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No. 4 - 1381 THE WORKS F-ROGRAM --Works frogress Administration-- For Release to Newspapers Sunday, December 13, 1936. ~- ' WFA Educational }rogram Reaches 1,300 ,000 Persons. More than 1,300, 000 persons throughout the country are benefiting from the Works Progress Administration's educational program, which has created jobs for about 34,000 teachers, ~dministrator Harry L. Hopkins announced today. State and local education~l authorities, which sponsor and control the various cl asses, have coo perated with the Works f-rogress Administration in reaching thousands formerly denied educational advantages of any kind, Mr. Hopkins pointed out, in commenting upon the October report of Dr. L.R. Alderman, educational director. Despite the fact that thou~ands of teachers have left Works frogress Administration rolls during the summer and fall for po~itions in public schools, enrollment in the adult classes has continued to mount and was greater thP.n any previous October during the past three years, the report s hows. In its fourth successive year, the adult educ a tion program, embraci:ig general adult studies, literacy classes, workers' e1ucation, voca tion study groups, parent education, fr eshman coll ege units, corresponde:ice courses and other educational projects, is now operating throughout the nation with a total October enrollment of 1,277, 482 men and women in' 66, 446 classes covering the entire range of adult inter e st and a st a ff of 29,458 t eachers, according to the report. Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY No. 4 - 1381 - 2 - In a ridition, 4,982 t eP.chers were employed in this month on the staffs of 1,466 nursery schools, ,..,hi ch e nroll ed 46,fi61 children from t mo to four years of a g e. ~otal enrollment in classes of all kinds in October was 1, 324 ,144 with 34,440 instructors con-i ucting 87,912 clA.ss es . "Although this enrollment is somewhn.t larger than the combined en- rollment of all the coll e~e s ani universities in the country, 11 Mr. Hopkins explained., "the federal government has intentionally sou~ht to a....-oid a separate system of ed,icfltion. Ferleral authoritiec have consister.tly recognized that ei u cation is primarily a. func tion of State and loc n.l school offici a ls, and in practica lly ev e ry State the Works ~regress Educational program has beer. sponsored by a State Department of Education. State and local public school officfo.l s have d ecided what tyi::e s of education were needed in thei r comrnuni ti es. ·rhey have supervised the work of the teachers. Most clas~es have been held in public school buildings. The wisdom of such a policy is sho wn by the f:1ct t hr, t alr eady some of the more successful adult classes and. nur~ery schools Lave been incorpora ted into the permanent local educational structure. 11 Mr. Hopkins enphasiz8d the achievement of the program in teaching about 580,000 men ani women to rea d ar.d write during the last three years. "Through the Wl-A educ atior.al program, illiteracy in the United States by has already been reduced/about 12 percent," he said, "although the problem remains one of vast proportions. In October there were arout 190,000 enrolled in literacy classes, with 5,600 teachers engaged ir. their instruction." The Works }reg ress Administration ha s been particularly alert to the need for vocational training for the unemployed, Mr. Hopkins declared. Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 4-1381 -3- Courses have been offered in unictically all occupe tions in which there is likelihood of emp lo~'lllent for the persons who are traine d . In Octob er, 207,348 persons were receiving vocat io1w l trAining in 14,210 classes, employ- ing 4,814 teache rs. Instruction include d class es in the fi elds of industrial, mechanical and building trades, commercial vrork of all typ e s, training in all phases of agricu lture, and the service occupations such as household employment, restaurant and hotel work, sewing, tailoring , millinery, cooking, and care of children. In some sections of the country, native arts and cra.f ts have been revived and unemp loyed men and women taught to become self-sup:- orting through the making of distinctive native art p ro ducts. In eve ry State c ours e s l12ve been p rovided for wo men in the p r eparati on of foods, making of clothing, home management, household art, horr:e h:,rg;i :.me And child care. Under the gui dance of a national a dvisor~, committee r ep r e senting the National Congress of Paren ts and Teachers, the American Association of University Women, and othe r ag9ncies, the Works Progres s Administration has developed an extensive parent education p rogram. During October, 931 teache rs we:-e employod a nd 56,691 mothers and fathers wore members of stu-i y group s, reaching thou sands of parents in rural and mining districts, in the industrial sections of large cities, and among the Negroes of the South. Workers' Education, still i~ its pioneer stage in the United Stat es, reflects the interest of the organized labor movement in the