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EDUCATIONAL BULLETIN
g

REPORTING ON A 1950
FALL CONFERENCE

(Fourth District Education Association—Elizabethtown, Kentucky)

Theme
BETTER SCHOOLS
THROUGH
IMPROVED HOME-SCHOOL RELATIONS

Published by ‘

DEPARTMENT a F EDUCATION

BOSWELL B. HODGKIN
Superintendent of Public Instruction

ISSUED MONTHLY

Entered as second-class matter March 21, 1933, at the post office at
Frankfort, Kentucky, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

Vol. XIX July, 195] No. 5

REPORTING ON A 1950
FALL CONFERENCE

(Fourth District Education Association—Elizabethtown, Kentucky)

Theme

BETTER SCHOOLS
THROUGH
IMPROVED HOME-SCHOOL RELATIONS

5 A Report
On

How The Fourth District Education Association
Developed and Conducted A Work Group
Conference On The Theme—“Better Schools
Through Improved Home-School Relations.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Foreword ................................................................................................. 223
Ofﬁcers, and Program Committee .................................................... 224
School Systems of FDEA .................................................................... 225
Tribute ....................................................................... . ............................... 226
When? ...................................................................................................... 227
Where? .................................................................................................... 228
What Happened? ..................................................................................... 229
How the Program of the Work Conference was Planned
and Conducted .............................................................................. 230—233
Conference Message ............................................................................... 234
Keynote Address _______________________________________________________________________________ 235-241
DiSCussion Guides for Work Groups ........................................... 243-250
A Report on the Discussion Groups ............................................ 251-261
Statements from the Summary of the Conference ................... 262-264

Appendix A—Ten Benchmarks of a Good Work Conference ...... 265

Appendix B—Basic Materials ....................................................... 267-278
Appendix C—Books for Parents and Teachers .......................... 279-280
Appendix D—Were You a Good Leader? . ....................................... 281

Appendix E—The Program ........................................................... 283-288

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FOREWORD

This bulletin is a summary report of the fall conference of the
Fourth District Education Association held on October 20, 1950, at
Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

One of the signiﬁcant recommendations of the Conference was
“that a summary report of the conclusions of the various groups
be sent to every school, every PTA unit, and every classroom
teacher.” In keeping with this recommendation I requested Miss
Louise Combs, a staff member of the State Department of Edu—
cation, and Miss Nona Burress, a staff member of the Kentucky
Education Association, to prepare this publication. It will be
printed in sufficient quantity for the distribution as recommended.

Appreciation is expressed to Superintendent E. D. Brown,
President of FDEA, and to Miss Grace Weller, the Secretary, for
taking the initiative to plan and conduct such a worthwhile con-
ference, involving teachers and parents; to Miss Burress and Miss
Combs, who served as planning consultants and who prepared this
bulletin; to the nineteen group recorders who submitted complete
reports on the discussions and agreements reached; and to all
persons who contributed to the success of the conference.

I hope that this publication will be a valuable guide to many
professional, parent, and lay groups in their efforts to ﬁnd effective
ways of working together to provide better school services to the
children of the Commonwealth.

Boswell B. Hodgkin, ‘

Superintendent Public Instruction
June 11, 1951

OFFICERS
OF ' FO
FOURTH DISTRICT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

E. D. Brown, President
Superintendent, Breckinridge County Schools

Mrs. Carroll Hill, Vice President Bre‘
Teacher, Elizabethtown School
W. T. Buckles, Vice President Buli
Principal, Bloomﬁeld School
1 Miss Grace Weller, Secretary Gre
ll Assistant Superintendent, Hardin County Schools
l1 Gra
ﬂ PROGRAM COMMITTEE FOR 1950
H E. D. Brown, President F.D.E.A.—Superintendent, Breckinridge Hm
I
‘1

County Schools

i ,.
l ‘ Grace Weller, Secretary F.D.E.A——Assistant Superintendent, Hardin
1 1‘ County Schools

A R. Cooper—Principal, Lebanon Junction School Ha]
*J. T. Alton—Principal, Vine Grove School
John Dickey—Principal, Hodgenville School
*Mrs. Geneva Campbell—Teacher, Campbellsville School Ma
Mrs. Howard Gardner—Teacher, Hodgenville School

; Charlie Hart—Superintendent, Nelson County Schools

Mrs. Lillian J ohnston—Superintendent, Lebanon Schools Me

Paul Kerrick—Teacher, Elizabethtown School

La]

*NOTE: Mr. Alton is K.E.A. Director from the Fourth District Education
Association and N.E.A. Director for Kentucky. Mrs. Campbell iS
K.E.A. Classroom Teacher Director from the Fourth District Educa- A Oh
tion Association.

