correspondents who are students of State school administration and who have experienced the need for the type of material offered in this series. This monograph consists of a review of the various programs in parent education which have functioned in State departments of public education up to and including 1939. The material covers discussions of background, organization, administration, personnel, costs, services to study groups in local communities, and cooperative relations by which the parent education work throughout each State can be made more effective. (Contains 12 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]

This two-part bulletin updates growth and activities of the parent-teacher associations. Part I, History and Progress of the Parent-Teacher Movement (Margaretta Willis Reeve), points to the Congress of Mothers, founded in 1897, as adopting parent-teacher cooperation as part of its program; and describes its evolution, purpose, and activities as the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. Part II, Program Service, Trends, and Expenditures of Parent-Teacher Associations (Ellen C. Lombard), discusses three factors influencing the parent-teacher association movement and ways to determine the success or failure of a program. Individual sections describe topics of current interest: (1) increases in revenue and expenditures; (2) the establishment and growth of colored parent-teacher associations; (3) questions indirectly related to child life upon which the organization has passed resolutions; (4) scholarships and students' loan funds that may be used to enable student completion of elementary or high school, or college; and (5) efforts promoting interest within the home regarding the literature of child life and training. [Best copy available has been provided.]

The conservation of childhood and youth is a problem that is occupying the attention of educators, publicists, and welfare workers in this and other countries. Conservation of child life is not separable from the problem of conservation of womanhood. During the past two years, greater service was demanded from the women throughout the country. Some were called upon to take the places of men who had joined the army; some were left to assume the double duties of father and mother. Help must be given to broaden the outlook of the women, many of whom live in homes so isolated that opportunities for development are lacking. The viewpoint of the men who have been across the sea has been liberalized by contact with foreign lands and peoples. It will help in the readjustment of the returning forces if each agency of general welfare will consider the needs of the home in working out programs. This bulletin covers the following topics: (1) Schools for mothers in England and Wales; (2) The work of the United States Federal Government in home education; (3) The community problem--the need for cooperation between home and school; and (4) Educational material available from the State Boards of health to aid in home education. [Best copy available has been provided.]

The establishment of a parent-education program provides a way by which parents may get accurate information on the program and policies of the superintendent; it helps parents to improve their methods of guidance at home; and it shows them how, as a group and individually, they may cooperate successfully with school authorities in meeting school needs. Such a program for parents furnishes instruction in mental health or hygiene which will be of practical value in solving their own personal problems. This chapter has been prepared to answer inquiries of school administrators and others as to what constitutes a parent-education program, how and for whom it functions, what it costs, what it accomplishes, and what superintendents of schools think of parent education as they observe its progress in their own school systems. Specific information for this study was gathered through questionnaires which the Office of Education sent to superintendents of schools in 300 selected cities, each of whom had expressed an interest in parent education or had reported that projects were already established in their schools. In addition, 13 cities having parent-education work were visited by the staff members in charge of parent education in the Office of Education. During these visits conferences were held with superintendents and directors in charge of the work, and through first-hand observation of methods and practices interpretations have been made which would not have been possible otherwise. Information presented in this chapter was further amplified through correspondence and printed reports. Sections within the chapter include: (1) Purposes and Activities of Parent Education Programs; (2) Characteristics of Parent Education Programs; (3) Inauguration of a Program of Parent-Education; (4) Outcomes of Parent Education Work Seen by City Superintendents of Schools; (5) Summary; and (6) Reference Materials Prepared within State or Local Programs of Parent Education. The superintendent questionnaire on parent education in city school systems is appended. (Contains 10 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]

During the biennium of 1922-24, new and important levels have been reached, according to reports, in parent-teacher associations with respect to growth, stability of organization, efficiency in methods, responsibility in leadership, and practical results obtained. In 1923 the National Congress of Parents and Teachers set for itself a program which included year-round parenthood; an effort to bring the things of the home back to the home; educating the membership and interpreting the value of education to the American people. This program has formed the foundation of the work of not only the National but of State and local parent-teacher associations. Several types of auxiliaries to the public schools have appeared from time to time, emphasizing some of the needs of the schools. They are sometimes called home and school associations or parents' leagues, or school improvement associations or leagues, or parent-teacher associations. The parent-teacher associations, however, have reached the stage of development into a state-wide and national movement reaching every State. Other state-wide movements, however, of some importance have developed to meet school needs, such as school improvement associations which in the past accomplished excellent results for the schools; state-wide organization of school patrons in community leagues; and city-wide federations of parents or school patrons. This bulletin describes the parent-teacher movement and the organization and work of these associations, including training, scholarship foundations, field service, study circles, and more. [Best copy available has been provided.]

The experiences of parents at home with their children have educational value when the experiences are backed up by understanding of what happens every day, by sound principles in approaching home problems, and by knowledge of good techniques of training children. The purposes of parent education work are to furnish parents with sound principles for application to their home and family situations; to change the attitudes, methods, and practices of parents in dealing with the problems of child training; and to insure to parents, through better understanding, more effective practices and greater satisfaction in their tasks. To fulfill these purposes, courses have been established in colleges and universities to train professional and lay leaders; facilities have been arranged to furnish opportunity for research, observation, and participation in such centers as laboratories, nursery schools, kindergartens, child guidance clinics, etc.; literature for the use of professional leaders, and authoritative materials for the use of lay leaders and parents have been made available. This bulletin has been prepared for the purpose of indicating where opportunities for training leaders in parent education have been available since 1930; how some agencies have been financed for this work; and to what extent the Federal and State Governments, church organizations, agencies, and organizations in local communities, take part in the parent education movement. (Contains 10 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]

Significant progress has been made during the biennium 1926-1928 in the parent education movement, which is one of the developing phases of adult education. This progress is due principally to the efforts of parents and their groups and to many national, State, and local public and private agencies. In several States, scattered and isolated efforts were brought together and, where previously projects were carried on ineffectively, good teamwork was established with favorable results. In spite of all difficulties and although progress may be slow, the cooperation of home and school is steadily advancing. It engages more and more people and methods are being improved. When these methods, adjusted to meet the needs of each country, shall have been centralized by a strong organization directing them definitely toward the same end, it will be possible to fully realize this community of action between parents and teachers. Topics covered in the report include (1) Governmental activities; (2) State activities; (3) Private agencies promoting programs of parent education (4) National Congress of Parents and Teachers; (5) Organizations in large cities; (6) Periodicals for parents; (7) International Federation of Home and School; and (8) Results of inquiry into world cooperation of home and school. (Contains 19 notes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]