Special Reports on Educational Subjects

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PREFATORY NOTE TO VOLUME 15

SPECIAL REPORTS ON EDUCATIONAL SUBJECTS.

The following Report was prepared by Miss Ravenhill as the result of an investigation made by her at the joint request of the Board of Education, the West Riding County Council and the Royal Sanitary Institute. Reports upon certain aspects of her inquiries have already been presented to the West Riding County Council and the Royal Sanitary Institute, whilst the present volume contains the Report prepared by her for the Board of Education. Miss Ravenhill's paper was, with the exception of the Index, to all intents and purposes ready for publication in June, 1903, but in the autumn of that year, when the plans for the issue of a series of papers dealing with School Training for the Home Duties of Women, which had been laid by Mr. Sadler, came to be considered in detail, it was found necessary for various reasons to delay the preparation and publication of reports dealing with the work being done in this country. The results of investigation showed that, until the new Local Education Authorities had found more opportunity to organise this part of their work by the introduction of more systematised methods than have hitherto been possible, it would be wise to postpone any review in published form. On the other hand the absence of any material relating to certain European countries which devote special attention to the teaching of Domestic Economy rendered delay in the publication of a volume dealing with foreign countries inevitable. The intention was, therefore, to await the completion of reports from these countries before issuing any of the material which had been collected, but the increasing attention drawn to all matters affecting the health and well-being of the individual and the family, which has resulted from the Report of the Inter-departmental Committee on Physical Deterioration and the action of influential organisations which represented educational opinion of various kinds, have made it seem desirable to publish as much of the information as possible immediately, The lines of development in the United States of America have been national and little affected by the continental conditions of the Old 6490. 3000-Wt. 1654. 4/05. Wy. & S. 642r.

World, so that there was less reason here for grouping Miss Ravenhill's Report with the other foreign material. Hence its issue as Part I. of the Series.

It must be understood that, as in the case of previous Special Reports issued by the Board of Education, the Board do not make themselves responsible for the terms employed nor for the opinions expressed in the Report--such responsibility resting entirely with the Author.

The Board desire to take this opportunity of expressing their thanks to the many officials and teachers who, by their willing courtesy, aided Miss Ravenhill in collecting the materials for this Report; they also wish to place on record their indebtedness for the loan of the blocks from which the various plans inserted in this volume have been printed.

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