A STUDY OF THE FLINT. MICHIGAN, NEWSPAPER IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM Thesis for the Degree of M. A. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY NICHOLAS 0. SHARKEY 1971 rr4fikifii .7- n..-“ ”A.-.” “3”..." ’ "" ‘1‘- ‘3], ~ .9 ‘ ~- A ‘1‘ 2“ V'- I'TF'JIT’19-F h - 3?; .. __ R ‘ v 51:; ..."...£ .J‘ ,. I‘ 3. . BINSING 5v is HOAG & SUNS BUN BINDERY WET: I, LIBRARY BINDERS II srnnunnujmmenu I MSU LIBRARIES ” BEIURNING MATERIAL§5 PIace in book drop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES wiII be charged if book is returned after the date stamped be10w. [1,”...— ABSTRACT A STUDY OF THE FLINT, MICHIGAN, NEWSPAPER IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM BY Nicholas 0. Sharkey The Flint Journal in Flint, Michigan, is one of 364 newspapers in the United States and Canada cooperating with its local school system in the newspaper in the class- room program. It began in 1958 when three universities con— ducted workshops for teachers interested in using the news- paper in school. Interviews with newspaper editors, school board officials, teachers, and students trace the progress and decline of the Flint program. In its early years, the Journal had an energetic and successful program led by its editor, Ralph B. Curry; school officials, teachers, and students worked closely with him. The American Newspaper Publishers Association, a trade organization of daily newspapers in the United States and Canada, used Flint as a model of newspaper in the classroom programs. The decline started when the Journal turned the pro- gram over to the school system. Today the Journal's only part in the program consists of delivering newspapers to Nicholas 0. Sharkey schools and sponsoring teachers every summer to the Amer- ican Newspaper Publishers Association workshops. Most teachers receive no assistance in using the newspaper other than supplementary guides. After discussing the newspaper in the classroom pro- grams of selected newspapers, the study makes recommenda- tions for the Flint project. They include the hiring of a newspaper in the classroom coordinator by the Journal, better leadership by Flint teachers trained at the American News- paper Publishers Association summer workshops, local work- shOps, and suggestions for providing better communication between teachers and the newspaper. I A \5 A STUDY OF THE FLINT, MICHIGAN, NEWSPAPER IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM BY Nicholas 0. Sharkey A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS School of Journalism 1971 Accepted by the faculty of the School of Journalism, College of Communication Arts, Michigan State University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master AW/ Director of Thesis of Arts degree. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Mary A. Gardner for her assistance and criticism in preparation of this thesis. I would also like to acknowledge the help of Flint news- paper editors, school officials, teachers and students in conducting this study. Lastly, I am grateful to my wife, Janice, and son, Daniel, for their patience while I com- pleted this work. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O O O O 1 Chapter I. NATIONAL VIEW OF THE NEWSPAPER PROGRAM . . . 6 History of the national newspaper in the classroom program; the role of the American Newspaper Publishers Association; testing of the news- paper program; discussion of two newspaper projects. II. THE FLINT, MICHIGAN, NEWSPAPER IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM 0 O O O I O O O O O O O O 20 History of Flint program; the role of the Journal, the school board, and teachers in the program today. III. PROBLEMS IN THE FLINT PROGRAM . . . . . . . 34' The poor support given to teachers and students participating in the program; how teachers and students use the newspaper. IV. OTHER CLASSROOM PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . 48 V. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FLINT NEWSPAPER PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 APPENDICES I. CLASSROOM PROGRAMS BY REGION AND CIRCULATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 iv II. III. TEACHERS, SCHOOLS, AND STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM . . . FLINT TEACHER'S GUIDE . . . . SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . INTRODUCTION The newspaper in the classroom program makes use of the daily newspaper in schools throughout the United States and Canada. In the l970~7l school year, 364 newspapers co- operated with local schools in the project.1 It is an at- tempt to wed the interests of newspapers and teachers as a means to help provide up-to-date instruction in classrooms. The program has been the subject of many glowing testimon- ials--"a revolutionary educational tool" and "the answer to a teacher's problems"--by both newspaper and school author- ities. In practice, however, there are many problems in the alliance between the two groups. The organized use of the newspaper in the nation's schools began in 1956 when teachers and newspaper editors met at a conference in Chicago and decided to study how news— papers were being used in schools through a national sample of teachers. As a result of this study, a national newspaper program was launched; today more than five million students lAmerican Newspaper Publishers Association, Report of a survey of daily newspapers, The Newspaper in the Class- room Program: l970~7l School Year (New York: American News- paper PublIshers AssoCiation Foundation, 1971), p. l. participate in newspaper programs.2 Each program is indi- vidually tailored to the needs of the newspapers, teachers, and students. The major difficulty in the programs has come from the different goals of the participants—-the newspapers and the teachers. Most newspapers are frank in stating their purpose for participating, that is, to insure future reader— ship. The advent of the electronic news media--especially television-~has made publishers fearful that one day the newspaper will no longer be a major source of news. Of course, the teacher is not concerned about the future of newspapers; he participates for other reasons. Many teach the newspaper and its role in society for two weeks in what is known as a unit newspaper study. Others use the newspaper as current and supplementary material for many classes, including English, driver education, history, government, and remedial reading--teachers in nearly every school subject use the newspaper. Teachers had been using newspapers in schools for many years before the national program began. Usually, they received little help from local newspapers and instruction consisted mostly of computing baseball averages in mathemat- ics classes or compiling a scrap book for social studies. Today, a teacher is not only provided with daily newspapers, 2Ibid., p. 2. but also often receives elaborate supplementary material. In cities where an extensive newspaper in the classroom pro- gram exists, he may have available filmstrips, newspaper guides, tours of the newspaper plant, and classroom talks by newspaper representatives. He also is able to learn more about the newspaper through local and national workshops. Because of their different goals and objectives, many problems have arisen between newspapers and schools in classroom programs. In addition, there is a history of con- flict between the two groups. Teachers criticize newspapers for reflecting the views of the establishment and for what they consider sensational coverage of school news. Publish- ers and editors argue that teachers have no understanding of the role of the newspaper in a democracy. These differences are not solved by a few school-newspaper meetings and the delivery of newspapers to the schools. The comments of Ronald L. Clarke, creative services manager for the Oklahoma Publishing Company, are typical of the viewpoint of many newspaper officials about the program. According to Clarke, the major obstacle to starting his news- paper's program was the hostility of the teachers toward the newspaper. "We had many problems from teachers, not the least of which was that they believed the newspaper was trying to tell them how to teach," he said.3 3Letter from Ronald L. Clarke, creative services man- ager for the Oklahoma Publishing Company, Oklahoma City, Okla., July 8, 1968. Stanley P. Wronski, a professor of secondary educa- tion at Michigan State University, teaches future social studies instructors how to use the newspaper in their clas- ses. He views the problems between newspapers and the schools differently than Clarke. There is an inherent conflict between the educational establishment and the rest of society. Educators view the newspaper industry as reflecting the interests of big business. We are justifiably suspicious of the motives of newspapermen in the classroom program. We do not share the newspaper's goal of selling more news— 4 papers. The conflict will never be completely resolved. The main force behind the national program for news- papers in the classrooms has been the American Newspaper Publishers Association, a trade organization of daily news- papers in the United States and Canada. The association sponsors summer workshops for teachers and acts as a central source of information for newspapers and teachers interested in the program. This study will examine the newspaper in the class- room program of one newspaper, the Flint Journal, in Flint, Michigan. It has been used as a model by the American News- paper Publishers Association; Marvin Maskovsky, educational representative for the association, has called it "one of the outstanding programs in the country."5 4Stanley P. Wronski, interview at Michigan State University, June 28, 1971. 5Letter from Marvin Maskovsky, educational represen— tative for American Newspaper Publishers Association, New York, April 27, 1971. An examination of this program will indicate, it is hoped, the difficulties for publishers and teachers in establishing and maintaining a newspaper in the classroom project. The study will go beyond the glowing accounts of school board officials and newspaper editors to record how one newspaper is being used in the classroom. Finally, sug- gestions will be offered on how the Flint newspaper program may be improved to serve better the needs of teachers and students. CHAPTER I NATIONAL VIEW OF THE NEWSPAPER PROGRAM The newspaper is no more the answer to a teacher's prayer than any other inanimate teaching tool. But it is a superior tool when coupled with the animating force of the teacher's confident use, because it contains with- in its pages something to engage and reward the interests of every child.1 The board of education and the Flint Journal in Flint, Michigan, during the 1970-71 school year cooperated for the tenth year on a newspaper in the classroom program; it was one of 364 programs in the United States and Canada.2 More than five million school children had used newspapers in schools during that academic year,3 a marked change from a study con- ducted on the use of newspapers in secondary schools during the 1956-57 school year, when only fifty newspapers sponsored school programs. The report noted: lDaniel N. Fader and Elton B. McNeil, Hooked on Books: Programs and Proof (New York: Berkley Publishing Corporation, 1968)] p. 47. 