PLANNING CONSULTANTS FOR PROGRAM

Nona Burress, Director of Field Service, Kentucky Education Association W;
Louise Combs, Acting Director Teacher Education and Certiﬁcation, Ken—
tucky State Department of Education

2214

SCHOOL SYSTEMS

FOURTH DISTRICT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Name of County and
Independent School Systems

Breckinridge County Schools
Cloverport Independent Schools

Bullitt County Schools
Lebanon Junction Independent Schools

Green County Schools

Grayson County Schools
Leitchﬁeld Independent Schools

Hardin County Schools
Elizabethtown Independent Schools
West Point Independent Schools
Hart County Schools
LaRue County Schools

Marion County Schools
Lebanon Independent Schools

Meade County Schools

Nelson County Schools .
Bardstown Independent Schools

Ohio County Schools

Taylor County Schools
Campbellsville Independent Schools

Washington County Schools
Springﬁeld Independent Schools

Name of
Superintendent in 1950

E. D. Brown
H. M. Wesley

W. 0. Anderson
J. 0. Ward

Mrs. Lucile Guthrie

Oran P. Lawler
Marshall E. Hearin

G. C. Burkhead
H. C. Taylor
Harry Holtzclaw
Mrs. Daisie Carter

Miss Ada Lee Graham

Hugh C. Spalding
Mrs. Lillian B. Johnston

James R. Allen

Charles W. Hart
Henry T. Cooper

Stanley Byers

George E. Sapp
Thomas F. Hamilton

J. F. McWhorter
Bennett R. Lewis

Total School Census (White) of this District—46,041 (April, 1950)

225

TRIBUTE

Tribute is due the Fourth District Education Association for develop-
ing outstanding leaders in education. For this achievement the Fourth
District has reason to take great pride.

It is appropriate for the Fourth District Education Association to
salute the following leaders who are their own; who are at present or
who formerly were members of the F.D.E.A.; who were “at home” or
who returned “home” to have a part in this important Conference:

James T. Alton—KEA Director for F.D.E.A. and N.E.A. Director for
Kentucky

Nona Burress—Director of Field Services, KEA

William D. Chilton—Head, Bureau of Finance, State Department of
Education

Marvin Dodson—Director of Public Relations, KEA

Dr. R. E. Jaggers—Head, Department of Education, State Teachers
College, Florence, Alabama
John A. Jones—Accounting Supervisor, State Department of Edu—
cation
Mrs. Mary Marshall—President, Department of Elementary Educa-
tion of. KEA, 1950
Herschel Roberts—President, Department of Secondary Principals of
KEA, 1950 _
Mrs. Charles T. Shelton—Immediate Past President Kentucky Con-
gress of Parents and Teachers—1949—50
Stanley Wall—President, Department of Vocational Education——
KEA, 1950
Also, the two following school leaders of the State, who assisted in
making the Conference a success, taught at one time in their career in
the Fourth District and were members of FDEA:
Henry Chambers—President of KEA, 1949—50
C. D. Redding—Vice—President of KEA, 1949—50, and President of
KEA, 1950—51

Special tribute is due James T. Alton, a member of the Fourth Dis-
trict Education Association from the very beginning of his teaching
career. Mr. Alton has represented the Fourth District on the Board of
Directors of the KEA for seven years; he served as President of the
Kentucky Education Association during two successive terms; he has
served as N.E.A. Director for Kentucky during the past four years; and
he has been one of the strongest advocates of this “new type” conference——
a teacher-participating conference—for the eleven educational districts,
and particularly for the FDEA.

It is evident that the Fourth District Education Association has the

“know—how” for developing leadership ability for Kentucky’s program Of
Education.

—By Louise Combs

226

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228

WHAT HAPPENED ? ...............

“It was heartening” - - - -, said a parent.
“It was wonderful” - - - —, said a teacher.

