REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS + 35

 (1) At the kindergarten level, a series of workshops, conducted by
the Kindergarten Supervisor, enabled the teachers to share valuable
experiences and to assist one another in evaluating and planning the
entire program. New furniture, equipment, and materials heretofore
unavailable were received during the year, contributing to the all-
around improvement of the kindergarten program.
 In St. Croix the Director of Elementary Education inaugurated a
special 8-week summer program for preschool, non-English speaking
Puerto Ricans. This was the first special effort taken to assist Puerto
Rican students with the language problem. As expected the program
proved to be quite successful, and plans were made to continue it as a
permanent feature of the kindergarten program, especially in St.
Croix where the problem of non-English speaking students is quite
acute.
 The public schools enrolled 495 kindergarten students under 15 full-
time teachers. Parent-Teacher Associations were particularly active
and showed considerable interest in school matters.
 (2) At the elementary level the campaign to raise the level of in-
struction and improve the overall program took many forms. First
of all, a series of meetings with all principals and administrative per-
sonnel were held to acquaint them with the improvement program. At
these meetings emphasis was placed on the important role of the
principal in the educational enterprise and the need for each of them
to provide the leadership within the schools.
 Early in the year a complete tour of all elementary schools was
made by the elementary supervisors for the purpose of assisting prin-
cipals and teachers in conducting orientation on the improvement
program and in evaluating the schools to determine immediate needs.
Upon completion of this initial phase, the need was obvious for guide-
lines for teachers. With the help of supervisors and teachers, bulletins
were prepared stressing pertinent suggestions for the improvement of
instruction. Following a second brief period of evaluation, every
teacher agreed that the Language Arts needed major attention. With
this basic understanding, teachers willingly assisted in developing
teaching aids, in attending conferences, and in participating in study
groups aimed toward the improvement on instruction in this area.
 In addition to the stepped-up program of classroom supervision,
teacher conferences and demonstrations, several workshops were held
throughout the Islands. Among them was a 2-week health workshop
conducted jointly by the Department of Health and the Department
of Education. A one-day teachers' institute was held in St. Thomas
and St. Croix on the teaching of Language Arts. Two science and
Mathematics Workshops were conducted under the sponsorship of the
National Science Foundation. The professional growth of the teach-