794 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 40 



In discussing home economics education in 1917, it is pointed out that up to 

 the time of the passage of this act there were comparatively few schools in 

 this country giving courses in vocational home economics. State supervision of 

 home economics was not very well developed, and the teacher-training institu- 

 tions varied in the quality of work done and the length of courses offered. An 

 interpretation is given of the principles of home economies education as pro- 

 vided in the act. 



The chief effort in 1917-18 was to develop the work in home economics in the 

 all-day school. It is found that " the home-making subjects have been fairly 

 well taught, although the connection between the school work and the home 

 work of the pupil needed to be stressed. The development of the home project 

 idea was encouraged. The important piece of work done was to convince 

 the school men that a half day was none too much to require for the training 

 of a home maker, and that the home-making subjects should be strengthened 

 and supported by the fundamental science and art courses." 



The development of courses in science and art related to the home was 

 encouraged everywhere. "The curriculum as given in many of the secondary 

 schools was modified so that the so-called domestic science and domestic art 

 work was developed into one course of home economics, and the Bcope of the 

 work was extended so as to include more of the Lome-making activities, home 

 management, home nursing, child care, house planning and furnishing, as well 

 as work in food preparation, garment making, and millinery." The laboratory 

 facilities and equipment were increased, and part-time and evening work was 

 forwarded to some extent. 



At the end of the year there was a supervisor of vocational home economics 

 in ."I States. Stales were encouraged to establish a well-rounded four-year 

 course designed for the training of home economics teachers. An effort was 

 made to strengthen the special-methods work in the teaching of borne economics, 

 the practice teaching, and the provision for vocational experience. At the end 

 of the year a large number of institutions bad Increased the time spent in 

 their methods courses, bad increased their provision for practice teaching to a 

 minimum of eight weeks of three hours each, and bad provided supervised heme 

 management in a home of some sort provided for this purpose. Many of the 

 two-year institutions had added a third year to their teacher-training courses, 

 and in only one State where there was a two-year curse was there no provision 

 made for extending this to a four-year course by 1920. 



An annotated list of the publications of the Federal board is included, sta- 

 tistics of allotments of Federal money for 1917-18 and 1918-19 and the source 

 and amount of salary of State directors and b ipervisora by states for the ; 

 year ended June 30, 191S, are also given. Appendixes deal with the regulations 

 governing the administration of the act, rulings and decisions of the Federal 

 board, the response of States to the act, State legislation, and executive officers, 

 membership, directors, and supervisors of State boards for vocational education. 



Suggestions for courses in agriculture in the recognized high schools of 

 Illinois, A. W. Noi.ax and .7. Q Hanna ([Dipt. Pub. Instr. 111]. Circ. US 

 (191S), pp. JfS). — This bulletin contains syllabi for one- and two-year high 

 school courses in agriculture, and for additional one-semester or half-unit 

 courses of 18 weeks each, making up a total of three or four years in agri- 

 culture. 



The topics proposed for the one-year course are agronomy, animal husbandry, 

 farm business and life, and horticulture. For the two-year course it is sug- 

 gested (bat plant industry. Including agronomy for the first semester and 

 horticulture for the second, be given in the first year of the course, and that 



