A STUDY OF THE ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE TEACHER PLACEMENT SERVICES IN TEN SELECTED UNIVERSITIES By Harold Eugene Sponberg A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Division of Education 1952 /y /y / d i/ C'& ^ _ .. r.V ........... ............. ^ ------- A STUDY OF THE (’ A DMINISTRATION) AND s.ORGANIZATION) OF THE TEACHER PLACEMENT SERVICES IN TEN SELECTED UNIVERSITIES By Harold Eugene Sponberg AN ABSTRACT Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Division of Education 1953 Approved_ ABSTRACT This investigation was undertaken to study the organiza­ tion and administration of the teacher placement services in a selected group of major universities, in order to determine those placement procedures that appeared to be educationally sound and functionally effective, and to recommend those which appeared to be worthwhile and desirable. The normative survey method was employed. The original data were obtained by means of the interview, interview out­ line and direct observation. The author visited each bureau and interviewed each placement director. Facts about the placement service and opinions of the directors comprised the data-. Ten major universities in the north central region v/ere selected for the study because of their comparable ad­ ministrative organization, similar educational objectives, allied teacher training programs and corresponding levels of placement responsibility. The teacher placement service occupied a significant po­ sition in the administrative organization of the university. Staff, office quarters and budget were provided by each uni­ versity in facilitating the service. It was an integral unit in the teacher education program with seven directors serving as members of the staff in the schools of education. The organizational structure of the placement bureaus presented little similarity in form or in administration. 3 Seven different operational structures were used. Six bureaus were decentralized, three were centralized and one was set up on a coordinated, decentralized basis. The decentralized organization appeared to be more closely Integrated with, the teacher education program; the directors and assistant directors developed a more functional working relationship with the personnel in professional education. The centralized organization may be more economical in regard to space, materials, clerica.1 costs and staff salaries. Administrative personnel in the bureau indicated a trend in up-grading their professional training with four directors and seven assistant directors pursuing the. doctors degree. Teaching and administrative experience were desirable qualifi­ cations of the staff; their capacity to work with people on all levels of educational endeavor was basic to effective place­ ment. Academic rank for .the staff was desirable in order to give status and prestige to the placement service. The approximate average budget allocation for each bureau was as follows: staff salaries, $12,000; clerical personnel, §9,000; operational costs, §6,000. Compulsory registration for all graduating teaching majors improved the reliability of the service. The charging of a registration fee was considered to be an undesirable practice. Lack of adequate budget and staff restricted the operation of an effective follow-up program. Credential papers of all bureaus were similar in form and con­ tent; the quality of recommendations by faculty were generally unsatisfactory. Services to the employers — education, university officials — to registrants. school executives, boards of was as important as service A definite increase in number of registrants for college positions was apparent; additional service was given to boards of education through institutes and confer­ ences. All bureaus compiled annual reports; four made exten­ sive studies of supply and demand of teachers and administra­ tors. The administrative staff participated in the total teacher education program of the university through educa­ tional activities other than placement. The following recommendations emerged from this study: (1) more active cooperation with the teacher education program; (2) administrative staff should be eligible for academic rank; (3) bureaus should be concerned about the recruitment as well as the placement of teachers; (4) research to determine the most effective organization of the placement services within a university; (5) the appointment of graduate assistants to the placement bureau; (6) research to determine the criteria for the position of director in a placement bureau; (7) re­ search to determine the basis for more effective inter-institutional placement cooperation; (8) research to determine more effective use of occupational information, supply and demand data, population studies and follow-up procedures. Harold Eugene Sponberg candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Final Examination: May 12, 1852, 2:00 P.M. Guidance Conference Room, Morrill Hall Dissertation: A Study of the Administration and Organization of the Teacher Placement Services.in Ten Se­ lected Universities Outline of Studies Major Subject: Education — Minor Subjects: Education — Education — Guidance History and Philosophy Administration Biographical Items Born, September 26, 1918, New Richland, Minnesota Undergraduate Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, 1937-40. Graduate Studies, University of Minnesota, 1941-42. Michigan State College, 1947-52. Experience: Teacher: Rural Schools, New Richland, Minn­ esota, 1935-37; High School, Madison, South Dakota., 1940-41; Graduate Assistant, Univer­ sity of Minnesota, 1941-42; Member United States Naval Submarine Forces, 1942-46; At Michigan State College: Instructor and Assis­ tant Professor, Written and Spoken English, 1946-48, Assistant Counselor for Men, 1948-50, Assistant Director of Placement Bureau, in Charge of Teacher Placement, 1950 to present. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author expresses his sincere appreciation to the teacher placement directors whose cooperation and interest contributed to the preparation of this study. To the members of the dissertation committee, Dean C. E. Erickson, Chairman, Dr. Walter F. Johnson, Dr. Carl Gross, Dr. Clyde Campbell and Dr. C. V. Millard, the writer wishes to express hie gratitude for the many helpful sug­ gestions and criticisms. He is deeply grateful to Dean Erickson for inspiration and encouragement to undertake this investigation. He is particularly indebted to Dr. Johnson, under whose careful supervision, unfailing inter­ est and untiring effort this thesis was written. To his wife, Grace, whose constant encouragement and typing proficiency contributed mightily to the completion of this work, he expresses his deepest gratitude. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. PAGE I N T R O D U C T I O N ....................... 1 •The P r o b l e m ................................ 2 Statement of the problem ...................... 2 Importance of the problem 3 Basic Assumptions ........... .............................. Limitations of the S t u d y ........................ 9 Definition of T e r m s ............................ 10 Research Procedures ............... 12 Preparation of the interview outline ......... 14 Selection of participating universities 15 . . . . . . ... Procedure for the collection ofdata . . . . . Organization of the Study II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 17 ...................... 19 ............... Related Research .......... Research Indirectly Related 16 ............. Background of Teacher Placement III. 8 19 22 .................... 27 Other L i t e r a t u r e ................................ 29 Summary and Conclusions ........................ 29 THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND THE U N I V E R S I T Y ......... 31 Introduction ................................... 31 The Administrative Position of the Placement Bureau Within the University ................. 34 CHAPTER PAGE Analysis of administrative organization . . . . 55 Placement bureaus within the school of e d u c a t i o n ................................... 43 Placement bureaus outside the teacher education organization Advisory Committees ...................... 44 . . ........................ 46 Staff Membership and Courses in the School of E d u c a t i o n ................................. 48 Summary and Conclusions .......................... IV. 50 THE STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION OF THE PLACEMENT B U R E A U ....................................... Introduction . . 52 . . . . . . 52 Analysis of the D a t a .......................... 55 Analysis of Centralized and Decentralized Organ!zation ................................... Advantages of a centralized placement service 57 . 58 Advantages of a decentralized placement s e r v i c e ..........................................62 Further observations on bureau organization Summary and Conclusions V. . . .......................... THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND THE OFFICE PERSONNEL 65 68 ... 70 Introduction ....................................... 70 Professional Training of the Administrative Staff. 75 D i r e c t o r ............................................75 Assistant Director .............................. 76 CHAPTER PAGE The Academic Ranh of the Administrative Staff. . D i r e c t o r ..................................... 81 Assistant director ............................ 82 The Clerical Staff of the Placement Bureau . . . 83 Graduate Assistants in the Placement Bureau. Summary and Conclusions VI. 81 . . 86 ........................ 87 THE OPERATION OF THE PLACEMENT B U R E A U ........ 89 The R e g i s t r a n t .......... . . .. ................. 90 Registration of the Inexperienced Teaching C a n d i d a t e ............................ Registration — compulsory or optional? 93 ... 95 The Registration F e e .......................... The Credential Papers .......................... 101 Filing Systems ................................... 105 The Follow-up Program 109 .......................... The B u d g e t ..................................... The Commercial Agency Summary and Conclusions VII. 99 Ill .......................... 115 ........................ 116 THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYERS 119 Introduction ..................................... Relations With the Public School Employer . . Relations With Boards of Education ............. 119 . 122 128 Relations With the College or University E m p l o y e r ..................................... Summary and Conclusions ........................ 132 140 CHAPTER VIII. PAGE THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL S E R V I C E S ............................................ 143 Occupational Information on the Teaching P r o f e s s i o n ....................................... 143 Recruitment of Teachers ......................... 148 ........................ 150 Research and Evaluation In-Service Training of Teachers ............... Summary and C o n c l u s i o n s ....................... 151 152 IX.SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............ 153 Introduction ...................................... 153 Statement of the p r o b l e m ............ 153 Importance of the p r o b l e m ...................... 153 M e t h o d o l o g y ..................................... 154 Summary and Conclusions Recommendations ........................ 155 ............................ 162 General recommendations ................... . Suggestions for further research ............. 162 165 B I B L I O G R A P H Y ...................................... A P P E N D I X E S .................................................. 176 Appendix A ............................................177 Appendix B ............................................183 Appendix C ............................................184 Appendix D ........................................... 185 169 LIST OP TABLES TABLE I. PAGE The Placement Bureau and the Administrative Organization Within the University................... 36 II. III. The Placement Bureau and the Office S t a f f ............. 71 Number of Registrants in Each Category of P l a c e m e n t ............................................. 91 IV. The 1950-51 Budget Allocations of the Placement B u r e a u s .............................................. 113 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Teacher placement Is not an incidental venture unde re­ taken by university administrators. obligation. It is a professional The leaders in teacher education now hold that the task of teacher preparation is incomplete until those prepared are placed in positions where they can initiate their professional careers; they hold further that the uni­ versity has the responsibility to facilitate the earned ad­ vancement of teachers and administrators in the field of ed­ ucation. The organization, administration and operation of teacher placement programs are currently undergoing investigation, re­ vision and expansion in many major universities. More effi­ cient methods are being developed, underlying educational principles are being evaluated, and relative administrative relationships are being studied as they pertain to the teacher placement program in the university. A complex society has imposed new demands upon institu­ tions of higher learning. These demands require the insti­ tution to know the student occupational needs, to select youth according to their promise of college competence, to aid edu­ cational leaders by supplying necessary replacements, and to assist teachers and administrators in making necessary occu­ pational adjustments. Toward these ends are directed the tech­ niques of selection, guidance, instruction, research, placement, in-service training and professional advancement. More and more the student is given the right of choice in order that his personal goals and his optimal development may be coordinated satisfactorily. The selection of a posi­ tion for maximum utilization of his competencies demands that placement shall be an integral part of the expanding program of higher education. The placement of teachers becomes a specific educational service that seeks to strengthen the educational structure through continuous improvement of teaching staffs. It has taken its place among the services of major universities. These institutions have demonstrated their interest by ap­ praising the teacher placement services in the light of new educational demands. The Problem Statement of the problem. It is the purpose of this in­ vestigation (l) to study the organization, administration and operation of the teacher placement services in a selected group of major universities;^ (2) to compare these programs; 1 The universities selected were the ten major univer­ sities in the north central region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, V/lsconsin. (3) to determine those placement procedures that appear to be educationally sound, and functionally effective; (4) and to recommend those which appear to be worthwhile and desirable. Importance of the problem. Since the close of World War II, enrollments have Increased in the institutions of higher learning, particularly in the major universities. With such growth in student population came the attendant demands upon the edutmtional services, among them the personnel ser­ vices. In order to cope with the additional demands, unlveiv sities generally re-examined and expanded their total educa­ tional programs. The personnel services of the university became increasingly Important in the process of selecting, guiding, training and placing the students. The teacher place­ ment service assumed a great responsibility in assisting the public schools with the selection and employment of teachers and administrators to meet the post-war personnel needs. With the subsequent return of steady enrollments to the universi­ ties, it appears timely and logical to examine and evaluate the teacher placement services. The National Institutional Teacher Placement Association, comprised of teacher placement officers in colleges and uni­ versities throughout the United States, is compiling a volume of research on the trends and practices in teacher placement 4 bureaus during the last decade.2 The Association has encour­ aged its membership to initiate research in the teacher place­ ment programs of the major universities, municipal colleges and universities, teachers colleges, denominational and inde­ pendent colleges. The National Association of Colleges of Teacher Education3 is currently conducting a national survey of teacher placement practices in which the writer is a member of the supervisory committee. It is apparent that the leaders in the national educa­ tional associations consider the teacher placement services a timely and worthy subject for investigation and evaluation. The problem of teacher placement is important from another standpoint. Published literature in the field of teacher placement is particularly meagre. Of the research that has been published, it is found that the studies are concerned with the policies and procedures of individual colleges and universities. of teachers. Much has been written on the supply and demand Annual reports are made by university placement bureaus that present the data on employment opportunities, on 2 Proceedings of the National Institutional Teacher Placement Association, Annual Convention; (Boulder: Univer­ sity of Colorado, 1949-50) pp. 40-41. 3 Supervised by the Dean of the School of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, September 12, 1951. 5 the number of placements, on the number of candidates in each subject matter field, and other rels.ted information. However, investigations that attempt to evaluate the teacher placement services are few in number; nearly all the published studies were carried out several years ago. The paucity of significant and current information alone makes this study useful and de­ sirable. Support for the above statements is brought out by Shartle 4 and Beatty when they set forth the following observations: Very little research ha.s been published concern­ ing college placement programs. Some colleges have made surveys of their own practices and operation, but there is still considerable need for studying the various types of college and university placement, such as the organizational structure and the attendant placement responsibilities.... One of the fundamental problems concerns the cri­ teria for judging effective placement and the applica­ tion of such criteria in developing improved services.... What are the educational, experimental and personal qualifications of the staff who perform placement work? What should the minimum qualifications of the staff be?.... To what extent is occupational information used by the placement office?.... While most institutions acknowledge the responsi­ bility for aiding the graduate in finding suitable em­ ployment, there is not a common or generally typical pattern for accomplishing the task.... 4 Shartle, C. L. and J. D. Beatty, ‘'Student Personnel Work — Occupational Placement." Encyclopedia of Educational Research. (New York: MacMillan Company, 1950), p. 1326. 6 The above writers have carefully reviewed the literature in the field of teacher placement, with particular emphasis on all research that has been done during the last ten years. The previous publication date of this volume wa,s 1941. From this compendium on educational research comes the request for more investigation and evaluation of teacher placement ser­ vices. Thus, there is a definite need for research in this area of education. Besides the need for more research, there appears a fur­ ther need for a particular kind of information. Umstattd® completed a study in 1933 in which he made a survey of the teacher placement practices and procedures of one hundred sixty-six institutions of higher education. He gathered in­ formation on state universities, teachers colleges, normal schools, municipal universities and liberal arts colleges. The study was comprehensive and the findings were valuable. He pointed out, however, that there was a need for a survey of teacher placement services to be made that pertained to homogeneous groupings of colleges and universities. For ex­ ample, an investigation should be made of the placement ser­ vices of major universities, another of the services in teachers colleges, a third of the liberal arts colleges. 5 J. G-. Umstattd, Teacher Placement In One Hundred SixtySix Educational Institutions'. (Minneapolis: Perine Book Com­ pany, 1933) p. 13. Each category of higher educational institutions has simi­ lar problems, procedures and organization. Findings that re­ sult from such research are more meaningful to the individual placement bureau if the institutions studied are similar in educational purpose and structure. When data is gathered with­ out regard for the classification of institution, many inter­ vening variables are operating that diminish the value and worth of the findings. It seems, therefore, that there is a need for a study that would concern Itself with a particular category of the universities and/or colleges. The problem of teacher placement is Important when viewed g from another vantage point. Russell found that the school executives were making increased use of the institutional placement bureaus. They have come to regard teacher placement as an integral unit in teacher preparation. How to render the most effective service to the employer as well as the regis­ trant demands that current procedures be studied and evaluated. University administrators and deans of education are con­ cerned about the administrative relationship of the teacher placement bureau to the total university, to the school of 7 education and to the teacher training programs. g Karl A. Russell, Jr., A Study of Teacher Placement in One Hundred Seventy-Two Higher Educational Institutions. (Un­ published doctoral thesis, Univ.' of Indiana, 1950) p. 187. 7 Supra. p. 4. The study now being carried out by the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. 8 In conclusion, there is a definite need for research in teacher placement; there is a specific need for the investi­ gations to he delimited to a specific category of higher edu­ cational institutions, e.g., state universities, liberal arts colleges, normal schools. Such studies would pertain to in­ stitutions that have common educational purposes, similar edu­ cational structures and analogous teacher training programs. In addition, school executives are increasing their use of teacher placement services; university administrators and deans of education are interested in the administrative role of the teacher placement bureau within the university. Fur­ ther, the problems of teacher placement in large universities are important because they involve a program that is func­ tionally necessary, educationally relevant and professionally pertinent. In view of the foregoing, the author decided to make a study of the teacher placement services in ten selected major universities. Basic Assumptions In undertaking this investigation, the writer makes three fundamental assumptions: first, that it is necessary and desirable to operate a teacher placement bureau according to principles and procedures that are educationally sound and functionally effective. To evaluate current practices and to evolve new procedures are means of determining the best oper­ ational principles. Second, that the teacher placement service is an Integral unit in the total process of teacher preparation. The train­ ing of a teacher is not complete until he is placed in a posi­ tion where he may utilize his shills and ability. Third, that the university has the responsibility for pro­ viding a teacher placement bureau as one of the personnel ser­ vices available to the graduating students and alumni. The university should assist the teacher candidate in securing a position. Limitations of the Study This investigation attempted to collect facts about the teacher placement services and to collect opinions of the di­ rectors concerning the policies and procedures that guide the operation of the service. It is a descriptive study of the administrative organization and practical operation of the teacher placement bureau in a major university. The study utilized the opinions and judgments of the directors of the bureaus. Their opinions were considered valid by right of position and experience. Their subjective comments contrived to select those practices and policies that were most desirable and feasible. The conclusions and recommendations were derived from the facts and statements given by the directors. 10 This research purports to make an exhaustive study of the placement services in a specific type of higher educational in­ stitution rather than an extensive survey of placement in a randome sampling of institutions generally. Ten major universities in the north central region served as the subject institutions. The sampling restricts the projection of the conclusions to those major universities who have comparable administrative organization, similar educational objectives, allied teacher training programs and corresponding levels of placement respon­ sibility. Three assumptions were made; no hypotheses were stated. Policies and practices, conclusions and recommendations were derived inductively from fact and opinion given by the direc­ tors through extensive interviews and personal visit to the bureaus by the author. Definition of Terms Placement. The term as used in this study refers only to the teacher placement service as carried out by the uni­ versities discussed. It includes the procedure for aiding a graduate or post-graduate student in the procurement of an initial position or advancement to subsequent positions. It includes elementary, secondary and college placement as it pertains to teachers, and administrators on the graduate and post-graduate levels. 11 Decentralized. This terra describes the organization of a placement bureau which has the responsibility only for teacher placement. Other offices are maintained for business, engin­ eering and liberal arts placement. Centralized. This term describes the organization of a placement bureau which has the responsibility for most of the placement services in the university. Coordinated. This terra describes the relationship among the various placement bureaus maintained by the university. Under this organization, each bureau is decentralized with the respective directors attempting to coordinate their services on a cooperative basis. Placement office. This term refers to the administrative entity that comprises the total teacher placement service — personnel, facilities and procedures. The word "bureau" is commonly used interchangeably with the word "office." Director. This term refers to the individual charged with the responsibility of the teacher placement service. He may have collateral duties and may devote only a portion of his time to teacher placement. Follow-up. This term refers to the service given to the client by the office once he has received his initial place­ ment. Follow-up service includes personal visits, correspon­ dence, news letters, and notification of vacancies, among others. Research Procedures In order to fulfill the purposes of this Investigation it was necessary to find the research procedure that would accom­ plish the following: (1) ascertain the prevailing conditions in teacher placement services; (2) gather facts about each bur­ eau; (3) obtain the opinions and judgments of the directors in evaluating the practices and policies of each bureau; (4) de­ termine those procedures that appeared to be desirable end functional. Since it appeared that this study was a quantitative and qualitative description of the teacher placement services, the 0 normative survey method seemed most desirable. This method of research finds expression through a variety of techniques. The specific methodology that was employed in this study was a combination of the (1) interview, (2) interview outline, and (3) direct observation.9 Since the interview is a widely understood technique, it will not be explained. The interview outline, used in conjunction with the inter­ view, was considered a more effective technique than the mailed questionnaire. In order to use the interview and interview 8 C. V. Good, A. S. Barr and D. E. Scates, The Method­ ology of Educational Research. (New York: Apuleton-Century, 1941) p. 295. 13 outline the writer had to visit each placement bureau personally. It was a costly procedure; however, such a method of gathering data avoided the generally accepted weaknesses of the mailedresponse blank — respondent's non-interest, his lack of under­ standing of the project, and his subjective Interpretation of the items.10 In addition, the ambiguity of the written word further limits the effectiveness of the mailed questionnaire. With the interview outline and the interview used together, it was possible to obtain data systematically and easily. The outline enabled the interviewer to obtain Identical informa­ tion while going from university to university without fear of omitting material or gathering redundant data. Direct observation enabled the interviewer to corrobor­ ate the facts gathered in the interview. The physical facil­ ities, the mechanics of placement operation and general or­ ganization of the office could be observed directly. It was possible to confer with university officials other than place­ ment personnel in order to determine the role of the placement bureau in the total organization of the university. Thus, the research procedure selected for this study was the general normative survey method, utilizing the specific techniques of the interview, interview outline and direct ob­ servation. 10 Ibid.. p. 324. 14 Preparation of the Interview outline. Lee and Umstattd 11 prepared a tentative score card that Is used to evaluate teacher placement services. The contents of this card served as a guide in the preparation of the interview outline. A first draft of the instrument was prepared and presented to each guidance committee member for criticism and suggestion. Some changes were incorporated in a revised draft. Five superintendents, five principals and five teachers were asked to comment on the contents of the outline. Five college professors, not directly related to the placement pro­ gram, reviewed the contents and design. Their comments re­ sulted in further changes. The third draft of the instrument was sent to each teacher placement director in the universities selected for the study, accompanied by a letter asking them for suggestions regarding the content and design. The letter also explained the purpose for which the outline was to be used. Their professional opin­ ions and recommendations made changes in the selection of words, in the content and in the format of the outline. All directors responded and a final draft of the instrument was made. (Ap­ pendix A ) . 11 J. A. Lee and J. G-. Umstattd, "A Tentative Score Card for Institutional Placement Offices," Current Practice in In­ stitutional Teacher Placement. (Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Teacher Placement Association, 1941) pp. 177185. 