and high rank of education in our Nation. It would provide an annual appropriation of $100,000,000 to encourage and assist the States in the promotion of education, with these five specific provisions definitely set up:

(1) For the removal of illiteracy-$7,500,000.

(2) For the Americanization of foreigners-$7,500,000.

(3) For physical education, health, and sanitation-$20,000,000. (4) For the training of teachers-$15,000,000.

(5) For the partial payment of teachers' salaries, the promotion of general education, especially rural education, and the equalization of educational opportunities-$50,000,000.

There has been a great deal of misunderstanding in regard to the nature of this bill. It is specifically provided in the Act "that all the educational facilities encouraged by the provisions of this Act and accepted by a State shall be organized, supervised, and administered exclusively by the legally constituted state and local educational authorities of said State." Any fear, therefore, that there will be federal interference in state autonomy in the administration of its public schools is groundless. There is no such provision as is made in the Smith-Hughes bill, which requires that States conform to the vocational standard set up by the Federal Board for Vocational Education. The Smith-Towner bill definitely reserves full and absolute control of the public schools to the States, and merely brings in the Federal Government as a helper for a more adequate carrying out of the educational demands of the day. The educational workers of the Nation are overwhelmingly in favor of the passage of the Smith-Towner bill, and the support of this office has been consistently given during the past two years to urging our representatives in Congress to further the passage of this Act. The two sections of the Nevada State Educational Association unanimously endorsed the Smith-Towner bill in their December sessions at Reno and Tonopah.

NEVADA EDUCATIONAL BULLETIN

In 1919 this department began the issuance of a monthly bulletin, free of cost to teachers and Clerks of School Boards. The object and purposes of this bulletin are set forth as follows:

The Nevada Educational Bulletin makes its appearance before the school forces of the State as a medium of communication between school officials of the State and the local school communities and workers. It is intended to bring fuller information in regard to the plans of the Department of Education than could be given by letters sent out to the individual teachers and school board members. The possibilities of service in such a monthly bulletin are well established by the experience of other States where the plan of issuing such has been in use for a number of years. Inasmuch as such bulletin is an official means of communication, rather than a journal of educational matter in general, it is sent free to all who should have access to its announcements. It is not, therefore, an enterprise on a subscription basis.

This free issuance is made possible inasmuch as The Bulletin is printed in the State Printing Office as departmental printing authorized for this office. The cordial assistance of Superintendent of State

Printing Joe Farnsworth and his associates has lightened for us the naturally heavy load that such a publication entails on a limited office force.

THRIFT EDUCATION

Upon the urgent invitation of Governor Calkins of the Twelfth Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco, the State Superintendents of Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada, and Utah met in conference with the federal managers of the War Loan Organization to work out a practical plan for the teaching of thrift in the public schools. These State Superintendents made it clear at the opening of the conference that they did not have time to give to the mere putting on of a drive for raising quotas of Thrift and War Savings Stamps. But, to formulate and get back of a program of making the public schools of the West centers of teaching fundamental and systematic thrift, this was a call that squared with the ideals held by all these state supervisors for their respective States and for the Nation.

As an outcome of this thrift conference the Superintendent of Public Instruction was made the State Director of Thrift Education, with the responsibility of promoting in the schools of Nevada the study of the importance of thrift and the practice of sound thrift habits, to the end that the boys and girls of the rising generation might form sound economic habits. The experiences of the last two years of extravagant spending throughout the Nation has made such teaching more than ever a necessity. The evidence of some progress in our State is found in the fact that Nevada has stood first in the Twelfth Federal Reserve District in the total sales per capita of government savings securities both for 1919 and 1920. The heavy pressure of regular duties has prevented a complete organization of the work and fuller help to individual schools in stimulating local interest. However, thrift education has demonstrated its usefulness as a part of the course of study in our schools.

INVESTMENT OF STATE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND

The Nevada State Permanent School Fund is invested in bonds of the various States of the United States and of the counties of this State. They bear rates of interest varying from 3%, on the Massachusetts bonds acquired in 1903-1908, to 6%, on some of the Nevada county bonds acquired within recent years.

The amount invested in 1919 was $2,515,550.92, and in 1920 $2,930,605.47.

Provision for investing more of the school money in short-time bonds bearing a higher rate of interest should be made by the State Board of Finance as soon as arrangements can be made on a sound basis. The Massachusetts 3% bonds continue to be a sore problem.

'TEACHERS' INSTITUTES

In 1919 there were held five very successful and enthusiastic District Institutes in the five supervisional districts of the State, whose influence in arousing and directing the teaching force of the State to nearer and better working methods was far-reaching and soundly helpful.

The child-centered scheme of education was clearly set forth, rather than the system that sets up subjects and grades as ends, and tries to fit the child to these.

In 1920 the two sections of the State Teachers' Institute carried to an unusually large attendance of teachers further inspiration to make thinking the real characteristic of all teaching. Modern methods of measuring educational progress were helpfully discussed, along with very definite, special, and general practices of teaching in all the departments of school work.

CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOLS

The widespread interest in the country as a whole in the great possibilities for rural-school development through the consolidation of the one- and two-teacher schools into larger units, with all the advantages of the town and city schools, has been felt in Nevada with growing intensity. The consolidation at Fallon is the most extensive in the State and has built up one of the largest schools in Nevada. Recent consolidations have been made in Smith Valley and Lamoille Valley, with Mason Valley seriously considering a plan of consolidation there. A number of districts can take advantage of consolidation, being careful to consider road transportation conditions before going ahead. The benefits of consolidation are large and well demonstrated. But there will always be in Nevada a great number of one-teacher schools, which must be cared for as such. To encourage and stabilize rural community growth, both types of school must be encouraged, and provision made for good teachers in all of them.

