ministrators and school boards distrust and even fear the influences which such a committee may exert over school policies and programs. Since for all of the six types of work experience programs described in this report, community support and understanding are important, the use of advisory committees seems to be desirable.

The survey of work experience education in California schools revealed that only 18 of a total of 166 high school programs received advisory committee assistance.17 However, almost all writers emphasize the importance of the appointment of an advisory committee. Ivins and Runge 18 list the following duties for this group:

1. Help publicize the program of work experience.

2. Help to locate and select training stations.

3. Assist in the selection and enrollment of students.

4. Help to obtain classroom equipment and materials.

5. Give advice on the formulation of administrative policies and operating procedures.

6. Recommended instructional materials that should be used. **

7. Determine the course of action in making decisions on general problems that may arise.

The personnel included in any advisory committee will be determined by the nature of the work experience program. In a large comprehensive high school or in a city system, one liaison committee at the top level might be appointed to advise the school board, the superintendent, and the administrative staff. On the operational level, each type of work experience program will profit from a special advisory committee. The personnel making up the craft or occupational advisory committee should include, in addition to the coordinator and the school principal, representatives from the board of education, the school administration, the guidance service, the employers, the parents, the public employment service, the most interested local labor organization and other affected groups, for example, the local chamber of commerce. The members are usually selected by the coordinator and the principal, but the formal appointment should come from the superintendent after approval by the board of education. Advisory committees range in size from 6 to 12 or more. Through the development of mutual good will and understanding, the helpfulness of the advisory committee will do much to get the program off to a successful beginning.

17 Henry T. Tyler. Report of a Study of Work Experience Programs in California High Schools and Junior Colleges. Sacramento: California, State Department of Education, Preliminary Edition, September 1955. P. 45.

18 Wilson H. Ivins and William B. Runge. Work Experience in High School. New York: The Ronald Press Co., 1951. P. 224.

The advisory committee usually reviews all plans pertaining to the programs and assists in establishing standard employment practices for the students. They advise on wages and working conditions and are responsible for developing acceptance of the program among employers.

The Community Surveys and Work Experience Programs

A community occupational survey serves two purposes. First, the information secured through a community survey will be important in determining the nature and extent of the new program. Second, the conducting of the survey will serve to acquaint students, school leaders, parents, and employers with the program being planned.

A program based on two types of surveys is most likely to succeed. The first consists of a study of the work experience and employment needs of students. This type of survey was made by guidance officials in the Washington County schools of Maryland in 1954. It was found that 879, or 38 percent, of the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade pupils were working at some kind of part-time work.

In addition to surveys relating to students and their employment needs and status, a second type of survey relating to community resources is considered essential to the success of work experience programs. These surveys are conducted for the following purposes:

1. To determine the occupational structure of the community.

2. To note the changing pattern of occupations in the community.

3. To catalog the opportunities for full-time employment in the community.

4. To estimate the employment opportunities for part-time workers.

5. To provide the basis for changing and improving the secondary school curriculum to meet community needs.

6. To provide occupational information essential for use in guidance and counseling activities.

7. To provide a means of securing school and community cooperation in the determination of school policies.

Three examples of recent surveys will indicate the variation in the sponsorship and purposes of these community self-examination enterprises.

The Mason City Occupational Survey of 1953 19 was made under the direction of the State department of vocational education and the Department of Vocational Education of the Iowa State College in cooperation with a local survey team composed of teachers and

10 Iowa.

The Mason City, Iowa, Occupational Survey. Ames: Frank E. Wellman, Iowa State College, 1953.

107 p.

school administrators. About 13,000 full-time jobs and 900 parttime jobs were classified in the final report.

A public-school faculty committee on education for work, surveyed major occupational groups and job requirements in Holland, Mich., and the results were published January 15, 1954.20 The information was needed for use in guidance work and for determining needed curriculum changes. It was found that 10,289 full-time and 1,367 part-time workers were employed in Holland's businesses and industries. Many curriculum improvement suggestions were tabulated in the survey report.

The business education department of the Iowa State Teachers College with the cooperation of the Cedar Falls High School faculty and the Cedar Falls Chamber of Commerce completed an occupational survey of the city of Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 1954.21 The survey was conducted to gather information that would aid the schools in evaluating three aspects of the school program; namely, occupational guidance, vocational preparation, and part-time training programs. In this city of 14,334 people, the survey report showed that there were 2,610 full-time and 596 part-time employees.