2American Newspaper Publishers Association, Report of a survey of daily newspapers, The Newspaper in the Classroom Program: 1970-71 School Year (New York: American Newspaper PuBIishers Association Foundation, 1971), p. l. 3 Ibid., p. 2. Many schools never see a daily newspaper at all, let alone use it in their classrooms. In fact, 15 per- cent of the country's junior and senior high schools re- ceive no daily newspaper regularly, not even in the li- brary. And in four out of five of these schools, no daily paper even gets into the schoolhouse for any plan- ned use at any time during the year. Several newspapers, including the New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal, began classroom programs in the 19305.5 The only national attempt to encourage the use of newspapers in schools prior to the late 19503 was by the National Coun— cil for the Social Studies in its booklet "How To Use Daily Newspapers." The booklet recommended that social studies teachers use the newspaper as a supplementary source to text- books. The International Circulation Managers Association provided the impetus for a national newspaper in the class- room program under the leadership of C. K. Jefferson of the Des Moines Register and Tribune. At a board meeting in 1955, Jefferson proposed that the association conduct a study of the newspaper readership of school children. At the same time, he announced that a national conference would be held in October, 1956, to discuss the use of newspapers in the schools.6 4Leslie G. Moeller, Use of Daily Newspapers in Class- rooms of Secondary Schools, Report to the Youth Reading Sur- vey Committee, New York, June, 1957 (New York: American Newspaper Publishers Association, 1957), p. l. 51bid., p. 2. 6Ibid., p. l. The International Circulation Managers Association sponsored the first Press-Education Conference in Chicago in 1956. Organizations represented included the National Education Association, National Council of Teachers of Eng— lish, National Council for the Social Studies, National As- sociation of Secondary School Principals, American Associa- tion of School Administrators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, American Newspaper Publishers Association, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Inter- national Circulation Managers Association, and the National Newspaper Association.7 Stewart R. Macdonald, manager of the information service of the American Newspaper Publishers Association, described the conference: At this early meeting there was some wrangling be- tween the educators and the newspapermen. Some of the educators felt newspapers should do more to provide specific content directed to young people. They said newspapers needed to improve to be fit for the class- room. Several newspapermen rejoined that the schools needed to improve too. But then a wiser head inter- vened, "If there is to be any real progress in this program, educators must take newspapers as they are and newspapermen must take education as it is, not as they would like each other to be." 7American Newspaper Publishers Association, The Daily Newspaper in the School Curriculum: A Manual for Teachers and Newspapermen on the Use of Newspapers In the Classroom (New York: American Newspaper Publishers Associ- ation Foundation, 1967), P. 6. 8Stewart R. Macdonald, "The Newspaper in the Class- room Program: Better Readers, Better Newspapers and Better Citizens Tomorrow" (paper presented at the Wisconsin Secon- dary School Principals Association meeting, Madison, Wis., May 4, 1966): P. 5. Representatives at the conference agreed that exten- sive research was needed to determine how newspapers were being used in the schools. Supported by the International Circulation Managers Association, Mrs. Leslie G. Moeller, a public school teacher in Iowa City, Iowa, directed the re- search under the supervision of a newly formed-school- newspaper group, the Youth Reading Study Committee. Mrs. Moeller mailed a questionnaire to 600 senior high schools and 600 junior high schools; 50 per cent of the senior high schools and 52 per cent of the junior high schools returned the questionnaire.9 In her study, "Use of Daily Newspapers in Classrooms of Secondary Schools," completed in June, 1957, Mrs. Moeller reported that about 40 per cent of the schools 10 She recommended: made some use of the daily newspaper. better education for teachers concerning the newspaper; com- munity support for use of the newspaper in the classroom; and development of newspaper teaching materials.11 According to Mrs. Moeller's study, social studies classes used the newspaper most frequently. The Youth Read- ing Study Committee, hence, reported that the National Coun- cil for the Social Studies prepare a plan for a.series of 9Moeller, Use of Daily Newspapers, p. 5. loIbid., p. 2. llIbid. 10 university workshops for teachers. As a result of the re- search and planning conducted by the council, the Univer- sity of Iowa, Syracuse University, and the University of California at Los Angeles held workshops in the summer of 1958. Eighty-six teachers attended, sixty with scholarships provided by the International Circulation Managers Associa- tion.12 In the fall, the Youth Reading Study Committee met with teachers who had attended the summer workshop, agreed that the experimental project had been successful, and de— cided to continue it the next summer. The American News- paper Publishers Association co-sponsored the 1959 workshops with the International Circulation Managers Association and the National Council for the Social Studies. Duke Univer- sity was added to the workshop sites for the second summer session.13 In the fall of 1959, a joint American Newspaper Pub- lishers Association-International Circulation Managers Asso- ciation committee was established to encourage newspapers to begin classroom programs; its chairman was C. K. Jefferson. In 1963 the Canadian Daily Newspaper Publishers Association 12American Newspaper Publishers Association, Report on the history of the newspaper in the classroom program, Chronology of Development of NIC Program (New York: Ameri— can Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation, 1970), p. 1. 13Ibid., p. 2. 11 sponsored a workshop at Carleton University in Ontario, Canada. The American Newspaper Publishers Association was given the responsibility for coordination of the U.S. na- tional program in 1964. The association organized ten regional conferences throughout the United States in 1965 for newspaper publish— ers and school administrators on "The Role of the Newspaper in the School Curriculum." The purpose of the meetings was to convince school leaders of the importance of the use of the newspaper. The conference included presentations by teachers and school administrators who had successfully con- ducted a newspaper in the classroom program and discussions of the problems and opportunities for classroom use of the newspaper. "The response of educators to all the confer- ences," Stewart R. Macdonald said, "was an enthusiastic ap- proval of the goals and methods of the program."14 In 1967 the American Newspaper Publishers Association decided to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Edu— cational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, was hired and its specialists agreed that the best method for evalua- ting the program would be by a national test: a test to be given to classes that had received newspaper training and to classes of equal reading ability that had not used the news- paper in school. 14Macdonald, "Better Readers, Better Newspapers," p. 7. 12 Educational Testing Service developed separate tests for junior and senior high school students in the summer of 1968, based on simulated newspapers written and published by the American Newspaper Publishers Association. Four high school teachers wrote the questions and their work contrib- uted to eight different tests of fifty questions each. The tests were mailed to sixty-six schools throughout the United States and sixty-one returned the answer sheets in time for analysis in February, 1969. Items in the senior high tests were answered correctly by 66 per cent of the news— paper trained students and 57 per cent of the control group. For junior high tests the corresponding figures were 51 per- cent for the newspaper trained students and 44 per cent for the control group.15 Paul B. Diederich, senior research as- sociate at Educational Testing Service, said the tests mea- sured something attributable to newspaper training--not to general intelligence, reading ability, home background or ac- cess to other media.16 In the spring of 1971, 13,000 junior and senior high school students in Charlotte, North Carolina, Peoria, Illi- nois, and Fort Worth, Texas were given the test. The 15Paul B. Diederich and Marvin Maskovsky, "Measuring the Effects of Newspapers in the Classroom," Social Educa— tion, XXXIV (February, 1970), 176. 16Ibid. 13 American Newspaper Publishers Association selected these cities because they were in different regions of the United States and were in the circulation area of three newspapers with classroom programs. Once again, classes using the news- paper did better than classes that did not use the newspaper. In the years since the first newspaper workshop was held in 1958, the classroom program has spread to newspapers and schools throughout the United States. In its most recent survey, the American Newspaper Publishers Association found that 364 daily newspapers are delivering 50,000,000 papers to 33,000 schools during the school year. In addition, approx- imately 95,000 teachers and 5,000,000 school children use the newspaper every year.18 Perhaps, the summer workshops are the most important part of the program. They not only improve the teacher's understanding of newspapers, but also tend to make him enthu- siastic about newspaper instruction. As one school official put it: "The teachers sent to the workshops become disciples of the newspaper. When they return home, they spread the gos- pel to many other teachers."19 17 paper Readers," ANPA: Newspaper Information Service News- letter, XI (September, 1971), p. 1. 18American Newspaper Publishers Association, News- paper Program, p. 2. 19Charles C. Hemingway, interview at Flint, Mich. Board of Education, May 4, 1971.’ William B. Schabacker, "Students Become Better News- 17 14 The reluctance of school administrators to ap- prove of the use of the newspaper in the schools has been a problem to the American Newspaper Publishers Association. In an attempt to solve this difficulty, a three-day confer- ence was added to the summer workshops in 1970 for school 0 O O O O 2 authorities who make curriculum dec1s1.ons.'0 The conference included instruction on adapting newspapers to the school curriculum, conducting local workshops, and writing guides and other instructional material. Many teachers who had been sent to the earlier summer workshops returned to their communities with neither the authority nor the competency to effect changes in their schools that would lead to the use of newspapers. The purpose of the added conference was to establish an educational team of administrators and teachers to encourage the use of the newspaper. In addition, the teacher workshops were shortened from two weeks to one week. Five workshops were held in the United States and Canada in the summer of 1971 at the University of Iowa, Syracuse University, the University of California at Los Angeles, York University at Toronto, and the University of Alberta at Edmonton. Although the format for newspaper workshops varies, most begin with a short course in journalism, followed by a 20Stewart R. Macdonald, "Curriculum Conference," ANPA: Newspaper Information Service Newsletter, X (March, 1970), p. 2. 