“Teacher participation was 100%" - — — —,
said a group leader.

“Attitude was changed a little” — - - -,
said a superintendent.

Yes, parents for the ﬁrst time in the history of education. in Kentucky
were invited to participate in an annual fall district Education Confer-
ence.

One parent evaluated the conference by saying, “What happened here
today is the most heartening thing I have ever witnessed in education.
These 1400 teachers were earnestly discussing ways to understand chil—
dren that schools might help each child grow and develop to his maxi-
mum.” (This statement by Mrs. James T. Shelton, past president of
Kentucky Congress of Parents and Teachers, is signiﬁcant.)

“No problem of a teacher was considered too little to be discussed.
It was wonderful to have my own teaching problem discussed by a group
of ﬁfty persons. I got some good ideas and valuable help, and I think
every teacher did.”—a teacher.

“Teacher participation was 100% in my group and the teachers really
seemed to like what happened here today. They want this type of
conference next year.” (Statement by Mr. William D. Chilton who knew
personally all the participants in his group.)

“This conference set up a situation where teachers will have a chance
to change attitude. I think attitude was changed just a little today on the
part of most of the 1400 of us on this matter of promotion, adjusting the
school program to the individual child, and on the responsibility of the
teacher to understand the child through working closely with the parents.
Attitude was changed just a little today toward the use of democratic
procedures. The attitude toward a conference of this nature was changed
today, Speeches were used only as they had a purpose in connection with
the Program. It was good for all of us to grow a little—to change attitude
3 little.” (These statements were made by Mr. Henry Chambers, past
pres1dent of the Kentucky Education Association.)

229

HOW THE PROGRAM OF THE WORK
CONFERENCE WAS PLANNED AND CONDUCTED

“We do not hesitate to say that it depends as much upon the
parent at home, as upon the teacher at school, whether the child
learns even at school. The parent and teacher should work
together with the same object at heart.”1

This belief expressed in a statement by Walt Whitman really repre-
sents the deep concern of the program committee of the FDEA when the
ﬁfteen members sat down around the table in Miss Weller’s office on
March 10, 1950, to plan the fall conference to be held for 1400 members on
October 20, 1950.

Planning the Conference

The program committee wanted the conference to be helpful to every
teacher. They discussed earnestly for an hour some of the problems
being discussed by teachers all over the district. Some of these problems
were: How to get parents sufficiently interested in the school to come
to school? What responsibility does the teacher have in going into the
homes? How can teachers know parents and visit in homes of children
who are transported for miles? What are the disturbing inﬂuences that
have produced such a change in children’s behavior during the recent
years? How can the influence of the school be made strong enough to
improve undesirable situations in the community? How can the school
get seemingly indifferent parents to cooperate in better attendance of
their children? Why are so many children dropping out of school before
they ﬁnish the twelfth grade? How can we as teachers help parents
understand what we are trying to do at school? How can we improve
our reporting system so the parent will really understand his child’s
progress? How valuable is homework? How and when should homework
be given? Should all teachers in a system follow the same policy on this
point? What do parents really know about children? How can teachers
and parents work together more closely in understanding children?

From these and other similar problems the theme for the conference
was created: “Better Schools Through Improved Home—School Relations.”

The next question the program committee faced was, “What kind of
program and what type of conference procedures will contribute most to
the solution of these very real problems of teachers and administrators?”

The Director of the FDEA on the KEA board of directors had partici-
pated in the Somerset Conference in 1949, a Work Group Conference of
MCDEA. Also, the officers of FDEA had attended the meeting Of the
eleven KEA District education association officers held in Louisville
during the early spring of 1949. At the meeting, it was agreed that
teachers and administrators were of the opinion that different type
meetings were needed—meetings designed to let all members participate-
Further, the two planning consultants who had also assisted in planning
the Somerset Work Conference for 1000 teachers believed in the value of

1 National Parent Teacher. 600 South Michigan Boulevard. Chicago 5. Illinois. May
Issue. 1951.

230

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a work conference for 1400 teachers in this area. They expressed the View
that the problems to be discussed were of such a nature as to be solved
best cooperatively. The entire committee agreed that these problems
could not be solved by the “speech” type conference. Further, the com—
mittee agreed that these problems could not be solved by teachers alone,
but if teachers and parents work together, a solution might be found to
some of them. The decision was made. FDEA would hold a teacher-
parent participating work conference.

