High School v. War Jobs

What would keep high-school students from quitting school to take well-paying war jobs? That was what the U.S. Office of Education asked itself. Last summer the Office set to work to contrive ways & means for local authorities to keep students in school. Last week the Office reported that it had succeeded beyond its dreams. U.S. high-school enrollment last fall dropped about 6.2%--only about half the expected loss. The Office also reported some of the means by which the trick was turned:

P: In Los Angeles, a high-school "four-four plan" is enabling thousands of pupils to spend four hours daily in school, four on jobs.

P: In Birmingham, pupils in the Paul Hayne Vocational High School spend half of each day on jobs related to their courses, including auto mechanics, beauty culture, tearoom management.

P: In San Francisco, schools grant up to 30 units credit (spread over three years) for work experience.

P: In New York City, the 26 vocational schools pursued students by letters, telephone calls, visits; they adjusted programs, arranged part-time jobs, offered attendance awards.

P: In Berks County, Pa., a Schools Project Committee of educational, business, agricultural and industrial leaders last spring placed teachers and pupils in jobs with employers who promised to hustle them back to classrooms in September.

P: In Philadelphia, schools developed plans to fill retail-sales jobs on a basis of afternoon work on school days, an eight-hour Saturday stint. Returns to school were up over 1942.

P: In Cleveland, high-school principals sent letters to pupils just before schools reopened. They pleaded the country's need of educated citizens, youth's need of education. Result: Cleveland had more pupils in September than in June, 1943.

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