15 demonstration by workshop alumni and university instructors on relating the newspaper to school courses. Finally, in- struction is given on teaching the newspaper to other teach- ers, perhaps the most important part of the summer program. ‘As it is impossible for every teacher to attend the national workshop, those who do are expected to become leaders in their local newspaper in the classroom programs. In cooper— ation with newspapers and school officials, the teachers organize local workshops when they return home; workshops are often held on the campus of nearby universities. Through them, many more teachers learn about the newspaper. The newspaper in the classroom program has as many variations as there are teachers. The project is flexible to the needs of newspapers, school authorities, teachers, and students. Direction is provided by the American News- paper Publishers Association, and when it receives a report of a successful program, it passes along such information to other newspapers. Teaching manuals and guides used by member newspapers are circulated to other newspapers and the asso- ciation also answers queries concerning the program. Although there are many variations of newspaper in the classroom programs, most fall into two categories. In the first, usually a two-week period is allotted to the news- paper--its history, problems, mechanics, and role in a de- mocracy; this is called a newspaper unit study. Once the topics are covered, the newspaper is put away for the 16 remainder of the school year. The second program is a year- long project that uses the newspaper as an up-to-date source for all subjects, be it English, economics, mathematics, music, or social science. A brief explanation of two news- paper programs will describe further the two types of pro- grams. Dayton Journal Herald The Dayton Journal Herald in Dayton, Ohio, sponsors a unit newspaper program. In the fall of 1970, the news- paper sponsored its eleventh project with 14,000 seniors from seventy-three Dayton area high schools using the news- paper for two weeks during October. Eugene M. Moore, former managing editor of the Journal, was the first chairman of the project. He described some of his early difficulties: There were many problems to be ironed out before we could begin. School superintendents and principals had to be sold on the importance of the project; teachers were reluctant to cooperate with our plan. It was hard to convince a teacher who had already outlined his course for the year to give two weeks to the study of the newspaper.2 One school day early in October, all senior govern— ment teachers in the Dayton area are invited to an all-day seminar at the Journal. They meet newspaper reporters and editors and tour the plant. The main event of the day is a 21Eugene M. Moore, interview at Dayton Journal Herald, March-25, 1968. l7 two-hour panel discussion by the teachers who have used the newspaper in their classrooms. The seminar is followed by a two-week study of the newspaper in the classrooms. The Journal provides students with supplementary guides and they receive free copies of the newspaper every other morning. During the first week, they receive the newspaper on Monday, wednesday, and Friday, and in the second week on Tuesday and Thursday; teachers receive the newspaper every day. When the two-week period is ended, the newspaper in the classroom program in Dayton is over. In the spring the teachers who participated are invited to a dinner at the newspaper office. The Courier-Journal and LouiSville Times Company The Courier-Journal and Louisville Times Company, publisher of two newspapers in Louisville, Kentucky, has a varied classroom program; the plan includes teacher hand- books and study guides, a color film with record, a monthly teachers bulletin, current event filmstrips, classroom dis- plays, talks by newspaper representatives, and classroom subscriptions. All services except the newspaper subscrip- tions are provided at no cost; newspapers sell for the re— duced rate of five cents a copy. The program is designed so the Louisville newspapers may be used to supplement the regular school course. The teacher's guide for the junior high school states: 18 The daily newspaper has been referred to as the living textbook, and as such it parallels the modern philosophy of curriculum which stresses the importance of beginning with the "here" and "now." Surely, noth- ing could be more localized or more contemporary than the daily newspaper. This medium may also be used ad- vantageously to care for individual differences and to provide a multitude of varied activities--other con- cerns of the modern curriculum maker. This booklet contains a wealth of suggestions which the classroom teacher may use with the daily newspaper in all subject matter areas.2 The guide goes on to outline how the newspaper can be used in English, social studies, agriculture, art, draft- ing, woodworking, typewriting, foreign languages, health and physical education, home economics, mathematics, general music, and science. The Louisville newspaper company stresses that its program was designed by teachers. Members of the curriculum staff of the Louisville school board wrote the study guides and the program has an educational advisory committee made up of representatives from each participating school district. A. J. Beeler, director of curriculum for Louisville schools, is the educational consultant for the newspapers. The Louis- ville program includes more than 14,000 teachers in twenty- six school systems in Kentucky and southern Indiana.23 22Newspaper in the Classroom: An Enrichment Program for Your School System (Louisville: the Courier-JournaIIand Louisville Times, n.d.), p. 2. 23 Ibid., p. 6. 19 This concludes the brief discussion of the national newspaper in the classroom program. The following chapters will examine one program--that of the Flint Journal in Flint, Michigan. The American Newspaper Publishers Association has used the Flint project as a model. A study of the project should provide insights into the problems and successes of the other 363 programs in the United States and Canada. CHAPTER II THE FLINT, MICHIGAN, NEWSPAPER IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM Flint, Michigan, is one of the world's leading cen— ters for automobile manufacturing with divisions of General Motors Corporation throughout the city, and it has a pOpula- tion of 193,317.1 The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has spent millions of dollars in Flint to provide cultural and educational opportunities. Mott was an executive of General Motors and a resident of Flint. The community school plan, which originated in Flint in the 1930s, is financed by the foundation through a grant to the board of education.2 As part of this plan, every city school remains open at night and during the summer for community activities. The city's only daily newspaper, the Flint Journal, 3 has a circulation of 114,280. The board of education and 1United States Department of Commerce/Bureau of the Census, Report on the 1970 Census of Population, 1970 Census of Population (Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce, 1971), p. 18? 2John T. Conaway, public information officer for Flint School Board, interview at Flint, Michigan, Board of Education, Oct. 22, 1971. 3Audit Bureau of Circulations, Report on the circu- lation of the Flint Journal for the twelve months ending 20 21 the Journal have cooperated on a newspaper in the classroom program for ten years, and during the 1970-71 school year some 123,900 newspapers were delivered to twenty-four Flint senior high, junior high, and elementary schools as part of the program. Enrollment in the Flint public schools during the 1970-71 school year was 43,277 pupils.4 The Flint newspaper project, for the most part, is directed by the school board, with the Journal providing the services requested. No person, either at the school board or on the newspaper staff, works full-time on the proj- ect. The most important individual in the day-to-day con— duct of the program is Charles C. Hemingway, the curriculum coordinator for the humanities in the Flint school system. In addition to his duties as a school administrator, he is responsible for arranging the delivery of newspapers to the schools, updating and publishing supplementary materials, selecting teachers for the summer workshops, and scheduling tours of the newspaper plant. He is the contact for news- paper editors and teachers concerning the activities of the classroom program. Glen A. Boissonneault, editor of the Journal, is not involved in the newspaper project. "My responsibility Sept. 30, 1970, Audit Repopp: Flint, Michigan Journal (Chicago: Audit Bureau of Circulations, 19707} p. 1. 4Flint,Michigan Board of Education, Minutes of Board of Education, meeting of July 7, 1971. 22 is limited to approving vouchers and entertaining the teach- 5 ers at the spring dinner," he observed. Roland L. Martin, managing editor for the Journal, explained the reason for the lack of participation by the Journal staff in the proj- ect: Quite a few other newspapers are directly involved; we feel that this is a school program. The former editor of the Journal, Ralph Curry, worked closely with the schools in setting up the program. A member of our staff, Wayne Alexander, who was then the promotion manager, was responsible for it. A few years after the program was started we turned it over to the school system. Now the program is conducted through the schools. After all, it is not for us, but it is a tool for education. Teachers are a better judge than we are on how the newspaper can be used. Boissonneault agreed with Martin; he said if the Journal was to take over the program, it wou1d be considered a propaganda effort.7 As a result of the lack of direct involvement by the Journal, those who use the newspaper--teachers and students-- have almost no contact with members of the newspaper staff. Boissonneault admitted that this was not an ideal situation. "Our problem is that we don't have a promotion department," he commented. "We hope to have one soon, but we can't afford O 8 it now." 5Glen A. Boissonneault, interview at Flint Journal, May 11, 1971. 6Roland L. Martin, interview at Flint Journal, April 8, 1971. 7Boissonneault interview, May 11, 1971. 81bid. 23 Hemingway is pleased that the Journal is not directly involved in Flint's newspaper program; he described himself as the "educational consultant" of the school board to the Journal. He observed: Many newspapers today have an educational consultant to assist them in their newspaper programs. In most cases, the consultant is employed by the newspaper. Here, of course, I am with the school board. It has ad— vantages and disadvantages, but we like to have control of the program. History The Flint program began early in 1960 when Ralph B. Curry, then editor of the Journal, suggested to school offi- cials that the newspaper be used in the schools. That sum- mer the Journal sent two junior high school teachers, Donald J. Evans, a political science instructor at McKinley Junior High, and Jesse G. Moore, a social science instructor at Longfellow Junior High, to an American Newspaper Publishers Association workshop at Syracuse University to learn about the use of the newspaper in the schools. In the fall, school officials and newspaper editors met with Evans and Moore. The teachers reported on the work- shOp and told the executives that they were anxious to begin 9Charles C. Hemingway, interview at Flint, Mich., Board of Education, May 4, 1971. 24 using newspapers in their classes. The Journal agreed to provide free daily newspapers during the 1960-61 school year. Near the end of the school year, the teachers re- ported to Frank S. Manchester, the curriculum coordinator for humanities, that they considered the newspaper to be a 10 Manchester organized a meeting "valuable teaching tool." in the spring of 1961 of junior and senior high school hu— manities teachers, school officials, and newspaper repre— sentatives. As a result of this meeting, the teachers rec- ommended to the board of education that a pilot newspaper program begin at McKinley Junior High in the fall of 1961. In a report presented to the board, the humanities teachers outlined the reasons for using the newspaper in Flint schools: 1. Since the newspaper performs an important func- tion in our democratic society, it is essential that students understand its purpose and its usefullness. 