15 Selection of participating universities* It was pointed out earlier12 In this chapter that there was a great need for more research In the field of teacher placement. It was shown further that there was a need for Information about a specific category of higher educational Institutions. Nearly all the studies that surveyed the teacher placement services made no sampling restriction on the institutions investigated. Liberal arts colleges, municipal universities, teachers colleges and universities were studied as a group. These studies indicated that the data were comprehensive and the findings were useful. However, the conclusions and recommendations did not lend themselves to comparative study because of the contrasting differences in the administrative structure and educational purpose of the institutions involved. Therefore, the insti­ tutions used in this study were limited to the large major universities. It was decided to delimit the study to those universities that were administratively comparable, located geographically in a similar region, involved in the training of elementary, secondary and college teachers and administrators, granted bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in education and lo­ cated in states that require similar, if not identical, cer­ tification requirements for teachers. 12 Supra,., p. 5. The selection of the 16 ten major universities 13 in the north central region generally satisfied these requirements.14 They would lend themselves readily to comparative study because of their similarity in administrative structure and educational purpose; they were close enough together to permit personal visitation. At the same time, the sampling would not prevent the conclusions and recommendations from being applied to other major universities of similar structure, organization and purpose. Procedure for the collection of data. This Investigation was carried out during the school year 1950-51. Visits to the various universities were made in November and December, 1950. Letters requesting a personal visit and stating the pur­ pose of the interview were sent to the teacher placement direc­ tor at each university. It was possible to schedule a one-day interview at each institution. This amount of time proved to be adequate for collection of the information and completion of the interview. The schedule of visits was arranged in a series for seven universities in the same geographical area. Two other Institutions were visited early in the next month. Since the writer drove his own vehicle, the element of time did not restrict the extent of the Interview or the time for observa­ tion. 15 Supra., p. 2. 14 Three universities provide graduate training for the elementary teacher but do not offer undergraduate training. 17 Two copies of the interview outline were used at each uni­ versity; one was given to the director and one was used by the author during the interview. Adequate write-in space was pro­ vided, permitting the insertion of information during the course of the interview and direct observation. This work­ sheet approach was most effective in making the interview con­ sistent in its content and comprehensive in its coverage. A folder was prepared for each university in which was placed a copy of the work-sheet interview outline, annual re­ ports of the bureau, publications and bulletins, credential forms and other placement materials used in the operation of the office.3,5 The placement directors were most cooperative in assist­ ing with this investigation. Invariably, they were Interested in continued and extensive research in the field of teacher placement. Organization of the Study The thesis is divided into nine chapters. Chapter One, Introduction, includes a statement of the problem and its importance, definition of terms, basic assump­ tions, limitations of the study, research procedures used and plan of organization. 15 This information, much too voluminous for inclusion in the appendix of the study, was used in the preparation of this thesis and is on file with the author. 18 Chapter Two presents a review of the literature which in­ cludes the background of teacher placement services and the published and unpublished research that is pertinent to this investigation. Chapters Three and Four are concerned with the data and opinions on the administrative relationship of the teacher placement bureau within the university and on the organization of the bureau Itself. Chapter Five presents a discussion of the data on the experience, training and academic rank of the directors and assistant directors. The incidence and duties of graduate assistants are discussed, while the clerical personnel are reviewed regarding number, rating, duties and qualifications. Chapter Six discusses the general operation of the place­ ment bureau, the relationship with registrants and the record­ keeping systems. Chapter Seven is concerned with the placement bureau and its relations with employers — school executives, boards of education and officials of higher institutions. Chapter Eight deals with the educational services of the placement bureau. They are occupational information, supply and demand studies, recruitment of teachers and research pro­ grams. Chapter Nine presents the summary, conclusions, recom­ mendations and implications for further research. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Background of Teacher Placement Teacher placement In America finds its origin among the schools of New England. Since the schools were largely under the supervision of the church fathers, they were responsible for the procurement of the teachers. A basic qualification for teachers during the colonial days was that they be "sound in the faith. The services of teachers were solicited through paid ad­ vertisements. Typical of these newspaper listings was the following: To Be Disposed of A Likely Servant Mans Time for 4 Years Who is well-qualified for a Clerk or to Teach A School, he Reads, Writes, understands Arithmetik „ And Accompts very well. Enquire of Printer thereof 2 Brogan points out that the first teacher placement or­ ganization in the United States was the American Association E. P. Cubberly, Public Education in the United States. (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1919) p. 35. r '' 2 Ibid., p. 34. 3 Whit Brogan, The Work of the Placement Offices in Teacher Training Institutions. Contributions to Education, No. 434. (New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1930) p. 3. 30 for the Supply of Teachers. It was founded in 1835 by the teachers in the public schools of Philadelphia. A fee of five percent of the annual salary was charged with the teacher and school each paying half of the sum. 4 Monroe indicates that "on November 4, 1846, there was launched in the city of Boston the first teachers agency in America, probably the first in the world. It was organized and conducted by one, Samuel Whitcomb, Jr., at No. 1 Montgom­ ery Place, Tremont House." Horace Mann, Elizabeth Peabody, Edward Everett and Daniel Webster were among those who gave tertimonials in support of the agency. Normal schools were gradually being established for the training of teachers. By 1865 there were twenty normal schools in the United States. Twenty-five years later the number had grown to one hundred fifty. The recorded literature produces little evidence of any placement service for teachers. 5 Com­ mercial agencies, on the other hand, flourished phenomenally. Allen® states that nearly two hundred were in operation around 1880. 4 Will Monroe, "The First Teachers Agency," Journal of Education 66:302-203, (February 21, 1907). 5 Cubberly, 0£. cit., p. 294. ® H. P. Allen, A Study of Teacher Placement in California. Unpublished M.A. thesis, (Palo Alto: Stanford University, 1925) p. 30. f l 21 The first university to establish an organized teacher placement service was the University of Nebraska. It was es­ tablished in 1892 with the chancellor of the university as the director. Anderson? described the history and development of this teacher placement service. Q Adams reported that three-fourths of the teacher educa­ tion institutions had established placement bureaus by 1920. Anderson and Litchen® found that eighty percent of the state teachers colleges had placement offices by 1928. The first attempt to coordinate the efforts of all insti­ tutional teacher placement offices and directors occurred at a meeting of the National Education Association at Cleveland, Ohio in 1923.10 The directors of the placement bureaus con­ vened to discuss the possibility of an organization. The next year the National Association of Appointment Secretaries was 7 M. A. Anderson, The Placement Bureau of the University of Nebraska. Unpublished M.A. thesis'," (Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1920) 111 pp. Q W. H. Adams, The Placement of Students in Teaching Po­ sitions as Carried on b.v Higher Educational Institutions. In­ cluding Normal Schools. Teachers Colleges. Colleges and Univer­ sities. '(Abilene"'.'"Texas: Abilene Christian College. 1933) p. 50. 9 E. W. Anderson and R. E. Litchen, "The Status of the State College Teacher Placement Bureau," School and Society. 28: 728-32 (June 16, 1928). ^ First and Second Annual Meetings of the National As­ sociation of Appointment Secretaries* Unpublished Proceedings, Chicago and Cincinnati, 1924 and 1925, p. 13. 22 formed. In 1929 the organization changed Its name to the National Association of Placement and Personnel Officers. Since the Association consisted of several groups whose pro­ fessional interests were eomewhat d i v e r s e , ^ the directors of the teacher placement bureaus organized separately in 1934 and established the National Institutional Teacher Placement Association which is still functioning. This professional organization has systematized placement procedures, fostered research, published two reference volumes and is preparing a third. This concludes a brief historical overview of the teacher placement services in higher educational institutions. Related Research The research that is directly related to this study will be discussed in this section. Significant investigations were selected that pertain to the administration and operation of the teacher placement bureau. Other data, not as closely re­ lated to this study but still relevant, will be presented la­ ter. ^ The other splinter of the organization became the American College Personnel Association. 23 Among the first significant investigations of the place1P ment services was the study made by Anderson and Lltchen. 0 They sent an inquiry to two hundred forty-three state colleges requesting information on the incidence of a teacher placement service, title of the directors, their educational training and the nature of the placement duties. This study delimited the subject institutions to a particular category — the state- supported college. Mathiasen^S produced a thorough and comprehensive volume of research on the guidance implications for placement among the graduate schools of education in the various universities. Two specific conclusions-1-4 were noted: No institution should certify, grant a degree to or otherwise show that the individual is prepared for educational service unless it also assumes the re­ sponsibility for placing him .... Placement work is not an entity in itself, but must come as a last step in a program of careful vo­ cational guidance from the time they enter until they are successfully located in an institution .... The degree of responsibility placed upon the placement office is probably bordering on the "we-have-a-Job-waiting-for-you11 basis. ^ However, the specific point is implied, nevertheless, E. W. Anderson and R. E. Litchen, og. cit. ^ 0. F. Mathiasen, Guidance and Placement in University Graduate Schools of Education. Unpublished doctoral thesis, (Cambridge:' Harvard University, 1927) 370 pp. 14 Ikid*, p. 137. that a significant factor in the admission of candidates to the teaching field should he the "placeability" of those candidates. The importance of the placement program as a guidance resource is a missed opportunity, if not a responsibility, for placement bureaus. The service of the bureau should begin as soon as the student enters college and contemplates a career in teaching. Brogan^-5 made a survey of thirty-one teachers college presidents and eighty-seven superintendents to determine the nature of existing teacher placement services as well as recom­ mended practices and procedures. He gathered data on creden­ tial forms, placement practices, relations with superintendents and factors in teaching success. A d a m s , i n cooperation with the United States Office of Education, conducted an investigation of 715 institutions: 45 normal schools, 118 universities, 106 teachers colleges, 295 colleges, 118 junior colleges and 38 other colleges in the United States. Although the information was tabulated according to type of institution, the conclusions a n d findings, however, pertained to all the institutions generally. The junior col­ leges were not included in the results since they did not train teachers. The conclusions included information on the organi­ zation, operation and financial support of the bureaus, together with the qualifications, titles and duties of the directors. 15 Brogan, Adams, d t . o£. cit. 17 UmstattdXf carried out a survey to discover the current practices in teacher placement in one hundred sixty-six col­ leges and universities. The cooperating institutions included sixty-three normal schools, thirty-six state universities, eleven municipal universities, thirty-seven church-related Institutions and nineteen others. Tabulation of the data was made according to the five categories of institutions listed above. The conclusions, however, were drawn up as they per­ tained to the following areas: (1) organization and office practice; (2) training, experience and qualifications of per­ sonnel; (3) budget, placement costs and registration fees; (4) contents of credentials; (5) trends in teacher placement. TO Eighteen years later Russell carried out a similar sujv vey of one hundred seventy-two institutions: nine parochial colleges, forty-six private colleges, thirty-five teachers colleges, seventy state colleges and universities and twelve other institutions. He combined the data from all the respon­ dents and recorded conclusions in the following general areas: (1) qualification and duties of administrative staff; (2) col- J. Q-. Umstattd, Teacher Placement in One Hundred SixtySix Educational Institutions. (Minneapolis: Perine Booh Com­ pany, 1952) 35 pp. 18 K. A. Russell, Jr., A Study of Teacher Placement in One Hundred Seventy-Two Higher Educational Institutions. Un­ published doctoral thesis, (Bloomington': University of Indiana, 1950) 130 pp. 26 lateral duties of the directors; (3) clerical personnel and duties; (4) budget analysis and costs; (5) salary levels of office personnel; (6) critical problems and needs of teacher placement bureaus. IQ Archer * conducted a survey of teacher placement in one hundred twenty-five colleges and universities throughout the United States. He found a definite trend toward coordination of placement services in the major universities, a slight trend toward compulsory registration and considerable dissatisfaction with recommendations from college professors. The foregoing studies comprise the most relevant investi­ gations of teacher placement services among higher educational institutions. The general purpose of the studies was the tab­ ulation of existing practices, the statistics on vacancies, placements and budget allowances and the duties and qualifica­ tions of placement personnel. No attempt was made to evolve standards of procedure, to evaluate the policies and practices or to make comparative analyses among institutions or groups of institutions. The conclusions and findings were applied generally to all teacher training institutions. 19 C. P. Archer, "Facilities for Teacher Placement in Universities of the United States." Educational Administration and Supervision 29:193-9, (April, 1943). ' 1 27 Research Indirectly Related Other investigations were found in the literature that were not as closely related to this study as those mentioned above. However, it was considered desirable to refer to them briefly. These studies were limited in scope, pertaining generally to the placement problems of a state or institution. Some were concerned with the history and development of a given placement bureau; others dealt with the teaching graduates of the institu­ tion for a specified period of time. Since the investigations pursue another area of research in teacher placement, they are presented in the succeeding paragraphs. M. A. Anderson 20 wrote a descriptive study of the place­ ment bureau at the University of Nebraska. Allen2^ made a study of the teacher placement program in all colleges and univer­ sities in California. Mullins^** conducted an evaluation of the placements made by the placement bureaus of the state teacher colleges in Indiana during a five-year period. 20 21 Schultz M. A. Anderson, 0 £. clt. Allen, op . clt. ^ V. R. Mullins, A Study of Five Years of Placement of Indiana State Teachers College Teachers. Unpublished M.A. thesis. (Bloomington: University of Indiana, 1930) 407 pp. J. S. Schultz, Teacher Placement in Ohio. Unpublished doctoral thesis. (Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati, 1931) 203 pp. 23 28 carried out a survey of teacher placement in Ohio as it per­ tained to the public schools, to the employing officials and to the colleges and universities. Jeffrey^4 reviewed the teacher placement activity in Kansas. Boyles**® made an anal­ ysis of the teacher placement program at the University of New Mexico for a nine-year period with particular reference to operational procedure, problems of placement and the statistics on placements, calls and vacancies. Berry**® completed a com­ prehensive study of the teacher placement program at the Uni­ versity of California, Los Angeles, during an eight-year per­ iod. This research was concerned primarily with the need for guidance in placement. An analysis was made of the number of placements, satisfactions with placement, job changes after initial placement, effects of counseling and guidance, and recommended changes in selection and placement. Gilbert Jeffrey, A Study of Teacher Placement in Kan­ sas. Unpublished M.A. thesis. (Emporia: State Teachers College, 1932) 110 pp. David H. Boyles, A Study of the Teacher Placement Bur­ eau of the University of New Mexico from 1929-1958. Unpub­ lished M.A. thesis. (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1940) 84 pp. **® A. L. Berry, An Eight Year Study of Teacher Guidance and Placement of the Office of Teacher Placement. Unpublished doctoral' thesis. (Los Angeles: University of California, 1948) 471 pp. f l 29 Other Literature The National Institutional Teacher Placement Association has published two reference books on teacher placement: Insti­ tutional Teacher Placement^ and Current Practices in Institu­ tional Teacher Placement. ^ The first publication served as a guide to college and university teacher placement bureaus. It presented the prin­ ciples and procedures for the administration and operation of a bureau. This volume was the first publication devoted spe­ cifically to the field of teacher placement. The second publication was a compilation of articles pre­ sented by thirty-five teacher placement bureau administrators. Their contributions indicated the current practices and prob­ lems in teacher placement programs. Summary and Conclusions The review of the literature revealed that nearly all of the studies were concerned with existing practices in teacher placement programs. The studies formulated their conclusions on the basis of all higher educational institutions as a group. 28 J. G-. Umstattd, (Ed.) Institutional Teacher Placement. (Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Teacher Placement Association, 1937) 238 pp. R. F. Strebel, J. D. Leith, E. W. Anderson, (Ed.) Cur­ rent Practices in Institutional Teacher Placement. (Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Teacher Placement Associa­ tion, 1941) 186 pp. There appeared to be a need for research that would be concerned with a specific category of institution; e.g., the study of the placement programs in state teachers colleges.^® It was con­ cluded that a study of the placement services in the major universities would be a desirable contribution to the liter­ ature . Since none of the investigations made a comparative study of the placement services, there appeared to be a definite need for a comparative study of the placement services in selected major universities. 30 E. W. Anderson and R. E. Litchen, o£. clt. CHAPTER III THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND THE UNIVERSITY Introduction The early history of the teacher placement program In­ dicated that the educational Institutions did very little about the initial placement of the apprentice teacher. Teacher as­ sociations and commercial agencies made the early attempts to assist the teacher in obtaining a position. In the middle of the nineteenth century the teachers colleges began to compile papers for the use of the candidate. The public universities began to render a similar service around 1900.^ The nature of the early institutional placement service was essentially a clerical one. Compiling of transcripts, collection of recommendations and the listing of the areas of study were the essential services rendered by the college. These data were compiled by the teacher training department, usually under the supervision of the department head or a pro­ fessor designated to do the task. The specific functions were usually carried out by a secretary. When the large public universities undertook the training of the teachers around the turn of the century, the teacher E. P. Cubberly, Public Education in the United States. (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919) p. 35. 32 placement service was similar to that described above. Many of the early placement programs were supervised by committees. It was an additional duty that was added somewhat reluctantly 2 to the training program. Since it was not regarded gener­ ally as a very vital service, it was usually given to a staff member that already had a full academic load of teaching, re­ search or supervision. The responsibility was generally con­ fined to serving the teacher in his initial placement, but little was done to render service to the teachers in the field. Considerable turn-over occurred in the personnel who worked in placement programs, with the Incumbents moving on to more re­ sponsible positions in the educational field. It had often become a responsibility that was assigned to personnel who were not expected to persevere in the discharge of that re­ sponsibility for a long period of time.^ Over the years the role of the placement program in the total organization of the university has become a problem of real significance, particularly if the functions of the place­ ment bureau were to be effectively carried out. What is the role of the placement service in the educational policy of the ^ W. H. Adams, The Placement of Students in Teaching Po­ sitions as Carried on by Higher Educational Institutions. (Abilene,' Texas:' Abilene Christian College, 1933) p. 30. J. G. Umstattd, Teacher Placement in One Hundred SixtySix Educational Institutions. '('Mlnneap'ol'lsY Verlne Book Company," 1932) p. 8. 33 university? What should be the nature of the service to the graduate of the Institution? What professional significance should be given to the director of the bureau? allocation is adequate to carry out the service? What budget These are questions that confront the university officials as they de­ termine the central educational policy of the institution. The relationship of the placement service and the administration of the university is basic to the role that the bureau will eventually assume in the accomplishment of the educational mission of the university. When a university undertakes the program of teacher train­ ing and the preparation of educational leaders in the field of administration, it also assumes some responsibility for render­ ing a service to those teachers and administrators that will place them in educational positions where they can utilize their talents and skills. It can be safely assumed here that education, in its broader sense, is one of the essential means of achieving and maintaining the democratic society. One means of attaining this goal is the selection, train­ ing and placement of educational leaders where they may make their unique contribution to the individual and to society. The more refined our methods of selection, the more thorough our training, the more effective our placement, then the more effective will be the development of an informed citizenry* The university is inextricably involved in the development of an informed and enlightened society. The maximum development of their potential abilities is a basic goal of education. Com­ mensurate with this aim is the capacity to live cooperatively 4 in a free society. Thus, individualization and socialization of the individual become the specific responsibility of the public schools whose teachers, in turn, must be trained by in­ stitutions that are aware of these goals of public education. With the assumption that the university has a responsibility of selection, training and placement of teachers for the public schools, an analysis will be made of the relative role of the placement bureau within the total organization of the univer­ sities participating in this study. The Administrative Position of the Placement Bureau Within the University American universities now rather generally accept the re­ sponsibility of providing some placement service to their grad­ uates and alumni. As a part of the educational philosophy which has gradually been evolved, placement activities are conceived as a legitimate and desirable function of the in­ stitutions of higher learning.^ 4 Lecture given on July 17, 1950 by Dr. Carl Gross, Mich­ igan State College, East Lansing, Michigan. 5 C. P. Archer, "Facilities for Teacher Placement in Col­ leges and Universities in the United States." Educational Ad­ ministration and Supervision 29: 193-98. (April, 1943). ' 35 The advancement of professional teacher education is marked by increasing agreement upon certain fundamental func­ tions and purposes. One prominent principle of teacher train­ ing today is to participate dynamically in the continuous im­ provement of the educational facilities of the public schools. Another is the growing interdependence between public school education and teacher preparation that has developed over the years. University education staff members have shifted their approach from one of telling public schools what to do to one of evolving the most functional educational procedures.® This mutuality of interest reveals a salutary trend toward the so­ lution of common educational problems. In the expansion of teacher training programs the area of teacher placement has become a step in the process of teacher preparation that has been given attention and study.^ Analysis of administrative organization. To determine the existing role of teacher placement service within the ad­ ministrative structure of the university was an objective of this study. Facts and opinions from the directors were gath­ ered and placed in Table I. The various aspects of the ad­ ministrative relationship between the bureau and the univer­ sity is presented together with the relationship to the school of education. — © Clyde M. Campbell, (Ed.) Practical Applications of Democratic Administration. (New York: Harper Bros., 1952) pp. 289-291. ^ L. G-. Stiles, "Teacher Education: An All-University Function." School and Society. 62: 220-23. (June, 1945). TABLE I THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY School or Univ. Function To Whom Responsible Advisory Committee Member of Ed. Staff Courses on Placement A School of Ed. Dean of Ed. Yes Yes Yes Decentralized B School of Ed. Dean of Ed. No Yes Yes Decentralized C University Dean of Students Yes No No Coordinated D University Vice Pres. Admlnis. Affairs No Yes No Centralized E University Dean of Students No No No Centralized F School of Ed. Dean of Ed. Yes Yes Yes Decentralized G University President No Yes No Centralized H School of Ed. Dir. of Ed. Research & Dean of Ed. No Yes No Decentralized I School of Ed. Dean of Ed. No Yes No Decentralized J University President Yes No No Decentralized University Nature of Organization 37 A brief review of Table I reveals considerable variation in the organizational pattern and administrative relationship of the teacher placement service. An explanatory statement about the content of each column is presented to give a gen­ eral overview of the information in the table. The first column indicates whether the bureau functions within the administrative structure of the school of education or whether it functions under a university-wide structure, such as the student personnel service. In the latter case, the di­ rector might be responsible to the dean of students, a vice president or directly to the president. The second column indicates the administrative official to whom the director is responsible on a line-etaff relation­ ship . The third column indicates the presence of an advisory committee for the placement bureau. The fourth column indicates whether or not the placement director is a member of the staff in the school of education. The fifth column indicates whether or not any courses are offered in the school of education that pertain specifically to the placement program and are taught by the placement staff. The sixth column indicates the nature of the organiza­ tion of the bureau in relation to other types of placement ser­ vice in the university. Some institutions combine the teacher placement service with other placement services constituting a centralized bureau. In otlier institutions the bureau is de­ centralized or independent, handling only teacher placement as its basic responsibility. Other pertinent data is included in the succeeding dis­ cussion even though they did not lend themselves to presenta­ tion in table form. In order to understand more clearly the role of the teach­ er placement bureau in the administrative structure of the uni­ versity, a brief discussion is given regarding the organization of the schools of education themselves. From the observations of the writer and the opinions of the directors, it was con­ cluded that a brief description of the schools of education would aid materially in visualizing the role of placement. teacher training program is closely allied with placement. The O Therefore, the ensuing discussion is presented as a preface to the analysis of the data on the role of placement in the university. g Anderson states that a college of education may be a four-year college, a two-year senior college, a college in which some but not all prospective teachers enroll; further, Q Clarence Linton, "The Role of Placement in the Total Program of Teacher Education." Current Practices in Insti­ tutional Teacher Placement. (Boulder, Colorado: National In­ stitutional Teacher Placement Association, 1941) pp. 6-18. g A. W. Anderson, "Teacher Education: Organization and Administration: Colleges and Universities." Encyclopedia of Educational Research. (Rev.) (New York: MacMillan Company, 1950) p. 1684. 