Four major planning sessions and many unscheduled “talk-it-over”
sessions and much detailed work went into the conference plans. The
plans also included one dinner meeting with all twenty—two superinten—
dents. In addition to reaching all superintendents, the plans, through
the superintendents, reached all teachers, principals, and supervisors. All
had a part in selecting personnel and problems to be discussed. The
program was cooperatively planned and cooperatively conducted.

Pro-Conference Dinner Meeting

On Thursday evening prior to the day of the Conference, Mr. H. Ed.
McCullum, Jr., President of the Elizabethtown Chamber of Commerce,
invited to dinner at the Elizabethtown Country Club the officers, program
committee, the twenty—two superintendents, and the forty guests who
were to serve as leaders and consultants for the Conference. This was a
gracious manifestation that kind and friendly relations existed between
the Chamber of Commerce of Elizabethtown and the school leaders in the
area surrounding the city. This dinner provided an opportunity for the
local school administrators and the school leaders from all over Ken-
tucky to get acquainted. Also, it was good for these forty leaders who
work in colleges and school systems in various geographical sections to
have opportunity to know each other.

Superintendent Brown, the president, presided and introduced the
local persons, including program committee members, officers, and su-
perintendents. Miss Burress, one of the planning consultants, presented
the forty guests.

One of the objectives of this dinner program was to develop an
understanding of the theme of the Conference and its implications for
the 1400 teacher conference participants and the parent representatives.
To assist the program committee and officers in this phase of the program
the following guest speakers discussed various phases of the theme:

Superintendent Boswell B. Hodgkin

Dr. R. E. Jaggers

William D. Chilton

James T. Alton

Marvin Dodson

Their statements stimulated thinking on such phases of home—school

relationships as working together, public relations, community schools,
public interest in education today, and the school services the parents
expect for their children. As Superintendent Hodgkin pointed out, “good
SChools all over America are working with parents” in ﬁnding and meet-

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ing the needs of children. He indicated that all popular magazines includ-
ing the October issue of “Life” carry articles pointing out this trend.
This is an indication of public interest in schools, because popular maga-
zines respond to the interest of the public.

Miss Weller, the secretary, discussed the responsibility of the Leaders
and consultants in the next day’s Conference. She emphasized that the
local school staffs really want to know “how to get started” in working
with parents and that the Conference should set a pattern or show a way
for a similar conference with parents and teachers in every community.
She pointed out that this was to be a new experience, a new type con-
ference, that would succeed only to the extent that all teachers partici-
pated and that each leader’s responsibility was to create an atmosphere in
which there would be free and frank discussion. She emphasized the need
for group decision on each issue in the form of recommendations or
conclusions or group agreements. The major points in Miss Weller’s
suggestions to the leaders are given in Appendix D, page 281. Also, she
called attention to the characteristics of a good conference—Appendix A,
page 265. These were guides used by the planning consultants who
assisted the program committee. .

This pre-conference meeting set the stage for the following day’s
work conference and according to the leaders and consultants, it con-
tributed to the success of the work groups and to the success of the con-
ference.

The Morning and Afternoon Conference Sessions

The Conference was opened with a keynote address, given by Dr.
Frank Dickey, Dean of the College of Education, University of Kentucky.
This valuable address focused attention upon the importance of parents
and teachers working together and upon the child growth and develop-
ment approach to planning and developing better school programs.

The participants, divided into nineteen groups as they registered,
went into work sessions, devoting one and one half hours in the morning
and two hours in the afternoon to full discussion of their own problems
which had been submitted earlier in the pre-planning of the conference.
The discussion guides on page 243 were made available to every par-
ticipant.

The Evening Session

A panel discussion and the summary of the day’s work were the
major features of the evening session.

The panel. Dr. Lyman Ginger, Director, University School, of the
University of Kentucky, served as chairman of a panel discussion on the
topic, “How can schools and home work together for better schools for
our children?"

The panel members were:

William D. Chilton—Head, Bureau of Finance, State Department Of

Education.