2. The newspaper provides numerous real-life appli- cations of subject material being studied in the class- room. 3. If students do not pick up the "newspaper read— ing habit," they will not be well-informed citizens in the future. 10Committee of Flint High School Humanities Teachers, Report submitted to the Flint Board of Education, Approval of the Newspaper Program (Flint, Mich.: Flint Community Schools, 1961), p. 1. 25 4. Newspapers, like paperback books, provide the kind of reading material that students will use as adult citizens. The board of education approved the proposal for the pilot program on May 23, 1961. That summer the Journal sent three more teachers to workshops, this time to the University of Iowa; two of them were from the pilot school--McKinley. During the 1961-62 school year, the daily newspapers deliv- ered to McKinley were purchased by the school board at a re- duced rate of .0328 cents per copy and the total cost of news- papers for the entire school system was $720. Hemingway was a seventh grade teacher in the pilot program. He described why the humanities teachers recommended that the school board purchase the newspapers: By paying for the papers, we were not obligated to the Journal in any way. We were able to use the news- paper in any manner we desired. Furthermore, it seemed only fair to pay for the instructional material just as we would pay for any other.12 Although teachers of all subjects at McKinley were encouraged to use the newspaper, it was used most frequently in English, social studies, and home economics classes. The school board made evaluations during the year that indicated that teachers using the newspaper found it an effective teach- ing aid. Many teachers, however, asked for supplementary 11Ibid., p. 2. 12Charles C. Hemingway, The Newspaper in the Class- room (Flint, Mich.: Flint Community Schools, 1967), p. l. 26 materials on the newspaper to help them in their instruction. Three teachers who had attended a summer workshop--Evans, Moore, and Thomas J. Herron--began writing a guide for teach- ers. Their seventy-page manuscript, the first edition of "The Teacher and the Newspaper," was edited by Manchester and published by the Journal. This is the only instance in which the Journal provided the schools with supplementary material. All other guides and booklets on the newspaper have been writ- ten and published by the school system. The first guide for teachers included an explanation of the importance of the newspaper, methods for motivating the students to study it, and programs for teaching it in all junior high grades. During the next three years the program was extended to elementary and senior high schools. A senior high course, Communications, was begun as a comparative study of the mass media designed to develop critical thinking skills.13 Since many of the senior high teachers had attended the summer work- shops, there was little difficulty in starting the program. Teachers wrote a curriculum outline and teacher's guide for the senior high school classes. In 1965, a committee representing the Flint elemen- tary schools held a series of meetings to plan for the use of l3American Newspaper Publishers Association, The Dailnyewspaper in the School Curriculum: A Manual f5??— Teachers and Newspapermen on the Use of Newspapers in the CIassroom (New York: Amefican NewspaperPufilishers Associ- atibn Foundation, 1967), p. 56. 27 the newspaper in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The committee drew up a tentative outline and fifteen of the forty-four elementary schools started using the newspaper.14 The Journal sent six elementary teachers to a newspaper work— shop that summer and at the workshop they revised the tenta- tive outline and wrote an elementary school guide, "Your Newspaper . . . A Daily Textbook." The subsequent growth of the use of the newspaper in the schools of Flint has been notable. In ten years, the project has become a part of the curriculum in the four sen- ior high schools (Central, Northern, Northwestern, and South- western), the eight junior high schools (Bryant, Emerson, Holmes, Longfellow, Lowell, McKinley, Whittier, and Zimmer— man), and many of the forty-four elementary schools. The number of teachers and students participating in the program continues to grow every year. The Program Today The Flint program has received national recognition through the attention given to it by the American Newspaper Publishers Association in its manual on the newspaper in the classroom program. As shall be seen later, perhaps much of this recognition is undeserved. The Journal offers little to the teacher other than the delivery of the newspapers to 14Hemingway, The Newspaper in the Classroom, p. 6. 28 the schools. Considering the extensive programs conducted by other newspapers, it is difficult to accept the descrip- tion of the Flint program by the American Newspaper Publish— ers Association as "one of the most comprehensive newspaper- 15 The association is school programs in the United States." inaccurate when it states in the manual: "Glen Boissonneault, who became editor in 1966, has now assumed direct responsi- bility for coordinating the program."16 As indicated earlier, Boissonneault has little to do with the project. The responsibility for coordinating the program rests entirely with Charles C. Hemingway. By the time he assumed his position as curriculum coordinator for humanities in 1966, the Flint newspaper program had been so organized that he automatically became the key man. Hemingway subsequently has gained national recognition for his work in the program. He is one of three permanent faculty members of the summer work- shop at Syracuse University. He also speaks to school-news- paper gatherings throughout the country on the newspaper in the classroom program. The board of education gives Hemingway a $4,600 annu- al budget to purchase newspapers for the schools. They are bought at a special rate of five cents a copy, as agreed upon 15American Newspaper Publishers Association, Manual on Use of Newspapers, p. 5. 16 Ibid., p. 57. 29 by the Journal and school officials. John Bacon, circula- tion manager for the Journal, explained the newspaper's reason for the five-cent charge: We used to give the Journal to the schools and they would just let it lie around. With the price of news- print today, the five-cent charge still does not pay for the newsprint. Now that they have to plan for buying the newspaper in their budgets, they appreciate it more.17 Teachers who want to use the Journal in their classes make the request through Hemingway. They may order the news- paper for any period during the school year from two weeks to nine months. Newspapers are delivered daily throughout the year to communications teachers in the four senior high schools. Hemingway stated that every teacher in Flint who has requested the newspaper for his class has received it.18 Hemingway makes sure that all teachers and students using the newspaper are provided with appropriate supplemen— tary guides-~either the senior high guide published in 1968, the junior high guide revised in 1966, or the elementary school guide published in 1966. In addition, students use a pamphlet, "The Work We Live By: Your Daily Newspaper." It is a part of a set of booklets used in the Flint school system about careers available to young people. The school board 17John D. Bacon, interview at Flint Journal, April 3, 1971. 18Charles C. Hemingway, interview at Flint, Mich. Board of Education, April 17, 1971. 30 publishes the material and many teachers complain that it needs to be updated. Hemingway agrees, but points out that he does not have time to make the necessary revisions.19 Hemingway also selects the teachers who attend the summer workshop. The Journal pays all expenses for them, in— cluding tuition, transportation, and meals. The newspaper sent five-teachers to the 1971 workshop, six in 1970, and twelve in 1969.20 The teachers who attend the summer workshops are in— vited to the Journal offices one afternoon in the-spring. They tour the newspaper plant, listen to short talks by Martin and Boissonneault, and discuss the Journal and its newspaper program with the editors. The editors then take the teachers to a nearby restaurant for dinner--the only personal contact they have with the teachers in the program. Boissonneault described his reactions to these meetings: I am always amazed at the ignorance teachers have concerning the operations of the newspaper and its role in society. The questions they ask indicate how little 1 they know about what we are trying to do at the Journal. Another part of the classroom program is the guided tour of the newspaper plant. Teachers wishing to take 19Ibid. ZOIbid. lBoissonneault interview, May 11, 1971. 31 students on a tour of the Journal contact Hemingway to make the arrangements. During the 1969-70 school year, 2,357 students toured the Journal in eight-one school groups.22 In summary, the activities for the Journal are: (1) providing newspapers for schools at a reduced rate of five-cents a c0py; (2) giving a dinner each spring for Flint teachers who are to attend that summer's American Newspaper Publishers Association workshop; (3) sponsoring teachers at the summer workshop; and (4) conducting tours of the news— paper plant. The newspaper in the classroom expenses for the Journal in 1970 were significantly reduced from 1969 because of the fewer teachers attending the summer workshop. 1_96_9 2.72. ANPA fee $2,950 $1,250 Travel allowance 1,095 630 Spring dinner 225 100 $4,270 $1,98023 The Journal's program does not provide the special services offered by many newspapers, including a classroom speakers bureau, current event filmstrips, and local news- paper workshops. Despite its limitations, Boissonneault 22Letter from Roland L. Martin, Flint Journal man- aging editor, Flint, Mich., April 30, 1971. 231bid. 32 said he believes the newspaper project is worthwhile. He said that the positive feedback the Journal receives from teachers, indicates that the project is effective. He des- cribed the importance of the program to the Journal: We have our own selfish reasons for sponsoring this program. We know that if youngsters understand the news- paper, eventually they will subscribe to the Journal or to some other newspaper. We are not trying to seII our newspaper, but we are helping to teach the newspaper. With television taking up so much of young people's time, it is in our best interests for them to know something about the newspaper. Hemingway said he agrees with Boissonneault that the newspaper program has been successful in Flint. He is sat— isfied with the progress of the project during its ten-year history. we've come a long way since the program began. Wehve exPanded to the point where I think we have reached maxi— mum saturation in Flint. The program is everything we ”want it to be. Of course, there are always improvements that can be made such as the updating of teaching mater- ials, but we can be satisfied with the program now. 5 Despite the statements of Hemingway and Boissonneault, serious problems exist in the Flint program. Hemingway and Boissonneault both tend to measure the success of the project in terms of the number of newspapers delivered to the schools. No evaluation has been made of what happens once the news- papers are in the classroom. 24Boissonneault interview, May 11, 1971. 25Hemingway interview, May 4, 1971. 