The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-07-29
our COn1MOE SCHOOLS.
Report of II. j. Chapman, NJ. A. County
suP't, for the School Year 1 SEQ.

sup,t, for the school Year 1859.
I. EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS IN THE COUNTY.
In looking back over the school year that
has Just closed, I think that we of this coun-
ty have reason to be pleased with the pro-
gress which our educational interests have
made. This progress has indicated itself in
several particulars, among which may emu
merate the following:
| l. Material Improvements.
2. Increased number of Schools.
g. Better Qualifications.
4. Graded Salaries.
l. Muterial improvements material
improvements / mean the new houses that
have been erected, the old ones that have
been properly repaired, the fences that have
been put up, and the out-houses that have
been built upon school premises. The houses
that have been erected during the year are
as follows Summerhill 2, Carroll /, Chest
l, Richland 2, Allegheny l, Taylor / To-
tai, 8. The other material Improvements
that have been made are to be found in near
ly every district in the county. These little
improvements, many of which are trlt1lng
enough no doubt, are still important as sig
niicant of the popular sentiment in regard
to our common schools. ''StIaws" are con-
suited, especially during political cam
paign, as showing (which way the wind
blows" and SO l fondly hail newly rooted
school house, or neatly built fence around
the play-gi ound, as an indication that the
hearts of our people are in the right place in
reference to our noble free school system.
2. Increased Number Of Schools.-New
schools have been opened in the following
districts Summerhill Il, Johnstown 3,
Millville l, Yoder l.: Total, 81.
8. Better QudlitcatiOns.-The qualifica-
tions of our teachers for the places which
they occupied were, ! think, somewhat bet
ter as general rule than they were the year
before. They manifested this Improvement
in the annual examinations and in the great
ly increased success with which our schools
were managed. 1t is very gratifying to be
be able to state that our schools were more
generally successful In the year just closed
than they were in the year preceding. This
has been a very frequent remark on the part
of directors and citizens.
4. Graded Salaries. Of our districts
tried the experiment of grading the salaries
paid to their teachers. The unjust and un-
reasonable plan of paying the same wages to
all alike, good, bad and Indifferent, has,
believe, always existed as an invariabe rule
in this county until recently. In most of the
districts where a change was made, the
amount of wages to be paid was based upon
the character of the certificate which the
teacher held. In Chest township the salary
was graded according to the average attend
ance of the school. In Clear6eld, White,
and possibly also in other districts, the sala-
ry was made to depend upon the success
with which the teacher managed the school.
Each of these methods of grading the salaries
has its obvious advantages and diSadvanta-
ges, while the fact that interest enough was
taken in the matter to attempt anything of
the kind is a favorable indication.
II. EDUCATIONAL WORK DONE BY sUPERIN-
TENDENT.
Examinations. the year twenty
three public examinations were held. For
the greater convenience of teachers, l after
ward held four Special Examinations in diff
ferent parts of the county. / desired to do
away with private examinations entirely
but owing to the extreme difficulty which
We had to secure teachers, found it abso-
lute;y necessary to grant quite a number of
these. In the opening of the fail campaign
l set the standard somewhat higher than It
bad been before, and the result was that
twenty applicants were rejected. After
ward, owing to the scarcity of teachers to
which l have already alluded, l found it
necessary TO come down a little in my de-
mands-otherwise many of our schools
would not have been opened at all. As it
was, one or two schools failed to come up to
the requirements of the law. 4 few of the
candidates that had been rejected were sub
sequently accepted.
crtifcates.-During the year one hundred
and Seventy-Seven provisional certificates
were issued. Six professional certificates
we're also granted. 1t is the intention to in
vest in this class of certificates real value,
by requiring in the holders of them COM
paratively high grade of qualifications. 1t
is quite possible that errors of Judgment on
the part of the superintendent have been
made, and will be made. in granting these
certificates, but in all such cases the mistake
will be Tectifed as soon as it appears. 1t is
to be borne in mind that the number of GER
tifcates issued, and the number of candidates
rejected, form no true index of the number
of persons examined, as many individuals
were examined two and even three times
during the year. Account was kept of these
persons only once.
VisitGtions.-A part of the programme
was to visit all the schools in the county.
put forth everyteffort, but did not quite sue
ceed. ] made one hundred and eighty-four
visits but few schools, perhaps dozen or
more, were not visited. A number were
visited second time. l do not know that
I visited any school three times. l tried to
make my visits as practically useful as /
could. A great part Of the schools that
failed to visit were in one township, and this
was principally through the neglect of the
school board to furnish me with report in
time. In the discharge of my official duties
the past year, have travelled 1869 miles,
and the generous treatment which l spoke
of in my report of a year ago has been con-
tinued toward me through the twelvemonth
just completed.
III. EDUCATIONAL WORK DONE BY OTHER
AGENCIES.
Other SchoOlS.-Two normal Institutes
were established in the county last summer :
one in Ebeusburg, conducted by Mr.. Geo.
w. Cope, the other in Loretto, by Miss O..
A. Horne. These two schools did good
work. 1t is to be regretted, however, that
they were not as well attended as they should
have been.