study of economic problems, according to the r op ort. During Octob e r, 836 tea che rs conducted 2,685 classes, with 46,576 wor k0 rs enrollGi. Through the se c l a sses, the Works Progre ss Administration off e rs cooperation to industrial and rural workers who wish to study thoir own problems in their largGr setting and to use this wide r understanding for the solution of their p robltems in r e lation Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 4 -- 1381 - 4 - to the organized labor movement and in their own communities. The general adult classes have an enrollment of 573,166, with instruction ranging from music, art and creative writing to first aid, parliamentary reading and Braille reading for the blind. Tens of thousands of men and women, who were forced to leave school in the lower grades, the report points out, find that "the door of education is not entirely closed to them. 11 The depression robbed millions of children of a fair start in life, Dr. Alderman observed. Consequently, the WPA nursery schools represent an attempt to restore their rightful measure of health and happ iness to thousands in these classes. During the four years of the program, at least 150,COO small children have been cared for. In October, there were 46,661 enrolled in 1,466 classes administered by 4,982 instructors. The daily schedule of the nursery school includes a three-hour play period, a nourishing mid-day meal, and a twohour rest period. Because of the thorough training in all phases of child care given to the WPA nursery scho ol teachers, large numbers of teachers have been removed from the lists of the unemployed to find work with public schools and established child welfare agencies. Another effect of the depression was to frustrate the plans of thousands of young people for college educations. In a number of States, the Works Progress Administration has helped to meet this pr oblem by carrying the college to the student. In October, 67 11 Freshman Coll ege Centers 11 were in operation in nine states, employing 455 teachers and offering regular first year coll ege courses, with credit, to 7,962 young people. In addition, 310 teachers were engaged in conducting correspondence courses in 15 States, in which 14,909 students were enrolled. Also, 8ther educational projects, such as preparation of WPA teaching materials, engaged 3,483 teaoher.$ in 10,643 cle.sse·s, with;an enrollment of 181,45f, (The attachei tables show the enrollment by classes and by States.) Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 4 -- 13 81 WOP.KS PP.OGP..ESS ADMINI STP.ATION TEACHEP.S, ENP.OLLEES Al\TJ) CLASSES IN THE EDUCATION PP.OGPAM FOP. THE MONTH OF OCTOBEP. 1936 BY CLASSIFICATIONS CLASSIFICATION TE.A.CHEP.S ENPOLLEES CLASSES General Adult 13,029 573,166 39,480 5,600 1 89,375 15,403 836 46 ,57 6 2,685 4,814 207,348 14,210 931 56, 691 3,362 4,982 46, 661 1,466 Freshman College 455 7,962 67 Correspondence Study Centers Other Educational Projects 310 14,909 596 3,483 181,456 10,643 34,440 1, 32 4,144 87 , 912 Literacy Workers Vocational Parent Education Nursery Schools Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 4-1381 WORKS PROGRESS AD:1mH ST?,ATION TEACHERS, ENROLLEES A:f..:J CLASSES LiJ THE EDUCATIOH PP..OGRA.M FOR TH2 }.'.ONTH OF OCT03~l-~ 1936, BY S'.::'.AT:ZS .. ,S m.EA~} ~ S TAT~ -:--::-_ .....c..c..;:_;=-=-----------------= ·': ·"' .: ::·:::~,.,~I~E::::..i.'":::cS'. . __ _.....;E:::c=1JEO LL [!;S S Ala.ba.ma Arizona *Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delav1are District of Columbia Florida Georgia ~- Idaho 1J Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansa s Kentucky Louisiana Maine M8 ryland Mas sachus e tts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska 11,308 200 5,853 330 1, 558 4 95 544 69 , 029 17,932 3,264 1,143 1, 089 28 108 110 3,435 15,549 19 ,262 603 693 200 2,161 6~!1 5,884 63 ,593 18,526 224 1,722 8 7,119 199 279 8,775 13,708 142 ,111 5,608 731 843 102 115 1, 088 6 12 348 1, 047 605 108 416 33 New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York State North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania. Rhode I sla.nd South Carolina. South Dakota Tennessee Texas :, Utah Vermont Virginia Wa.shington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming New York City 18, 08 7 7, 808 15,712 21,001 41,670 1,487 4,924 22,026 1 9 ,532 14,933 41,530 25 , 062 2,945 9 ,719 747 3,556 17,499 3,127 104 ,880 17 ,3 ?2 10 , 0 71 245 639 Nevada CLASSES 570 623 75 782 160 2,675 696 2,182 156 702 24,6 1 8 , 674 10,22 7 423 1,704 9, 004 94,994 179 115 756 272 902 44-4 109 4,572 34,440 6 ,891 6,540 22,277 9,339 31,728 20 ,416 4,554 197,980 1,324,144 165 922 2,635 302 4,926 1, 011 567 1,397 1, 912 6, 092 122 154 1,576 1, 018 1,135 2,476 1,544 201 715 54 243 887 268 11, 694 1,715 447 5,737 513 677 7,801 494 624 642 483 5,334 377 442 1,367 936 1,561 1,245 171 8,934 87,912 Sourc e : WPA Division of Statistics & Financ e *Program temporarily clo so d pending ap}_J rova l DtsJtti2f)f(§~ ec t NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
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