33 Hemingway admits that he does not give the newspaper in the classroom program the attention it deserves. "I have many other duties besides my work on the newspaper program," he observed. "I don't have as much time to give the program as I would like."26 The most obvious flaw in the structure of the program is that no person has complete responsibility for it; Heming- way coordinates the project, but it is an additional duty to his many responsibilities as a school official. It is diffi- cult to see how a newspaper can have an effective classroom project without at least one person from the newspaper work- ing on it. The lack of involvement by the Journal has convinced some Flint teachers that the newspaper is not interested in the program. Many teachers are unaware of the newspaper tours, spring dinner for teachers, and American Newspaper Publishers Association workshop because the Journal does not promote its program. Turning over most of the responsibility for the program to the school board because the newspaper is a "tool for education" sounds fine; in practice, it results in poor communication between the teachers and the newspaper. 26Ibid. CHAPTER III PROBLEMS IN THE FLINT PROGRAM Twenty-five teachers from twenty—four senior high, junior high, and elementary schools requested the delivery of newspapers during the 1970—71 school year in Flint.1 The Flint Journal delivers the papers in classroom sets that in- clude one newspaper for every student in a class. Since many classes use one set during the day, it is impossible to de- termine the number of teachers and students in Flint partici- pating in the classroom program. A national study of newspaper in the classroom pro— grams indicated that most of the problems in the program were caused by the unawareness of teachers and the apathy of news- papers.2 Both are evident in the Flint newspaper program. Once the Journal delivers the newspapers to the schools, Flint teachers are on their own; however, they need help in gaining skill and confidence in using newspapers. As the Flint junior high school guide, The Teacher and the Newspaper, notes: "A 1Charles C. Hemingway, interview at Flint, Mich., Board of Education, May 4, 1971. 2Sallie R. Whelan, "The Newspaper in the Classroom Program--Ten Years Later," (unpublished masters thesis, University of Illinois, 1969), p. 22. 34 35 feeling of inadequacy, derived from lack of knowledge about methods and sources of aid, prevents some teachers from using the newspaper in the classroom."3 The only help available to teachers who are inter- ested in using the newspaper is the supplementary guide. Charles C. Hemingway sends the guides to teachers who request the newspaper for their classes. Unless the teacher attends an American Newspaper Publishers Association workshop, this is the extent of the guidance he receives on the use of the newspaper. He receives no direction from the Journal or from Hemingway; and there is no organized system in Flint whereby teachers who have used the newspaper assist teachers joining the newspaper program. Some teachers are critical of the Journal because of the poor support given to them. Loren V. Gillespie, a com- munications instructor at Northwestern High who has used the newspaper in his classes for five years, stated: I have been disappointed in my dealings with the Journal. No one is concerned with how the teacher is using the newspaper. There has been no follow through on the part of the Journal. As far as I am concerned, the newspaper in the cIassroom program is something that has merely received lip serXice at the newspaper editor- school administrator level. 3Donald J. Evans, Thomas J. Herron, and Jesse G. Moore, The Teacher and the Newspaper: A Guide to Its Use (Flint: the Flint Journal, n.d.), p. 2. 4Loren V. Gillespie, interview at Flint Northwestern High School, May 12, 1971. 36 Noble V. Ercole, an English teacher at McKinley Jun- ior High, has used the Journal in his classroom for eight years. He said that at one time Flint had an active news- paper in the classroom program. Ercole participated in two newspapers in the classroom workshops held in 1967 at Flint Community College, the city's junior college. He also is one of the co-authors of the senior high guide, Communica- Eiggg, published in 1968. "A few years ago teachers worked closely with staff members of the Journal on the program; we also received strong encouragement from the school board," he said. "This has fallen through now."5 Fortunately, the guides given to teachers provide a good starting point; they were all written by teachers in the Flint school system. The junior high guide begins by dis- cussing why teachers should read the newspaper. This booklet is based upon several assumptions about teachers. One is that teachers read the newspaper. No other media can communicate in the fashion that a news- paper does. Newspapers provide the great majority of our daily news. Without reading some newspaper each day, a teacher is uninformed, and may be misinformed. True, some newspapers inform more than others, but this in no way does away with the necessity of reading a local news— paper every day, wherever local may be. Teachers who read newspapers will consciously or unconsciously teach the value of the newspaper.6 5Noble V. Ercole, interview at Flint McKinley Junior High School, May 24, 1971. 6Evans, Teacher and Newspaper, p. 1. 37 The guide stresses the importance of teachers under- standing the newspaper and all parts of the mass media. It is perhaps a truism to state that the teacher must know his students, the subject matter, and himself in order to teach effectively. "To know thyself" is the point of departure for so much that we do. The more you know about the press, the better you can teach about news- papers. Likewise, the better you know your students and their reading habits, the greater your chances of success- fully teaching the use of the newspaper to these same students. Another section tells teachers: As with any subject, teacher interest will often de- termine student interest. The teacher who is energetic and motivated will reach most of his class. Yet, enthu— siasm cannot take the place of knowledge and the teacher who has studied the mass media will widen the scope of student interest and knowledge.8 The junior high guide suggests that teachers begin their use of the newspaper with a student questionnaire. It recommends that teachers ask students about their present reading habits including what newspapers they read, what sources they use to obtain information, and what magazines are delivered to their homes. According to the guide, this information will help the teacher in his newspaper instruc— tion. Later the guide describes how the newspaper can be used in many classes including social studies, history, 71bid., p. 7. 81bid., p. 13. 38 government, English, writing, and speech. It adds a word of caution: The newspaper should never be used in the classroom merely for the sake of using it. Classroom time is much too precious to be squandered on anything--no mater how important in itself-~that will ngt contribute to the aims of the course being taught. Flint teachers who are beginning to use the news- paper closely follow the supplementary guides. As Mrs. Barbara J. Cook, a teacher at Northwestern High, said: "I followed the guide when I began, but now I've branched out to use the newspaper in the way I have found is best."10 Most teachers who use the newspaper in their class- rooms in Flint say they are avid newspaper readers; their enthusiasm carries over into their teaching. Ronald T. Tomasik, a ninth grade civics teacher at Longfellow Junior High, considers newspapers essential.- "I can't overempha— size the importance of the newspaper," he said. "I am con- vinced that no other source will have a greater effect on 11 the life of an individual." In the spring of 1971, Tomasik did not read a newspaper for three weeks to determine how 91bid., p. 33. 10Barbara J. Cook, interview at Flint Northwestern High School, May 19, 1971. 11Ronald T. Tomasik, interview at Flint Longfellow Junior High School, May 25, 1971. 39 important the newspaper was to him. "I felt like a man who had lost both of his arms," he commented.12 Some teachers used the newspaper in school when they were students. "One teacher I had in school made ex- tensive use of the newspaper," Joseph A. Dudley of McKinley Junior High said. "That's how I learned its many uses as a teaching tool. I think it can aid me now that I am a teacher."13 Students ranging from low achievers to college preparatory use the newspaper in Flint schools. It supple- ments instruction in English, journalism, reading, mathemat- ics, social studies, home economics, and driver education. Newspapers help develop skills in critical reading, propa- ganda detection, and skimming. Gary J. Rossio teaches communications to students enrolled in college preparatory studies at Northern High. He described how he uses the newspaper: First, I give my students some newspaper instruc- tion—-including its history and function, the differ- ence between news stories and editorials, and the duties of editors and reporters. Then I ask them to read a news story or an editorial and pick out the facts. Once they have learned that, the Class begins discussing the news and comparing the information in the newspapef with information obtained through radio and television. 4 12Ibid. 13Joseph A. Dudley, interview at Flint McKinley Junior High School, May 25, 1971. 14Gary J. Rossio, interview at Flint Northwestern High School, May 27, 1971. 40 Gillespie teaches the same course to students at the other end of the academic scale--the low achievers. Many have difficulty reading, and some are unable to read. He must use a different approach to his newspaper instruc— tion than Rossio. The first fifteen to eighteen minutes of the class period I let students browse through the newspaper. Then I teach them about the various parts of the news- paper. It takes awhile, maybe ten weeks, but they learn how to take a story apart, how to separate fact from opinion. We do other things with the newspaper, such as find mistakes. Sometimes, I give them a stock and aI§ them to follow it for a certain period of time. He estimated that between 35 and 40 per cent of his students come from homes where there are no newspapers or magazines; many take home the newspaper they study in class. Gillespie said his students are too restless to watch the news on television at home. "They are more interested in the newspaper," he noted. "They can pick it up whenever they want and they also like to look at the pictures.", Stu— dents will read the newspaper in class without being told, he said.16 He uses other newspapers besides the Journal. Since 90 per cent of his students are Negro, he encourages them to bring Negro newspapers, including the Michigan Chronicle and the Chicago Daily Defender to class. Gillespie also compares 15Gillespie interview, May 12, 1971. lGIbid. 41 the Journal with other daily newspapers in the school lie brary, including the New York Times, Atlanta Constitution, Denver Post, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Joseph A. Dudley from McKinley Junior High also uses the newspaper to aid the slow reader; he teaches four remedial reading classes. He gives his students instruc— tion on the various parts of the newspaper, including edi- torials, features, and news stories. After they are famil- iar with the newspaper, he asks them questions about specif- ic articles in the Journal. Once his questions have been answered satisfactorily, Dudley conducts a class discussion on the events described in that day's newspaper. He is con— vinced that the slow reader can improve his reading by using the newspaper. My objective is to help the student become a better reader. To reach this objective I use a variety of teaching aids. Of all of them, the newspaper is the best. Most students have an interest in it, since it is full of local news. I hope that through using the newspaper in school my students will get into the habit of reading the newspaper every day. This can only help them to become better readers. Newspapers are an important part of Mrs. Barbara J. Cook's journalism and girl talk classes at Northwestern High. Mrs. Cook described girl talk as a course designed "to teach 18 basic communication skills in speaking and writing." The l7Dudley interview, May 25, 1971. 