Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-05-19

I A very considerable number of changes
/ in the territorial divisions of the State
| for school purposes have also occurred
/ within the past yeaE Sixty-One sep
/ crate school districts (the greater mum.
] Der of which contain an incOrDOrated
| town or yillagel, hitherto constituting
/ sub-districts under the jurisdiction OF
| the township boards of education. have
| been organized. In eighteen separate
districts. the schools of which before
were mclassified, regular graded schools
have been organized, and in most OF
these new school houses have been built
or provision made for building hereafter.
The number of youth of school age in
the State in 1854 is stated at Sll, ,957; in
1855, SIC, ,4OS; in 1856, SO, ,624; in lS57, ,SSS-
037; in 1858, S43,22I; IN 1859, S65,9l4; in
1860, Sg2. .S44: in 1861, 81, $50; in 1862, go
$50: in 1858. 9I9.S74; in 1854, 93S, S,g72; in
1865. 944. So; in 1866, 974 .303; in 1861, g95-
80; and in 1868, l,Ol9, lS2
The names of 56l, ,3l5 youth were en-
rolled in the schools of the State in 1856,
of 6O3.347 in 1857, of 6ll,72O in 1858, of
COO. .O34 in 1859, of 6S5, liz in 1860, of III,
726 in 1861, of 723, ,669 in 1862, of $50, ,4l3
in 1863. of 694. go in 1854, of 7O2, So in
1865, of 72s, 800 in 1866, of TO4, ,767 in 1857,
and of 73I, ,722 in 1868.
1t is a disagreeable fact, that of the
number enrolled in our public schools
in 1858, only about tiye-ninths were
in regular daily attendance.
The Commissioner has prepared a ia
BILE comparing the condition of public
education in Ohio with its condition in
sixteen other States. New York en-
plovs 26, 6,4S9 teachers in her schools.
Ohio employs p, ,592 teachers, at an aver
age salary of $50 So per month for males,
and S24 75 for females. Pennsylvania
employs only Is, ,504 teachers, at a salary
of S37 3S per month for males, and SIS 76
for females. In Massachusetts, the aver
age salary for male teachers per month
is $50 92, and for females S26 a. Ohio
employs more male teachers than any
other State.
In Massachusetts the average number
of days attendance TO each pupil enroll
ed is l3O, in Connecticut III, in New
York 50, and in Ohio 77.
The School Commissioner of our State
has much labor to do. aside from the
mere gathering of statistics. Since the
close of the war the duties of this office
have largely increased. The correspon-
denee has more than doubled, and instead
of settling or litigating local controver-
sizes, school officers and patrons have re-
ferred them to the School Commission
ers for arbitration, thus saving large
amounts of money.
Officers seeking information, relative
TO suitable plans for school houses cost
ing $4,000 and upward, frequently call
on the Commissioner, but he has been
unable, until quite recently, to make any
other suggestions than such as his own
personal experience would furnish.
The work of collecting photographs and
drawings to remedy this defect has al
ready been commenced, and a small sum
should be expended in carry it on. To
aid this work, samples of school furni-
ture and apparatus have been and are
still being collected. Five leading pub
fishing houses have placed in the Office
series of their educational pub
hcatiOns.
For the purpose of aiding teachers
who seek information relating to courses
of study, orders of exercises, rules, reg
ulations, etc, the facts bearing on these
points as they exist in the best organized
schools in the State have been collected
so far rs practicable, and may be had on
application to the School Commissioner.
The Commissioner says that much
good has been accomplished by teachers
Institutes, but he thinks that their use
fulness might be greatly enhanced by
at least two competent insti-
-ute managers or instructors. During
the year IS67-6S fifty-nine institutes were
held in the State, upon which there was
an attendance of 5,066 persons.
In concluding a hasty review of the
report, we would commend it to the at
.entiOn of every earnest lover of educa-
ion in Ohio, as most valuable dOcu-
nent.