39 it may be a college in which education students enroll, but only on a basis of joint registration in another college; sometimes it is a department within a graduate school, a sep­ arate graduate school or any or all of these in a variety of combinations. In addition, there is no uniformity with re­ spect to the constitution of the college of education faculty. It may be limited to those teaching education courses, or it may also include members from subject matter departments in other colleges. Members of other departments may actually serve as representatives of those departments in the education faculty or they may have been designated as members of the ed­ ucation faculty merely as a courteous gesture. In a limited number of instances, individuals are given joint appointments in the college of education. Eight universities In this study have their schools of education organized on a basis of initial enrollment that oc­ curs in the junior year. The students declare a major in a subject-matter area of another school and they receive their degree under the supervision of that school. Certification for teaching, however, is authorized by the dean of the school of education. At University I the organizational structure for education is called a department; at University E it is called a division. The other two universities have an organization for the school of education that Is different from the above. Univer- 40 sity H has a college of education that provides for the en­ rollment of all prospective teachers on the freshmen level. The college supervises the academic program of the candidates for the four years. In addition to professional education courses, the college provides instruction in music, fine arts, psychology and industrial arts. Although there is cooperation with other units of the university, the controlling responsi­ bility lies with the college. University C has a school of education which is primarily a graduate school. cates. The dean authorizes the teaching certifi­ All teacher training is done by the subject-matter de­ partments. Members of the school of educa-tion staff serve as advisors and carry out graduate training. All undergraduate education courses are offered by the department of psychology. Anderson^® draws this conclusion in his discussion of the organization of teacher education: It does not seem an overstatement to say that the existing situation with respect to the organization and administra­ tion of teacher education is chaotic. . . . Although an organization is a means to an end, and uniformity among institutions may not be essential or even desirable, the present chaotic situation does not appear compatible with effectiveness and there should emerge some serious stu­ dents of the problem who will deal with it in a fundamen­ tal and comprehensive manner. From the foregoing discussion it is expected that the operational administration of teacher placement bureaus may 10 I^ld., p. 1386 41 vary considerably among universities since the organization of teacher education programs are quite diverse; it is not to be assumed, however, that the variation is either wrong or unde­ sirable but rather that out of similar institutions there might emerge a greater similarity of procedure. To be sure, identical patterns or rigid programs could curtail the possibility of satisfying the peculiar needs of a teacher training program. Variation in method could indi­ cate professional vitality. It appears that the object of a sound administrative relationship is to preserve what is de­ sirable and to change what is useless and ineffectual. There­ fore teacher placement services are being studied to deter­ mine whether the procedures used are the result of constant improvement or of Inherited, unexamlned practices. The directors generally discussed the problem of organ­ ization at considerable length. The effectiveness of the teacher placement service is determined to a large degree by the administrative importance that is given to it by univer­ sity administrators and the supervising staff of the school of education. Column one indicates whether the teacher placement bur­ eau is part of the school of education or a part of another university structure. The word "university" is used to in­ dicate that the line-staff relationship of the bureau lies within a structure outside the school of education. For ex- 42 ample, the bureau could be In the administrative area of the student personnel services, the president, the vice president, or some other area. Column two shows the title of the office to whom the di­ rector is responsible. This responsibility involves the de­ termination of policy, the amount and allocation o f budget and the selection and employment of personnel. Columns one and two will be treated in conjunction during the succeeding discussion because the data in the two columns are closely allied. In addition, the opinions and comments of the directors will be included in the analysis of these two columns. Placement bureaus within the school of education. Five of the bureaus lie within the administrative structure of the school of education. The responsibilities and duties of the bureau are determined generally by the dean. Description of the relationship of the bureau to the school follows in the succeeding paragraphs. At Universities A and F the directors have the responsi­ bility of operating the placement bureau. They devote full time to this assignment and are charged with the supervisory duties. At University B the director devotes half time to place­ ment and half time to field services. The latter program is the extension and conference service offered by the school of 43 education; an assistant director devotes full time to teacher placement. At University H the placement program lies within a sec­ tion of the college of education, called the bureau of educa­ tional research. The placement director is called the chair­ man of the appointments division within this bureau. The chair­ man reports to the director of educational research, who, in turn, reports to the dean of the college. The duties of teacher placement demand the full time of the chairman and his assis­ tants. At University I the director divides his time between placement and county institute work which is a form of field service. The institute is usually a program of in-service training for teachers in the field, of a one- or two-day dur­ ation, held on a county-wide basis. Of these five universities, two have placement programs in which the director has full-time placement responsibilities with the placement bureau having departmental status within the school. Two universities have a placement program with directors who divide their time between placement and another responsibility. One university has a placement office as a subordinate division within a bureau of research which is, in turn, a department within the college of education. Thus, the administrative structure of a placement bureau within the school of education indicated little evidence of any organi­ zational pattern. 44 Placement bureaus outside the teacher education organlza^tion. In five universities the bureaus are part of an admin­ istrative structure outside of the school of education. They are situated in a line-staff relationship within an area that has a university-wide function. Two bureaus are part of the administration of the president*is office, one is a part of the vice president's office and two are in the student per­ sonnel program under the dean of students. At Universities C and E the bureau is under the super­ vision of the dean of students. At University C the direc­ tor carries out the teacher placement responsibilities and al­ so coordinates all the placement within the institution. Re­ cently the teacher placement office was placed in the student personnel division. Prior to that time, a committee on place­ ment served as a supervising structure with the dean of edu­ cation as the chairman of the committee and the dean of stu­ dents as a member. At University E the director of teacher placement is the assistant to the supervisor of a centralized bureau. All pro­ gram planning is carried out directly with the dean of students. The university-wide function of the bureau was established in 1944 and the assignment of the bureau to the student personnel division area was considered operationally desirable for the purposes of carrying out the objectives of the general place­ ment program. The director of teacher placement devotes full 45 time to teacher placement, but is responsible for the direc­ tion of the bureau in the absence of the director. At University D the teacher placement program is part of a centralized bureau which has a university-wide function and is administered under the office of the vice president in charge of administrative affairs. A majority of the direc­ tor’s time is given to teacher placement. At University G- the teacher placement is part of a cen­ tralized bureau that is under the supervision of the presi­ d en t ’s office. About one-half of the director's time is de­ voted to teacher placement and the remainder is given to gen­ eral placement. At University J the teacher placement bureau is respon­ sible to the president. The director devotes full time to teacher placement. It can be concluded that the five placement bureaus which are located in administrative structures outside the school of education provide no similar administrative or organiza­ tional pattern. An insignificant but interesting fact that was apparent in the data was the variation in the names of the bureaus and in the titles of the directors. In the names of the bureaus alone, eight of the ten bureaus use different designations. Two use "Placement Bureau" and two use "Teacher Placement Bureau"; all others are unlike. 46 In the titles of the directors, seven of the ten direc­ tors are given different titles. Three are called "Director of Teacher Placement," as an indication of the only similar­ ity in form. By way of summary, the administrative organization of the schools of education were relatively similar with only twoschools differing significantly Five teacher placement from the other eight. bureaus were under the super­ vision of the school of education. The administrative re­ lationship between the bureaus and schools presented no sim­ ilar organizational pattern. Five teacher placement of an administrative office bureaus were under the supervision outside the school of education. No organizational pattern emerged from an analysis of the ad­ ministrative role of the bureau. On the basis of observation, interview and analysis, it was concluded that there were eight different administrative relationships for the teacher placement bureaus in the ten universities of this study. Advisory Committees The interview with the directors provided the data on the use of advisory committees for the guidance of the place­ ment program. Column three provides this information. Four of the directors have advisory committees for their placement programs. Two of these four bureaus are situated within the school of education and two are not. The dean of the school of education is chairman of the committee and at least one other member of the committee is from the education staff. At least three members are represented by other de­ partments that have teaching majors. Generally, these commit­ tees meet once or twice a year to discuss policies and proce­ dures. Their relationship is purely advisory with the actual operation of the bureau left to the director. Six of the directors have no designated advisory commit­ tees for the placement service. They uee the services of special committees for particular problems and procedures in the bureau. The majority of the directors considered the advisory committee of some value. Of greater importance was the ap­ pointment of committees to consider specific problems; e.g., credential forms, notification procedure, improvement of recommendations and follow-up practices. All of the direc­ tors considered it highly desirable to use special committees as a means of stimulating cooperation of those departments that have teaching majors. It is possible to meet with them as a group several times a year to make reports and discuss policies. The directors stated further that the participation of faculty members on this basis of specific responsibility con­ stitutes a valuable advisory group. Seven respondents considered a permanent advisory com­ mittee of limited value since procedures of placement are not important enough, to require the full time and concern of such a committee. Staff Membership and Courses in the School of Education Columns four and five of Table I indicate whether or not the director is a member of the staff in the school of educa­ tion and whether or not any courses in the school of education are offered that pertain specifically to placement. The fourth column shows that in no case is the director a staff member in a department other than education. One deviation occurs at University I where the assistant director is a staff member in physical education as well as in the school of education.* Seven of the ten directors are staff members in the school of education. Three of these seven directors teach courses in the school of education; these are courses that pertain to the teaching profession with such titles as "orientation to teach­ ing, " "introduction to teaching," "professional problems of teaching." Although the other four directors do not teach campus courses in education, they occasionally teach educa­ tion courses in the extension service. All the respondents agreed that directors of teacher placement should have academic status and that such an ap­ pointment should be in the school of education. They empha- * He is an assistant professor of education and an associate professor of physical education. 49 sized further that the directors should be professionally as­ sociated by training or experience in the admission, guidance and counseling of students through the teacher training pro­ gram. At University F a staff member in the school of educa^tion is given a responsibility for the selection, the admis­ sion and counseling of entering juniors who plan to teach. This requires a close association with the declared teaching majors on the freshman and sophomore level. Close coopera­ tion is maintained with the placement bureau regarding the employment situation and teaching demands. Information about employment opportunities collected by the bureau is given to the counselor in the school of education where it is used for the guidance of the prospective teacher. This coordination of services appears to be most effective. At University H the school of education is so organized that the teaching majors enter the school in the freshman and sophomore years regardless of subject matter major. The pros^* pective teacher is counseled prior to the junior year relative to his qualifications for teaching. Thus, counseling and guidance is given through the placement bureau. All directors believed that a much closer cooperation should be developed between the bureau and the university coun­ seling service. This cooperation would consist of giving up- to-date information to the students considering teaching. Some believed tiiat more time should be spent by education staffs in the screening of prospective teachers. More time and effort should be made by the directors of the placement bureaus to become closely associated with the total process of teacher training from the admission of the student to the university until he is satisfactorily placed in the field. Courses in education, teaching in the teacher preparation program and providing occupational Information were means of achieving this objective. Summary and Conclusions On the basis of the interview, observation and analysis, the following summary and conclusions are presented: The directors regarded the teacher placement program as a significant element in the teacher training program. The administrative role of the placement bureau within the organ­ ization of the university and the school of education indi­ cated that the Initial placement of teachers and their sub­ sequent advancement in the field was a responsibility in which the university must carry a major share. The administrative position of the teacher placement bureau in the university varied considerably from institu­ tion to institution. Five bureaus were under the adminis­ trative structure of the school of education. Five bureaus were supervised outside the school of education; three were under the president or vice president and two were within the division of student personnel services. 51 Four bureaus use advisory committees for the determina­ tion of policy with members of the education staff being rep­ resented. The majority of the directors believed that the service rendered by the committee was not particularly signi­ ficant to the program. They strongly recommended that special committees systematically comprised of education staff and subject-matter department members would be more valuable in facilitating the work of the bureau. Seven directors were members of the staff in the school of education; all directors recommended that the director should have academic status; further, he should have his ap­ pointment in the school of education. Three directors taught courses on placement and/or orientation to the teaching pro­ fession. All directors recognized the need for service to be rendered here for the recruitment of teachers. In the opin­ ion of the directors, much more active cooperation must be engendered with the counseling service of the university and admissions advisors of the school of education. CHAPTER IV THE STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION OF THE PLACEMENT BUREAU Introduction In the previous chapter the role of the placement bur­ eau within the administrative structure of the university was presented. The relationship of the bureau to the school of education and to other administrative areas was indicated. Thus the relative position of the placement bureau within the university was shown. It would seem logical and desirable to extend this organizational picture to a consideration of the structure and organization of the placement bureau itself. In Table I, column six points out the hind of organization that exists in each bureau, together with its relationship to other placement services. The descriptive terms used in that column are central­ ized, decentralized and coordinated. terms was explained previously. The meaning of these They indicate the type of placement organization that exists within the university. The directors indicated the facts about the organiza­ tion of their respective offices; they also discussed at con­ siderable length the advantages and disadvantages of the dif­ ferent plans of organization. The facts about each bureau and a brief description of its structure are presented first. 53 Then the opinions and judgments of directors regarding the ad­ vantages of each type of placement organization are given, followed by summary and conclusions. Analysis of the Data The organization of the teacher placement bureau is dif­ ferent for nearly every college or university, depending upon the inception of the program, the influence of the educational philosophy of the institution, and the emphasis on placement by the teacher training staff. Anderson1 found these combin­ ations of placement services in colleges and universities: centralized, decentralized and combinations of the two. Ar- O cher found that twenty-four out of thirty-seven large uni­ versities and thirty out of thirty-eight small liberal arts colleges handled teacher placement through a separate office established primarily for that purpose. Thirteen large uni­ versities and eight non-state, liberal arts colleges handled all placement through a centralized office. In larger insti­ tutions, the director of teacher placement sometimes devoted full time to this function. The placement in many colleges ^ Lulu Anderson, Placement Services in Colleges and Universities. U.S. Office of Education, Bulletin, 1941, No. 12, 39 pp. 2 C. P. Archer, "Facilities for Teacher Placement in Colleges and Universities in the United States." Educational Administration and Supervision. 29: 193-98. (April, 1943) p. 196. is combined with teaching, personnel and guidance work, super­ vision of student teaching, registration duties, extension ser­ vice and, in some instances, with duties as head or dean of the education division. There appears to be no one pattern of organization which all institutions of higher learning have successfully used. As already indicated, a wide variety of administrative rela­ tionships exists for teacher placement. Within the organiza­ tion of the total university, there is a similar diversity in the manner in which the teacher placement is carried out in relation to other types of placement. Six universities have decentralized placement programs. Four of these universities have separate placement offices for the graduates in vocational agriculture and home economics education. Separate placement for these areas is provided because of the geographical location on the campus of their teacher training program, because of the high degree of spe­ cialization that characterizes their training, or because the training is carried out under a separate administrative struc­ ture — school of agriculture and school of home economics. Thus, these institutions have three placement offices con­ cerned with the teacher education program. In contrast, Uni­ versity I carries out the placement of general secondary teachers together with those in home economics and agriculture. 55 Three universities have centralized placement programs. At University D, the placement bureau Includes teacher, bus­ iness and summer placement. Engineering is carried out by the school of engineering, and the part-time student employment by the student personnel office. At University Gr, the placement bureau performs teacher placement, except for the school of speech, (which conducts its own placement service) business placement, summer place­ ment and part-time student employment. Engineering placement is carried out by the Institute of technology. At University E, the placement bureau is administratively and functionally centralized. It is the only placement ser­ vice in the university; education, business, engineering, lib­ eral arts, summer and part-time student employment are per­ formed by the bureau. The placement of home economics and agriculture teachers are included in teacher placement and are not carried out by their respective schools. Of the three universities which have centralized place­ ment service, only one is completely centralized. Engineer­ ing placement at the other two is handled separately. How­ ever, the latter universities operated largely on a central­ ized basis, and so are classified that way. University C has a program different from the other uni­ versities. Here the teacher placement bureau carried out on­ ly teacher placement. However, because of the age of the of­ 56 fice and the experience of the director, supervision for other placement services, business and liberal arts, is coordinated by the teacher placement office. Engineers are trained only at the graduate level and have a separate placement bureau. Since an administrative change was recently made in placing all placement services under the dean of students, the university may move toward a centralized placement program. The director considered the placement services to be more coordinated than centralized. At the present time, University J is in the process of establishing a more closely coordinated placement service. It is difficult to determine whether this will be accomplished in the near future; however, the administrative structure is grad­ ually being evolved. Several observations should be made at this point. In the eight universities that have the professional schools such as medicine, law, dentistry and nursing, the placement services are carried out by each school respectively. Any discussion of placement organization would exclude these highly special­ ized and uniquely professional areas. It is noted further that University B has no engineering and University C has only graduate engineering training. Four universities do not have schools of agriculture or home econom­ ics. 57 In conclusion, six of the placement bureaus are decentral­ ized, with four universities having separate offices for home economics and agriculture. one is coordinated. Three bureaus are centralized and One university is planning to establish a coordinated organization. Analysis of Centralized and Decen­ tralized Organization The problem of determining the most effective placement organization is fraught with many implications. Should the individual departments assume responsibility for their grad­ uates? Should all the placement services of the institution be coordinated or centralized? Should the placement service to alumni be assigned to one office? the alumni office? Or is it a function of Where lies the responsibility for the dis­ semination of occupational information? tional counseling? Who should do voca­ These questions must be analyzed, if not answered, before an organizational plan for the placement ser­ vices can be Intelligently developed for a university. The directors indicated sufficient concern in the inter­ view to warrant an extended discussion of this problem of or­ ganization. As a result, it was decided to include the opin­ ions and judgments of the respondents regarding the organiza*tion of the placement services in the university. The directors considered several factors in determining which system of organization is most effective. Some of these factors would be the general administrative policies of the 58 university, the traditions and habits of university operation, the influence of major university officials and the idiosyn­ crasies of individual staff members. Other conditions would be the total university enrollment, areas of education re­ sponsibility and the professional reputation of currently oper­ ating placement offices. Of major consequence is the degree of importance granted to the placement service by the top-level university officials. Do they believe that the placement service is a significant personnel function in the educational mission of the univer­ sity? If the placement service is considered highly impor­ tant, its administrative organization should be given careful scrutiny to determine the most effective operational structure. The analysis of the organization of the placement service was presented by listing the advantages for both the central­ ized and decentralized structure. The advantages were drawn from the opinions and judgments of the directors. All the different advantages for each structure were listed without regard for the number of directors that agreed with each state­ ment. The comments were given on a free-response basis. They were recorded as results of the directors* thinking on the question. Advantages of a centralized placement service. A cen­ tralized placement service is a desirable organization for a major university because:: 1. It provides more complete service to the stu­ dent because it enables him to register for various kinds of placement. The liberal arts student is served even though he would not be registered in the school of edu­ cation. The graduate student with a master's or doctor's degree in areas other than professional education will also be served. Candidates with divisional master's degrees are specifically assisted by this service because they specialize in no single department. 2. It is more economical to operate. Since no uni­ versity seems to have an adequate budget, the operational cost is significantly less when computed on a universitywide basis. Useless duplication of records, parallel ac­ tivities by numerous departments, overlapping of staff and clerical service can all be reduced or avoided by a centralized bureau. teaching — Business, engineering, liberal arte, elementary, secondary, college — and summer employment may be handled more economically through one office. 3. It gives the placement program administrative status and prestige. The placement program becomes a significant element in the university administration. 4. It encourages the staff to professionalize the placement duties. The office of placement director ceases to be an interlude between two positions or an 60 incidental activity, but rather an end in itself. The re­ sponsibility for the position is respected by faculty mem­ bers and other administrative personnel. 5. It serves the employer more effectively by pro­ viding professional and experienced service, complete and convenient records, and adequate facilities for inter­ viewing. He is not confused when he comes to the campus for the purpose of interviewing because there is only one placement office. The necessity of seeing individual faculty members or individual departments is often timeconsuming as well as difficult. He is able to review the candidates not only in the field for which he is seeking an employee but he may also look over people in other fields. In other words, placement in one field may lead to placement in another. 6. It is the fairest manner of dealing with place­ ment from the standpoint of the university, the registrant and the employer. The university is given excellent ser­ vice because all departments can be treated equitably. The registrant receives nominations because he is qual­ ified by right of training and not because he is a fa­ vorite of the department head or a faculty member; it removes the chance of his not being nominated because he is unremembered by faculty members. The employer is able to see the best of the candidates on the basis of filed 1 recommendations and not on the basis of the personal opin­ ion of a single department head or staff member. 7. It is the only agency that can keep the records up to date over a long period of time because the staff and the clerical personnel become specialists in their work. Departmental placement too often is interspersed with innumerable staff duties with a result that place­ ment assumes a subordinate and often untended responsi­ bility. 8. It provides a more effective basis for total university cooperation. Departmental initiative is not restricted; in fact, it may be stimulated. Departments and schools are pleased to have an office render clerical service, collect data, arrange interviews and list va­ cancies. Systematic follow-up of alumni can be provided which the individual school or department may not have the time or staff to carry out. Excellent service to employers through a bureau will expand the job opportun­ ity range for students. Personal relationships between faculty and employer will be enhanced rather than dimin­ ished. This is particularly true of college placement where graduate work is done in the liberal arts and ap­ plied science area without any association with the school of education. In some universities more than half of the teacher placement program is concerned with col- 62 lege teaching and public school administration. quires close This re­ cooperation with all departments offering advanced degrees. Advantages of a decentralized placement service* A de­ centralized placement service is a desirable organization for a major university because: 1. It provides more effective ai'ticulation be­ tween the training program and the position to be filled. The placement service becomes a significant unit in the teacher training program. Policies for teacher training are more likely to be concerned with placement when it is administratively a part of the school of education. Proximity of the placement pro­ gram to the faculty, advisors, counselors and admin­ istrative officers in education makes for service not possible in a centralized bureau. These staff members are cognizant of the peculiar requirements of specific positions. Often they know intimately the employing officers and their unique problems. This proximity makes for understanding in conferences among college teachers, placement officers, supervisors and employ­ ers, all of whom are interested and experienced in the field of education. 