Secondary Education for Youth in Modern America

THE aim of education is to affect beneficially the activities of life for which youth is educated. The approach, therefore, to a philosophy of secondary education must be on the basis of the relationship of the schools to the rest of society. Changes in social conditions and institutions necessarily affect the details of educational objectives, so these issues must be met with acknowledge also of the attitudes of youth, his problems and his capacities.

It has therefore seemed advantageous to prepare a résumé of what appear to be the more important facts and trends in these fields, thereby giving both meaning and support to a statement of the philosophy which seems most practical and effective in the light of our times and ideals. The major implications of that philosophy will be outlined with particular reference to the more promising means of implementing it.

This book does not assume professional training in education on the part of its readers. In the interest of brevity it avoids the specific and deals solely with a few generalizations which may be made to apply to various problems and particular cases. No one plan for the reorganization of the schools is suggested, but many adjustments may come from the procedures here presented. No one type of school is designated, but the plans tend to fall into types, such as part-time or cooperative secondary education, "life school" plans similar to the Civilian Conservation Corps idea, informal voluntary schools for older youth such as the Danish "Folk" or the "People's" high schools, types of junior colleges such as the Michigan and Chicago emergency or youth schools, and vocational schools of

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