Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

nificant than the provision of equipment, can be seen: 1. Emphasis on curriculum change and development in Oregon during the five years immediately preceding NDEA created a readiness for action to improve instruction generally. This "context for change" has had a most noticeable and significant effect on Oregon's State Plan, on administration of the Plan, and especially on the acceptance and action under NDEA by local school districts and personnel. 2. Oregon, hke the majority of states, has long believed in the practice of general supervision, and has carried on very effective work in this area. Title III is providing a significant test of special consultant services to extend the impact of this general supervision. Since this consultation program is still in beginning phases, it is too early to distinguish efi^ects; however, the demand for services and the resulting types of activity already indicate that this approach to the Title III improvement of supervision program may be more important in the long run than the acquisition of any amount of special equipment by Oregon schools. This special consultant service is offered for instructional materials areas as well as for each NDEA subject area. 3. The "spotlight effect" of NDEA, focused sharply on science, mathematics, and modem foreign languages, has brought about increasing concern for other subject areas. Oregon school administrators generally are doing their best to move ahead in the improvement of instruction in other key areas for their districts, as well as participating in NDEA subject area projects. 4. The special programs of national groups and of other NDEA Titles are having increasing effects on Title III activities. The Traveling Science Teacher Program of the National Science Foundation, the work of the Physical Science Study Committee at M.I.T., and the activities of the Modem Language Association and the professional groups developing materials and approaches in mathematics are all cases in point. Title VI institutes for language teachers are affecting Title III language studies. What does the future promise in Oregon? For the audiovisual field, as well as for the entire Title III program, the greatest development still lies ahead. How fast the tremendous potential for AV development will come depends very largely on the effectiveness with which audiovisualists work at the local level with persons in the subject areas and with school administrators. It is beginning to be widely recognized that the AV person can be most helpful and effective only if he participates in the basic planning for the improvement of instruction, but he won't get this opportunity if he has not shown his value and indicated that he is "ready, willing, and eager." Although few school districts in Oregon have a full time AV person, effective work is being done by many Oregon AV persons who spend part of their professional time in this area. The most interesting AV developments may well come in the field of language instruction. Much careful and cautious development work is under way in Oregon to fit essential equipment into the patterns of function required at the elementary and secondary level and by various local circumstances. The development of locally-prepared materials uniquely adapted to Oregon needs or filling poorly-supplied needs for visualization in various content areas is also receiving more attention. In Oregon, then. Title III has: —Had a strong catalytic effect in bringing about new activities of great promise; —Brought about the expenditure of large sums for the special equipment teachers need to improve instruction; —Focused atention firmly on the audiovisual media as essential and important tools which should be an integral part of instruction. Undoubtedly, what happens as the Title III promise becomes progress and then performance will have a marked effect on the future course of education in the state. 644 Educational Screen and Audiovisu.al Guide^December, 19.59