2. It gives the dean and department heads in education definite control of placement in order to coordinate effectively the recruitment, selection, ad- 63 mission, training and follow-up of teachers. Research and evaluation studies are carried out systematically. Revisions in teacher preparation and education curricula are effectively determined through the services of a decentralized program under the supervision of the school of education. 3. It provides more specialized direction of the placement program where the leadership is oriented to the needs in the field of public education. The interest of the director would be professionally motivated by close association to the teacher placement and teacher training program. On the other hand, the leadership of a centralized office may or may not be oriented to teacher placement. 4. It is less likely to suffer budgetary problems since an amount of money is definitely set aside for such service within the school of education. Within the larger centralized organization the allocation of funds for the teacher placement program may be curtailed. 5. It is more convenient for a decentralized teacher placement service to participate in the selection of trainees, counseling and guidance during the training period, evaluation of apprentice teaching, participa­ tion in the follow-up and in-service training of teachers in the field. 6. It is more effective in a large university be­ cause of conflicting interest and the magnitude of the number of registrants. The majority of the major uni- versities use a decentralized teacher placement bureau. In the smaller colleges It may be necessary to have a centralized bureau because of the limited number of registrants and the presence of one or two types of graduates, teaching and liberal arts. 7. It is desirable to have academic status for placement directors. This is more likely in a decen­ tralized service because the director and assistant directors are usually staff members in the school of education. 8. It is desirable for the director and assis­ tant directors to teach courses in the school of edu­ cation. This is more likely in a decentralized bureau because of the academic status given to the staff of the bureau. 9. It is possible for a decentralized bureau to establish an identity all its own. Its service will be recognized in professional circles and it can de­ velop a reputation that is unique. 10. It is usually concerned with a large number of registrants — 3 Ibid. elementary, secondary and college teachers and administrators — at the present time. Operation be­ comes difficult when the number of clients served by one bureau is increased. 11. It minimizes the problem of office and inter­ viewing space. In a centralized bureau this problem be­ comes acute because of the increased number of employers. 13. It tends to personalize the placement service because the director and assistant director are able to know well a smaller group of students in a particular field. 13. It provides service for the needs of teacher placement that are different from business, engineering or liberal arts placement. Teacher placement is sea­ sonal; general placement is not. Teacher placement re­ quires a more active follow-up program with experienced personnel. Teacher placement requires continued ser­ vice over a long period of time; record-keeping is more significant; personal knowledge of candidates is neces­ sary. Teacher placement is quite different from general placement. It seems undesirable and impractical to unify them. Further observations on bureau organization. On the ba­ sis of the foregoing judgments and the discussions that trans­ pired during the interviews, the writer wishes to present some observations. The educational philosophy and the professional competence of the director are important elements in the operation of either type of organization. The director must be neither a dictator nor a cleric; rather, he must be an astute coordinator. If the director feels that all placements are instituted by him personally, the placement service suffers whether it is organized on a centralized or decentralized structure. It is the essential function of the office to serve the registrant, employer and university. Without such an objective, tensions develop and unsatisfactory services are rendered. The selection of a director for a decentralized bureau appears to be an easier taslc than the selection of a direc­ tor for a centralized bureau. The criteria for the position is less demanding in terms of experience and training. The school of education supervises the decentralized offices and is empowered to select the director of it. The placement ser­ vice is closely integrated with the teacher training program. A director of a decentralized bureau receives the guidance of the school in the establishment of placement policies. The selection of a director for a centralized bureau sat­ isfies more varied requirements. He has a broad view of place­ ment generally and has an understanding of the special fields of teaching, business, engineering and liberal arts placement. The director cannot be oriented more strongly to any one field without diminishing the effectiveness of the service to other fields. Cooperation and integration are fundamental to the successful operation of the centralized bureau. The dean of education has less control over the teacher placement in a centralized bureau because other university officials have direct supervision of staff selection, budget and policy. In­ tegration with the teacher training program is generally not as effective in this structure. Basically, of course, the effective operation of the teacher placement service depends on the philosophy and atti­ tude of the individual director. If he is charged with the duties of teacher placement, these responsibilities should be discharged professionally. At the same time, realistic personnel policies do not ignore the presence of sincere but misguided concepts regarding vested interests and professional prejudice. Determination of policy is not always made with a high regard for placement whether the organization is cen­ tralized or decentralized. In either structure, tensions and pressures may develop; too little or too much emphasis may be given teacher placement. Some opinions were presented on both sides regarding the relative stability of the budget. This is a moot question. Instability of budget grants exist to a comparable degree in both structures. A dean of education may consider the budget allocation for placement a primary area for budget reduction. On the other hand., research or extension may take priority. In a centralized bureau, the budget for all placement may be re­ duced but no one phase of placement suffers disproportionately. Placement is a recognized entity in the total university struc­ ture . Summary and Conclusions Six universities had decentralized teacher placement bureaus. All except one provided separate placement services for vocational agriculture and vocational home economics edu­ cation. Three universities had centralized placement bureaus in which teacher placement was one of the services rendered. Of these, one had a fully centralized service for the entire uni­ versity. One university had a coordinated organization for all placement services with the director of teacher placement serving as coordinator. Six directors considered the teacher placement more effectively organized as a decentralized bureau within the school of education. It is more closely integrated with the teacher training program. All directors agreed that the placement services of the university should be coordinated in determining general pol­ icies, establishing procedures, and disseminating occupa­ tional information. 69 Eight directors believed that more intimate professional relationships are established through a decentralized bureau. Five directors believed that the centralized bureau gives to placement more prestige within the university. Seven directors considered the centralized bureau to be more convenient to the employer. Seven directors believed the centralized bureau would be more economical in regard to clerical service, office space, supplies and personnel. No definite conclusions could be reached on the problem of budget, selection of directors, cooperation among depart­ ments and schools, and service to the registrants. These Issues appeared to be unresolved regardless of organization. CHAPTER V THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND THE OFFICE PERSONNEL Introduction The previous chapters were concerned with the role of the teacher placement bureau within the administration of the uni­ versity, the relationship of the bureau with the school of ed­ ucation and the organization of the placement services. The next area to be presented is that of the personnel in the placement bureau. Table II presents information on the qualifications and educational training of the personnel currently employed in the placement bureaus. As in the previous chapter, these data serve as a basis for the succeeding discussion. They are ana­ lyzed and evaluated, together with additional facts that did not lend themselves to tabulation. Past research indicated little information regarding the personnel who occupy the position of directors in the place­ ment service. Umstattd^ gathered material regarding academic rank, salary levels and collateral duties of placement direc­ tors. One of the factors that may have discouraged a compil­ ation of such data is the incidence of change in the position 1 J. G-. Urnstat td, "Trends in Institutional Teacher Place­ ment," Institutional Teacher Placement. (Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Teacher Placement Association, 1937) pp. 197-322* tabee II THE PLACEMENT BTJBEAU AMD THE OFFICE STAFF Admini stratire A s s 11 Director Academic Hank Degree Professor Ph. D Professor Ph. D Hank Steno Assoc.Prof. M.A. I! " Ph.D. " " Ph.D. M.A Hone Hone Clerical Staff Professor Ph. D Ph.D. B.A. Hone M. A. Professor Ph. D Ass’t.Prof. M.A Assoc. Prof Ph. D Hone M.A, M.A Hone Hone M.A, M.A, Assoc. Prof M.S Ass't.Prof. M.S Hone M.A, Hone M.A, M.S Clerks Part-time Total Clerical As si slants of director and assistant director. The position of director is often regarded as a step to greater responsibility while that of assistant director usually is a duty to be discharged while engaged in the graduate study program. Another factor may be the primacy of other duties that are discharged together with placement. A director of placement often holds another title or position since placement is a somewhat seasonal duty. Umstattd p found considerable variation in the educational training and interest of the directors and assistant directors. The current investigation analyzed the educational training and the qualifications of the administrative staff to deter­ mine the common characteristics that may emerge. Further, an attempt was made to determine the presence of any specific trends in the appointment of personnel for the administrative positions in the placement program. In this discussion, the director and assistant director will be referred to as administrative staff. Clerical or stenographic personnel will be referred to as such. Graduate assistants will be considered separately. ^ Ibid., pp. 200-201. 5 E. W. Anderson and Ruth E. Litchen, "The Status of the State College Teacher Placement Bureau," School and Society. 27:723-732 (June 16, 1928). Professional Training of the Administrative Staff Director. The position of director can be more clearly understood if a presentation is made of the duties that are carried out by that office. Often the director has primary duties such as those of professor of education, director of teacher training or registrar. This is particularly true in the case of the teachers college and independent college. Since the teacher placement service in a major university almost always requires a full time director, his duties have been recorded. The directors gave the writer a list of the general responsibilities during the interview. A summary of the responses is presented herewith: To supervise the total placement program and to fos­ ter an attitude of sincere cooperation and willing­ ness to serve any client. To develop promptness, accuracy, in all the office employees. To develop professional ethics among registrants, faculty and university staff. To meet all employers personally, learning to know them, their school programs and their communities. To visit the teachers in their schools, giving them a feeling of sustained interest and an opportunity to discuss their professional problems with him. To know and to publish the supply and demand of teachers for prospective candidates each year. To counsel with the department heads who have teach­ ing majors regarding placement opportunities, cur­ ricular changes and specific methods of cooperation. To serve on committees of the teacher-training pro­ gram and, if possible, teach a course in the school of education. To attend significant educational conventions, con­ ferences, workshops, permitting close association with problems in the field. To visit various education classes, presenting them with up-to-date and complete information pertinent to their situation as prospective teachers. To confer with the education staff, college faculty and school executives on ways and means of improving the placement service. To conduct significant and relevant research. To carry out an active follow-up prograjn. Table II shows that five of the ten directors hold a doc­ tor of philosophy or a doctor of education degree. five directors hold a master of arts degree. The other None hold only a bachelor's degree. During the last two years, Universities E and H made ad­ ministrative changes in their directorship, in which directors were appointed who held masters degrees, replacing directors who held doctor’s degrees. At University A, a director was ap­ pointed who held a doctor's degree, replacing one who held a masters degree. At University B, a director with a doctors degree replaced one who held the same degree. Of those di­ rectors holding a master's degree, three are in the process of obtaining a doctor's degree. It is estimated that by 1953 these directors will have a doctors degree, which would make seven out of ten directors with the highest degree. The 75 other two directors, by reason of age and extended tenure, do not Intend to secure a doctorfe degree. No evidence could be found to indicate that the change in personnel was the result of any definite administrative planning. It is interesting to note that three of the directors who hold doctor's degrees have held the position for more than ten years. Two were appointed within the last three years. On the basis of the latter appointments and the educational progress of three other directors, there appears to be a definite trend toward the policy of having the doctors degree as a qualifica­ tion for the position of teacher placement director. A brief review of the educational experience of the direc­ tors will be considered at this time in conjunction with the academic training. While all the directors had teaching ex­ perience In the public schools, eight of the directors had some administrative experience in public education. Six had taught or were teaching on the college or university level. Thus, a definite pattern emerges in the educational experience of the directors — teaching and administration in the public schools. The directors were not agreed that it was necessary to have had public school administrative experience to qualify for placement director. It has been commonly assumed that the placement director shall have been a superintendent or prin­ cipal of a public school. The majority of the directors stated that such an assumption was neither desirable nor functional. They agreed further that teaching experience was particularly significant as a qualification for a directorship It was far more important that a director he qualified to teach in the university, preferably in the school of educa­ tion, have personnel and guidance training, which could be derived from administrative experience, have the ability to interview effectively and have the capacity to supervise re­ search. The most important and unanimous conclusion was that a director must have the ability to work with people. Such a conclusion is based on the observation that placement is a service to people, for people, by people. Assistant director. The next personnel group to be con­ sidered is the assistant director or administrative assistant. His duties are delegated by the director. Since there was some variation in the specific responsibilities from insti­ tution to institution, a brief summary is presented: At University A, one assistant has the responsibility for placement of elementary and secondary teachers. A second assistant carries out a follow-up program of alumni, evalua­ tion of teacher training and general research on teacher sup­ ply and demand. A third assistant supervises the planning of a county institute program for teachers and administrators throughout the state. This kind of school service brings the bureau into close contact with public schools in the state. It develops coordination with the total teacher training pro­ gram of the school of education. Personal contact with alumni information about various schools and active interest in pub­ lic education generally makes the placement service particu­ larly effective. At University B, one assistant is responsible for the ini­ tial placement of the elementary and secondary teachers. An­ other assistant added a year ago supervises the placement of college teachers and carries out the follow-up program of the alumni. At University C, no assistant director is appointed. How­ ever, the executive secretary is a college graduate holding a master's degree in guidance who has had teaching experience. The placement of secondary and college teachers is carried out primarily by the director; the assistant or executive secre­ tary supervises the internal operation of the office. At University D, an assistant with a doctors degree was added two years ago to supervise the placement of elementary, secondary and college personnel. Another assistant cooperates on all placement and is charged with the specific supervision of office details. At Universities E, F, G, H and I, the assistant directors discharged duties that were relatively similar at each insti­ tution. They had the responsibility of assisting with place­ ment on all levels. At University J, the assistant director was given the re­ sponsibility of college placement. 78 Table II indicates that there are fourteen administrative assistants in the placement bureaus at the universities who hold positions generally classified as assistant directors. Ten hold the raasterfe degree, one holds the bachelors degree. Of those ten who hold the master's degree, seven are engaged in doctoral programs. By reason of age or extended tenure in the oosition, the remaining two with the masters degree and the one with the bachelors degree do not plan to gain a higher degree. It should be mentioned a.t this point that eleven of the fourteen assistant directors were appointed within the last two years. Ten of these eleven are making orogress toward a higher degree. Therefore, there is a trend toward the policy of appointing assistant directors, indicating the expansion of the teacner placement service. There is another apparent trend that they are studying for advanced degrees. Univer­ sities A and D are the only two bureaus whereassistant rectors were appointed with doctors degrees. di­ At Universities A, B, D and G-, the directors have doc­ tors degrees and their assistant directors either have or are working towara the doctors degree. Where the director had the master's aegree no assistant director held a doctor's de­ gree. It appears, therefore, that there is some relation­ 79 ship between the presence of a doctor's degree on the part of the director and the encouragement to have assistants with the same degree. One exception should be explained here. no assistant director with that title. University C has However, the executive secretary holds a masters degree and carries out the duties of an assistant director. At this point a brief review will be given of the educa­ tional experience and background of the assistant directors. These facts indicate that twelve of the fourteen had teaching experience in the public schools. Five had experience in the administrative positions, either in the public school or col­ lege. The directors indicated no specific qualifications re­ garding public school experience. They looked for the ability to get along with people, the competence to organize and to supervise the operation of the bureau and the capacity to con­ duct research and evaluation. They regarded the pursuit of a degree as desirable and did not expect the assistant director to continue in this position indefinitely. Three of the as­ sistants by reason of age or service had reached their educa­ tional goal. It appeared that they would continue in this position until retirement or voluntary separation terminated their service. University A provided the exception to the indefinite ten­ ure of the assistant director. Here three assistants were ap­ pointed during the last two years. They have academic rank and teach one or two courses in the school of education. They are encouraged to continue in their position indefinitely with the prospect of advancing in rank and salary commensurate with other staff members. At Universities B and D a similar policy is be­ ing formulated. In general, the administrative assistants carried out the duties of the director in his absence and had specific respon­ sibilities for the internal operation of the bureau. They were generally in training for greater placement responsibility or preparing for other administrative or teaching positions on the university level. However, the increase in size and respon­ sibility of the placement program encouraged the position of assistant director to become a permanent appointment within the bureau. In conclusion, the positions of administrative assistants appeared to be a much-needed addition to the placement bureau. The growth of the programs generally had made the appointment of the administrative assistants necessary. Qualifications of assistant directors consisted of public school experience and the holding of masters and doctors degrees. The duties included placement, research and supervision of general office operation. The Academic Rank of the Administrative Staff The director and assistant director of placement bureaus occupied positions that were administrative in function. In some cases the staff was given academic rank, sometimes they were not. Umstattd4 found considerable variation among the institutions of higher learning regarding the assignment of rank to placement directors. This was no less true of the uni­ versities of this study.. Director. An analysis of the academic rank of the direc­ tors produced the following data: four are full professors, two are associate professors and one is an Instructor. Three directors have no rank. Four full professors, appropriately enough, hold the doc­ tors degree. All directors who have academic rank hold their appointment in the school or department of education. At Uni­ versities D and G-, although the placement bureau is not a part of the school of education, the directors still have academic rank in the school. The three directors who do not have rank are directors of bureaus which are not part of the school of education. At Uni­ versities C and E, directors report to the dean of students and at University J the director reports to a vice president. may militate against the granting of academic rank. This All the dl rectors stated that the director should have academic rank as a matter of policy. Seven of the directors had academic status. 4 Umstattd, Og. cit., p. 301. Assistant director. Among the fourteen assistant direc­ tors is the following incidence of the academic rank: three associate professors, two assistant professors, t\vo instructors and seven with no academic rank. Curiously enough, three placement bureaus that have directors with rank have assis­ tant directors without rank; in four bureaus both directors and assistants have rank. In no case did the assistant di­ rector have rank when the director did not. No particular pattern emerges regarding the rank of the assistant director. No trend indicates an increase of academic rank among the as­ sistant directors. There was no increase in the responsibil­ ity for teaching courses in the school of education or any other department. All those assistant directors with rank held their appointment in the school of education. At Uni­ versity I, however, the assistant director also holds an ap­ pointment in physical education. In education he is an as­ sistant professor and in physical education he is an associate professor. At Universities A and B the assistant directors taught courses in the school of education. Thus, three bureaus have assistant directors who had teaching duties. No trend could be found that would indicate increase or decrease of the teaching duties of the assistant director. The Clerical Staff of the Placement Bureau The history of teacher placement reveals the importance of clerical personnel in the operation of such service. The early placement services were operated primarily by secretar­ ies and clerks. Many institutions still regard the placement of teachers as basically a secretarial duty. Administrative staff merely establish the policies while the clerical per­ sonnel execute them. Such a policy appears to be somewhat obsolete in the major universities. The growth of teacher training and recognition of place­ ment, as specific steps in the development of educational lead­ ership, have contrived to make the placement service more than a clerical exercise. The employment of full time directors has given significance to the role of the teacher placement bureau. Nevertheless, such educational recognition and pro­ fessional stature in no way minimizes the importance of the clerical personnel. They are and will continue to be the sine qua non in placement office operation. The major responsibility for the mechanical operation and functional efficiency of the bureau depends upon the com­ petence and ability of the secretarial personnel, according to the directors. The executive secretary is the major secretarial position in the placement bureau. A review of the table indicates that seven bureaus have executive secretaries and three do not. University B and University D each have two executive secre­ taries. At Universities E and H, the senior stenographers have the responsibility and the authority of executive secre­ taries but do not carry that classification. The training and experience of the executive secretaries include teaching experience, college training and long secretarial service. One had served as executive secretary for twenty-eight years. The knowledge, experience and confidence of these secretaries, to a large degree, determines the effectiveness of the place­ ment service, according to the directors. They believe that the chief secretary should have some college training, if not a college degree. Teaching experience was not considered im­ portant. The specific duties of the executive secretary included the following: direct supervision of clerical personnel, as­ signment of office duties, arrangement of all interview sched­ ules, operation of filing system, pre-selection of possible candidates for significant positions, actual selection of probable candidates for lesser positions and execution of routine procedures in the absence of the administrative staff. The capacity to develop a spirit of courtesy, a sincere friendliness, a cooperative attitude and prompt service to­ gether with an ability to serve students and employers with equal facility were basic qualifications that the directors considered desirable for the executive secretary. The next two columns show the number of stenographers and typists. These clerical personnel are commonly referred to as "the working crew." Their efficiency, reliability and person­ ality contribute to the effectiveness of the placement service. The impressions they leave with the client will often be the only impression made by the office; a minor clerk in dealing ineptly with people can often undo years of patient, effective service. A friendly personality and an enthusiastic attitude on the part of the individual stenographer or typist can be most helpful to the whole program, according to the directors. Great care in the selection of clerical personnel is vital to the success of the placement service. The last column under "clerical staff" gives the total number of clerical personnel in each bureau. The bureaus with the largest number of registrants also have the largest cler­ ical staffs. Conversely, the bureaus with the smallest number of registrants have the smallest clerical staffs. The average number of clerical personnel per bureau is approximately four persons. Each bureau has the policy of employing part-time clei>ical assistance during the rush period of February first to June fifteenth of each year. A number of such personnel range from two to six with an average number of three per bureau. The directors emphasized the importance of a well-trained, singularly efficient clerical staff to insure the effective functioning of the placement bureau. The clerical personnel provide a significant impact upon the service to students and employers. Even though the administrative staff is comprised of competent people, particularly those who have had advanced academic training, the directors concur that a competent cler­ ical staff is the essence of a strong placement program. Graduate Assistants in the Placement Bureau Another development in the growth of the personnel staff has been the appointment of graduate assistants in the place­ ment bureau. Only Universities A and B had taken a step in this direction with the former appointing four and the latter two. These personnel conducted the student interviews at the time of submitting the credentials. Most of their time is de­ voted to research studies pertinent to the operation of the bureau. Generally they were former teachers and administra­ tors who were pursuing advanced degrees; thus, they have some understanding of the placement program and of its operation from the standpoint of teacher and employer. Three other universities were contemplating the appoint­ ment of graduate assistants. A majority of the directors were of the opinion that it would be a wise personnel policy to have the graduate assistantshlp as a permanent position in the bureau. They believe that the service rendered through the specific abilities of these graduate students would con­ tribute to the professional stature of the office. Not to be overlooked also is the low cost of capable talent which is available through such appointments. The future will determine whether or not it is a satisfactory personnel position to have in a placement bureau. Summary and Conclusions There was a trend toward the upgrading of the academic training of the director with five holding the doctorb degree and three in the process of obtaining it. All directors had at least a masters degree. All directors had experience in the public schools, as administrators and teachers. Some had done and were doing college teaching. Seven of the ten directors held academic rank, all in the school of education. All respondents recommended that the di­ rectors should hold academic rank. All respondents recommended that the directors should serve on committees related to the teacher training program. All directors except one were men. The appointment of administrative assistants was primarily a post-war development. There was no definite pattern in grant­ ing academic rank to administrative assistants. Each bureau had one or more administrative assistants. Seven of the fourteen assistants held academic rank. One held the bachelors degree, ten held master's degrees and three held doctor's degrees. Seven were studying for the doctors degree. There was a trend for the administrative as­ sistants to upgrade their academic training. Well-qualified clerical personnel was an important in­ gredient of the placement service. The average number of cler­ ical personnel for each bureau was about four. Graduate assistant ships were established in two bureaus. In all bureaus the personnel staff was increased in num­ ber, in experience and in academic qualifications during the past five years. CHAPTER VI THE OPERATION OP THE PLACEMENT BUREAU Teacher placement is primarily concerned with people. Consequently, its successful operation is largely dependent upon the type of relationship that exists between the bureau and the people it serves. The registrants, inexperienced and experienced in teaching and administration, comprise one group of people to be served. group. The employers constitute another These two groups receive the major attention and sei>- vice of the bureau.