Federal Security Agency
U. S. OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Washington

INFORMATION COPCERNING REGIONAL
TRAINING INSTITUTES ON PEYSICAL FITNESS

The Ue. S. Office of Education, in cooperation with the Army and Navy is
actively trying to help the high schools of the country plan and carry out a war-
time program of physical fitness. A manual outlining a proposed program of phys-
jeal education has been completed by a committee composed of representatives of
the Army, Navy, U. S. Public Health Service, Division of Physical Fitness of the
Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services, public schools, and the U. S. Office
of Educatione Another manual outlining a high-school program of health education,
directed toward wartime health problems, is in preparation and will be ready early
next yoare

A plan has been developed for interpreting and introducing the physical edu-
cation program te the high schoolse This plan includes (1) a series of nine re-
gional institutes, one of which will be held in each Army Service Command for a
period of three days, and (2) a ssries of training institutes in each State.

The purpose of the regional training institutes is to train a group of
persons from State departments of education, State teachers colleges, wniversities,
city school systcms and other key positions to serve as organizers and faculty mom-
bers for the training institutes within their home States. Aftor these persons
complete the program of training at the 3-day regional training institutes they
should return to their States and rromptly conduct a series of training institutes
for the men and women high-school teachers of vhysical education and the school
administrators from the local areas adjacent to the State training ccnterse In
conducting these regional institutes the Office of Education will have the assist-
ance of representatives from the Army, Navy, the Physical Fitness Division of the
Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services, and other interested cducational
and governmental agenciese

Each State department of education is invitcd to cooperate with the Office
of Education .in introducing this intensive wartime program of physical education
in high schoolse This would involve (1) arranging for representatives from the
State department and from other strategic agencies in each State to attend the re-
gional training institute at State or local expense, and (2) conducting several
local institues at convenient points in cach State for the purpose of familiar=
izing the high-school teachers and administrators with the physical fitness program.

It may seem wise to suggest that some of the younger faculty members, as
vell as some of the more mature persons in administrative positions, be invited
to attend ths regional training institutc. Approximotely 25 persons would prob=
ably be an adequate number of representatives from each Statee

Teachers and supervisors of health education in cach State who can con=
venicntly attend the regional institute will find an opportunity to discuss their
problems and the new health education program with the Consultant in Health Educa-
tion from the Office of Education who will be a member of the institute staff.

It may be that the State supcrintendent would wish to designate some mcmber
of his staff as a person with whom the Division of Physical Fitness in the Ue Se
Office of Education my communicate directly conccrning the details of the
institutee