In the small one-teacher or one-coordinator program, the individual in charge personally conducts a survey of business enterprises where it is most apparent that cooperative work stations can be located. This is done through personal calls on prospective employers. In some communities a teacher selected to serve as the coordinator of the new program is given a half day throughout the spring semester to plan and develop local participation in the new program which is scheduled to begin operation the next fall.

Securing Community Acceptance of the Work Experience Program

Work experience education in public schools should not be regarded as an innovation or as an experimental program. Some forms of cooperative school and work programs have been in continuous operation in several cities for more than 40 years. Because of the unusual pattern of operation for the work experience program, the citizens of a community must be informed about its objectives and characteristics. The preliminary plan of operation described earlier in this chapter will provide one means of disseminating information about the program to local citizenry. Other

20 Michigan. An Occupational Survey of the City of Holland, Mich. Board of Education, 1954. 31 p.

21 Iowa.

Holland: The

A Community Occupational Survey of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Cedar Falls: Iowa State Teachers College, 1954.

82 p.

avenues of dispensing basic information about the work-study program to the public must be used, including newspaper publicity, talks to civic clubs, possible radio and television programs. Businessmen will be interested also in the cost of the program and the ultimate effects on employment. They will want assurance that full-time adult workers will not be replaced by students. They must be convinced that the educational gains of the young worker offset the inconveniences caused to the employer who cooperates by employing part-time workers.

Officials in local labor organizations should be kept informed about the program. Through representation on advisory committees and by means of cooperative action during the period of policy determination, labor leaders can improve the efficiency of the program. The interest that labor organizations have taken in the public schools and the education of youth for full participation in the American way of life has been wholesome and helpful. The development of the apprenticeship program has proven the faith that organized labor has maintained in the idea of work experience education. A letter from Mrs. Betty H. Donnelly, vice president of the New York State Federation of Labor, emphasized the favorable attitude of that organization toward cooperative education at the high school level. said,22

She

Here in New York City, labor has been alert to the need of young people and has cooperated with the local school board in expanding and improving the programs of cooperative and apprentice education. While recognizing the desirability of giving practical experience on the job and actually providing placement for the properly trained pupils, the federation has, nevertheless, been watchful of the program to insure supervision and correlation of school and work by the proper school authorities.

The New York State Federation of Labor assisted in securing the passage of a legislative act making available State aid funds for school-enrolled students enrolled in cooperative work experience programs.

Securing community acceptance and support of any type of work experience education program, is a primary element in the success of the venture. The coordinator needs all available assistance in achieving this task.

22 Henry G. Hutton and others. Cooperative Work Experience in New York City. American Business Education, 6: 25-33, October 1949.

V. Operational Procedures for Work

.

Experience Programs

HE COORDINATOR of a work experience program is responsi

all activity.

teaching positions require so wide a range of qualifications. At successive moments, the coordinator is a school administrator, a curriculum planner, a classroom teacher, a guidance counselor, a public relations official, a placement officer, and a personnel director. The person holding such a position must be a superior teacher, a mature citizen, and a specialist in human relations. Some of the important operational procedures which occur regularly as a part of the coordinator's role in the work experience education program are discussed in this chapter.

The Coordinating Staff in Action

It is essential that definite job specifications be developed to designate the administrative, supervisory, and operative responsibilities of the coordinating staff. Some of the functions of each coordinator must be achieved in cooperation with other school officials, while many others are individual responsibilities.

Duties of the Coordinator

In the single-type work experience program, one teacher-coordinator is primarily responsible for the conduct of the program. His daily schedule usually includes 1 free period each morning, 1 class for job-related instruction, 1 academic class, and afternoons free for coordination. Many of the following activities are performed daily by the coordinator and others at less frequent intervals.

Makes community and school surveys.

Assists in selecting, organizing, and holding meetings of advisory committee. Interviews prospective employers and students.

Assists students in securing jobs on cooperative plan.

Helps students plan their class schedule and enrolls them in the work experience program.

Secures a plan of cooperation from each employer for each working student involved.

Aids students in obtaining work permits, social security numbers, student

learner certificates, etc.