18Cook interview, May 19, 1971. 42 girls are taught to compare food advertisements, make use of the weekly home section, and read the classified adver— tisements. In journalism, Mrs. Cook teaches news writing, editorial writing, and propaganda techniques by using the Journal. She said she believes students enjoy using the newspaper in school. "I have never seen a textbook that students will pick up and read on their own, but they will pick up the newspaper," she said. "Sometimes, they are not reading what I want, but at least they are reading."19 Mrs. Mary C. Thompson, a sixth grade teacher at Stevenson Elementary, uses the newspaper for a two-week period. Mrs. Thompson gives her class introductory instruc- tion on the newspaper by explaining the news and editorial sections. After the students are familiar with the news- paper, she writes questions on the board and has the children read the newspaper to answer them. She uses other techniques, such as asking the children to use food advertisements to plan daily meals on a specified budget. "My students always enjoy working with the newspaper," Mrs. Thompson noted. "Often, they ask to continue various projects we have been working on with the newspaper after the two-week period is over."20 lgIbid. 20Mrs. Mary C. Thompson, telephone interview, May 25, 1971. 43 The students in Dale E. Cyrnan's English classes at Northwestern High take part in a variety of activities related to the Journal. All students must submit one let- ter to the editor of the Journal. Each student also writes a four-page mimeographed newspaper during the year; the news comes from school events and activities. In another assign- ment, students compare a news story in the Journal with a story on the same subject in a news magazine. Cyrnan also asks them to find figures of speech in the Journal includ— ing hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and personification. Stu- dents examine the newspaper for the use of propaganda de- vices, such as glittering generalities, name-calling, band- wagon, and testimonial.21 Dennis P. Chase of McKinley Junior High uses the Journal in his seventh grade English classes. He asks his students to list new words they find in the newspaper and then look into the dictionary for the definition of the words. They analyze the word usage in cartoons for puns, slang, and dialect; they also clip grammatical errors from the newspaper including dangling modifiers and misplaced phrases. Chase points out to his students the different writing styles used in the news, feature, and sports sections. He explains the 21Dale E. Cyrnan, interview at Flint Northwestern High School, May 19, 1971. 44 inverted pyramid style of writing news stories and asks students to write news stories of school activities.22 "The newspaper is the best way I know to interest students in government," Ronald T. Tomasik said. Tomasik is a civics teacher at Longfellow Junior High. "What bet— ter way is there to illustrate the principle of checks and balances than to have students read Journal articles about the President, the Supreme Court, and Congress?"23 Most students taking part in the newspaper program share the enthusiasm of their teachers. Students such as Trent E. Dockter, a ninth grade student at Longfellow Jun- ior High, commented on the relevance of the newspaper. "It is hard to study something that was published six or seven years ago," he said. "The newspaper tells me what is going on in the world today."24 His classmate, Gwen C. McClain, agreed. "It is interesting to read a newspaper article about something we are studying," she observed.25 2Dennis P. Chase, interview at Flint McKinley Jun- ior High School, May 25, 1971. 23Tomasik interview, May 25, 1971. 24Trent E. Doctor, interview at Flint Longfellow Junior High School, May 26, 1971. 25Gwen C. McClain, interview at Flint Longfellow Junior High School, May 26, 1971. 45 An eighth grade student at McKinley Junior High, James B. Leach, noted: "The newspaper is current, while most text- books we have are five years out of date."26 The students also said they learned about the news- paper by using it in the classroom. An eighth grade student at McKinley Junior High, Mark D. Smith, said: "I like the newspaper a lot now. Before I only read the sports pages. Now I read the front page and scan all the headlines. I'm reading the paper much more than I did before."27 Mary A. Maeu, a ninth grade student from Longfellow Junior High, only read the comics and worked the crossword puzzle before she used the newspaper in class. "Now I check the entire newspaper every day to see if there is something interesting in it," she said.28 The students said they believe the newspaper is an important supplement to their regular course. If they were teachers, they observed, they would use the newspaper in their classrooms. Trent E. Dockter suggested that if teach- ers used other newspapers, students could see how they com- pare to the Journal.29 26James B. Leach, interview at Flint McKinley Junior High School, May 24, 1971. 27Mark P. Smith, interview at Flint McKinley Junior High School, May 24, 1971. 28Mary A. Maeu, interview at Flint Longfellow Junior High School, May 26, 1971. 29Dockter interview, May 26, 1971. 46 Despite the poor support they receive, teachers and students are enthusiastic about the use of the newspaper in the schools. At one time Flint had an energetic newspaper program as evidenced by the writing of three teachers' guides and the sponsoring of two Flint newspaper workshops. Today, the delivery of newspapers and supplementary guides is the extent of the program to most students and teachers. Several teachers interviewed in this study did not know about the American Newspaper Publishers Association summer workshop or the-tours of the Journal.‘ What has happened to the Flint newspaper program since its noteworthy beginning? Perhaps, the most important change has been the Journal's decision to turn the program over com- pletely to the school system; it is clear this is not working. Also, two of the persons involved in the program-- Journal editor, Boissonneault, and curriculum coordinator for the humanities, Hemingway,--apparently do not have the same commitment to the program as their predecessors Ralph E. Curry and Frank S. Manchester. Curry once estimated that he spent 10 percent of his time working on the classroom pro— gram;30 today Boissonneault says his part in the program is 30American Newspaper Publishers Association, Th2“ Daily Newspaper in the School Curriculum: A Manual fgr Teach- ers and Newspapermen on the Use of Newspapers in the Class- room (New York: American Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation, 1967), p. 57. 47 limited to approving expense vouchers and entertaining the teachers who will be attending the American Newspaper Pub- lishers Association summer workshop. Teachers in the school system who have been trained at these workshops do not provide leadership in the program. At one time, they wrote supplementary guides and set up lo- cal workshops to instruct other teachers on the use of the newspaper. In the end, the teacher who has not been trained in the use of the newspaper in school is left adrift. He gains nothing from the newspaper in the classroom experience of the Flint editors, Hemingway, or even other teachers. CHAPTER IV OTHER CLASSROOM PROGRAMS What can be done to solve the serious problems in the Flint newspaper project? Some ideas can be gained by examining how other newspapers have handled the same prob- lems. More than 360 newspapers have classroom programs in the United States and Canada and many people are concerned about the same difficulties. It should be kept in mind, however, that every newspaper project is unique--tailored to the needs of the local newspaper, students, and teachers. All newspaper projects face the same two foes--the indifference of publishers and the apathy of teachers. Flint teachers said that they believe the Journal demonstrates its indifference by not having a member of its staff responsible for the program. As Dr. John H. Haefner, professor of so- cial studies education at the University of Iowa and a con- sultant to the American Newspaper Publishers Association, pointed out: It goes without saying, doesn't it, that somebody on the newspaper has to be charged with the responsi- bility for the program? And it can't just be an "extra 48 49 duty" or a minute fraction of your assigned work load. If somebody on the paper doesn't nurture and nurse and 1 take a lot of pride in the program, it just won't grow. Teachers are sensitive to the manner in which a news- paper conducts its project. Despite the glowing statements made by Flint editors when discussing the newspaper in the classroom program, the teachers contend the newspaper has little interest in how they use the daily Journal. Dr. Lowell B. Rose, the superintendent of public schools in Kokomo, Indi- ana, once described to a conference of classroom coordinators the sensitivity of teachers to the newspaper's part in the classroom project. Try to convince the top management of your newspapers that top-flight people should continue to be involved in the program. If it is really important to the newspaper, then the importance placed on this assignment should tes- tify to the value of the program. If teachers constantly find they are working with a new newspaper representative because the last one has been moved on to another assign- ment, they'll get the message and decide this isn't really very important. It does not take a ten—man-staff to conduct a suc- cessful newspaper in the classroom project. Sallie R. Whelan, director of educational services for the Peoria Journal Star, is responsible for a newspaper program that includes 100 lAmerican Newspaper Publishers Association, Report on a seminar for coordinators of newspaper in the classroom programs, How To Develop Better Newspaper in the Classroom Programs (New York: American Newspaper Publishers Associa- tion Foundation, 1967), P. 12. 2 Ibid., p. 34. 50 schools in central Illinois. She uses a variety of methods to communicate with Illinois teachers including letters, phone calls, classroom visits, local workshops, newspaper publicity, newsletters, brochures, and personal consultations.3 Miss Whelan does all of the work in the project for the newspaper except for the part-time assistance of a college student. One of her main assignments during the year is arrang- ing for the teacher workshop held during the summer. "Teach— ers simply don't know enough about newspapers to be able to use them well without our help," Miss Whelan commented.4 She continued: Sponsoring local workshops is one of the best ways to help teachers in this program. They help teachers to be- come more familiar with the paper, staff and policies; to see and hear how other teachers use the paper in their classes; to discuss questions they may have about news— paper use; to get materials available; and to develop their own ideas for the use of newspapers. It may be like pulling teeth to get teachers to come to workshops, but they invariably leave a workshop with enthusiastic comments about how much they got from it.5 During the summer of 1971, the Journal Star's work- shop was held from July 19 to July 30 at Bradley University in Peoria. Dr. Donald A. McVeain, associate professor of 3Letter from Sallie R. Whelan, director of educa- tional services for the Peoria Journal Star, Peoria, Ill., Aug. 9, 1971. 4 Letter from Sallie R. Whelan, Aug. 16, 1971. 