The General Assembly of Virginia, concerned with widespread report that many schools throughout the nation, including most of those in Virginia, have not been providing the quality of education demanded in these times of rapid scientific advancement and critical international tensions, and being also aware that no thorough overall survey of the progress of Virginia's schools had been made for more than a decade, at its 1958 Regular Session adopted Senate Joint Resolution 14, which directed such a survey.

The Commission was also, by Senate Joint Resolution No. 45, directed to include in its study the proper treatment, in the school curriculum, of certain historic papers which were significant milestones in the history of this Commonwealth and the Nation.

Pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution No. 14, the President of the Senate appointed William B. Spong, Jr., of Portsmouth; and Mosby G. Perrow, Jr., of Lynchburg, as members of the Commission; the Speaker of the House of Delegates appointed D. French Slaughter, Jr., of Culpeper, James M. Thomson, of Alexandria, and C. Stuart Wheatley, Jr., of Danville, to the Commission; and the Governor appointed Jerry G. Bray, Jr., Judge, Corporation Court, South Norfolk, James W. Fletcher, Attorney at Law, Sperryville; Thomas L. Lanier, Treasurer, Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, William S. Mundy, Jr., member; Lynchburg City School Board and Attorney at Law, Lynchburg, Harold W. Ramsey, Superintendent of Schools of Franklin County, and Mrs. Bess Willis Shrader, Chairman of the School Board of Amherst County, Amherst, as members of the Commission. The Governor designated Senator Perrow as Chairman of the Commission. On April 26, 1959, Senator Perrow resigned from the Commission. Senator George S. Aldhizer, II replaced Senator Perrow. William B. Spong, Jr., was commissioned as Chairman by the Governor on May 4, 1959. Subsequently, Mr. Wheatley, who had not offered for reelection to the House of Delegates, also resigned from the Commission.

The Commission formally organized on June 29, 1959. Mr. Slaughter was elected Vice-Chairman of the Commission, and John B. Boatwright, Jr., and G. M. Lapsley were appointed Secretary and Recording Secretary, respectively.

On August 12, 1959, C. Jackson Salisbury, Assistant Professor of Educational Administration, University of Virginia, was retained as Consultant to the Commission. The following staff members assisted Dr. Salisbury in the conduct of his study: James Colbert, Graduate Assistant, Walter I. Meilbronner, Assistant Professor of German, William C. Lowry, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, Leonard Pikaart, Graduate Assistant, David D. Redfield; Research Assistant, and Virgil S. Ward, Associate Professor of Education, all of the University of Virginia.

From the outset the Commission has been fully conscious of the vast scope of the task assigned to it. At its initial meeting, being conscious of the limited time available in which to complete its study, the Commission prepared an agenda in an attempt to limit its activities to the matters which were most vital and which could be given adequate consideration in the time available. Throughout its study, the Commission has steadfastly sought to devote its major attention to these matters.

The Commission was aided in its task by the fact that the State Board of Education, throughout the past two years, has been conducting an intensive study of two major facets of the problem which the Commission was directed to study. On January 23, 1958, the State Board of Education created a committee to study the curriculum of the public schools under the chairmanship of Mrs. Gladys V. V. Morton. This committee completed its study of the curriculum of the secondary schools and made a report to the State Board which, on December 11, 1958, adopted a statement of policy making drastic revisions in the curriculum offering in the Virginia public schools. (The Committee's study, insofar as it relates to the curriculum in the elementary grades, was not completed in time to be of assistance to the Commission but changes in the elementary offering also are being considered.)

Also, in February, 1958, the State Board of Education took action with respect to the matter of teacher certification. This action, as well as the curriculum changes, will be discussed at length subsequently in this report.