# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S483
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Report of Board for Higher Education ‘ 483

* B. The Teacher-Training Schools

‘teachers’ colleges at River Forest and Seward were included
urvey of Synod’s institutions and received considerable study.
of the colleges were visited, the former repeatedly. A detailed
“of the organization and operation of River Forest was made
ther with Superintendent S. J Roth, with whom we spent some
fat-the college.

1é problems of the teachers’ colleges are far more complex. than
the theological training schools. The dislocations resulting
the war have been more severe for these colleges, Several
rs have operated to produce an acute teacher shortage. Since
ng of 1943 accelerated programs have been adopted; long
er sessions have been introduced. A large group of St: Louis
dents attended the Seward and River Forest summer sessions. for
nin; in educational methods and is temporarily engaged in parish
hook: "teaching, The entire curriculum has undergone shifts and
fications to cope with the emergency. .

usual difficulties confront the investigator of the future demands
atish school teachers. Losses are increasing, due to transfers of
ale and female teachers into more lucrative fields. The num-
f parish schools in coming years is difficult to assess, since schools
close if a teacher cannot be secured and, once closed, are diffi-
o reopen. On the other hand, the success of promotional efforts
increase the number of schools or to open jointly conducted schools
be predicted at this time with any degree of accuracy. The
iod of service for female teachers is unusually brief, depending
ersonal factors to a much greater extent than is the case with
e@ teachers, and any variation in the ratio of male to female

chers will have a vital bearing « on the number of teachers de-
ided.

“The future demand for teachers, however, is of basic importance in
pasidering the need for two’ teachers’ colleges or the problem of ac-
editing Seward as a senior college or even maintaining it as a four-
ear college.

‘The difficulty of securing an adequate enrollment at Seward has
en rise to the proposal of opening this school for pretheological
students. This poses the question:of what effect such a move would
e.on the enrollments of Winfield and _Concorgia if the latter is
ntained. It likewise invites study of the soundness of expanding’
lities in an area already oversupplied with schools. .

f even more vital concern is the ultimate effect of combining
ological and teacher-training. The ordination of parish school
; designating them as assistant pastors; transferring theolog-
al'students from the Seminary to‘ teachers’ colleges for their educa-
on courses and teacher-training students to St. Louis for theological
dies; complete elimination of the differences in training teachers