51bid. 51 education at Bradley, was the chairman of the workshop. The twenty-five participants listened to addresses by na- tional teaching authorities and local newspaper editors and reporters. The teachers paid $100 tuition and earned two hours of graduate credit. The workshop cost the Journal spa; $1,300.6 In January, 1971, Miss Whelan produced the first edi- tion of a newsletter for the teachers participating in the newspaper program. The four-page publication included arti- cles about the summer workshop, current books on the use of newspapers in the schools, and a feature article about how one Peoria social science teacher used the newspaper in her classroom. New teachers in Peoria learn about the newspaper pro- gram at a welcome dinner sponsored in the fall by the Chamber of Commerce. A folder is given to every teacher outlining the Journal Star's program. In addition, Miss Whelan attends the dinner and meets the new teachers. This initial contact is followed by visits to local schools by her and her part- time assistant. A letter and order card are mailed to approximately 200 principals in the Peoria metropolitan area at the begin- ning of the school year. The letter informs the principals that the Journal Star will deliver the newspaper to local 6Letter from Sallie R. Whelan, Aug. 9, 1971. 52 schools at no cost for two weeks--newspapers are available after this two-week period for the special school rate of five cents a copy. Throughout the school year, newspaper publicity encourages teachers to participate in the news- paper program. An advisory committee of local teachers helps Miss Whelan with the program. The committee meets every summer to make recommendations for the use of the newspaper in the schools during the coming year. All the members of the committee have attended an American Newspaper Publishers Association summer workshop at some time. The success of the Peoria program is indicated by a remark made by Hazel I. Wolf, chairman of the history de- partment at Manual High School in Peoria, to an American Newspaper Publishers Association conference. "I am convinced that teachers in Peoria would not be cognizant of the many uses of newspaper material had it not been for the newspaper in the classroom program and the Journal Star's assistance," she said.7 Thomas R. Peters of the Detroit Free Press also con- ducts a one-man newspaper in the classroom program. Peters provides newspaper and supplementary material to approximately 700 Detroit metropolitan schools; in addition, special Free Press supplements are mailed to teachers throughout Michigan. 7American Newspaper Publishers Association, How to Develop Better Classroom Programs, p. 40. 53 The educational coordinator for the Free Press is also a strong believer in the importance of local workshops. During the 1970-71 school year the newspaper sponsored three workshops; two were offered with the cooperation of Wayne State University and one was co-sponsored by Michigan State University. Approximately fifty teachers participated in each of the workshops with the teachers paying their own expenses. Free Press editors and reporters served as in- structors. Peters had a word of caution, however, about the local workshops: Effective workshops are extremely difficult to come by and, even though we plan in great detail and have lots of variety, we are usually weak in the area of teacher demonstrations. Thousands of teachers use the newspaper in the classroom, but we can't seem to find too many who can give effective graduate level talks about what they do. Most teachers [and this is true at ANPA workshops, too--I've been to one] go away from the workshops knowing more about newspapers and journal- ism, but not having a secure feeling about exactly how to go about teaching the newspaper in the classroom.8 The Free Press runs regular advertisements about its newspaper program and teachers are asked to send in a coupon for more information. A monthly newsletter which promotes various aspects of the program is also sent to teachers us- ing the newspaper. In addition, Peters advertises the pro- gram in national magazines for teachers. "Even with all this, however, we consistently meet Detroit area teachers 8Letter from Thomas R. Peters, educational coordina- tor for the Detroit Free Press, Detroit, July 28, 1971. 54 who are amazed to find out that the Free Press has a pro— gram," Peters said. "It's hard to spread your message to hundreds and thousands of teachers."9 The Oklahoma Publishing Company, publishers of the Daily Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times, makes sure that every teacher in Oklahoma is notified each fall about the newspaper program; this is accomplished through publi- cations mailed to teachers. Dr. Idella C. Lowmann, the educational coordinator, follows up the mailings by meeting with teachers throughout the state. She often goes into a school and conducts a class on the newspaper for a teacher; this technique is used in getting new schools involved in the program. An important part of the Oklahoma program is the training of teachers through newspaper seminars. During the 1970-71 school year, the newspapers sponsored four one-day sessions throughout the state which emphasized teachers train- ing other teachers on the use of the newspaper. Ronald L. Clarke, creative services manager, explained the importance of the seminars: We feel that the best possible way of educating new teachers into the ins and outs of the newspaper in the classroom program is through other teachers who have already tried the program and developed their own tech- niques . . . mainly because they talk the same language. All this means is that to expand the program and train 9Ibid. 55 a significant number of teachers, we have to get new prospects together with older hands . . . hence, the seminars are the best answer. Another asset of the seminars is that they expose. principals and higher administrators in the educational system to the advantages of the program. Since these people control the purse strings, we make it a point to get as many administrators and principals to the sem- inars as possible. Seeing the program in action in actual demonstrations does far more than any amount of personal meetings or printed material. The Omaha World—Herald in Omaha, Nebraska, has made extensive use of teacher evaluations to improve its news- paper program. The newspaper maintains contact with teachers through classroom visits by Calvin A. Richard, the public re- lations director. In addition, every teacher participating in the project is asked to fill in a questionnaire at the end of the school year. At the conclusion of the newspaper's pi- lot program in 1962, teachers told Richard that the delivery of the newspaper every day was excessive. As a result, the newspaper was delivered every other day after that year-- saving the Omaha World-Herald money and also pleasing the teachers.11 Comments from teachers also indicated that changes needed to be made in the tour of the newspaper plant. A 10Letter from Ronald L. Clarke, creative services manager for~the Oklahoma Publishing Company, Oklahoma City, Okla., Aug. 25, 1971. 11American Newspapers Publishers Association, How to Develop Better Classroom Programs, p. 42. 56 new guide was hired and the emphasis on the tour was changed from production to news. Teachers were dissatisfied with the newspaper supplementary guides. New units were prepared for students in grades seven through twelve. .In addition, teachers said they were interested in receiving the news- paper before and after the newspaper's two-week project was completed. "Many teachers are using their copies of the news- paper for class projects and extending the habit of newspaper reading throughout the school year," Richard commented.12 All of these improvements would not have been made if Richard had not actively sought the comments of teachers using the newspaper. Members of the Chicago Tribune educational services department participated in approximately 60 teacher seminars 1 . 3 The seminars were not spon- during the 1970-71 school year. sored by the Tribune, but were organized by local school au- thorities. Tribune representatives were invited to speak at the seminars to teach the inquiry method advocated by Allan H. Yamakawa, director of curriculum services for the Tribune. This technique emphasizes the relationship between today's events as described in the newspaper and courses studied in school. Yamakawa outlined the technique in one of the Tribune's newspaper guides. lzIbid., p. 43. 13Allan H. Yamakawa, telephone interview, Aug. 16, 1971. 57 Why study the American Revolution? Who cares about something that happened a couple of centuries ago? We're all excited about what's happening now-—like riots, dis- sent, and disorder. Now let's suppose some rioters--kids with long hair, scruffy clothes, and dirty faces--broke into a government warehouse and looted it, pitching some expensive imports being held there under bond into the Chicago River to protest that the government really doesn't take them seriously. How do we expect the police to react? What would Chicagoans say about this act of destruction? Why did the youngsters do it? Well, a couple of centuries ago some young men with long hair, scruffy costumes, and dirt—and-berry stains on their faces rowed out onto Boston Harbor, and board- ing government cargo vessels, threw bales of tea being held under bond into the water to protest that the gov— ernment wasn't paying attention to their demands. Is there a common thread? Of course. And how much more significant these and related items are when pre— sented in the context of understanding the present. And where better to find the present than the newspaper?1 The newspaper representatives visit teachers in their classrooms to assist them in the use of the Tribune. "We try to give teachers as much help as possible in using the inquiry method," Yamakawa said. "We teach them how to find the kinds of questions to which there are no answers."15 In the summer of 1971, the Tribune conducted field tests of the reading levels of students who used the newspaper in a special six—week program. At the end of the six weeks elementary school students who had been classified as 14Chicago Tribune Educational Services Department, Programgfor Excellence: Language Arts and Social Studies in the Elementary adeiddle School (Chicago: The Chicago Tribune Company, 1970), p. 7. 15Yamakawa interview, Aug. 16, 1971. 58 slow-readers showed an increase of nearly two-years in read- ing ability. A program designed for slow high school readers produced similar results.16 The newspaper sends a five—page questionnaire to teachers taking part in the program. The teachers have sug- gested many changes in the Tribune's_weekly school newspaper, the Weekly Rgport. As a result of the teachers' recommenda- tions, the back page of the four-page newspaper is now geared to slow readers. The teachers have also suggested improve- ments in the supplementary guides provided by the newspaper. "Our goal is to develop an on-going relationship with teach- l7 ers using the newspaper," Yamakawa commented. The Courier-Journal and the Louisville Times in Louis- ville, Kentucky, work with teachers through an advisory com- mittee made up of one representative from each of the twenty- six school systems participating in the newspaper project. Program coordinator Andrew C. Latkovski said: "We ask each member to be our contact in that sytem, to spread the gospel, and to offer any criticisms and suggestions for refining our 18 program." The committee meets with newspaper representa- tives at least once a year. lGIbid. l7Ibid. 8Letter from Andrew C. Latkovski, coordinator for the newspaper in the classroom program for the Courier Journal and Louisville Times, Louisville, Ky., Aug. 10, 1971. 