Miss Jane Melton—Home Economics Supervisor, State Department of

Education

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John W. Brooker—Executive Secretary, KEA

Mrs. Charles T. Shelton—~Past President, Kentucky Congress of
Parents and Teachers

Miss Margaret Clayton—Guidance Director, Valley High, Jefferson
County

Mr. Sam Moore—President PTA, Green County

Dr. Chester Travelstead—Coordinator, In-Service Program, State
Department of Education

The panel discussed the following pertinent questions:

What are some of the things the schools should do in planning to
work with the home?

What do parents expect of the school?

Under our present situation how can teachers treat and teach a child
as an individual?

How can schools better prepare young people for life?

How can schools develop the general attitude that parents are
welcome at school and that their thinking is needed?

How can school leaders and parents and the lay public really come
to an understanding of the function of each group in the over-all school
program?

How can the school really become a community school in the sense
that it is built upon the needs and resources of the people in the commu-
nity?

How can schools better know the growth needs of every child?

How can the school program for each child be so organized that his
school experiences will meet his own needs?

What are the basic needs of children that can be met through the
school when parents and teachers understand and work together?

This discussion was stimulating and a very worthwhile part of the
total conference.

The summary and evaluation. That all groups might share in the

thinking of each group, Dr. R. E. Jaggers was asked to summarize the
reports submitted by the nineteen recorders. It was interesting to observe
that all groups were in almost complete agreement on the major con-
clusions and solutions offered to each problem. This strengthened the
individual and group beliefs and added value to the recommendations of
any one group. The main points of the summary given by Dr. Jaggers
are on pages 262-264. From the evaluation and summary it was
abundantly clear that this was a day well spent in the interest of children.

CONFERENCE MESSAGE
b

y
E. D. Brown, President
Fourth District Education Association

According to custom and the laws of tradition, the time has now
arrived for one of the highlights of the Annual Meeting of the Fourth
District Education Association—I refer to the president’s message. We
are breaking with tradition today, not only in the type of Annual Meeting,
but also in omitting the President’s message. We are very enthusiastic
in the Fourth District about our “First Work Conference” with 1400 of us
participating.

We have looked forward to this day and to this Conference with
anticipation. I should like to make it clear in the very beginning that
vve are not here to solve the problenis of the Vvorld, to iniplenient the
U. N., to feed and clothe Europe and Asia, nor to determine great matters
of State. We hope, though, by our thinking and planning together to ﬁnd
ways to improve our schools in the Fourth Education Association District.
We hope that every person here will make his contribution to the discus~
sions and decisions reached.

We are extremely happy to have many parents with us today. We
have asked you parents here to help us plan for Better Schools Through
Improved Home-School Relationships. We believe that our schools should
be cooperative enterprises; we believe that better schools will come about
through the united efforts of schools and communities Based on these
beliefs we invited parents to join us. This is history in the making. We
have never before asked parents to participate in an Annual Fall Con-
ference, but as I said in the beginning, we are breaking with tradition,
and this is a new kind of conference.

We have some very able group leaders and special consultants to
help us make the Conference worthwhile. Approximately 40 of the
outstanding educational leaders of Kentucky are here to lead and guide.
us in our cooperative efforts today. I should like for you to meet these
people, and I should like for them to know that we appreciate their
coming. It is a special honor for us to have them, and they have sacriﬁced
some of their valuable time to come to help us. We want to thank each
one personally and individually for being with us today. At this time I
am pleased to present to you these special guests, our co-workers in the
profession, from the State Department of Education, including the State
Superintendent, Mr. Boswell B. Hodgkin; from Western Kentucky State
C01lege. Campbellsville Junior College, Lindsey Wilson Junior College,
University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Florence State Teachers
College of Alabama; and from the following public school systems outside
the Fourth District: Jefferson, Anderson, McCracken, Adair, and Fayette
County systems; Lexington, Frankfort, Somerset, Russell, and Louisville
City systems. (Presented guests.) And now I present our special guests,
our co—Workers from the laity—the parents, who are here today rePTE‘
senting the PTA organizations throughout the District. (Presented
Parents)

May this be a day well spent in the interest of the children!