^" This chapter is concerned with the registrant and his re­ lationship with the bureau. The number and type of registrant, the process of registration, the nature of the credentials, the general operation of the bureau and an analysis of the budget are presented. It seemed desirable to discuss the operation of the bureau and the services to the registrant in the same chapter because the essential service of any bureau is given to the teachers and administrators. The operational procedures and problems become more meaningful when they are treated in conjunction with the persons most intimately affected by such policies. 1 C. P. Archer, “Facilities for Teacher Placement in Colleges and Universities in the United States," Educational Administration and Supervision 29: 193-198, (April, 1943). The interviews with the directors and the data from the interview outline provided the information for this discussion and analysis. Frequent references were made to the opinions and judgments of the directors when the discussion involved policy and practice. The evaluation of specific procedures and the conclusions regarding them were the result of the facts gathered by the interview, opinions given by the directors and observations made through personal visit. The Registrant Acquaintance with the registrant involves the knowledge of the candidate personally as well as knowing his record. Knowledge of the candidate is a formidable task in the uni­ versity where the number of registrants is in the hundreds and where there are several classifications of registrants. 2 In the small college, dealing mainly with new or inexper­ ienced candidates, it is possible for the directors to become well-acquainted with the registrant. The number of students entering the teaching profession each year is relatively small. The director, through teaching and other associations, is able to personalize the placement service in a very effective man­ ner. 5 2 Karl Russel, Jr., A Study of Teacher Placement in One Hundred Seventy-Two Higher Educational Institutions. Unpub­ lished doctoral thesis. (Bloomington: University of Indiana, 1950) p. 68. 3 John Barr, “A Survey of Placement Procedures," School and College Placement 6: 44-48, (May, 1946). 91 In order to visualize the scope of the placement service in the participating universities, the number and classifica­ tion of registrants is presented in Table III. TABLE III NUMBER OF REGISTRANTS IN EACH CATEGORY OF PLACEMENT Number Of Registrants Certified 1951 Elementary^ Secondary General Active File Administrator 0 - 100 1 College^* 2 101 - 200 5 ' 201 - 500 2 1 1 2 2 4 1 501 - 400 2 4 2 2 401 - 500 5 4 1 3 501 - 600 1 601 - 700 2 ♦Three universities do not train elementary teachers on the undergraduate level. ♦♦One university had no figures available. In column one is listed the number of registrants for each step interval. In columns two and three Is the number of elementary and secondary teachers certified for the year 1950-51. In the ele­ mentary field, five universities certify between one and two hundred while two universities certify over two hundred. On the secondary level, the number per university is greater with 92 one university certifying over six hundred and five certifying between four and five hundred. The next three columns are placed under the heading "active file." This term means that among the experienced registrants who are on file with the bureau, a certain number each year de­ sire the services of the bureau for their professional advance­ ment. These registrants indicate to the director that they wish their credentials to be made "active." The bureau then notifies them of vacancies for which they are qualified. Since they require the service of the bureau, the number of regis­ trants on "active file", together with newly certified candi­ dates indicates the scope of the placement service. The "active file" registrants are divided into three classifications in order to point out more specifically the nature of the registrants. Under "general" is Included all experienced teachers in the elementary and secondary level who desire to use the bureau to obtain another position. Under "administrator" is included all superintendents, principals, directors of guidance, personnel and curriculum who desire the services of the bureau. Under "college" are included all those candidates who are qualified to teach in junior colleges, col­ leges and universities. Since the administrator and the col­ lege registrant require much more time and effort per place­ ment than does the "general teacher," a separate breakdown is given. A more detailed indication is thus made regarding tlie levels of placement service and the subsequent work-load that devolves upon the bureau. The majority of the universities have from fifteen hundred to two thousand registrants, new and experienced, who receive the service of the bureau each year. The magnitude of the placement service becomes immediately apparent. Sound and ef­ ficient procedures must be determined; a proficient clerical staff must be employed; strong leadership must be provided. The placement program in the large universities is not a small operation. Registration of the Inexperienced Teaching Candidate At the opening of the school year, all seniors certified to teach in the public schools are advised to register with the bureau. In addition, all graduate students, including those majoring in areas outside of professional education, are en­ couraged to register for college and university placement. In order to register the students at such a time that the bureau will be able to make ready all credentials before the employ­ ment season begins, various procedures are used. Five universities have compulsory registration, while five universities permit registration to be optional. Com­ pulsory registration pertains only to graduating seniors. one university all seniors complete a registration card but the filing of credentials is optional. At 94 Generally, registration is accomplished by placing on file with the bureau several sets of credentials. They are placed on file usually by January first of each school year. The cre­ dential folder is given a serial number and the name of the registrant is placed in a master alphabet file with the serial number of the folder on it. The registrant usually retains this serial number while he is on file with the bureau. One of the problems immediately apparent is that of ob­ taining the cooperation of all students in filing credentials. Those universities that have compulsory registration find that approximately thirty per cent never actually enter the teaching field. Thus, considerable effort and time is ex­ pended uselessly in serving the student who never teaches. On the other hand, those universities who use optional registra­ tion find that a substantial number who did not register de­ cide to seefc a teaching position after graduation. Little ser­ vice can be given without credentials on file; the candidate is dissatisfied as well as the employer. Here, then, is the problem: should a bureau use compulsory registration? 4 Goetch devised the system that compelled all graduating seniors to register with no fee being charged. All expei>. ienced people in the field who desired the service would be 4 E. W. Goetch, "Placement Bureau Fees," Current Practices in Institutional Teacher Placement. (Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Teacher Placement Association, 1941) pp. 157-159. charged a fee for placing their credentials on "active file." The income from the alumni alleviated the cost of the compul­ sory registration for the new teacher. Records were more com­ plete, follow-up procedures were more effective, the teacher received better service and the employer developed respect for and confidence in the bureau. However, the directors were not in agreement with such a procedure. Various statements were made in their solicited opinions. A summary of their responses is given in the fol­ lowing list of advantages and disadvantages of compulsory reg­ istration for graduating seniors. R e g i s tration— compulsory or optional? According to the directors, compulsory registration has the following advan­ tages : Registrants will receive better service because no one will be overlooked in being notified of vacancies. All credentials will be available for the placement sea­ son. Employers will receive more reliable service be­ cause the bureau will have complete records on file. Confidence in the bureau and respect for the service will follow. Registrants fail to realize the time required to compile and assemble the credentials. Submitting the credentials during the "rush period" gives effective service to no one. 96 Registrants believe that marriage or military service makes it useless for them to file credentials. However, eventual consequences, not anticipated in college, indi­ cate that the filing of credentials is desirable prepar­ ation for the future. Since military service seems to be part of the American scene for an indefinite time, all men are encouraged to file credentials. Many occasions have already arisen where the teaching credentials were used for admission to officer school or for appointment to a specific military position. In addition, the re­ turn to civilian life makes available the only civilianoriented recommendations the registrant may have. Registrants will have recommendations made by fac­ ulty members while the latter are closely acquainted with the work of the former. If no recommendations are ob­ tained from the faculty while registrants are in atten­ dance, deaths and resignations make it often impossible to get testimonials later. Faculty members and employers will not be requested to make repeated recommendations if they are placed on file at the bureau. The bureau can easily issue dupli­ cate records. The transfer of credentials from one university to another is most easily accomplished if all papers are compiled at one bureau. This situation develops with considerable frequency at a university bureau because the majority of graduate registrants are undergraduates from other colleges and universities. The bureau reduces the incidence of criticism when compulsory registration is in effect. The absence of records on graduates of the institution brings criticism from employers. Employers may hire a candidate not reg­ istered with the bureau and then infer that the office neglected to nominate the best-qualified candidates. Ac­ tually, the candidate was not notified because he was not registered. It is difficult to explain this hind of ser­ vice. According to the directors, optional registration has the following advantages: Students who are sincerely Interested in teaching will register at the placement bureau. The act of reg­ istration becomes a natural selector of the conscientious teaching candidate. Hon-registration is indicative of indifference toward teaching. The cost of credential forms is substantial. Since twenty to thirty per cent of those certified do not enter teaching, a large number of credentials are never used. In addition, at least one-third of those who enter teaching will have left the profession within three years. Registrants often conclude that compulsory registra­ tion means the bureau is obligated to find them a posi­ tion. Optional registration avoids this problem. Summarizing these points of view, the directors believed it would be desirable to have compulsory registration. Budget costs of labor and materials are the main deterrents to the establishment of compulsory registration. However, the ap­ parent benefits in better service to employer, registrant and university should enable the director to receive administra­ tive support for this policy. Three directors were contem­ plating the establishment of compulsory registration. In conclusion, five universities had compulsory regis­ tration of graduating seniors; five did not. The main deterrent to the establishment of compulsory registration was additional cost in labor and materials. Compulsory registration appeared to be a policy that would provide the basis for more effective service to regis­ trant, employer and university. Three directors were con­ templating compulsory registration. Optional registration selected those students who were sincerely interested in teaching. It encouraged initiative in the registrant. No graduate students or alumni were compelled to regis­ ter with the bureaus. The Registration Fee Since most placement bureaus face budget problems, many directors were considering a nominal registration fee to cover partially the cost of clerical and communication service. Other directors and university leaders considered the placement ser­ vice a legitimate part of the student services, with the re­ sult that no fee should be charged. Placement is considered another element in the total personnel services of the univer­ sity. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of the regis­ tration fee, as given by the directors, might be considered at this time. The registration fee has the advantage of defraying par­ tially the cost of placement. Umstattd5 found that the cost per placement was fifteen dollars. would be higher. gree. No doubt the current cost The fee would alleviate the cost to some de­ In the second place, the fee selects those registrants who are sincerely interested in utilizing the services of the bureau. It assists in eliminating those who re-register just to learn what opportunities are available. Income and selec­ tion were two basic reasons for the fee. The disadvantages of the fee are several. The payment of a fee may imply that the bureau is obligated to find a posi- 5 J. G. Umstattd, Teacher Placement in One Hundred SixtySix Educational Institutions. ‘(Minneapolis: Per'ine Book Com­ pany,' 1932) p. 26. tion for the registrant; actually, it is the purpose of the bur­ eau to select teachers for the public schools. It is difficult to justify charging the candidate a fee when the efforts of the office may result in keeping him from a position. One director proposed that a fee be charged only if the candidate obtained a position, but the accounting and collection of fees would be an onerous task. Charging of a fee would add considerable cleri­ cal costs to the bureau. A fee is an unpleasant expense to im­ pose on a senior about to graduate. It militates against plea­ sant public relations. Two universities had a registration fee. One charged a re-registration fee of two dollars for all alumni. The fee at the other university was paid only once. These institutions plan to retain this policy indefinitely. The other universi­ ties plan to make no change in their policy. In conclusion, the directors believed that it was unwise to charge a registration fee for either graduating seniors or alumni. In view of rising costs, it may become necessary to charge the alumni a nominal fee to cover costs of re-activa­ ting their files and of compiling new recommendations. They concluded further that a registration fee had a tendency to commercialize the placement service and to encourage the de­ velopment of an attitude that the bureau is obligated to se­ cure a position for the registrant. It was also asserted that the collection of fees would increase the clerical burdens of the bureau. The Credential Papers Generally, the credentials used by the various placement bureaus were quite comparable in form and content. This simi­ larity has been the result of the planning of the national and regional placement associations during the years. The creden­ tials now contain the type of data and information that appears to be most useful to the registrant and most meaningful to the employer. Since it is not the purpose of the study to investigate in detail the contents of the credentials, no samples of these pa­ pers were included. They are discussed here because they are an essential element in the bureau and certain aspects of the credentials presented definite problems. These problems are the concern of this section. The directors attempt to devise credentials that will con­ tain data about the registrant which will give the best pos­ sible indication of his qualifications. Personal and profes­ sional information must be honest, accurate, definite and com­ plete. The neatness of the typing and the systematic manner in which credentials are compiled militate toward a favorable impression for both the candidate who applies and the place­ ment bureau that sends them. On these fundamental character­ istics the directors were in agreement. The contents of the credentials adhere quite closely to the following categories: personal data, educational training, major and minor areas, extra-curricular activities, teaching and non-teaching experience, biographical statement by regis­ trant, student teaching evaluation, faculty and employer ref­ erences, graduate courses taken and the names of the professors teaching those courses. These comprised the main contents of the credentials on which the bureaus were in general agree­ ment. On several specific elements the credentials varied some­ what. Because of state laws, several credentials contain no information on religion, nationality and race. The directors looked forward eagerly to the day when these elements can be eliminated entirely. Until such time, the directors attempted to know their candidates well enough to prevent their being nominated for positions that might prove embarrassing to reg­ istrant, employer or institution. Separate cards are usually kept on file that give the data on religion and race. ality seemed unimportant. Nation­ Removing the information on race and religion gives each registrant an unrestricted initial op­ portunity to be considered for a position. Even though re­ ligion or race becomes a factor in the later steps of selec­ tion, at least the candidate has had a fair chance to compete for the position at the beginning. This issue will continue to be a difficult problem as long as employers or schoolcommunities establish certain restrictive criteria in the selection of teachers. The directors are sincerely striving for fair and equitable consideration without regard for race or religion. Time and the changing social scene will surely hasten the day when these characteristics will no longer be selective factors. The most suitable number of credentials to be carried on file seemed to be six. One or two bureaus had eight copies. The master copy is kept on file permanently while the remain­ der are available for prospective employers. The credentials usually contained from four to six recom­ mendations for the inexperienced teacher. For the experienced teacher and administrator, the number of recommendations should not exceed ten. Those recommendations that relate most speci­ fically to the current and future objectives of the candidate should be selected and retained. Others, because of age or Irrelevance, should be withdrawn from the credentials and placed on file in the folder. The student-teaching or laboratory-teaching report, in most cases, was comprised of a combination of rating scale and written statement. The contents of these forms, of course, were not identical but were generally constructed around these qualities: understanding of students, personality, Judgment, cooperation, personal appearance, punctuality, perseverance, sense of humor, knowledge of subject matter, voice, ability to work with parents, enthusiasm, resource­ fulness, self-control, reliability, leadership and profes­ sional interest. 104 There seemed to be no certainty among the directors as to the general qualities or traits that predict teaching success. Perhaps this arises from a lack of agreement as to what con­ stitutes teaching in its most desirable form. Research has not been able to determine the elusive traits that may be associated with teaching success. Until such discoveries are made, the student teaching evaluation form will vary from institution to institution. None of the bureaus inserted the grade-point average for the graduating senior. Some used the superior^-good-average basis for indicating scholarship. No one was given a certifi­ cate who did not get a satisfactory grade in student teaching. On the graduate level, some of the bureaus included the grade received in graduate courses taken. One of the major difficulties arising in the compilation of credentials is the quality of recommendations submitted by the faculty. The directors felt that considerable assistance must be extended to the faculty in order to make their recom­ mendations more discriminating. Too often recommendations consist of a general statement, relate to qualities that have little to do with teaching potential or are concerned only with academic competence. In some cases faculty members have submitted almost the same recommendation for several people. Not infrequently there are errors in grammar and in spelling. The directors made several suggestions. All faculty who counsel the teaching majors should bring to the attention of I 105 the staff In their respective departments those traits and qualities that are used on the student teaching report. Con­ ferences with various departmental staffs can be held to ex­ plain the value of a carefully written testimonial. The bur­ den for improvement of recommendations rests upon the directors. They were agreed that the credentials can be improved consid­ erably by concentrating on the improvement of the recommenda­ tions. Filing Systems The efficiency of a placement bureau is determined to a large degree by the organization of the record system. Al­ though specific procedures are a matter of personal oreference, certain fundamental methods are present to insure relia­ bility and efficiency. The master file is set up alphabetically to enable the location of any set of credentials.. On the alphabet card is the code number of the credential folder, making it possible to locate the folder of any registrant with no difficulty. This is standard operating procedure in any placement bureau. Some of the bureaus prepare a major-minor file that con­ tains the names of all registrants in each major field. This is a desirable procedure that enables the director to select people for a given position without regard for name or year of graduation. At University C, a Cardex card (Appendix B) is prepared on each candidate who is active in the educa- 106 tional field. This card is filed under the subject matter or the administrative position — dance director. principal, superintendent, gui­ This file makes conveniently available the names of registrants who may be ready for promotion and ad­ vancement. The major-minor file was considered a necessary parallel file to the master alphabet file. All the bureaus use the Cardex system. This card contains a brief summary of the registrant's qualifications. It is the "work file" which is used as the basis for notifying candidates of positions. Since this file is set up in removable drawers, it is possible for several clerks to notify candidates simul­ taneously. The Cardex card is filed according to major fields. One is able to survey quickly the available qualified candi­ dates without consulting the credentials themselves. minor fields are listed at the bottom of the card. The The inci­ dence of this system indicates its value and usefulness. Several limitations should be pointed out, however. one major can be indicated on a card. set up for a second major. Only A second card must be Another limitation is the absence of a cross-file on minor fields. For example, a position calls for an English teacher and a minor in the field will be accept­ able. All the Cardex cards would have to be consulted to find the available supply. here. The system offers no convenient approach Of course, the director would begin with those major fields in which an English minor is most likely, e.g., social 107 science, foreign language or speech. Despite these limita­ tions, the Cardex system is the most effective one in opera­ tion in these bureaus. The Findex system (Appendix C) is used by three bureaus; two of them use it in conjunction with the Cardex system. The Findex card has a series of holes that represent given major and minor fields. When a major field is filed on the card, an oblong punch is made in the card; similarly, a cut is made for the minor field. All other holes remain circular. The cards are filed in a specially designed box through which small rods can be inserted. For example, it is desired to find a history major with a speech and English minor. rods are inserted — Three one each in history, speech and English. When the rods are inserted, the box is turned upside down. All cards that protrude or drop down, because of the oblong holes, indicate at once the names of the registrants who have the correct combinations. The other cards, with circular holes in one of three areas, do not drop down. Thus a quick preliminary selection is made of the qualified candidates. Some limitations should be pointed out. is spent in making up the card. Considerable time Cumbersome boxes and rods take up considerable space and are awkward to move. Never­ theless, it is one of the quickest methods for locating avail­ able candidates for a vacancy. 108 Two universities are considering the IBM card system. pendix D ) . (Ap­ It is devised by International Business Machines. University A is planning to use it as a basic registration card. University E currently uses it for the registration card, the master alphabet ca-rd, the vacancy card and major-minor card. It is convenient for compiling basic data and lends itself read­ ily to counting studies. How effective it will be for follow- up purposes over a long period of time remains to be seen. IBM card cannot be used in place of credentials. The The cards are too impersonal, do not lend themselves to written statements and are too limited in space to accommodate adequate informa­ tion. Three bureaus are considering a new printing process for duplicating the credentials. One of the major work-problems in the bureau is the preparation of six or seven sets of cre­ dentials. Various methods have been studied that would make available several copies of the credentials from one master copy without re-typing the entire set. Two processes, Ozalid and Copyflex, will reproduce an indeterminate number of copies from one master copy. The process is too complicated to ex­ plain here; however, it can be said that only one master copy of the credentials need be on file. When a set of credentials needs to be sent out, copies can be made immediately. papers will appear fresh and neat. prepared. The Any number of sets can be A candidate will not "run out" of papers. They will not have to be returned. The need for filing space, the un­ solved problem of every placement bureau, will be reduced con­ siderably. Only one copy need be kept on file together with photographs. Clerical costs will be reduced immeasurably. Better service will be given. Paper costs will be reduced. Three bureaus are planning to experiment with these processes in the near future. In conclusion, the directors considered the Cardex system the most useful and functional. A major-minor file should sup­ plement the master alphabet file. The IBM system is relatively limited as a system of record-keeping for teacher placement. The new processes for reproducing credentials may increase the efficiency of the placement bureau. The Follow-up Program Many vacancies call for experienced people; many regis­ trants are deserving of assistance in making professional pro­ gress. In order to render service to those employers desiring experienced candidates and to the experienced registrants, the placement bureaus carry out an active follow-up of the alumni in the field. All the directors realized the importance and magnitude of this responsibility. However, there is a consid­ erable gap between that which should be done and that which is being done. money. The cause for this disparity is a real one — The cost of a dynamic follow-up program in regard to personnel and time would be of such magnitude that current budgets would not be adequate. Currently the follow-up programs consist of follow-up letters and some personal visits by the bureau staff. All the directors desire to expand the follow-up service. Much more work should be done with the first-year teachers. Consulta­ tions should be held with them to assist them with their many problems. Conferences should be held with employers regarding the progress of the candidate. Evaluations of the teacher training program can then be made by the teacher and employer. This is one way the institution can avoid the error of living within its own walls. Visits to employers and schools also remove points of incipient friction and build closer relations between university and the schools. The follow-up program should be an institutional service rather than the responsibility, only of the placement bureau. The directors, however, can be the coordinators of personal visits, research studies and evaluation conferences. The ex­ periences of the teachers are a rich source of suggestions for the improvement of the teacher preparation program. The di­ rectors asserted unanimously that they must do their share in carrying out a strong follow-up program. The placement bureaus had similar follow-up programs. Specific procedures now in operation at the majority of bur­ eaus are listed as follows: A. Send out annual follow-up letters regarding job satisfaction and desire for change in employment. Ill B. Encourage departments to send out news letters to their teaching majors in the field. C. Encourage school administrators to inform the bureau of any teachers having unusual difficulties in teaching. D. Where geography permits, visit the first-year teachers in company with members of student-teacher supervisors. E. Organize on-campus evaluation conferences for teachers, both new and experienced. F. Organize evaluation conferences in strategically located communities throughout the state or region. All the directors considered these procedures desirable and functional. bureau to bureau. Their implementation varied somewhat from Three directors considered the follow-up program the weakest phase of the placement service. However, an expansion of the program does not depend on the ideas and procedures, but rather on the availability of money. The Budget The personnel of a bureau determines to a large degree the quality of service rendered by the office. The budget, on the other hand, determines the quantity of the placement service that is rendered. The magnitude of the budget di­ rectly affects the scope of the placement program. 