59 Eight monthly bulletins are also sent to teachers during the school year. The bulletin includes articles on how teachers have used the newspaper in their classrooms. Approximately 14,500 copies of this publication were mailed to teachers during the 1970-71 school year. The Louisville newspapers co-sponsor a summer news- paper workshop with the University of Louisville. It is much like those described previously and includes speeches by teachers and newspaper editors and a tour of the newspaper plant. The session held during the summer of 1971 attracted 97 Louisville area teachers. In the summer of 1971 the Detroit News increased its educational representatives from one to three in an effort to promote more actively its newspaper in the classroom project.19 Each representative is expected to give talks at two or three Detroit schools each week. They also meet regularly with cur- riculum directors, principals, and department heads from schools throughout Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties in Southeast Michigan. In addition, all principals in the De- troit area receive supplementary material on the newspaper in the classroom program. The News conducted two teacher workshops during the 1970-71 school year and approximately 150 teachers attended 19Letter from Robert D. Guerrini, Detroit News edu- cational services representative, Detroit, Mich., fuly 30, 1971. 60 them.20 The teachers who took part in the workshops were selected by the curriculum directors in their school dis- tricts; the Ngw§_made sure that every district was repre- sented. Dr. Edgar Dale from Ohio State University, and Dr. Daniel N. Fader from the University of Michigan spoke at' the seminars. Both are advocates of the newspaper in the classroom program. Robert D. Guerrini of the educational services di- vision said he tries to establish a close relationship be- tween the teacher and the Nggg. "This comes down to trying to know as many teachers as possible," he commented. "The only way we can do this is by going into the schools and helping the teacher use the newspaper."21 The constant attempts to maintain personal contact between the newspaper staff and the teacher distinguish the newspaper programs described in this chapter from that of the Flint Journal. The various aspects of these projects-- classroom visits, local workshops, and teacher evaluations-- are aimed at improving the communication between the news- paper and the teacher. It is interesting to note that none of these services are included in the Flint Journal's proj- ect. If they were, undoubtedly, fewer teachers in Flint zoIbid. 21Ibid. 61 would complain: "Nobody cares how I use the newspaper." Obviously, an effective newspaper in the classroom program cannot exist without constant communication between the news- paper and the teacher. A second conclusion that may be drawn from this brief survey is that it does not take an elaborate staff to conduct an effective newspaper in the classroom program. In all of the projects discussed, except for the Chicago Tribune, one or two persons are responsible for the newspaper project. It should be added that those responsible for the newspaper pro- grams are enthusiastic believers in the importance of the newspaper in the schools. A serious drawback to all programs is that no method has been developed to evaluate what the student gains. None of the newspapers mentioned in this survey use the test de- vised by the American Newspaper Publishers Association and Educational Testing Service. "It's too expensive and be- sides teachers think it is too technical," Thomas R. Peters said.22 Another criticism is that the test only indicates what the student has learned about the mechanics of the news- paper. "Since that is not the goal of our program, the ANPA 23 Ronald test is of no help to us," Allan H. Yamakawa said. L. Clarke explained why his newspaper does not evaluate stu- dents: 22Letter from Thomas R. Peters, July 28, 1971. 23 Yamakawa interview, Aug. 16, 1971. 62 Since we are promoting the use of the newspaper as a supplementary teaching aid in all kinds of subjects from mathematics to shop, the use of the newspaper is going to vary from subject to subject. A great deal also depends on the teacher's individual methods; in addition, each teacher will use a newspaper more or less depending on her other materials and own outline. As we do not try to insist that a specific body of knowledge be presented to all students in the program, and the ways of using a paper are literally infinite, we feel that it is useless to try to evaluate how much all of our students get out of the paper through a spe- cific test. After all, our primary goal is the news- paper habit in a variety of experiences and life styles, not a specific goal of imparting journalism techniques or freedom of the speech information. 24Letter from Ronald L. Clarke, Aug. 25, 1971. CHAPTER V RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FLINT NEWSPAPER PROGRAM Is it better to have a poorly-organized newspaper in the classroom program than none at all? That question must be answered by Flint newspaper editors, school offic— ials, and teachers if they wish to continue the Flint pro- gram in its present format. Briefly described, it consists of the Journal delivering newspapers to the schools with an official at the school board responsible for the day-to-day workings of the program. Teachers and students are provided with no assistance other than the newspaper supplementary guides. As indicated in the previous chapter, a successful newspaper in the classroom requires regular communication between the newspaper and the teacher. In the early years of this program, Journal editor Ralph B. Curry and promotion director Wayne T. Alexander worked closely with Flint teach- ers and students. Now that the Journal has turned the pro- gram over to the school system, many problems have developed. Charles C. Hemingway, a school board official, has not ef- fectively promoted and directed the program. In his defense 63 64 it must be noted that as curriculum coordinator for the humanities, he has many duties besides the newspaper pro- gram. A major source of confusion in the program is the various goals of the participants. They include: to im- prove reading, to make better citizens, to encourage stu- dents to pursue journalism careers, to teach journalism, to sell more newspapers, to insure future newspaper readers, and to improve school-newspaper relations. The purpose of the Flint newspaper in the classroom program must be deter- mined before a systematized and effective method of using the newspaper can be developed. The Flint newspaper program should be directed to- ward using the newspaper as a supplementary source of in- formation for regular school courses; the newspaper should update the concepts and events studied in the classroom. To use the newspaper in any other manner, such as teaching the newspaper as a social institution for two weeks, defeats the program's purpose. A student does not learn to use the newspaper as a life-long source of information by studying it for two weeks and then putting it away for the remainder of the year. Once the participants have determined the goal of their newspaper program it is suggested that the following changes be made in the program's structure: 65 First, at least one person from the Journal should be responsible for the program. As Dr. John H. Haefner, a consultant for the American Newspaper Publishers Associa- tion, pointed out earlier in this study, a newspaper pro— gram cannot be effective unless it is directed by the news— paper. The Journal should work closely with school offi- cials, however, because the program will not be successful without the active support of school authorities. The Journal's newspaper in the classroom coordinator should be a former teacher. This is a practice followed by newspapers such as the Detroit Free Press and the Chicago Tribune to improve communication between teachers and the newspaper. If this is not possible, the Journal should hire a teacher during the summer to help plan the newspaper pro— gram. Many teachers in the Flint school system have indi— cated an interest in working part-time for the Journal to learn more about newspapers. The editors of the Journal have stated that the news- paper cannot afford a public relations department to conduct the program. As mentioned previously, it does not take an elaborate staff to conduct a successful project. At least two other newspapers, the Peoria Journal Star and the Detroit Free Press, sponsor extensive programs through the efforts of one person. Second, trained newspaper in the classroom teachers should provide leadership in the Flint program. The Journal 66 has been sending teachers to the American Newspaper Pub- lishers Association summer workshops for ten years--the purpose of which is to train teachers to return to their communities to help other teachers use the newspaper. Yet, this has not happened in Flint during the last few years. The teachers who attend the summer workshops should become members of an advisory committee that makes recommen- dations to the Journal and the school board on the newspaper in the classroom program. This committee should consist of representatives from the eight junior high and four senior high schools in Flint. Among other duties, the advisory committee should set up local workshops and update the sup— plementary guides. Other newspapers, including the Peoria Journal Star and the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times, have improved their programs by establishing advisory com- mittees. Third, the cornerstone of successful newspaper in the classroom programs is the local training of teachers. This should be accomplished through a newspaper workshop sponsored by the Journal. Nearly all newspapers have found local workshops to be the most economical and efficient method of training teachers to use the newspaper in their classrooms. Thomas J. Peters, education coordinator for the 'Detroit Free Press, organized three workshops in Detroit dur- ing the 1970-71 school year. "Local workshops are the best way to train teachers," he commented. "Besides, it's cheaper 67 to put on a local workshop for fifty teachers than to send 1 half a dozen to ANPA." The six Flint teachers who attended the American Newspaper Publishers Association workshop at the University of Iowa in 1970 cost the Journal $1,880;2 the Peoria Journal Star conducted a two-week local workshop 3 for twenty-five teachers in July, 1971, for $1,300. The Flint workshop should emphasize the training of teachers by other teachers. Flint teachers who have attended American Newspaper Publishers Association workshops should be the instructors. Journalism teachers from Michigan State Uni- versity and the University of Michigan would make excellent speakers, since they combine the skills of both journalism and teaching. One teacher from the University of Michigan, Dr. Daniel N. Fader, has developed an outstanding program for using newspapers and magazines with school children; he has participated in workshops sponsored by the Detroit News. Fourth, the coordinator for the Flint newspaper in the classroom program should communicate regularly with teach- ers. The teachers who participated in this study stated that this was the first time they had been questioned about their 1Letter from Thomas R. Peters, Detroit Free Press education coordinator, Detroit, Mich., July 28, l97l. 2Letter from Roland L. Martin, Flint Journal man- aging editor, Flint, Mich., April 30, 1971. 3Letter from Sallie R. Whelan, director of educa- tional services for the Peoria Journal Star, Peoria, Ill., Aug. 9, 1971. 68 use of the newspaper. They were disappointed that no one from the Journal had asked for comments or recommendations on the newspaper program. Many methods can be used to com- municate with teachers--letters, phone calls, classroom visits, a newsletter, and newspaper publicity. This study of the Flint newspaper in the classroom program suggests that a newspaper program cannot be effec- tive without the active participation of the newspaper. Hence, until the Journal offers it, the Flint program likely will continue to be less than the "model" it was purported to be. APPENDICES . 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