234

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Understanding Children — a Basis for
Closer Home-School Relationships
By Frank Dickey, Dean
College of Education, University of Kentucky

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen:

It is a real privilege to have this opportunity to meet with you at the
opening session of the ﬁfty—fourth meeting of the Fourth District Educa-
tion Association. I believe that all of those persons serving as leaders and
consultants will agree with me when I say that you are to be congratu—
lated upon your willingness to assume the responsibility for such a meet—
ing as this. I predict that when the meeting is over tonight you will feel
that much has been accomplished, mainly because everyone will have
had an opportunity to participate in reaching certain decisions and con—
clusions. After this address you will not be compelled to listen to another
one, for you will be the speaker from now on.

When your secretary gave me this assignment several weeks ago
and indicated that she would like to have me place especial emphasis
upon improving our schools through better home—school relationships, I
fear that I took this job rather lightly. The more I began to think about
the tremendous task which was before me, the more fearful I became. I
thought of many approaches to this job. In fact, in the process of con—
sidering just what I should say, I was reminded of a little story which
may be of interest to you.

The head of the department of comparative religions at Harvard
University was a very learned, but unworldly man. Invariably he asked
the same question on every ﬁnal examination: “Who, in chronological
order, were the kings of Israel?” Students came to count on this pro-
cedure as a sacred institution and prepared accordingly. They were not
dlsappointed—that is, until some crabby student ﬁnally tattled, and one
precedent-shattering spring, the professor confounded his class by chang-
ing the question to: “Who were the major prophets and who were the
minor prophets?” The class sat dumbfounded and all but one member
slunk out of the room without writing a word. This sole survivor scrib-
bled furiously and deposited his paper with the air of the conqueror. The
proﬁessor was so interested that he immediately opened it and read the
ffﬂlovving inscription: “Far be it from me to make any attempt to dis-
llflguish between these revered gentlemen, but it did occur to me that you
might like to have a chronological list of the Kings of Israel.”

Unlike the student, but very much in the manner of the professsor, I
have decided to change my approach to this matter drastically from the
Eanuscript which I had prepared. I had considered bringing before you

9 blg princ1ples which are involved in better home-school relationships.
I could have listed many, but time would not have permitted me to deal
Wlth any one in detail. Here again, I was reminded of a story with which
some Of You may already be familiar. It is the story of the turtle and the

235

grasshopper. It seems that the little grasshopper was moving along the
dusty road one fall day in a very dejected manner. When he met Mr.
Turtle, it was quite apparent that the grasshopper was unhappy about
something, so Mr. Turtle said, “Mr. Grasshopper, what is troubling you?”
Mr. Grasshopper immediately poured out his troubles to the turtle and
replied, “Well, you see, grasshoppers just can’t live through the cold
winters in this part of the country. Winter will soon be here and I shall
freeze to death. I have lived a very happy and a very useful life and
I’m not ready to die.” The turtle listened attentively, thought for a
moment, and then said: “I believe that I can give you a suggestion which
will help you. Do you see that big stone house over yonder?” The grass-
hopper replied in the affirmative and the turtle continued. “Well, if you
will change yourself into a cockroach and go into that house for the
winter, you will have a nice place to live. You can slip out of the base-
ment at night, eat the crumbs from the ﬂoor and live in luxury. That
would not be such a bad life at all. But then, next spring you could
change yourself back into a grasshopper and all would be solved.” The
countenance of the grasshopper changed immediately and he hopped off
with a smile. Suddenly, however, he turned and hopped back to the
turtle. Mr. Grasshopper said, “Say, you forgot to tell me how to change
myself into a cockroach and back into a grasshopper.” To which the
turtle replied, “Why you ungrateful little wretch. I have given you the
BIG ideas—it is up to you to work out the minor details.”

Instead of leaving you in the same predicament as the grasshopper,
I have decided to speak on only two phases of developing better home-
school relationships and thereby devote more time to the concrete details
and examples of such efforts.

I should like to say to you that good schools are no accident! Neither
are good home—school relationships accidental. They don’t just grow as
did Topsy. Good schools are planned carefully and with much thought.
Therefore, as we consider our schools, we should do our best to undergird
them with strong foundations. . . . Foundations that will not crumble
when the going gets rough. . . . If I should give this talk a title, I think
that I would call it “Shoring Our Foundations.” Perhaps that is a rather
strange title, for few of us ever use the word “shore” as I am using it in
this address. If you go to