113 Usually enough money is provided for the primary placement services: registration of current graduates, listing of vacan­ cies, notification of candidates, compilation of credentials and arrangement of interviews. If the budget is increased, secondary services are made available: service to experienced teachers, mailing of recom­ mendation forms to the employers, keeping credentials up-todate and attendance at professional conferences and conven­ tions. This list is by no means exhaustive but serves to point out the quantity of services rendered is determined by the size of the budget. Many colleges and universities do not keep accurate ac­ counts of their placement costs because the budget allocation for placement is part of the total teacher training program. In the major universities, the budget for placement is gener­ ally set up separately. Sometimes it is part of the budget for a centralized bureau so that it is difficult to determine the specific expenditure for teacher placement. However, the directors made an estimate of their budget allocations which are presented in the following table. TABLE IV THE 1950-51 BUDGET ALLOCATIONS OF THE PLACEMENT BUREAUS Staff Salaries* Amount in dollars Above 25,000 1 20,000 - 24,999 1 Clerical Salaries 15,000 - 19,999 Supplies, Equipment Travel, Communication 1 10,000 - 14,000 5 4 8,000 - 9,999 1 2 6,000 - 7,999 4 1 4,000 - 5,999 5 2 2,000 - 5,999 4 0 - 1,999 1 ♦Four directors allocate one-half their staff salaries to teacher placement. Table IV presents the budget allocations for the bureaus and shows that there is considerable range among the bureaus in the amount of budget made available for the placement pro­ grams. Generally, the universities with the largest enroll­ ments had the largest budgets. The average amount allocated for staff salaries was about twelve thousand dollars per bur­ eau. The average amount allocated for clerical salaries was about nine thousand dollars per bureau. The average amount allocated for operational expenses was about six thousand 114 dollars per bureau. The average amount allocated for each teacher placement bureau was about twenty-seven thousand dol­ lars . Some bureaus are much more active than others in regard to the placement of administrators, placement of college and university personnel and follow-up programs. These activities have resulted from competent and aggressive lea.dership. Ade­ quate budgets were provided as a result of the value of the service rendered. The imagination and courage of the direc­ tors were vital factors in the development of broad and ef­ fective placement service. Seven directors brought forth another observation here. Since one of the most significant problems of placement pro­ grams appears to be budget allocations, the directors believed that the placement program must be brought to the attention of the administration of the university generally as well as the school of education. Those universities that have strong placement programs have done just that. The placement service is one of the strongest public relations media that the uni­ versity possesses according to the directors. Service to alumni after their departure from the university results in dynamic support of the institution. The public schools and colleges feel that the university is taking forthright action in improving public education by offering services beyond classroom instruction. 115 The Commercial Agency The discussion of commercial teachers agencies inspired various reactions from the directors of institutional place­ ment bureaus. Some directors cooperate by sending credentials to them; others do not cooperate at all. The six directors who do cooperate believe the commercial agency is rendering a service that is not now being supplied by the university or college. If a teaching candidate from a bona fide institution seeks placement in a region not served by his institution, he should have all the assistance of legit­ imate placement services. The institution should cooperate with the commercial agency for doing what the former cannot do. Also, if a teaching field is crowded and the institution has not been able to locate a position for the registrant, the registrant has a right to expect his university to cooperate with the commercial agency in obtaining a position for him. The four directors who oppose cooperation with the com­ mercial agency believe that some agencies are not ethical in their practices. excessive. Also, the cost of securing a position is They suggest that the university should provide more active follow-up service to the alumni; greater cooper­ ation should exist among the university placement directors, resulting in better service to registrants, employers and the public schools. The directors were about evenly divided relative to co­ operation and non-cooperation with commercial agencies. They were agreed that these agencies supplied a service that was not being furnished by the universities. No plan of cooperation emerged from the study that would render the service now pro­ vided by the commercial agencies. In operation now is a com­ mon placement service provided by the placement directors in the universities of this study. This may be the beginning of a cooperative plan that would serve the inter-state movement of teachers in the north central area of the nation. In order to render better service to the registrants, placement directors continue to propose solutions to this problem. No definite plans are apparent at present. Summary and Conclusions The operation of the placement bureau concerned itself primarily with needs of the registrant and the employer. The services of the bureau began with the registrant. The registrants of the bureaus were comprised of a wide variety of educational personnel. The main categories were the elementary and secondary teachers who are inexperienced, the experienced teachers, the university teachers and admin­ istrators and the public school administrators. Approximately fifteen hundred to two thousand registrants per year received the services of each bureau. Five of the bureaus required registration of all gradu­ ating teaching majors; five had optional registration. Optional registration selected those teaching candidates sincerely interested in entering the teaching profession. Compulsory registration increased the quality of service to registrant, employer and university. Charging a registration fee was not considered a desirable policy. The credentials were quite similar in form and content. Differences were apparent in the recording of race and reli­ gion. Nationality was unimportant. The quality of the recommendations by faculty and employ­ ers was a major problem for all directors. Each bureau required an average of six sets of creden­ tials with from four to six recommendations on graduating teaching majors. Titles of graduate courses with instructors1 names were included in credentials for those registrants who secured ad­ vanced degrees. The Cardex system was the most desirable filing procedure. Modern duplicating processes are being considered for making copies of the credential papers; examples: Ozalid and Copyflex. Critical shortage of office space and interviewing rooms confronted nine directors. Strong follow-up programs were needed; lack of money pre­ vented their implementation. 118 Directors had the responsibility for taking the lead in follow-up programs for the institution. The approximate average budget allocation for each bur­ eau was as follows: Administrative staff - salaries, $12,000. Clerical personnel - salaries, $ 9,000. Operational costs - $ 6,000. Cooperation with commercial agencies was an unresolved issue. The directors were about evenly divided on cooperation and non-cooperation. CHAPTER VII THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYERS Introduction The professional significance of Institutional teacher placement work is measured in a considerable degree by the nature of the relationship with the employer — school execu­ tive, board of education, college president or university dean. This relationship is conditioned by the judgment of the director in determining his greatest obligation for rendering service. He may consider the advancement of the profession as his major concern; he may consider the welfare of the regis­ trant as the most important factor; or he may strive most diligently to please the employer.1 Adams2 found that out of a total of one hundred ninetysix directors reporting, one hundred thirty-two placed the welfare of the profession first; thirty-two indicated a major interest in the registrant; twenty-nine assumed their first obligation to be the employer and only three reported in 1 R. F. Strebel, ’’Placement From the Point of View of the Educational Institution," School and College Placement, 2: 25-29, (March, 1942). 2 W. H. Adams, The Placement of Students in Teaching Positions as Carried Out by Higher Educational Institutions. (Abilene, Texas: Abilene Christian College, 1953) p. 74. favor of the college or university. rank order of emphasis. Brogan 3 found a similar If placement directors are sincerely concerned about the calibre of their candidates as they enter the teaching profession, the school executives develop confi­ dence in the services of the placement bureau. Such confi­ dence enhances the reputation of institutional placement bur­ eaus generally. Four of the directors asserted that the service to the employer should receive the major concern. This conclusion is based on the following reason: service to the employer means sincere concern about the school and the vacancy. It is perhaps difficult to place a rank-order on the relative importance of either aspect of placement opportunity — employer or the position that is to be filled. the With employ­ ers increasing their visits to the institutions to procure teachers and with their insistence on personal interviews to be arranged by the bureaus, a strong case can be made for the primary importance of service to the employer. Once general courtesies and personal interest are demonstrated to the em­ ployer, subsequent concern can be given the specific needs of the vacancy. Whatever the emphasis, the relations between bureau and employer deserve discussion. 5 Whit Brogan, The Work of the Placement Offices in Teacher Training Institutions. Contributions to Education, No.' 434. (New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1930) p. 34. This chapter includes a discussion of various types of employers. The public school executive, the board of educa­ tion and employers in the field of higher education are the employers receiving consideration. The opinions of the directors were the primary source of information for this chapter. Little statistical data was gathered because the subject of relationship between bureau and employer involves policy and practice rather than numbers. The interview provided the author with an extended discussion of the problems in developing an effective service to the employers. Frequent references are made to the statements and judgments of the respondents throughout this chapter. 'when the reference is not specifically noted, it is generally implied. The succeeding analyses and conclusions are based upon the policies of the bureaus and the opinions of the di­ rectors as derived from the interview and personal visit to the placement offices. The discussion is developed from the viewpoint of the kinds of employers that use the services of the bureau. Al­ though certain general practices obtain in any level of place­ ment, it is believed that the discussion will be more mean­ ingful if it is carried out in relation to the employer in­ volved — official. school executive, school board, and university Relations with employers are based on certain basic pro­ cedures. They are as follows: locating the vacancy, selecting candidates for the vacancy, knowledge of the candidate, know­ ledge of the community or institution where the vacancy oc­ curs and the advancement of the competent teacher. Relations With the Public School Employer In the areas served by the placement bureaus in this study, the school superintendent executes of teacher employment. the major portion Approximately eighty per cent of the school executives secure their teachers through the institu­ tional placement bureaus.4 Most of the vacancies are listed with the bureaus by mall; some are given by phone and some by personal visit. for vacancies. common practice. None of the directors solicit the schools During the depression years soliciting was a Often direct contact was made with boards of education in an attempt to secure positions for favored local sons and daughters. This practice not only reacted against the best interests of the children to be taught, but had a tendency to undermine the position and responsibility of the superintendent who was specifically charged with the employment of staff personnel. Currently the directors wait for the school executives to list their personnel needs with the bureaus. 4 C. P. Archer, "Local Selection, Placement and Admin­ istrative Relations," Review of Educational Research, 3: 241-351, (June, 1943) p. 243^ The practice of permitting the school executive to take the initiative enables the directors to avoid the danger of listing the rumored vacancy. Such rumors come from many sources; if strong rapport is established with the hiring officials, the likelihood of these rumors is diminished con­ siderably. All the directors confirm the vacancy listing immediately upon receipt of notice. This informs the school executive that the bureau has begun to work on the vacancy and intercepts any rumored vacancy. According to the directors, the school executives have increased the number of visits to the bureau in order to se­ lect teachers. This enables the director to arrange inter­ views with qualified candidates and permits the school of­ ficial to talk to the candidate, to the director and to any faculty member. The process of selection is more thorough, personal contact is made and collective opinions beyond the written recommendations can be considered. This trend makes it necessary for the bureau to provide suitable interviewing facilities, making the problem of space quite acute at times. When it is not possible to visit the bureau and inter­ view the candidates, the employing official usually asks that candidates be notified of the position and that credentials be sent to the prospective employer. Most of the directors followed the procedure of not sending the credentials on can­ didates unless they indicated interest. Here is an area where some criticism descends on the director. If he does not send credentials, and no one is interested, the school admin­ istrator feels that he has not been given the proper service. If credentials are sent and his direct contact with the candi­ date indicates no Interest, he feels that papers were sent on poorly selected candidates. Also, the candidate is disturbed when his papers are sent out without his being consulted; some­ times all of his papers have been sent out with the result that he will not have them when he most seriously needs them. According to the directors, it appears that this difficulty will go unresolved because of the idiosyncrasies of human nature. Another area for the development of strong relations with employers is that of knowing the registrant. The directors were becoming quite concerned over the difficulty of knowing the candidates with the increasing numbers of teachers that were being trained each year. Two placement bureaus have ap­ pointed graduate assistants who are former administrators, currently on campus for graduate work, to do the interviewing of the registrant. school desired — Such knowledge should include type of large city, small town or rural area, the temperament or disposition of the registrant, avocational interests, socio-economic status, professional goals and cul­ tural interests. The more complete the personal data, which can be gained primarily through a personal interview, the more effective can be the placement service rendered to both regis­ trant and employer. The directors indicated generally that a knowledge of the school-communities is becoming an increasingly important ele­ ment in placement. Employers are definitely aware that it is just as important that the teacher approve of the teaching sit­ uation as it is for the employer to approve of the teacher. This may be accentuated by the teacher shortage, but it is a significant factor in sound employment practice. Data on the school-community includes the number of teachers, number of elementary schools, living conditions and costs, transporta­ tion to the locality, instructional equipment, enrollment, size of town, social activities and religious preferences. The directors felt that they had done much too little in be­ coming acquainted with the schools of the state. requires time, money and staff. The project Restricted budgets have been a hindrance in building this relationship. Nevertheless, it is still a significant objective for an efficient placement service in the opinion of the directors. The professional advancement of teachers who are satis­ factorily employed is an aspect of employer relationship that must be treated cautiously. about this problem. All directors indicated concern There is a difference of opinion whether or not the placement bureaus should attempt to promote a teacher in the field if he has not previously indicated a de­ sire for such advancement. Some employers resent this prac­ tice, feeling that the bureau has no right to disturb an other­ wise contented staff member. Some directors have been roundly censored for this act of apparent professional interest. If the basic principle of service to the profession is adhered to as stated in the beginning of this chapter, then it seems log­ ical and desirable to give those who have earned advancement an opportunity to advance. Furthermore, if the employer is informed first on the prospective change or job-offer, he will be able to act by conferring with the candidate in question. Some employers are occasionally inept in their search for ex­ perienced personnel, making offers directly to a teacher who is employed without talking to the latter1s employer. Even in the placement season, before contracts are awarded, the directors considered it their duty to inform the soliciting employer to contact the employer of the prospective candidate before any definite offer is made. Generally, no employer will obstruct the advancement of a deserving employee. At the same time, there is a responsibility that the director can perform by insisting on professional courtesy and forth­ right action in the employment of a currently well-placed candidate. The consultant function of the director is another phase of employer^-relations that the directors discussed. This is e, professional contribution of tlie bureau and it involves set­ ting up a plan whereby the employer is urged to consult with the bureau regardless of the source of the candidate's appli­ cation. The willingness of the director to render such ser­ vice and to be concerned about the welfare of children in the public schools enhances the confidence of the employer in the bureau. Included here is a systematic program of visitation to the teacher and his employer. Three directors carry on in conjunction with the school of education an active program of in-service training through county institutes throughout the state. The participation in these services by the place­ ment director puts the idea of job-getting in a secondary po­ sition and puts the idea of service and professional growth as an object of primary concern. In conclusion, the directors considered the relations with the employer as important a responsibility as the concern for the initial placement of the teaching ca.ndida.te. By meet­ ing the needs of the employer, both the school and the candi­ date were served. The directors followed the policy of encouraging the em­ ployer to list the personnel needs voluntarily and discouraged the solicitation of vacancies by the bureaus. Vacancies were confirmed by letter to the employer, min­ imizing the likelihood of the rumored vacancy. The sending of credentials without consent of the candi­ date and without determining the candidate's interest presented an unresolved problem. Acquaintance with the registrant through personal inter­ views was a difficult task, particularly in view of the large number of teacher candidates being certified each year. Knowledge of school-communities was becoming an important responsibility of the directors. Nomination of satisfactorily employed teachers for betterpaying positions must be done carefully and ethically with all contracting parties being fully informed. Directors urged development of a consultant relationship with employer and teacher in order to stimulate professional growth. Relations with Boards of Education The placement of school administrators, mainly superin­ tendents, is one of the major responsibilities of the direc­ tors. When a superintendency is open, the board of education usually calls on the placement directors of the universities for the nominations of candidates. Normally this request in­ cludes a visit by the director to the meeting of the board of education to present candidates. A real service can be ren­ dered by assisting in the selection of the best qualified candidate for the position. At this juncture in placement, the director can exert a salutary influence on the promotion of those administrators of outstanding ability. A distinct service is discharged to the community, to the school children and to education generally by professional judgments based on competence of the superintendent selected, rather than recom­ mendations based on the specific college background of the can­ didate . The procedure normally used and recommended by the direc­ tors is the nomination of several candidates to the board. It is recommended that the board make a preliminary selection of approximately ten to twelve candidates who appear well-quali­ fied enough to merit interviews. Interviews are scheduled at intervals that would permit the interviewing of three or four candidates at a sitting. At the conclusion of this procedure, a secondary selection is made of the four or five best quali­ fied candidates. It is recommended that several board members visit the schools where these candidates are currently employed to observe their work. Upon the basis of conferences with placement directors, study of credentials, interview of can­ didates and visits to locality of current employment, a selec­ tion is made. Difficulties arise for the boards of education when a director submits too many candidates in the hope that one will be hired. Confusion and bewilderment ensues. Members of boards are relatively inexperienced and untrained in selection of personnel. advice. They need sincere cooperation and professional Equally difficult is the situation that arises when 130 a director limits his recommendation to one or two people, stating that "these are the men." The directors believed that the best service can be rendered to boards of education if a thorough study is made of the school-community, if several visits are held with the board, if forthright discussions are carried out pertaining to the strong and weak points of each candidate, and if a sustained interest is demonstrated until the position is filled. Seven directors asserted that the relationship with boards of education was a neglected area of placement. Too often con­ cern was limited to the promotion of certain superintendents rather than making a professional attempt to orient and to train board members in the selection of school administrators. Palpably this is a task that goes beyond the time and train­ ing of the placement director alone. But he still has the re­ sponsibility for inspiring and cooperating with the faculty members in school administration to set up conferences and institutes for the enlightenment and training of board mem­ bers. Information on the latest developments in education, data on salaries and salary schedules, advice on building, bonding, taxation and consolidation, new techniques in teach­ ing and the stimulation of the community-school concept are elements in a training program for school board members. In three universities the schools of education have moved forward In developing this program. More staff and money will permit this phase of educational service to be given appropriate and necessary emphasis. Tiie directors felt that they could not develop such a training program through the placement offices; however, persistent cooperation with the education staff and professional concern over this responsi­ bility to the boards of education will make better schools and communities. Members of school boards are people generally of limited formal education; some are well-educated. Whatever the sit­ uation may be, they take their work seriously and conscien­ tiously. Their search for guidance and aid is motivated by honest concern for a strong school program in their community. The directors agreed that the university as a whole and the • school of education specifically have a responsibility to keep the boards of education informed about the latest developments in education. Placement directors are responsible for em­ phasizing the importance of this task. In conclusion, the toards of education are in need of more professional service in the selection and employment of school executives. Conferences and institutes for school board members should be sponsored by the schools of education in the uni­ versities . Teacher placement directors should cooperate more actively in the promotion of the above educational conferences, but should not usurp such responsibility. The directors conferred personally with boards of educa­ tion in the selection of school superintendents and maintained interest in the position until the vacancy is filled. The directors should avoid nominating an excessive number of candidates, causing confusion, or nominating too few, caus­ ing limited consideration. The directors should assist in the selection of the best qualified candidate for t h e .specific position rather than ad­ here only to candidates from a certain educational institution. Relations with the College or University Employer Most of the litera/ture as well as most of the research dealing with teacher placement was concerned, primarily with those candidates for teaching positions in elementary and sec­ ondary schools. Since most of the positions demanded only a bachelors degree, the problem of graduate placement — dates with masters and doctors degrees — much attention in the literature. 