From the very beginning a definite, well-articulated procedure

has been pursued: (1) to carry on a searching nation-wide inquiry into the entire field of immigrant education; (2) to formulate, compare, and interpret the data thus obtained; (3) to devise standards and methods based upon the experience and practices of those dealing with the subject first-hand; (4) to promote the organization and maintenance of facilities wherever possible; and (5) to develop and shape national, state and city policies in the education of immigrants.

Activity along these lines was made effective by the organization of a Division of Immigrant Education with a staff of experts and assistants specializing in the subject in hand.

INVESTIGATION INTO CONDITIONS

Examination of the Census reports disclosed some astounding facts in 1910. No fewer than 2,896,606 foreign-born whites fifteen years of age and over could not speak the English language. Frequently this handicap was compounded with illiteracy, for 1,636,677 could not read and write in any language. The two closely allied problems thus presented, when taken in connection with the annual immigration from countries in southern and eastern Europe and in Asia, whose varied peoples are not only non-English-speaking but largely illiterate, directly affect the continued existence and stamina of the ideals, institutions and democracy of America.

Nor are these problems substantially diminished by attendance upon school. Only 138,253 foreign-born whites over fifteen years of age were attending school in 1910. As attendance is voluntary for those over sixteen years of age with but two or three exceptions, no appreciable decrease in illiteracy and inability to speak English will occur unless unusual efforts are put forth to extend educational facilities and to induce or compel the attendance of non-English-speaking and illiterate persons upon such facilities.

INADEQUATE FACILITIES AND APPROPRIATIONS

To verify the suspicion that schools and classes for adults were not adequate, a representative made a tour of the country in 1914, visiting most of the important cities where aliens were congregated in large numbers. The information thus secured, together with returns upon several thousand questionnaires sent to all city and county superintendents of schools, demonstrated conclusively that the facilities for educating the immigrant cannot cope with the present problem. Appropriations for evening-school work were found to be omitted in many instances, or wholly neglected in others. Even in states and cities having an extremely large foreign-born population, sums appropriated were surprisingly low. This fact greatly handicaps school authorities by making it impossible to centralize supervision of immigrant education and by preventing the appointment of teachers specially trained and adapted to this kind of teaching. Superintendents are also unable to pay salaries sufficiently attractive to make it possible for teachers to devote their entire time to evening-school instruction, and are, therefore, obliged to use day-school teachers in the evening schools to the physical detriment of the teachers and consequent loss to the pupils. Inadequate appropriations also shorten the evening-school terms which with a very few exceptions are entirely too short, not only to obtain the best results, but to cover the period of heaviest immigration in the late spring. Similar considerations prevent the proper advertising of schools, classes, and subjects, and the carrying on of well organized publicity campaigns to increase the attendance of foreigners upon evening schools.

CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE HANDICAPS

A more surprising legal aspect of the situation was disclosed. Not only do few state constitutions provide for school facilities for adults, but many of them, either by limitation as to years or as to state aid for the maintenance of classes for pupils over twenty-one years, place a heavy handicap upon the organization of facilities for adults. This is the case in no fewer than fifteen state constitutions. In few states again do school laws make the establishment of evening schools mandatory upon local school boards, while only eleven states grant financial aid in support of such schools. Thus, without the encouragement of federal aid and frequently even without state assistance, it is not surprising that facilities for the education of the immigrant population are insufficient, especially when it is considered that much of this population is of a transitory nature and communities naturally hesitate to assume the entire financial burden of maintaining schools for the benefit of many who may subsequently remove to another locality.

PROMOTION OF FACILITIES

As an immigrant child, through attending our American schools, does much toward Americanizing its parents, it is important that each immigrant child, immediately upon arrival in this country, be placed in the proper school and grade. Owing to the desire of the immigrant parents, who generally come to this country in impecunious circumstances, that their children from thirteen to sixteen years of age should work, many children of school age are placed in unlawful employment and frequently taught to conceal their correct ages.

FACILITATING ATTENDANCE OF ALIEN CHILDREN

To reduce the seriousness of this condition a coöperative arrangement was developed between the United States Bureau of Education and the United States Bureau of Immigration whereby the names, prospective addresses, ages and other items of identification of all alien children of school age entering our ports are sent to the respective superintendents of those communities to which such children are destined. This plan was put into general operation last fall, and school superintendents have already begun to report that this information supplied by the federal government has materially aided them in locating alien children before they became unlawfully employed, and in ascertaining the correct ages of those who attempt evasion of the compulsory attendance laws.

