LIST OF HIGH SCHOOLS APPROVED BY SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUC

*Indicates that the high school is accredited by the University of Michigan.

**Indicates that the high school is on the approved list of the North Central Association.

(a) Indicates that the agricultural department of the high school s approved by the Michigan Agricultural Coll ge.

LIST OF HIGH SCHOOLS APPROVED BY SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUC

*Indicates that the high school is accredited by the University of Michigan.

**Indicates that the high school is on the approved list of the North Central Association.

(1) Indicates that the agricultural department of the high school is approved by the Michigan Agricutura College.

LIST OF HIGH SCHOOLS APPROVED BY SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUC

*Indicates that the high school is accredited by the University of Michigan.

**Indicates that the high school is on the approved list of the North Central Association.

(a) Indicates that the agricultural department of the high school is approved by the Michigan Agricultural College.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Under the provisions of the Constitution of the United States all governmental powers, not expressly given to the United States, are reserved to the individual states. Each state is required to set up a Democratic-Republican form of government, and this is particularly true of the states which were formed from the Great Northwestern Territory. The original colonies after they became states made provision for public education and as new states were organized their Constitutions provided for a system of public education in recognition of the fact that democratic institutions rest upon the intelligence of the people and their perpetuity. It was necessary and natural that each state constitution, therefore, should provide for the organization of a system of public education. The Territorial Constitution of Michigan of 1805 and the State Constitution which followed in 1837 gave to the Legislature the power to establish a system of public education and immediately after the approval of the Constitution by federal authority the Legislature in its first session enacted laws providing for the establishment of a public school system whose chief officer was to be the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Education in the earlier years of the history of this country was modeled to a large extent according to the ideas of the emigrants who came from western Europe. The system consisted in the first place of the organization of elementary education and the one-room elementary school has been the pride of the American people. The curriculum included the common branches and the purpose was to train our children in speaking, reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. To these subjects were later added geography, history and civil government.

The people very early recognized the need of further educational training and private schools and academies were created to meet the need. By 1825 the people generally, and the educators particularly, recognized the need of a more extended system of public education and in cities such as Boston, New York and Philadelphia schools of higher grade than the elementary schools, called high schools or union schools, were established. These rapidly grew in favor and the system of high schools, or as we now speak of them, secondary schools, have become very popular and widespread, every village and city maintaining such institutions.

The courses of study in these secondary schools in all the earlier years were strictly of the academic type, the basis being a study of the classics to which were added mathematics, science, history and languages. For many years the secondary schools were practically standardized along classical lines. About 1880 the need for a type of education which would fit young people for the activities of life began to be felt. A rapid development in commercial and industrial life made this need urgent and the schools slowly began to respond to the call. About 1880 definite courses to prepare for business life were in operation and by 1890 the socalled practical courses were extended to include instruction in home arts and in manual arts. Courses in domestic science and manual training began to have a place. From this stage the movement toward vocational education has been rapid, caused by the development in Europe of definite systems of vocational training and by the urgent necessity for trained persons in the industrial life of America.

The Federal Constitution gives authority to Congress to enact such legislation as will increase the prosperity of the people and promote the general welfare. Under this authority Congress in 1862 passed what is known as the Morrill Act, providing for the establishment of colleges of agriculture and mechanic arts in the several states, also granting certain areas of land, the proceeds from the sales of which should be used in establishing and promoting such colleges. This was the first direct movement on the part of the National Government aimed at increasing the industrial efficiency of the American people through education. Other acts amendatory to the Morrill Act have since been passed providing federal appropriations for the so-called Land Grant Colleges and for the purpose of improving the general intelligence of the people. in industrial and agricultural arts. The later laws along this line have developed the term "extension education" and every state is now making use of federal funds for extension work in agriculture and home arts. The 64th Congress of the United States passed an Act known as the Smith-Hughes Law, which act was signed by President Wilson on February 23, 1917, and became operative as a law on July 1, 1917. This law provides for federal funds to be used for vocational education of less than college grade in institutions under public control. This statement in the law places these funds practically in the hands of our public system of secondary schools. This law was a natural result of the Federal Legislation which had preceded for the development of collegiate education along industrial lines. The new law provided strictly for vocational education and thus after nearly one hundred years of educational history in America vocational training is to become a part of our system of public education. The Smith-Hughes Law requires that each state desiring to share in the distribution of federal funds for vocational education shall enact certain. laws and also appropriate sums of money for that purpose, equal in amount to the federal funds to be received. The Federal Government, therefore, now comes into direct touch with our state public school system and the way is paved for the development of a national system of education. The Federal Law provides funds for three distinct purposes: (a) The salaries of teachers, supervisors and directors of agricultural subjects.

(b) The salaries of teachers of trade, industrial and home economics subjects.

(c) The salaries for instructors who shall direct the training of teachers for agricultural, trade and industrial subjects and for home economics subjects.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Law, the Legislature of the State of Michigan in its session of 1917 enacted a statute known as Act 189 of the Public Acts of 1917, which act was approved and signed by the Governor on May 5, 1917, and took effect on July 1, 1917. This law, in accordance with the directions of the Federal Law, designated a State Board of Control for Vocational Education and that all federal funds coming to the state should be in the hands of the State Treasurer as custodian of such educational funds. The Board of Control consists of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as executive officer, the President of the State Board of Education, the President of the University of Michigan, and the President of the Michigan Agricultural College,