5 candi­ has not received as However, with the phenomenal increase in graduate degrees during the last decade, the prob­ lem of placing college teachers and administrators has persis­ tently crowded Itself upon the placement bureau; it is neces­ sary to give this area of placement specific consideration. At University C, the college placement comprises more than 5 R. A. Walker, "The Placement of Graduate Students," Bulletin of National Institutional Placement Association, Vol. 2. (Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Placement Associa­ tion, November, 1936) pp. 21-22. fifty per cent of the placement effort. At four other univer­ sities nearly one-half of the placement time is spent on col­ lege placement. The problem of graduate placement becomes par­ ticularly important where the universities have well-established graduate schools. The participating universities had similar responsibilities in providing a supply of teachers and admin­ istrators for colleges and universities. According to the directors the task. of meeting the needs of the university employer consists of two major problems. One is to encourage the institution to use its own placement service to fill its personnel needs; the other is to enlist the patronage of employing officials. Within the institution Itself the problem is again two-fold. First, confidence in the office must be built up among graduate candidates. More than that, the same confidence must be established among the professors, department heads and administrative officials. Deans, department heads and college presidents are en­ couraged to use their own placement bureau to fill their per­ sonnel needs by requesting the director to contact other placement officials to send credentials on prospective can­ didates for the vacancies. The effect of such procedure re­ sults in stronger cooperation among the placement directors. For example, director A needs five staff members for the dean of science and arts in his university. He enlists the 5 6 Ibid.. p. 22. aid. of five other directors for nominations. Later, director A has fifteen masters and doctors registrants ready for place­ ment. He will then ask these five directors to assist with the placement of these registrants since universities are dis­ inclined to hire their own graduate students. This profes­ sional cooperation is often overlooked or ignored by the em­ ploying officials within a university. Therefore, the direc­ tor has as his first responsibility that of developing the con­ fidence of the officials in his own institution. Eight direc­ tors concluded that much remained to be done in the develop­ ment of cooperation within the institution. Six of the directors considered the establishment of pro­ per relations with the employers of college and university teachers to be a difficult task because the college president or dean has several possible avenues through which to direct his search. He can write directly to the placement bureaus of the various institutions. At this point it would be much more effective to use his own placement director to do the pre-selec­ tion because he is usually personally acquainted with other directors. Descriptive characteristics of the vacancy can be included when listing the position with directors whom he knows personally. A second approach is to contact the departmental chairmen in various institutions. Or he may follow a third method by writing to the commercial agencies. Many employing officials are inclined to follow the latter procedure because it enables them to secure from one source a selection of can­ didates from various institutions. Naturally the directors would like to have the employing officials use the first ap­ proach almost exclusively but the establishment of such a pro­ cedure has not been an easy task. Seven of the directors stated that employing officials used commercial agencies and department heads as resources for teachers because the placement directors failed to cooperate in supplying nominations for vacancies. More cooperation is necessary to meet the needs of employing officials. It is regretted that at the present time the need for a central clearing house for registrants for college positions is now being met by commercial organizations. Perhaps institutional placement bureaus may establish a cooperative scheme in the future. A candidate with an advanced degree who seeks col­ lege placement over a wide geographical area is compelled to rely on the rather circumscribed services of his own insti­ tutional placement office or turn to the easily available but expensive commercial agency. Other difficulties arise in setting up a central clearing office for vacancies. The lo­ cation, cost, staff and placement policies for such a place­ ment center seem insurmountable. The directors believed that active cooperation in filling mutual placement needs may set a pattern for all institutions to follow on the college level. A cooperative plan is currently being established. At the annual meeting of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities, the placement directors of the universities of this study maintain a common placement desk for the service of employing officials. the ten universities. All vacancies are listed for the use of This procedure has been in operation for one year; it is too early to determine the value, but the em­ ploying officials are receiving complete and effective service in filling their personnel needs. Perhaps this is the begin­ ning of a new era of cooperation among placement directors. In order to provide the employing college official with complete records on the graduate registrant, it is necessary to compile factual information. This presents more of a prob­ lem than the registration of the undergraduate. Frequently the graduate has attended several institutions before coming to the university which is to grant the advanced degree. Records and references from the earlier schools and previous experiences must be compiled. If the registrant has shifted his professional educational emphasis during his advanced work, hie papers have little value to his future advancement and responsibilities. It is necessary therefore to secure the kind of recommendations from his former employer that pertain to the area of employment for which his graduate work is preparing him. Counseling conferences are necessary for the assembling of suitable and adequate testimonials. Since the selection of candidates for interviews is based almost entirely on the quality of the credentials, it is very important that the papers are in good order and fully describe the qualification of the candidate as it pertains to the posi­ tion desired. Specialization on the university level is be­ coming more and more sharply defined. For example, educational psychology does not mean psychology; clinical psychology does not mean abnormal psychology. to perform specific duties. The college teacher is employed Unless the papers of a candidate indicate clearly his qualification and unless the references show his competence in the desired field, the credentials are ineffectual in securing the interview. without an interview. Seldom is anyone hired Therefore in dealing with employing officials for colleges and universities the credentials assume an importance far beyond that of any other level of placement. Four of the directors encountered difficulty in getting the graduate student to file with the placement office. Many major professors assume that the welfare of their graduate students is a, personal responsibility and they take a pater­ nalistic interest in their professional advancement. Though this is not to be deplored, very frequently the graduate is not encouraged to register with the bureau or even informed about its service. The dean and department heads may lcnow there is a placement service but assume that it is for those who plan to teach in the public schools or that the bureau is used only by those who are graduate students in education. As a result the graduate student does not avail himself of an opportunity to use the services of the bureau. All the directors recommended generally that the place­ ment service should not replace departmental effort in place­ ment, but, rather, should supplement its efforts. Employing officials often sta.te that the department is interested in placing the current crop of students and that they do not have an adequate knowledge of the experienced people that have been in the field for some time. Further, they are often interested in placing one of their own graduates rather than in finding the best possible teacher for the position. The placement bureau is able to maintain up-to-date records that are avail­ able to the department at any time. It is recommended further that the department heads and deans should be consulted on the nomination of their graduate candidates for vacancies and their suggestions used in making the final selection. Such coopera­ tion encourages them.to list with the bureau vacancies that they receive. If a free flow of information can be developed between individual departments and the bureau, excellent ser­ vice will gradually evolve that will benefit registrant, de­ partment and employer. process temporarily. Personalities may often impede the However, the director carries the ini­ tial responsibility for the establishment of a service that has the confidence of the staff and registrant; the confidence of the employing official will follow. 139 All the directors believed it desirable to inform the col­ lege presidents and deans that they will be in attendance at certain key conventions where a headquarters will be maintained for consultation on prospective candidates. Many placement con­ tacts are made in this way and personalised service can be given the employer. 'The relationship is professional and ethical. Employers appreciate the opportunity to make preliminary selec­ tions of candidates from several institutions at a central lo­ cation such a.s a convention. In conclusion, an increasing number of registrants for college and university teaching have sought the services of the placement bureaus. These registrants presented unique problems in registration. . Previous attendance at several in­ stitutions, change in professional interest and selection of effective recommendations and references demanded professional service not needed in other levels of placement. Directors must gain the confidence of the officials in their own university in order to render placement service to these officials. Directors must develop a relationship with department heads and deans that encourage their graduate advisees to register with the placement bureau. Credentials were vitally important in the placement of college teachers because they serve as the primary basis for selecting the candidates to be interviewed. 140 Prospective college teachers seek positions in a wider geographical area than other kinds of registrant. This geo­ graphical dispersion requires considerable cooperation among placement directors if adequate service is to be rendered. Commercial agencies now meet the need of employers who desire a representative sampling of available candidates. The establishment of placement headquarters at important professional conventions was considered effective and desir­ able . Summary and Conclusions From the interviews with the directors, the personal visit to the bureaus, and the above discussion, the following summary and conclusions are presented as they pertain to the relationship between bureau and employer. All the directors asserted that the relationship with the employers was of significant importance in the placement program. These employers were the public school executive, the board of education and the university and college offi­ cial . All the directors followed the policy of encouraging the employer to list personnel needs with the bureau; they discouraged the solicitation of vacancies by the bureau. Personal knowledge of the candidate through interview was difficult to accomplish because of the large number of teaching candidates being certified each year. Nomination of satisfactorily employed teachers for more desirable positions must be done carefully and ethically, with all contracting parties being fully Informed. Knowledge of school-communities was a major responsibil­ ity of directors in rendering effective service. Boards of education are in need of professional assis­ tance in the selection and employment of school executives. Teacher placement directors should cooperate in the spon­ soring of institutes and conferences for boards of education. The directors should avoid nominating an excessive num­ ber of candidates for an administrative position, causing con­ fusion, or nominating too few, causing limited consideration. Registrants for college and university positions had in­ creased in number. Five bureaus devoted about one-half their placement service to college placement. The college registrant required more service than the public school registrant because the subject area was more highly specialized; he had usually attended several institu­ tions and taught at several places, requiring the compiling of assorted data from varied sources. The directors must gain the confidence of the officials in their own university in order to render service to them and to encourage the registration of their graduate advisees. The quality and appearance of the credentials for the college registrant was vitally important because the initial selection is usually made on the Hpaper qualifications.n College registrants sought positions in a wider geograph­ ical area, requiring cooperation among placement directors. The establishment of placement services at important edu­ cational conventions was considered effective and desirable. CHAPTER VIII THE PLACEMENT BUREAU AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL SERVICES Previous chapters have indicated that the teacher place­ ment bureau should be an integral unit in the larger program of teacher education. Directors of teacher placement services have an obligation to utilize their resources for the total educational program.^ Certain educational services can be pro­ vided by the bureau that are significant contributions. these are studies of supply and demand — Among nation-v/ide and state­ wide, occupational information on the teaching profession, stu­ dies of population within the state that is served by the in­ stitution, publicity and public relations service for the teach­ ing profession and assistance with in-service training pro­ grams. This chapter will be concerned with the foregoing ser­ vices. Occupational Information on the Teaching profession One of the most troublesome problems in teacher educa­ tion today is the disproportionate relationship between sup­ ply and demand. The resulting difficulties have an adverse 1 L. G. Stiles, "Teacher Education: An All-University Function," School and Society 62: 230— 222, (June, 1945). effect on the placement of teachers. Teacher-training insti­ tutions cannot ignore the changing trends in occupational de­ mands .^ An effective means of understanding these trends is the preparation of supply and demand studies. On the national level, various professional organizations carry out annual supply and demand studies in the field of teaching. Mosier directs a supply and demand study for college teaching and Maul 4 supervises one for the elementary and secondary field. Of more value perhaps to the individual institution is the annual report of the placement bureau indicating the number of placements and non-placements in each teaching field. versity H has been, particularly active in this area? Uni­ Compara­ tive data is provided yearly for the four preceding years in order to indicate evidence of trends. The placement directors ^ E. W. Anderson, "The Work' of an Appointments Division," Educational Research Bulletin 8: 67-75, (Feb. 20, 1929)* Earl Mosier, College-Teacher Supply and Demand in the United States. Third Annual Study. (Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1950) 25 pp. 4 R. C. Maul, Teacher Supply and Demand in the United States. 1951. Fourth Annual Study. (Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1951) 57 pp. 5 J. 0. Nieaerhauser, E. Partington and M. A. Vossey, "Teaching Opportunities in 1950," Educational Research Bul­ letin 50; 85-96, (April 18, 1951). in Michigan 6 combine their information in one comprehensive report for the use of the institutions and. public schools. University A has moved one step farther in compiling data on supply and demand. They have issued a handbook on the pro­ fession of teaching which is used as a resource in guidance. It includes such information as satisfactions and annoyances in teaching, opportunities in various areas, special abilities demanded of teachers, the interview process, placement prac­ tices and an outline of courses contained in each major field with recomrnenda/tions for desirable major-minor combinations. The respondents made several observations and suggestions concerning occupational information on teaching. Too often placement directors collect data but do little else other than place it on file. Filed statistics are seldom demanded and less frequently used. Often the data on supply and demand have inspired curricular changes in the preparation of the teacher. Public schools a.re sometimes ahead of the univei>- sities in making their curriculum more meaningful with the result that a new demand arises for a kind of training that is not provided by the institutions. Or the training now provided is unrealistic in meeting the needs of the pupils in the schools. The placement bureau may well serve as the channel for a free flow of information between the public 6 T. Luther Purdom, Annual Study of Supply and Demand of Teachers in Michigan. (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1951) Unnumbered. school and the teacher training institution. Occasionally academic minded departments are quite disinterested in such practical problems as job-getting. Teacher candidates, how­ ever, are concerned with the economic aspects and are able to recommend changes. Such information is valuable also for the counseling of students as they contemplate teaching as a pro­ fession. The directors generally were of the opinion that the in­ formation compiled by their office was not written in usable form for the counselors or the enrollment officers within the Institution. More effort was recommended in this area to pro­ vide accurate and current data on the teaching opportunities. Three universities provided courses that enable such in­ formation to be disseminated. These directors believed that more information should go to the enrollment officers and to the counselors who deal with students, particularly where placement courses are not offered. University P has a coun­ seling service within the school of education that cooperates closely with the general counseling bureau. University H has a college of education that enrolls freshmen, enabling much information to be disseminated early in the college ca­ reer. All freshmen in the college tahe an orientation course in teaching. All the directors were agreed that the supply end demand data should be used for improving the teacher preparation pro- gram, for encouraging curricular changes in academic depart­ ments and in supplying information for counseling and guidance of students generally. Another area of information that was brought out by several directors is the population study. This research is comprised of facts about the birth rate within a given state, the per­ centage of children expected to enter elementary school, junior high school and senior high school each year. In addition, parallel information is provided that indicates the number of teachers currently teaching, the number that retire each year, that leave the profession, that are certified and that are given special certificates. Analyzing the trends in birth rate and the demand for teachers, new and replacements, one can determine the relative number of teachers needed during the coming years. In these times of expanding enrollments in the elementary schools, the teacher demand, regardless of field, may increase sharply at the junior high level within the next two years. This information, together with the yearly supply and demand studies gives more comprehensive data about the teaching opportunities than have heretofore been custom­ arily presented. The directors considered the preparation of regional and state-wide population studies to be a desirable and useful means of supplementing the usual supply and demand data. In conclusion, the occupational information that can be supplied by the placement director usually involved supply and demand studies on the national, regional and state levels as they pertain to specific fields of teaching and administra­ tion. It is recommended that such data be made available to the teacher training staff, the academic departments and to the counseling and guidance offices. The data must be accurate, current and compiled over a period of time to indicate any significant trends and demands. It is recommended that population studies supplement supply and demand studies to give a more comprehensive view of the teaching demands for the future. The placement director can serve as the agency through which information can be provided that may up-grade the train­ ing program, inspire curricular changes and discover new teaching requirements. The placement directors should not assume the leadership in making changes in the teacher training program but should contribute significant information to the administrators who supervise such programs. Recruitment of Teachers During the last three years, a pronounced increase in enrollment has occurred in the elementary schools. The re­ sponsibility for meeting this intense demand for elementary teachers must be shared to a considerable degree by the major universities. The placement directors cannot be concerned only with candidates to be placed; they must also be concerned with the paucity of candidates for positions. The current problem of the teacher shortage devolves upon the placement director as well as upon educational leaders generally. Some­ thing must be done to encourage outstanding young people to consider teaching as a career. The directors recommended that the placement bureaus make available to high school students and college freshmen the oc­ cupational information on teaching. Publicity materials should be attractively presented to the student regarding the favor­ able aspects of being a teacher. The several agencies com­ peting for the talents of young people should prompt the edu­ cational leaders to take significant action on recruitment so that the teaching profession may get its rightful share of young people. The directors recommended close cooperation with state educational associations and professional educational organ­ izations in the drive to present the challenge of the teaching field. Attractive brochures, systematic news articles, radio broadcasts and personal visits were recommended as media for recruitment. The Future Farmer and Future Homemaker clubs are func­ tioning in the high schools. ginning to organize. Future Teachers groups are be­ Visits to high schools and appeals to administrators are means of stimulating a sensitivity to the needs of our children. The placement director must add another responsibility to the placement bureau by cooperating in the recruitment of teachers. The demand that today is particularly acute on the elementary level will be equally acute on the 7 secondary level in 1955. At that time the crest of the high enrollment on the elementary level will reach the seventh grade. The subsequent movement of this enrollment through the secondary school will pls.ce a great burden for recruiting and training upon the universities and the colleges. Further, the high enrollment in the elementary schools is not expected to subside in the foreseeable future. The teacher placement director must accept the new chal­ lenge of teacher recruitment in order to meet the educational needs that lie ahead. Research and Evaluation Several of the bureaus are carrying out research to deter­ mine the factors of success and failure in teaching, the rela­ tionship between scholarship and teaching proficiency and case studies of those candidates who have difficulty in securing positions. Further research is being done to improve the content of the credentials, practice teaching rating scales and faculty recommendations. ? Vern Mabie, Population and Placement Study of Michigan. Unpublished report,' "(Kalamazoo, Michigan! Western Michigan College of Education, 1951) 23 pp. Four of the bureaus are seeking more efficient and more economical means of record-keeping. becoming acute in some bureaus. The problem of space is More efficient methods of re­ cording data and reproducing records are being evolved. Cooperative research is conducted by five bureaus in con­ junction with all teacher training institutions within a given state or region. The studies of supply and demand mentioned above are examples of this research. The directors were agreed that all data accruing from these investigations and studies must be carried out in cooperation with the total teacher training program. The results should be made available to faculty, students and public schools. In-Service Training of Teachers The majority of the directors participated actively in the follow-up program of in-service training for new and ex­ perienced teachers. Continuing interest in the professional growth of the teacher, initially placed, developed a desirable relationship between the bureau and the teacher. Interest in his welfare by going beyond the specific duties of placement enabled the bureau to be identified realistically with the total educational program. The service aspect of placement becomes greater than mere job-getting. The directors gener­ ally recommended that more active participation in the inservice training program would not only be professionally desirable but educationally sound. Summary and Conclusions The placement bureaus had the responsibility to provide occupational Information by conducting supply and demand stu­ dies. Trends and changes in employment were of value in the selection, training and placement of teachers. Follow-up data assisted in the improvement of teacher preparation programs, the encouragement of curricular changes and the counseling of prospective teachers. Population studies supplemented the supply and demand data in making the employment opportunities more comprehensive. Encouragement of high school and college students to con­ sider the teaching profession was a new and challenging re­ sponsibility of the placement bureau. Publicity, through publications, news stories and radio programs, and cooperation with professional organizations were media for presenting effectively the opportunities in teaching. Research and evaluation were responsibilities of the placement bureau that should receive more attention. In-service training programs for teachers in the field was a professional opportunity for the director that appeared desirable and valuable. CHAPTER IX SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Introduction Statement of the problem. It was the purpose of this investigation (1) to study the organization, administration and operation of the teacher placement services in a selected group of major universities; (2) to compare and evaluate these programs; (3) to determine those placement procedures that appear to be educationally sound and functionally ef­ fective; (4) and to recommend those which appear to be worth­ while and desirable. Importance of the problem. Since the close of World War II, enrollments have increased in higher educational in­ stitutions, particularly the major universities. In order to cope with the additional educational demands resulting from these expanded enrollments, universities have examined and enlarged their teacher education services. Among these ser­ vices is the teacher placement bureau which is concerned with the selection, guidance, instruction and placement of the inexperienced and experienced teachers and administra­ tors at various professional levels. With the subsequent return to normalcy in the supply and demand of secondary teachers, and the continued increase in the demand for ele- mentary teachers, it appeared timely and logical to evaluate the teacher placement services. The investigations currently being carried out by pro­ fessional organizations indicated the importance of research in the teacher placement area. The review of the literature indicated an apparent lack of publications on teacher place­ ment, as well as a specific need for research that would be concerned with a particular group of institutions; e.g., a study of the services in the teachers colleges, or the inde­ pendent colleges, or the major universities. The author chose to study the teacher placement services in a selected group of ten major universities in the north central region. Methodology. Since this study was a quantitative and qualitative description of the teacher placement services, the normative-survey method was used. The specific research techniques employed were: (1) interview, (2) interview out­ line, and (5) direct observation. An Interview outline was prepared in consultation with public school executives, university faculty members and teacher placement directors. A letter was sent to each place­ ment director in the participating universities requesting an interview for the purpose of carrying out the Investigation. The author visited each bureau and Interviewed each placement director. 155 It was decided to delimit the study to those universities that had comparable administrative organization, similar edu­ cational objectives, allied teacher training programs and cor­ responding levels of placement responsibility. They were to be close enough together to permit personal visitation. The ten major universities In the north central region generally satisfied these requirements. Summary and Conclusions Through personal visitation of each placement bureau and extended interviews with each director, facts and opinions were collected regarding the organization and operation of the teacher placement services. A summary of the findings and conclusions are presented herewith. The teacher placement service occupied a significant po­ sition in the administrative organization of the university. Five placement bureaus w'ere set up as a separate entity within the schools of education; three were under the president or vice president and two were under the supervision of the dean of students. The university assumed a major share of the responsibil­ ity in assisting the teacher candidate in obtaining his ini­ tial position and the alumnus in securing his professional ad­ vancement. Staff, office quarters and budget were provided by each university in facilitating the teacher placement ser­ vice. The teacher placement service was an integral unit in the teacher preparation program. The directors and assistant di­ rectors participated in the instruction, guidance, training, placement and advancement of teachers and administrators. The permanent advisory committee was not a functional means of facilitating the work of the teacher placement bureau. Pour bureaus had permanent advisory committees; six bureaus utilized special committees appointed to execute specific tasks or to study particular problems. The special committees were considered more effective by the directors. There was need for more cooperation between the place­ ment bureau and the admissions office, the counseling service, and the alumni office. Effective cooperation existed between the placement bur­ eaus and the schools of education. Seven directors were mem­ bers of the staff in the school of education. Three direc­ tors taught courses on orientation to teaching and/or place­ ment. Three others cooperated directly with the counseling service within the school of education. All directors par­ ticipated in conferences and in institutes that were con­ ducted by the school of education. The organization of the teacher placement service varied somewhat from university to university. Six bureaus were de­ centralized with four directors being responsible to the dean of the school of education, one to the director of educational 157 research and one to the president. Three bureaus were central­ ized with one director responsible to the dean of students, one to the vice president and one to the president. One bureau was set up on a coordinated, decentralized basis with the director responsible to the dean of students. The organizational structure of the placement bureaus presented little similarity in form or in administration; seven different operational structures were used as indicated in the foregoing paragraph. The decentralized organization was more closely integrated with the teacher training program; the directors generally were staff members in the school of education and participated ac­ tively in the operation of the teacher training program. The directors and assistant directors developed a strong working relationship with the personnel in professional education and became acquainted with the problems confronting the public schools, colleges and universities. The centralized bureau might be more economical with re­ gard to space, materials, clerical costs and staff salaries, since one office instead of several would be maintained. There is a trend toward up-grading the professional training of the administrative staff. All directors held at least the master's degree; five held the doctors degree; three of the remaining five were pursuing the doctorate. Of the fourteen assistant directors, one held the bachelor's degree; 158 ten held the masters degree and three held the doctors degree. Seven were pursuing the doctor's degree. Experience in the public schools was a desirable qualifi­ cation for teacher placement work. All directors had exper­ ience as teachers in the public schools; eight had experience as administrators. Twelve assistant directors had teaching experience in the public schools. The directors concluded fur­ ther that the administrative staff, regardless of experience, must have the ability to work effectively with people on all levels of educational endeavor. It was desirable for the directors and assistant direc­ tors to hold a.cademic rank in order to give the placement ser­ vice status and prestige in professional education, to permit them to teach in the university and to serve as members of pro­ fessional committees. Seven directors and seven assistant di­ rectors held academic rank. The appointment of assistant directors was a development that had occurred during the last five years and appeared to be a permanent staff position. appointed since 1945. assistants. All assistant directors were Ten bureaus had a total of fourteen Further, it indicated an expansion and growth of the placement service. Two bureaus employed graduate assistants. The directors of these bureaus considered the graduate assistant to be qualified, low-cost personnel. Well-qualified clerical personnel determined to a large degree the total efficiency of the placement office. The num­ ber of clerical staff for each bureau ranged from two to nine; the median number was five. Each bureau employed additional clerical personnel during the period of February to June. The placement bureaus were concerned with elementary, secondary, college and university placement involving teachers, administrators and supervisors. Only three universities did not prepare undergraduates for elementary training. The qua,lity of the registrants and the magnitude of the budget were two major problems of the placement service. Ap­ proximately two thousand "active" registrants received the services of each bureau during a calendar year. The approx­ imate average budget allocation for each bureau was as fol­ lows : staff salaries, $12,000; clerical personnel, $9,000; operational costs, $6,000. Compulsory registration of all graduating teaching majors improved the reliability of the service to the registrants and employers. Five bureaus had compulsory registration; five had optional registration. Three directors were considering com­ pulsory registration. The charging of a registration fee was considered to be an undesirable policy because placement is a personnel service to be furnished by the university. Further, registrants often considered that the payment of a fee was an obligation for the bureaus to secure a position for the registrants. Two bureaus charged fees; eight did not charge fees. The credential papers of all the bureaus were similar in form and content. Minor variations occurred in listing of race, religion and nationality. All directors were reducing the importance of these characteristics whenever it seemed practical and desirable to do so. The unsatisfactory quality of the recommendations ma.de by faculty members and employers was a current and difficult problem for all directors. Modern duplicating processes, such as Copyflex and Ozalid, were being considered by three bureaus. These processes are designed to reduce the cost of producing multiple copies of the credential papers and reduce the space needed for filing and storage. The Cardex system was considered the most desirable and functional filing procedure for the "active11 registrants. Personal acquaintance with the registrants and employers was fundamental to effective placement. Because of the in­ creasing number of registrants, this objective was difficult to attain. Lack of adequate budget and staff restricted the estab­ lishment of effective follow-up programs. The directors had a responsibility for apprising the university leaders of the need for expanded follow-up programs and field services. 