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Since its beginning well over a quarter of a century ago, the Vocational Agriculture program has become an integral part of the American school system. The legislative groundwork for Vocational Agriculture, as well as all other vocational programs, was set in 1917 with the passing of the Smith-Hughes Act. Further related legislation was passed in 1929 and 1934, but the program received its greatest federal boost with the passing of the George-Deen Act in 1936 and the George-Barden Act in 1946, both of which provided for the annual expenditure of federal funds in support of vocational education. The George-Barden Law, although it includes appropriations from the former bill, provides a total of approximately $29,000,000 for the support of vocational education. This is the maximum allowance, however, and all of it will not be expended unless an actual need exists. With the $7,200,000 appropriated under the original Smith-Hughes Law, the total authorization available now reaches approximately $36,050,000 with agriculture being allocated $13,000,000 of this amount. This includes only the federal provisions. In agriculture alone the total expenditures from federal, state, and local sources increased from $21,293,343 in 1946 to $47,90,397 in 1953. (3, p. 10) The Vocational Agriculture program has as its primary objective the responsibility of assisting young students to become successfully established in farming. An almost equal objective is the training of older established farmers to become more proficient in their work. To help realize the magnitude of this responsibility it should be noted that in the last census of 1950 (4, p. 1-102--1-105) over 23 million people lived on farms in the United States and gained their livelihood from agricultural enterprises. Of approximately 56 million people holding employment in the United States about 6,700,000 or 11.9 per cent were working as farm operators or farm laborers. As for students enrolled in agricultural classes membership in the Future Farmers of America, a national organization for students of agriculture in public secondary schools, in 1953 reached the grand total of 363,969 in 8,569 chartered chapters. (15, p. 82-88) This figure does not include membership in the New Farmers of America, a similar organization set up for negro students in Vocational Agriculture. All 48 states, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii now have active associations of FFA and corresponding Vocational Agriculture departments. In addition to these students in all day classes the combined enrollment of Young Farmer and Adult Farmer classes will approximate this same number. The total enrollment in all types of agricultural classes rose to 755,293 in 1953 and enrollment figures are on a steady increase. (3, p. 6) Even with the large number of individuals engaged in agriculture today, the per cent of the total population in agriculture has been on a gradual decline. This trend is possible only because of increased efficiencies in agricultural production and through vast improvements throughout the entire framework of the agricultural system. If the new farmer is to attain success in this highly competitive society which has developed as a result of these improvements and if existing farmers are to maintain and improve their current prosperity, then a great deal depends upon the effectiveness of the agricultural instruction to be received. Although the physical plant of a school plays an important role, the efficiency of any instructional program depends primarily upon the individual teacher concerned. It should, therefore, be the aim of every school district to imploy only highly trained and well qualified Vocational Agriculture teachers, and it should likewise be the aim of every teacher training institution to release into the profession only those individuals who are fully qualified to take over the responsibilities outlined previously. However, in an organization as large as the Vocational Agriculture program it is realized that the perfection of these ideals is possible only in theory--in actual practice it is often necessary that we be satisfied with less than the best. This is particularly true in view of increasing student enrollments and corresponding shortages of teachers which is so self evident in many fields at the present time. But it is toward these ideals that this study is being made. In consideration of the present supply and demand status of teachers and the increasing population of school-age children, many studies have been made in an effort to determine some of the possible outcomes and solutions to the present shortage of teachers. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy of these studies is the annual "Teacher Supply and Demand Report" prepared by the NEA Research Division and published in The Journal of Teacher Education. This report is concerned with all phases of elementary and secondary education including agriculture. The 1954 report will be mentioned in more detail later in this study. The Vocational Agriculture instructor, however, is quite different from the average elementary or secondary teacher in that most all Agricultural teachers are of the masculine gender. Also the type of work, salaries, and other factors differ appreciably. Consequently, the Vo-Ag teacher would not likely be influenced by the same set of factors as would other teachers and also not to the same degree. For example, the effects of military service requirements would be much greater in this field than in other phases of education which are dominated by women. But taking all factors into consideration it is well known that in all segments of education the rate of turnover of personnel is far greater than would be expected in most other types of professional service. Teaching has never attained a high level of holding power. Consequently, a relative surplus of teachers must be produced each year if the profession is to maintain its present status, let alone increase the numbers in its ranks. It is also widely accepted that a large percentage of Agricultural Education graduates, as well as other types of teacher graduates, never enter the teaching field. This fact is substantiated in the 1954 Teacher Supply and Demand Report in which only 44.2 per cent of the 1953 Agricultural graduates from thirteen states and Hawaii were teaching on November first of the year following graduation. And of the group that does enter the teaching profession many will become dissatisfied and withdraw after a short period of time. Fortunately, others spend a lifetime in the profession rendering it a commendable service. The Teacher Supply and Demand study for the current year showed that the total Agricultural Education graduates exceeded the demand for Vo-Ag teachers. It would be well if we could say that only the most proficient teachers gained employment, but is this actually true? Do the schools attract our most qualified graduates, or are they drawn into other professions? Just what are the factors that influence an individual to withdraw from teaching after he has spent an equivalent of four years in preparing for that very objective? And in the same light what are the reasons that encourage another individual to remain in the occupation of teaching for the balance of his professional career? These are but a few of the questions to be considered in this study. Their solution should provide a better understanding of the problems which confront the Vo-Ag teacher when he begins this tremendous task of educating our American youth. |