MORE NORMAL-TRAINED TEACHERS NEEDED

With the new Normal-School building completed on the campus of the University of Nevada, our State is in a better position than it has ever been before to supply enough normal-trained teachers from our own communities to go far toward meeting the shortage of teachers, and this without going to the point of shutting out a large amount of new professional blood from neighboring States. Some plan of aiding students of ability, who are financially unable to go to the Nevada Normal School, should be devised to reach every county in the State, to stimulate a large attendance.

The county-normal plan has very evidently broken down. At best it gave too narrow an opportunity for teacher training, and the cost per teacher trained was excessively high. I recommend the repeal of the present law and the substitution of some plan to promote training at the State University. Such training at the University would cost less, give a broader personal and professional view-point to the prospective teacher, and bring to our schools teachers with a richer professional experience.

INCREASED NORMAL-TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

I recommend a plan for gradually increasing the amount of normal. training required of teachers certificated to teach in any Nevada. school, so that, after a reasonable period has passed, no person could secure, by examination or otherwise, a certificate to teach in Nevada without at least one year of normal training, and that as soon as feasible two years of normal training be fixed as the minimum. This would not, of course, affect life diplomas already in force in the State. We can no longer justify sending inexperienced, untrained, immature teachers to the small rural school. The isolation of the remote little

community makes it imperative that the teacher for such a district be above the average in professional and personal fitness.

STANDARD RURAL SCHOOLS

Plans have been discussed and are now in preparation for setting up definite standards that should be reached by rural schools, with fitting recognition of such schools as attain these standards. The kind of school buildings and grounds, the school equipment, and especially the professional and personal fitness of the teacher employed, are to be taken into account in rating a school as a standard school. With a definite goal set up, school communities can be aroused through pride and intelligent interest to work to attain such standards.

Some States give a bonus apportionment to standard schools. This has been found very stimulating. If budget limitations will permit, I hope to see a similar financial recognition provided for in the legislation this year.

STATE TEXT-BOOK COMMISSION

The Nevada State Text-Book Commission found a very difficult situation at the time of its meeting in June, 1919. Boundary changes rising from the World War, and the general treatment of European countries particularly, were not incorporated in any adequate manner in revised geographies, while certain boundary questions were still unsettled. The developments as to a proper historical view-point were so rapid during the war that the Commission could not be sure of a satisfactory history text. These two subjects were therefore left over until 1920, when the present adoptions in history were made. But again the geography situation was such that it was deemed wise to await the revision that would be available in 1921, which would include the 1921 census as well as the very latest material on European changes. Such editions are reported as ready or nearly ready at this time.

I recommend a change in the time of meeting set for the Text-Book Commission in order that sufficient time may be given, after a new adoption, in which to provide a full supply of the new texts for the opening of school, and to allow schools to plan before the close of the school year for the changes to be made at the opening of the next school year.

EVENING SCHOOLS

Previous to 1919 very little use was made of the appropriation made in 1917 to aid evening-school instruction. An active campaign was begun by this office in 1919 to stimulate interest in such night-school courses, for the benefit of those deprived of full educational advantages and who were employed during the day, and for Americanization classes. A ready response was obtained. General educational courses and vocational work of a commercial type were eagerly taken up by hundreds of people, including boys and girls who had been forced out of school and into employment by economic necessity. A large number of the foreign-born came to these schools to prepare to take out final papers and become citizens of the United States. The District Court cooperated helpfully in several cases.

By the spring of 1920 there were eleven such evening schools with a total enrollment of 796 students. Every effort should be made to

promote such special educational work, linking it up with the vocational work of the Smith-Hughes schools wherever possible, and emphasizing the Americanization work especially. Instead of paying the salaries through the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, apportionments should be made to the schools giving such work, and the teacher should be paid by the schools as for other work.

MINING SCHOOLS

I commend the legislation of two years ago which made the mining schools of the secondary class a part of the vocational school system under the charge of the local school boards and the State Board for Vocational Education. This is a sound basis for this phase of vocational training.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

The development of vocational education during the past two years is indicated in the summary of the State Director found elsewhere in this report. Vocational education is a going concern; it is here to stay with its blessings of definite help in providing a generation of industrially self-reliant citizens. Vocational training should in no wise interfere with personal and civic culture, but should play its part in making education truly adequate.

Rigid federal restrictions have hindered introduction of vocational training in the smaller communities. Under a more liberal application of federal rules, without in the least lowering the genuine character of vocational courses, a wider promotion of truly vocational training for small communities can be secured. This is a matter that will be cared for as more intimate knowledge of local conditions is acquired.

The restrictions incorporated into the Smith-Hughes work by the Federal Board for Vocational Education are such that administrative difficulties arise in trying to make adaptations for genuinely vocational training in small schools. A more intimate knowledge of the local difficulties in the smaller communities should eventually remove this hindrance.

EIGHTH-GRADE EXAMINATIONS

Plans are being worked out to make possible a better system of testing the fitness of eighth-grade graduates from schools of the second class. The state eighth-grade examinations have served a valuable purpose, but are open to fundamental criticism in certain respects. Cramming to pass these is an evil that shuts out much of the "thought work” in too many cases. The new movement to employ educational measurements has direct possibilities of aid for this problem, as well as plans for standard rural schools.

Permit me to close this report with a brief word of sincere appreciation of the hearty and kindly cooperation of the other members of the State Board, and of the Deputy Superintendents, in the heavy responsibilities resting upon this department. The counsel and support of these associates and the general devotion and cooperation of the teaching forces and the school public have made the past two years a period of sound progress, with promise of coming greater achievements.