161 Cooperation with commercial agencies was an unresolved is­ sue. Six bureaus cooperated with these agencies while four did not cooperate. All the placement bureaus rendered service to public school executives, boards of education and employing officials from institutions of higher education. All directors encouraged the employers to list personnel needs and discouraged the solicitation of vacancies by the bur­ eaus. Service to the employers was considered to be as impor­ tant as service to the registrant. The directors concluded that boards of education should receive more service in the selection of school administrators. The directors were cooperating with the school of education staffs in the sponsorship of institutes and conferences for the board members. The placement bureaus had an increased number of regis­ trants eligible for college and university positions, resul­ ting from an increase in the number of people earning advanced degrees. Five bureaus devoted nearly half their service to college placement. The registrant seeking a college position was more highly specialized than one seeking a public school position; thus, college placement required more personalized service. All bureaus prepared annual reports of calls, vacancies, and placements, together with information on trends in employ- raent in the various subject-matter areas of teaching. Four bureaus compiled extensive data on supply and demand of teachers and administrators. All of the directors and assistant directors participated in the total teacher education program of the university either through instruction, extension work, research and/or committee activity. The presence of the placement director at significant con­ ventions and conferences was desirable and worthwhile. Cooperation among Institutional placement directors re­ flected on the profession of placement by rendering more ef­ fective service to employers. Recommendations One of the purposes of this study was to discover those teacher placement procedures and prs.ctices that appeared to be worthwhile and desirable. From the extended interviews with each director and personal visitation to each placement bureau, several recommendations, emerged. These recommendations are divided into two classes, general recommendations and sugges­ tions for further research. General recommendations. It was recommended: That the teacher placement directors continue to develop new methods to integrate the placement service with the total teacher education program. 163 That the directors and assistant directors should serve on committees in the school of education in order to maintain a close working relationship with the teacher preparation pro­ gram. That more cooperation should be developed between the placement bureau and the university counseling service; be­ tween the placement bureau and admissions office; between the placement bureau and the alumni office. That more effective coordination of placement services should be established amorig the teacher, business, engineer­ ing and liberal arts placement offices within the university. That all directors should hold the doctorfe degree and all assistant directors should hold the masterfe degree in order to obtain well-qualified and thoroughly experienced personnel for the administrative staff of the placement bureau. Also, their training and experience would compare favorably with the faculty of the school of education and the staff of the uni­ versity generally. That all directors and assistant directors should be qualified to hold academic rank in order to participate in the teacher training program, to teach courses, to serve on com­ mittees and to lend prestige and status to the offices of placement director and assistant director. That the appointments of director and assistant direc­ tor to academic rank should be made in the school of education in order to integrate the placement service with the total teacher education program. The placement staff will be able to participate more effectively in the selection, guidance, instruction and placement of the teachers and administrators. That graduate assistants, with public school experience and engaged in advanced study, be appointed to the placement bureau. That the bureaus discover ways and means of implementing effective follow-up programs; e.g., field visitation, oncampus conferences, systematic evaluation during first year of teaching. That the directors should continuously emphasize the importance of the placement service to the total university, to the alumni and to the public schools in seeking increased budgets and additional staff. That the directors should be concerned about the critical need for more teachers in the public schools. Though place­ ment is a major responsibility, recruitment of teacher candi­ dates is a significant problem to be shared by placement per­ sonnel. That the directors of institutional placement bureaus should discover the bases for more effective cooperation in rendering service to the public schools, colleges and uni­ versities. That the directors should encourage their university ad­ ministrators to list their staff needs with the bureau, enabling the director to enlist the aid of placement colleagues in meeting these needs. This may develop inter-institutional cooperation. That supply and demand research should be coordinated with population studies to present a more comprehensive over­ view of teaching opportunities and personnel needs. That the directors develop more efficient methods for du­ plicating the contents of the credentials in order to reduce the filing space required for these records. The processes, Ozalid and Copyflex, may be a partial solution. Suggestions for further research. This study was under­ taken because of the need for more research in the area of teacher placement. Two professional education organizations are currently carrying out investigations. The American Asso­ ciation of Colleges of Teacher Education is sponsoring a sur­ vey of teacher placement programs. The National Institutional Teacher Placement Association is preparing a third volume as a supplement to the volumes published in 1937 and 1941. Teach­ er placement programs are being evaluated generally. Some particular areas might receive consideration. It is suggested that an investigation be made of the teacher place­ ment services in the teachers colleges; another study could be made of the services in independent and church-related liberal arts colleges. Another might be made of the placement pro­ grams in municipal universities ano. colleges. These studies 166 would deal with a homogeneous group of Institutions and the findings would be useful to the institutions within that group. As a result of this study, the author found some specific problems that should receive the attention of research. They are listed below: A. What -are the criteria for the position of teacher placement director? What school experience is desirable? Kow much and what kind of professional training? What are the personality traits that are significant? B. To what extent is occupational information on teaching compiled by the placement staff? and useful is this data? given? How reliable To whom is the information Is it given to the high school students? used in counseling freshment and sophomores? Is it Is it used to counsel students out of teaching fields that are over­ crowded? C. How can the placement offices within a major university be effectively organized? ment offices be coordinated? ized in one large bureau? Should all place­ Or should they be central­ What type of organization would most effectively serve the undergraduate, alumni and employer? What is the most economical method? Which organization is most effective in placement? D. What comprises an effective recommendation? How can faculty members and employers be assisted in the im- 167 provement of the quality of their recommendations? What are the responsibilities of the director in this problem? E. How can greater cooperation be effected among institutional placement bureaus in the placement of college and university teachers and administrators? Could a national organisation supervise such a common placement bureau? How could it be staffed? How would the cost be borne? F. How valuable and pertinent is the information in the credentials? What information is most useful? What type is infrequently or never used? Should the credentials for public school administrators contain data about public school problems such as bonding, school finance, curriculum studies, construction of school buildings? G. What is the responsibility of the teacher place­ ment bureau in the recruitment of teachers? How impor­ tant is the publicity on the teaching profession in at­ tracting young people to a teaching career? What are the factors that dissuade the student from selecting teaching? Each of the above problems appears significant enough to warrant further research. Great service to placement pro­ grams can be rendered by thorough and continuing investigation in these areas. Some of these problems have not been investi­ gated in the published literature; others have been discussed only briefly. Research in teacher placement offers a challenge to the professional placement personnel and graduate student in education today. BIBLIOGRAPHY 170 BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Adams, Walter H., The Placement of Students In Teaching Po­ sitions as Carried on by Higher Educational Institutions — Including Normal Schools, Teachers Colleges. Colleges, and Universities. Abilene, Texas: Abilene Christian College, 1933. 131 pp. Anderson, A. W . , "Teacher Education: Organization and Admin­ istration: Colleges and Universities," Encyclopedia of Educational Research.(Rev.) New York: MacMillan Company, 1950. 1520 pp. Archer, Clifford, "Teacher Placement, Employment and Admin­ istrative Relations Encyclopedia of Educational Research. New York: MacMillan Company, 1950. 1520 pp. Brogan, Whit, The Work of Placement Offices in Teacher Train­ ing Institutions. Contributions to Education, No. 434. New York: Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Col­ umbia University, 1930. 97 pp. Campbell, Clyde M. (Ed.), Practical Applications of Democratic Administration. New York: Harper Brothers. 325 pp. Cubberly, ElwoodP., Public Education in the United States. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919. 517 pp. Erickson, C. E. and Smith, G. E., Organization and Administra­ tion of Guidance Services. New York: McGraw Hill, 1947. 276 pp. Gardner, D. H . , The Evaluation of Higher Institutions — Stu­ dent Personnel Services. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1936. 235 pp. Good, Carter V., A. S. Barr and D. E. Scates, The Methodology of Educational Research. New York: D. Appleton - Century, 1941. 890 pp. Koopman, G. R . , Alice Miel and P. J. Misner, Democracy in School Administration. New York: D. Appleton - Century, 1943. 330 pp* Kiteon, H. D. and J. B. Newton, Helping People Find Jobs. New York: Harper Brothers, 1950. 265 pp. Lloyd-Jones, Esther and M. R. Smith, A Student Personnel Pro­ gram for Higher Education. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1958. 523 pp. Linton, Clarence, "The Role of Placement in the Total Program of Teacher Education," Current Practices in Institutional Teacher Placement. Boulder, Colorado: National Institu­ tional Teacher Placement Association, 1941. 186 pp. Monroe, Walter S., (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Educational Research. (Rev.) New York: MacMillan Company, 1950. 1520 pp. Reed, Anna Y . , Occupational Placement. Ithaca, New York: Cor­ nell University Press, 1946. 550 pp. Shartle, C. L. and J. D. Beatty, "Student Personnel V/ork — Occupational Placement," Encyclopedia of Educational Re­ search. New York: MacMillan Company, 1950. 1520 pp. Strebel, R. E . , E. W. Anderson and J. W. Leith, Editorial Committee, Current Practices in Institutional Teacher Placement. Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Teacher Placement Association, 1941. 186 pp. Umstattd, J. G. and others, Institutional Teacher Placement. Boulder, Colorado: National Institutional Teacher Place­ ment Association, 1957. 228 pp. Umstattd, J. G . , Teacher Placement in One Hundred Sixty-Six Educational Institutions. Minneapolis: Perine Book Com­ pany, 1952. 655 pp. Umstattd, J. G . , The Services of the Bureau of Recommenda­ tions . Minneapolis: University of Minnesota. College of Education, 1952. 16 pp. B. PERIODICAL ARTICLES Achilles, P. S., "Trends in Employment Procedures," Personnel Journal, 19: 609-617, 1945. Anderson, E. W . , "The Work of an Appointments Division," Educational Research Bulletin, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 67-73, Feb. 20, 1929. Anderson, E. W. and R. E. Litchen, "The Status of the State College Teacher Placement Bureau," School and Society. 28: 728-52, June 16, 1928. Archer, Clifford P., "Facilities for Teacher Placement in Colleges and Universities in the United States," Educa­ tional Administration and Supervision. 29: 193-98, April, 1943. . "Local Selection, Placement and Administrative Relations," Review of Educational Research. 3: 241-51, June, 1943. . "Personnel Procedures in Teacher Training Insti­ tutions, Journal of Educational Research. 40: 672-82, 1947. Barr, John, "Criteria for Evaluating Placement Services and Follow-up Practices in Colleges and Universities," School and College Placement. 8: 45-48, 1947. _________ , "A Survey of Placement Procedures1 ,’ School and Col­ lege Placement. 6: 44-48, May, 1946. Berry, Aubrey L., "The College in Recruiting Teachers," The Phi Delta Kappan, 29: 102-03, October, 1947. Fogg, J. M . , "Some Correlated Aspects of Placement and Education," School and College Placement. 6: 26-29, 1946 Jones, A. J., "Appointment Bureaus in Colleges and Universities, Educational Review. 63: 367-78, May, 1922. Monroe, Will, "The First Teachers Agency," Journal of Educa­ tion. 66: 202-03, Feb. 21, 1907. Niederhauser, J. 0., E. Partington and M. A. Vesey, "Teaching Ooportunities in 1950," Educational Research Bulletin. Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 85-96, April 18, 1951. Olson, 0. S., "Follow-up Practices in Teacher Training Col­ leges in Eight North Central States," Educational Admin­ istration and Supervision, XXI, pp. 45-50, January, 1935. Schultz, J. S., "Professionalizing Teacher Placement," Nations. Schools. 10: 46-50, August, 1932. Slantz, F. W. and W. K. Siglinger, "A College Placement Pro­ gram, " Occupations. 14: 319-22, January, 1936. Spindt, H. A., "Institutional Teacher Placement," The Phi Delta Kaopan. 24: 364-65, May, 1942. 175 Stewart, R. C., "University Placement Services." Educational Outlook. 31: 140-44, March, 1947. Stiles, L. G-., "Teacher Education: An All-University Function," School and Society. 62: 220-22, June, 1945. Stone, H. E., "A Placement Directors Appraisal," Journal of Higher Education. 16: 507-11, 1945. . "Placement — Past, Present and Future," School and College Placement. 5: 62-67, 1945. Strebel, R. F . , "Placement from the Point of View of an Educa­ tional Institution," School and College Placement. 2: 25-29, March, 1942. Wallace, Vaughn C., "Some Problems in the Field of Teacher Placement," School and Society. 45: 672-75, May, 1956. Williams, C. 0., "Criteria for Evaluating Placement Services," School and College Placement. 8: 45-48, October, 1947. C. PUBLICATIONS OF LEARNED ORGANIZATIONS Anderson, Lulu B., Placement Services in Colleges and Univer­ sities. Washington, D.C.: United States Office of Educa­ tion. Bulletin No. 12, 1941. 29 pp. Barbour, Lillian, "A Diagnosis of Teacher Placement and the Need for Educational Guidance." Bulletin of the National Institutional Teacher Placement Association. Vol. 2, No. 1. (Abstract) 1955. pp. 11-12. Brumbaugh, A. J., "The Coordination of Personnel Services in the University." Report of the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Cleveland, Ohio, February, 1959. pp. 95-101. Evenden, E. S., G. C. Gamble and H. G. Blue, "National Survey of the Education of Teachers." Teacher Personnel in the United States. Washington, D.C.: Superintendent of Doc­ uments. Bulletin No. 10, Vol. 2, 1955. 26 pp. Frazier, B. W . , Teacher Placement. Registration and Related Services. 1948. Washington, D.C.: United States Office of Education. Circular No. 209, 7th Revision. January, 1948. 10 pp. 174 Gamma ge, G-. and G. C. Rlemer, "What Should Teacher Training Do in the Placement and Follow-up of Their Graduates?'1 Pro­ ceedings of the Department of Superintendence. Washing­ ton, D.G.: National Education Association, 1934. 0 0 . 17475. M a u l , Flay C ., Teacher Supply and Demand in the United Sta.tes — 1951. Fourth Annual Study. 'Washington, D.C. National Education Association, 1951. 57 pp. Mosier, Earl E . , College-Teacher Supply e,nd Demand in the United States. Third Annual Study. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1950. 33 pp. National Institutional Placement Association, Proceedings of Annual Convention. Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado, 1949-50. 53 pp. Sarbin, T. R . , Proceedings of the Institute on Placement Ser­ vices in Colleges and Universities. Minneapolis: Contin­ uing Education, University of Minnesota, 1940. 53 pp. Walker, R. A., "The Placement of Graduate Students." Bulletin of the National Institutional Placement Association. Vol. 3, NoY 2. (Abstract) 1936. pp. 21-22. Woellner, Robert C., "The Placement of Graduates of Institu­ tions of Higher Education." Bulletin of the National In­ stitutional Placement Association. Vol. 2, No. 2~. (Abs tract")" 1936. pp. 5-7". D. UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS Anderson, Mary A., The Placement Bureau at the University of Nebraska. Unpublished Master's thesis. Lincoln: Univer­ sity of Nebraska, 1920. Ill pp. Allen, Hollis P . , A Study of Teacher Placement in California. Unpublished Master's thesis. Palo Alto: Stanford Univer­ sity, 1925. 216 pp. Bazell, Maud Scott, Problems and Procedures Involved in Get­ ting a Teaching Position. Unpublished Master's thesis. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, 1932. 158 pp. Berry, Aubrey L . , An Eight Year Study of Teacher Guidance and Placement of the Office of Teacher Placement. Unpublished Doctor's dissertation. Los Angeles: University of Califor­ nia, 1948. 471 pp. 175 Boyles, David H., A Study of the Teacher Placement Bureau of the University of New Mexico for 1939 to 1958. Unpub­ lished Master's thesis. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1.940. 84 pp. .. Jeffrey, Gilbert, A Study of Teacher Placement in Kansas. Un­ published Master's thesis. Emporia: Kansas State Teachers College, 1933. 110 pp. Mabie, Vern, Population and Placement Study of Michigan. Un­ published mimeographed report. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Wes­ tern Michigan College of Education, 1951. 33 pp. Ma.thia.sen, 0. F . , Guidance and Placement in University Grad­ uate Schools of Education. Unpublished Doctor's disserta­ tion. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University, 1937. 370 pp. Mullins, V. R . , A Study of Five Years of Placement of Indiana State Teachers College Teachers. Unpublished Master's thesis. Bloomington: University of Indiana, 1930. 407 pp. National Association of Appointment Secretaries, First and Second Annual Meetings. Unpublished proceedings. Chicago and Cincinnati, 1934 and 1935. 46 pp. Nicholas, L. N . , Follow-up Programs in Teacher Education In­ stitutions in the United States. Unpublished Doctor’s dissertation. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University, 1951. 338 pp. Purdom, T. Luther, Annual Study of Supply and Demand of Teachers in Michigan. Unpublished mimeographed report. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1951. 33 pp. Russell, Karl A., Jr., A Study of Teacher Placement in One Hundred Seventy-Two Higher Educational Institutions. Un­ published Doctor's dissertation. Bloomington: University of Indiana, 1950. 130 pp. Schultz, Jacob S., Teacher Placement in Ohio. Unpublished Doctor's dissertation. Cincinnati: University of Cincin­ nati, 1931. 303 pp. APPENDIXES APPENDIX A INTERVIEW OUTLINE TEACHER PLACEMENT BUREAU SURVEY 1950 - 1951 Administrative Status of Bureau Name of Institution Name of Teacher Placement Bureau Year Bureau Established Title of Director Officer To Whom Responsible Nature of Placement Organization — Centralized Decentralized Coordinated Relationship: To the University Administration To the School of Education To the Teacher Training Program To the University Counseling Service To the University Admissions Office To the Other Placement Offices Administrative Staff Director: Degrees Held Professional Training Educational Experience — Teaching Administration Years of Service as Director Personnel Experience — Guidance Counseling Other Faculty Status Ranh Teaching Duties Courses Taught Placement Duties Other Duties Assistant Directors: Number Degrees Held Professional Trs-ining Educational Experience — Teaching Admini strati on Years of Service as Director Personnel Experience — Guidance Counseling Other Faculty Status Ranh Teaching Duties Courses Taught Placement Duties Other Duties 179 Advisory Committee Frequency of Meeting Membership Responsibilities Special Committees Membership Purposes Clerical Staff Classification: Duties Number Secretary-Executive Clerk Stenographers Clerk Typists Part-time Assistants Graduate Assistants Number Professional Training Experience — Teaching Admini s trat ive Duties Amount and Allocation of Budget for Placement Bureau Administrative Staff Clerical Staff Operation Supplies Communication Travel Equipment Total Represents increase or decrease during last five .years Humber and. Type of Registrant New Registrants, 1950-51 Elementary Secondary Administrator College and University Active Experienced Registrants on Pile During Year 1950-51 Elementary Secondary Elementary Administration Secondary Administration College and University Teaching College and University Administration Total Registrants on File Active Inactive Operation of Bureau Registration and Filing Procedures Listing of Vacancies Notification of Candidates Procedure for Follow-up of Vacancy Procedure in Arranging Interviews for Employers and Candidates Contents of Credentials Photographs Personal Data Professional Training Extra-curricular Activity Teaching Experience Non-teaching Experience Distribution of Course Credits Candidate's Page Apprentice Teaching Evaluation Faculty Recommendations Graduate Courses Listing of Professors' Names Type of Credentials Used for Public School Teachers, Admin­ istrators and College Teachers Procedure for Handling Credentials Systems of Filing Cardex Findex Microfilm IBM Other Follow-up Service Type and Methods Annual Reports General Content To Whom Sent Use of Information Letters School Visitation Conferences Off-Campus On-Campus Cooperation With Other Departments in University Teacher Training Counseling and Guidance Admissions Office Alumni Office Other Placement Offices Other Commercial Agencies Relationship With Employers School Executives Vacancies Interviews Professional Advancement of Experienced Teachers Boards of Education Nomination, Selection of Administrators Personal Conferences on Vacancies School Board Conferences College and University Officials Nomination, Selection of Candidates Problems of Registration Relationship With Registrants Newly Certified Registrant Experienced Teacher Registrant Admini s trator College Teacher Registration Fee Compulsory Optional Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Interviewing of Registrants Selection and Guidance Occupational Information Courses on Placement Class Lectures on Placement Educational Services Supply and Demand Studies Population Studies Institutes, Conferences and Conventions In-service Training of Teachers in the Field Publications and Public Relations Media 183 APPENDIX B TEACHER PLACEMENT RECORD NAME — p l a c e m e n t o f f ic e — M ic h ig a n s t a t e college N O M IN A TE D FOR DATE CREDENTIALS FILED HOME ADDRESS PHONE PRESENT ADDRESS PHONE DATE OF BIRTH MARRIED? DATE PLACE CHURCH? DEGREES & DATES GRANTED KIN D OF CERTIFICATE HELD EXTRA-CURRICULAR A C T IV IT IE S IN COLLEGE: A C T IV IT IE S A P P LIC A N T C A N DIRECT: REMARKS: EXPERIENCE RECORD DATES PLACE POSITION SALARY MOS. Q U ALIFIED TO TEACH M AJO R: M IN O R : ADM AR T AGR BIO CHE COM PHYS. ED ECN ELM ENG FRE H. E. 0-481 I SAMPLE CARPEX FORM LAN LA T M AT MUS M l W PHY SCI S. S. SPH HRS. APPENDIX C WhiteCard-Men BuffCardsWomen c — POSITION — EDUCATION C o m m e r c ia l A g r ic u l t u r e 1 Law 11 Artsand C ra fts D e b a te 2 12 A s tr o n o m y D ie te tic s 3 13 A t h le t ic s 4 E duc. P sych . G e rm a n 21 31 M in e r a lo g y P s y c h o lo g y E d u c a tio n P h y s ic a l a n d H is t o r y H y g ie n e ( E u r o p e a n ) 22 23 24 51 61 71 A m e r. L it . P u b lic S p e a k in g F e m a le B u sin e ss A d m in . 42 52 62 72 112 S o c. Sc. M a r r ie d C o m m e r c ia l P h. D . S e n io r -iig h S c h o o l J r. B u s. N u rs e ry K in d e r ­ g a r te n 73 33 93 103 113 V o c s c io n a t S m ith H ughes 34 44 54 64 74 84 94 104 114 G u id a n c e P e rs o r n e l B usine ss C o lle g e N o rm a l Dean S o c io lo g y 75 85 95 105 115 S o c ia l D ir e c t o r S p e e ch C o r r e c t io n 106 116 S t c n o g r a p h v M e t a llu r g y 55 65 Law R e m e d ia l R e a d in g ju n io r C o lle g e C o lle g e or U n iv e r s it y 56 66 7S 88 96 P e n m a n s h ip Z o o lo g y H e a lth E d u c a tio n S p e c ia l E d u c a tio n 47 57 67 77 M u s ic ( T h e o r y ) T y p e w r it in g F in e A rc s jo u r n a lis m 16 26 36 48 F re n c h L a t in 27 37 E d u c a tio n (15 H o u r s ) S u p e rv is o r 87 7 17 C h e m is t r y E d u c a tio n A d m in i s ­ tra tio n G e n e ra l S cie n ce M anual A rts P h ilo s o p h y A d u lt E d u c a tio n P h a rm a c y M e d ic a l S u b je c ts F o re ig n S tu d y 8 18 28 38 48 58 68 78 88 E d u c a tio n S e c o n d a ry G e o g ra p h y M a t h e m a tic s 30 102 C o u n ty N o rm a l E c o n o m ic s 20 92 82 N o rm a l T r a in in g 45 10 P r iv a te S chool E le m e n ta r y E d u c a tio n 35 G e o lo g y L a te E le m e n ta r y ju n io r H ig h S c h o o l T e s ts & . M e a s. 25 CommercialEducation Geography R u r a l 111 S p a n is h 15 29 ; M u s ic ( V o c a l) S 19 1 01 H is t o r y (A U ) H om e E c o n o m ic s 9 ' 63 E n g lis h L ite ra tu -re C iv ic s P o lit ic a l S c ie n c e ; 53 D t a w in g E d u c a tio n H is t o r y a nd B o o k k e e p in g P rin c ip le s A. M. E a r ly E le m e n ta r y 43 B a c te rio lo g y 6 ei 81 ^ LOCATION T u to r 33 M u s ic ( In s tr u ­ m e n ta l) B o ta n y A c c o u n tin g 41 H is t o r y M is c . m g in e e r in g ( A m e r ic a n ) L a n g u a g e s E n g lis h D r a m a tic s C o m p o s itio n 14 32 M a le V a r s it y A . B. 39 A r c h it e c t u r e &. L a n d s . R e lig io u s P h ysics D e s ig n E d u c a tio n 49 P h y s io lo g y M e c h a n ic a l and D r a w in g H y g ie n e 40 50 97 S c c ia l W o rk 107 F o re ig n ; P la y g ro u n d E le m e n ta r y and P r in c ip a l R e c re a tio n a l 98 ' 108 , 117 C o lo r e d 118 --- RELIGION --- , , C h r is t ia n H ig h S c h o o S c ie n tis t P r in c ip a l S e c r e ta ria l P r o t. C r it ic 59 69 79 89 99 109 119 C lin ic a l W o rk E x p e rie n c e R om an C a t h o lic J e w ish a n d O th e r s S u p e r in ­ te n d e n t L ib r a r y School N u rs e 60 70 80 90 100 no 120 F1NDEX SYSTEMS Milwaukee Patented Form 152-D UnlvenicyBureauofAppoiacaentsandOccupationalInformatter UNIVERSITYOF MICHIGAN "j " j SAMPLE FINDEX FORM . 185 APPENDIX D f | HOMETOWN » AT TIME OF FIRST ENROLLMENT ■ STUDENT NUMBER P LA CE M EN T ___________O O WOT 1 SERIAl NO. i PREP. SCHOOL IRANK CITIZ, (jEOG. CODE RES. BIRTH YR- ADM. M. S. C. I i • 1 SEX 1 CURRICULUM BUREAU WRITE REGISTRATION ABOVE HEAVY FOLDER NUMBER CARD LI NE Every graduate student and senior who will terminate his work before next fall term must fill out this PRELIMINARY placement form. FINAL application forms must be picked up at the Placement Bureau IMMEDIATELY AFTER CLASS REGIS­ TRATION. SERVICE BY THE BUREAU WILL NOT BE GIVEN UNTIL FINAL APPLICATION IS COMPLETED. STUDENT NUMBER PRESENT LOCAL FIRST ADDRESS LOCAL HOME PHONE ADDRESS YOUR SPECIFIC M A JO R (ME. ENGINEERING, ENGLISH, EC O N O M IC S , ETC.) HERE_ _2._ IF A TEACHER C AN D ID ATE LIST M IN O R S HERE 1.______________ C H E C K TER M Y O U W IL L G R A D U A T E FA LL □ W IN T E R □ „£STCO 77X55 OO S P R IN G □ NOT BELOW SUMMER □ WRITE ON DEG R E E E X P E C T E D YEAR_ BACK OF THIS CARD - SAMPLE IBM FORM (C IR C L E O N E ) B. A . B. M . • M . A. B. S. M. M. ■ M . S. PRINT ALL ITEMS CAREFULLY BELOW PH. D. NUMBER