TABLE 23.-Student clock-hour loads of teachers of courses in education-Contd. Owing to the nature of the measure used, standards in respect to a permissible maximum student clock-hour load are more or less tentative. Most authorities have proposed a maximum of from 300 to 400 student clock hours. This maximum should be applied with care in the case of individual teachers, the nature of whose instructional duties vary widely. More than 23 per cent of the professors, 36 per cent of the associate professors, 14 per cent of the assistant professors, 13 per cent of the instructors, and 40 per cent of the lecturers have a load in excess of 400 student clock hours. In the minority of cases and under some conditions such loads are not excessive. Little evidence has so far been found in studies of class size that large classes taught by superior teachers and by the lecture method do not function with reasonable efficiency. There are, however, many faculty members who are clearly given a teaching load that may be judged excessive. More than 10 per cent, for instance, of the professors have a load in excess of 700 student clock hours. Of all teachers, including lecturers, more than 10 per cent have an instructional load in excess of 800 student clock hours. Approximately one-fourth of the teachers of education in all teacher-training units have a load of fewer than 100 student clock hours. In the vocational education units, there is frequently reported a very low student clock-hour load. Classes in vocational agriculture especially are often quite small. Probably the teacher of small classes has almost as much work to do as he would have in larger classes. Hence, this problem appears to be fiscal rather than instructional. Duties of the Dean of Education A high percentage of returns concerning the duties of the dean of education was secured. Thirty-one institutions reported on this item. An inspection of the data shown in Table 24 discloses first, a very great variety of activities that the dean is called upon to perform. His duties range from the simplest of mechanical routine activities to the discharge of responsibilities that, under the presidency, are second to none in the institution. The list, of necessity, is not completely inclusive. It could be broken up into several hundred items on any desired levels of generalization. There is, of course, no considerable standardization of the work of the deans, any more than there is of the duties of presidents. The duties of both types of officials are greatly conditioned by the environment of educational, administrative, and executive activities and necessities in which they find themselves placed. While local freedom and local differences in practice are no doubt desirable in many respects, professionalization of the work of the dean, like that of other executive officers, is rendered somewhat more difficult by such conditions. It is interesting to note, however, in administrative and executive fields that have been intensively studied, that certain principles have been discovered, and that certain procedures and practices work better than others. An outstanding example is found in the field of public-school administration, with special reference to the duties of superintendents and principals of schools. Recent rapid advances in the scientific and semiscientific study of higher education, promise early intensive consideration not only of the duties of the dean but of the best methods of performing his duties. Inspection of the returns concerning the duties of the deans discloses a number of activities which should in large part at least be delegated to subordinates. Frittering away of energy on nonessential details seems to be an outstanding fault of schoolmen in administrative work. However, parsimonious executive policies may be in part responsible through failure to provide qualified administrative and clerical assistance to overworked executives. But the schoolman himself too often neglects the delegation of nonessential details to qualified subordinates. Coincident with the recent rapid development in the number, size, scope, and functions of schools and colleges of education, has arisen an elaborate and complex mass of intersecting relationships with the whole institution. As never before, the dean of education must have ample time for detailed study and for careful execution of administrative and instructional policies. Ill-defined institutional administrative relationships often necessitate the exercise to a high degree of tact, courage, and personal influence. One is struck by the number of activities performed by the dean which have to do with the maintenance or promotion of good instruction. This should be the most important general function of the dean. The whole administrative set-up exists for the purpose of forwarding the instructional and reseach activities of the institution. The dean is ordinarily the official who should take the leadership in such activities in education, and is the logical official to whom necessary details related to the improvement of instruction should be referred. TABLE 24.-Duties of the deans of the schools, colleges, or major divisions of education in 31 institutions reporting Maintain and promote the academic welfare of students of education.. Approve applications for advanced standing of students in education.. 12 2 1 4 1 0 9 12 0217000B-3 5626148783 1124021344 5 Supervise the preparation and publications of studies and research reports of his division. Exercise general oversight of building and general equipment of the college or school.. Conduct research. Make statistical studies within institution with reference to teachertraining work. Direct extension activities of the teacher-training division(s). Prepare applications for teacher's license.. Educational field service not elsewhere specified. Approve secondary school credits for admission to college or school of education... Stimulate and encourage members of the staff in the interest of personal achievement. 2200 Member of faculty council. Correspond with prospective students. Supervise training school.. Cooperate in the organization, management, teaching, etc., of the uni versity high school. Answer inquiries concerning educational matters.. 1000 Duties of Heads of Teacher-Training Departments The extent and variety of the duties of heads of teacher-training departments are shown in Table 25. Considerable agreement in the duties performed in different institutions may be noted in the list; difference exists chiefly in the degree of emphasis placed upon such duties. It will be noted that very nearly all the heads of departments teach, which is rather to be expected, since most of the departments are relatively small. The representation of heads of departments of education in general institutional administrative organization is not very extensive; if there is a dean of education, he usually performs this function; if there is not, often adequate representation does not exist. Most of the training of heads of departments at the present time must be derived from practical experience either in college teaching or in the position itself. Several duties would appear to render the possession of public school experience a most desirable professional asset. The nature and variety of the work on the whole demands considerable ability, not all of which is developed in college work. Special collegiate training for some of the work listed would seem to be desirable, but such training may be attained only by a much wider development of graduate work in this field. TABLE 25.—Duties of heads of teacher-training departments in 46 institutions1 Assist in revision and formulation of teacher-training courses of study and curricula. Present the names of candidates for teaching positions in the department. Assist in making budget estimates. Assign teachers to classes.... Care for property used in department Conduct departmental meetings and discussions. 13 16 1880821121888 Represent department in institutional administrative organizations, such as faculty council, senate, or graduate faculty. 18 Represent department in institutional committees. 1 A large variety of other duties are reported. Not one of these activities is reported, however, by more than a very few institutions, Chapter IX. Student Personnel Problems The factor of economic status still has a bearing on the type of human material entering teaching. It is known that the financial rewards of teaching are not such as to appeal to many of the more ambitious and able members of high-school graduating classes. Teacher trainees to-day do not ordinarily come from the wealthier classes. Teaching is comparatively easy for college trained people to enter and pays an immediate salary attractive to those who must begin wage earning as soon as possible. While new sources of recruits have been opened to the professions, extension of secondary and higher education has resulted in the admission both to public high schools and to teacher-training institutions of a larger number of students with mediocre intellectual ability. A twofold responsibility is placed upon the teaching profession. The teaching profession itself must be safeguarded against the admission of too many teachers of average ability. Superior teachers and educational leaders must be selected from students now presenting themselves for training in the public schools. The responsibilities of teachers, who must assist the coming generation to solve the increasing problems of society, demand a good quality of native ability, as well as adequate scholarship. Professional education is a comparatively new field and able leadership is urgently needed. Prevailing conditions of supply and demand, especially for teachers in elementary education and in secondary school liberal arts subjects, justify in most States more effective measures for selective admission to curricula for prospective teachers. From the viewpoint of the State and of society in general the desire of an individual to secure a job in teaching is subordinate to the necessity for the maintenance and advancement of the welfare of coming generations. The most commonly used predictive measures of success in training are: First, marks in high school; second, scores on psychological tests, such as intelligence scores; third, marks in courses taken in training institutions. Other measures and means of selection are sometimes used, such as standing or rating in physical examinations, in those personal traits that may be roughly measured, general character and ability as reported by high-school principals and others, records of students in extracurricular activities, and qualifications |