The Texas Standard, Volume [38], Number [5], November-December 1964 Page: 7
31 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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CRISIS & CHALLENGES—
(Continued from Page 6)
has a range of several thousand
vocational choices; many of which
may not be in existence when the
work age is reached. Hence, youth
must include in their preparation
for vocational careers some train-
ing in job-seeking because the rapi-
dity of technological changes makes
it certain that every worker will
take on several new jobs during his
life.
Because choice of a vocation is
a complex task, it is imperative
that the junior high schools include
in their programs significant guid-
ance and exploratory activities.
Failure to provide such experiences
in junior high school will seriously
handicap the student in high school.
Important in this regard is the need
to provide for extensive vocational
and aptitude testing at the junior
high school level.
Perspective
Too long we have tried to fit
every child for college preparatory
courses though records indicated
they were not college material or
that they would not attend college
for economic or social reasons.
Those who do not enter college
must be prepared to earn a liveli-
hood. They can do this if they are
given proper guidance, counseling,
and training during their high
school years.
Business, industry, and crafts of-
ten have short intensive training
programs for prospective employees.
The employees, however, must be
trainable. Many trade crafts require
an apprenticeship period; but,
again, the prospective tradesman
must have an educational back-
ground in order to enter into ap-
prenticeship training.
Our jobs as teachers are not com-
plete when a student graduates from
high school. A majority of the
many excellent job opportunities re-
quire post high school training in
technical institutes, junior college or
special schools. The idea that edu-
cation is a continuous process is
evident in the frequency workers
must be re-trained to master new
machinery or advanced methods of
operation. Jobs are no longer static;
in the main they change, become
obsolete and expand into new fron-
tiers.
This decade has seen multiple op-
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1964
Executive Secretary Speaks
To East Texas Schoolmen
Dr. Vernon McDaniel, executive
secretary of the Teachers State Asso-
ciation of Texas was invited to speak
to the East Texas Association of
Schoolmen in their October meeting,
held at the Sabine Valley School,
Greggton.
McDaniel, a member of the Gov-
ernor's Committee on Education Be-
yond the High School, stated that,
"Education beyond the high school
in Texas has suffered for the lack
of three things, namely: design, ded-
ication and dollars. We must de-
sign a plan which offers promise
that we can catch-up, keep-up and
get-ahead. The design which we
plan must be managed and directed
by dedicated officials and adminis-
trators; persons who are unselfishly
interested in promoting education
beyond the high school in Texas to
a place second to none in the na-
tion."
"Though we have a perfect de-
sign and the help of truly dedicated
officials and administrators, we will
never catch-up, keep-up or get-
ahead without dollars ... in far
greater appropriations than we have
ever considered in the past."
McDaniel emphasized that catch-
ing-up means that Texas must re-
duce the number of dropouts among
high school and college youth.
Catching-up means that we must
equalize education opportunity.
He quoted the Educational Poli-
cies Commission of the N. E. A.
fantastic prediction: "If things go
on the way they have been, by 1970,
half the people who live in our
large cities will be disadvantaged
American . . . ignorant, incompe-
tent and maladjusted charges of the
community.
Executive Secretary McDaniel in-
dicated that the problem of catch-up
has been accentuated by duplication
of programs and facilities.
A major consideration at this
point is securing support for legis-
lation to implement recommenda-
tions of the study.
It would be a fatal mistake if we
were to assume that recommenda-
tions of the Governor's Committee
on Education Beyond the High
School will be accepted and adopted
by the Legislature on the strength
of practical needs documented in
an exhaustive study. The Legisla-
ture will act on this report just as
it does on all other pending legis-
lation . . . when representative
numbers of influential voters give
evidence that they expect education
beyond the high school in Texas to
achieve: "A standard of excellence
second to none in the nation."
portunities for specialized training
under the several manpower acts,
namely: the National Defense
Training Act, the Youth Develop-
ment Acts, and the Vocational Acts
most recently passed by Congress.
Some of the opportunities were
provided the high schools, some are
for drop-outs in order to make
them employable, some are for ad-
vanced training after high school
graduation but of less than college
level, and some are for re-training
persons who are jobless because
their jobs simply do not exist any-
more.
My fellow educators, it is time
we took a long and hard look at
our role in this last half of the
20th century. We must be greatly
concerned about making full con-
tributions as citizens.
We can meet the challenges in
education and overcome all crises
only if we are willing to pay the
price. Pride and dedication to pro-
fession and race should mean as
much as salary in our efforts. This
suggests that we start teaching
children instead of holding school.
Achievement to the best of their
ability, for all the children we
teach, must be our paramount con-
cern.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Educational Policies Commission, Na-
tional Education Association, reprint of
news release published in the Texas
Standard, May-June, 1962, p. 12.
2. Lester Velie, Reader's Digest, July, 1964.
3. U. S. Commission on Civil Rights,
Fourth Annual Conference on Problems
of Segregation and Desegregation in
Public Schools, Washington, D.C.: May,
1962, p. 192.
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McDaniel, Vernon. The Texas Standard, Volume [38], Number [5], November-December 1964, periodical, November 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth193822/m1/7/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Prairie View A&M University.