"AMERICA FIRST" CAMPAIGN

Immigrants generally are not aware either of the existence or nature of evening-school facilities. Annual advertising in the American press by school authorities does not serve to secure the attendance of those who do not speak English or who do not read. An aggressive campaign of publicity by means of posters, handbills, dodgers and newspaper articles in the foreign-language press is necessary. For its psychological effect upon aliens and local communities an "America First" poster was distributed during the fall and winter, 1915-16. Attractively lithographed in red, white and blue, it bore upon its face the unusual invitation in eight languages:

Learn English; Attend Night School; It Means a Better Opportunity and a Better Home in America; It Means a Better Job; It Means a Better Chance for Your Children; It Means a Better America; Ask the Nearest Public School about

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Classes; If there is none in your town, write to the United States Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C.

A figure of Uncle Sam in the foreground, extending the hand of welcome to an immigrant workingman and pointing with the other to a school, lends to the poster a touch of patriotism and fellowship.

Over one hundred thousand posters were sent to school superintendents, post offices, industrial establishments, chambers of commerce, newspapers, private organizations and individuals. The "America First" idea appealed to the imagination of the country and the prompt requests for posters, coming from all parts of the United States and even from abroad, very shortly exhausted the supply.

As a result of the awakening caused by this campaign the bureau has been called upon to answer requests from school superintendents, principals, teachers, industries, organizations and interested individuals for suggestions in organizing classes for immigrants, for bulletins, publications and statistics, for methods of instruction and for coöperation in a variety of ways. A large number of industries and chambers of commerce immediately expressed a desire to coöperate with the bureau in getting employes to attend classes in English and civics. Several distributed circulars among employes urging attendance; others offered a wage increase to those in regular attendance; some made attendance compulsory; while still others established a rule that in making promotions the English-speaking employe would be given preference over the nonEnglish-speaking. Private organizations expecially became active, and while every service possible has been rendered them, they have been uniformly urged to place all educational facilities organized or contemplated under the general supervision of local school officials, in order to avoid duplication of effort and useless expenditure of time and money.

IMMIGRANTS PETITION FOR NIGHT SCHOOLS

The most significant outgrowth of the "America First" campaign is seen in the large number of letters and petitions received from foreigners and written in their native languages. By far the greater number of these was received from communities where no evening schools had been previously maintained. The tenor of these communications may be gathered from the following petition signed by sixty-five Lithuanians:

TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF EDUCATION, WASHINGTON, D. C.:

The undersigned citizens of the United States, of Lithuanian parentage, residing in Melrose Park, Cook County, Illinois, do respectfully petition your Honorable Body to install a free night school in our locality for the purpose of the education of the Lithuanian-American citizens in the English language.

There is at present in our locality no free night school offering any opportunity for foreign born citizens to become educated in the English language, although there are approximately three thousand (3,000) foreign born American citizens in the village of Melrose Park, and surrounding territory.

This and similar requests signed by a large number of foreigners in other communities have been taken up officially with the respective school authorities in communities where the petitioners resided, with the result that suitable classes have been organized in several places where such facilities had never before existed. Where a lack of funds made it impossible for local school boards to respond to these requests, the active coöperation of industries was solicited and classes organized in some communities with private support. Practical considerations, such as increased efficiency, diminution of accidents, and reduction of the cost of supervision, rather than a desire to engage in welfare work for employes, were the motives actuating industrial establishments in conducting, or contributing to the support of, classes in English and civics.

TRAINING OF TEACHERS FOR IMMIGRANT CLASSES

Training of teachers is an important factor in the education of aliens. Without teachers having known ability to teach immigrants, a knowledge of foreign types and the best methods of teaching them, satisfactory progress cannot be made by a class of adults. Hence, school officials have been encouraged to conduct training courses in immigrant methods. A very notable course was conducted by the New York State Department of Education in coöperation with the bureau for teachers in several cities in the vicinity of Albany, N. Y. Interest and attendance were so unusual that the department organized a permanent course in the New York State Teachers' College at Albany, while Buffalo and Rochester Boards of Education were also inspired to arrange and conduct similar training courses for teachers in their respective sections of the state. The United States Bureau of Education has also coöperated with Boston and Detroit by furnishing a lecturer for similar institutes.