A survey of the educational system of the Philippine islands by the Board of educational survey, created under acts 3162 and 3196 of the Philippine Legislature.

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

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The Commission is not in a position to pass judgment as to comparative importance of reports now required or to make specific recommendation looking toward the elimination of a part of the large number
required. That the actual number might be reduced without interfering with the kinds of information collected by substituting annual
summaries in the place of monthly reports seems possible.
EDUCATIONAL PUBLICITY.-A central office as large as that of the
Bureau of Education has considerable need for securing a favorable
attitude on the part of the 27,000 field workers and of the general
public. It needs this favorable attitude to back up its policies. The
more progressive state departments in the United States deliberately
issue bulletins to educate teachers and laymen and to promote a sound
public opinion favorable to the work of the departments and consequently to the cause of public education.
There is no definite provision for anything of this kind in the central
office at present. The result is that when any difficulty of the field
over an educational policy comes up, the aggrieved person is liable
to rush to the public press with his story. The central administration
in the Bureau preserves a dignified silence. The public obtains its
side by accident if at all.
This was not formerly the case in the central office, and from all
accounts the publicity work formerly carried on produced a more favorable attitude for the office in times of stress than seems now to exist.
There seems need for special efforts in the central office at present to
tell the public the truth on educational problems, to give out authoritative interviews on difficulties, and to distribute "releases" to the papers
on educational questions. Only by doing such work can the central
office expect to educate its public as do the state departments in
America which find publicity so necessary and so advantageous. The
amount of space devoted by daily papers to educational news indicates
that the men best able to judge what people read with interest; namely,
the newspaper men, believe that news about schools is of general
interest. If misinformation is sometimes circulated, the reason for it
may well be that there is no source from which reporters and editors
may obtain accurate information. Newspapers are a great educational
agency. Their help is invaluable in educating the public about
education.
THE BUREAU'S PROGRAM OF SECURING AND ASSIGNING
ADMINISTRATORS
The administration of education in a highly centralized system like
that of the Philippines depends for its efficiency to a very great extent
upon the skill and care with which administrators are selected and as