Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1870-10-28
school Statistics of Vermont

hepoIts Vi the oecretary OF tne DOatu VI A'"NN
ton. cannot be said to possess very much value.
They are better than nothing, but rot one
twentieth part SIS valuable as they might easily
be made. Trey are printed now in one grand
Statistical Aggregate covering about page
and a half This undscriminating exhibit OF
totils serves as basis for good many strong
and some rash, statements ss TO the cost and de-
fciencies and failures of our schools ; but Whist
further purpose is served, it would b. diihcuit
TO say. The progressive and the stationary or
retrogrsding portions of the commonwealth are
Jumped together in one mass. For practical
uses, We need specifications and details we ge''
instead, a sweeping generalization.
Consider the expense to the State Of this little
table. 1t seems by last years report that the
aggregate number Of weeks of school was 90 $40.
Suppose that each teacher gives, on the aver
age, FIVE minutes Of each session to the keeping
of the school register. Allowing six hours to the
day, five days to the week, and forty weeks to
the school year, this statistical work requireH OIL
the teachers time S,l7S days, or 1854 weeks
or little more than 40 school years. II this
time were paid for at the low rate Of 500 a
week, it would require the snug little sum oil
/ Ss,l70. Then the superintendent OF 40 towns
gather these registers at the end Of the year
aud proceed to tabulste them for the use OF the
Secretary. The work would be chesply done at
$500 for each town here is an outlay OF labor
if not Of money, to the extent Of $50 more
Further, the school census is taken by the clerks
of2I97 districts or, if the fractional districts
be included, Of COG districts. Granting but
halliday in which to do this work in each dis
trict. We have a total Of 1900 days absorbed in
making the enumeration-quite too low an est
mate This labor is often paid for by the dis
trcts, we believe at all events. it is indirectly
paid for in the fees by law allowed the clerk for
making returns Of births and deaths 3 cents
each There is another item to considerable
time which Town Clerks are obliged to give to
this bushes, Of the School Registers; but we
will not attempt to compute it, Aud once
more after these returns are gathered in the
Secretary's office, they must be assorted and
copied in tables and summed up; work which
should require, we Judge, from four to siz weeks
Of clerical lAbor. 1t is entirely safe to say that
the whole amount Of time and labor spent IN this
work in lc,0-G11ce with state iar, would
be stingily paid for by the sum Of isa thousand
/ dollars. And this page and half is the total
visible outcome A rather rilirui.f Avs
when considered :. the fruit Of 50 much ira
vail
and even this summary must he pronounced
Enthusiastically. Secretary Rankin in the l2th
Report gives list OF tirty-fHp 'llraF which
made no raaras. Those which were received,
be prorounces d" incomplete and inaccurate. ''
He says the superintendent " make very gen
eral complaints against the distric, clerks,
characterizing some IS " thoroughly iucompe-
tom, 20 perform the duties Of their cthae,' and
other. IS "c.reles, aui inaccurate. 1t results
OF course. that the summary can not "io more
tasn approximate TO the truth" In the 18th
1.-THE l.stl Report he gives smother list Of te..g-
.r, t5sas whose superintenien;s were deiin-
guent. renting la report. Such towns o..
as Nlue5ury ani yergennes, a. vel IS New
Hsyen. Br.iport. Granville AMI Leicester O., the
sane county, are pilorei in both reports for
neg,ec, Of the law.
Even Montpelier keeps them company 10 The
. ls.t report [anl will in the one forthcoming ]
Three Of these towns are among the very fore
mos. N eiu,a,ionAl matters, sni yet they iIsrs-
CARL The Az. and repeatedly What can We
expect from the smaller AMI less progressive
communities Such towns refusing to maae
returns. il is 10 wonder that from oue-tenth O.
one eighth q the whole state should be unreport-
Ell. fsome Of the distric; clerks, Secretary d.
ia h.s ,sst Report says .-'' In many districts
The most ignorant AMI inefficient men occupy
these positions Some Of them can scarcely
write legitly. and utterly ignore al the rules for
spelling Unless some remedy be found, W.
nigh, As well give up 81 attempts 20 secure any
statistics To this last remark We asree.
though TO our mind It only emphasizes bic l';h
reason r. 1907 fr adopting the NunieipA
System q schools We have ourselves inspect
el School Registers enough, 70 enable US 70 bacs
up the strong language Of the Secretary. So
many Of the clerks especially, send IN CHROME as
OF defective returns, that no reliance i 10 De
placed on the aggregated agures. To genera
i-e from them IS unsafe The teachers returns
are mo,tt9 be depended or; tu. who believes,
to take an instance that '' the average attend
Anee gained nearly t.s 1e~ cent in lsts-l3'''
Secretary Adams in his ll,h Report says ot
the Vermont system Of School Statistics, that
tits equal, If not superior to any in exists
ence." This system it is fair to say. should
incluIea scheme or plan for publishing the facts
obtained. What this Is in Vermont, has already
been stated A p.ge, or page and half, ez-
hibiting but single column Of figures, gives
everything that is not buried IN the Secre;ary'-
Office Now. f1r the sase q comparison, We
take up such Of the last reports Of neigh5oring
states as happen to lie within our resch 81 we
write
The New Hampshire Report furnishes twelve
p,ces closely packed with figures, containing the
numerical answers, arranged by towns ami by
counties. to thirty-'our questions shout NO
italGref and hiriy-frs times Us mach stAtisii-
csl raatter as is found in the Vermont document
The New York Report gives twenty-siI psges Of
figures. tabulstei by counties, TO correspond
with the peculiar school organization Of the
State The Connecticut document presents
f5rty-se7en pages of tables, classified by counties
aud By towns, the fret eighteen Of which give the
answers to thirty seven questions, town by town.
The remainder are equally definite. The stats
teal part Of the Massachusetts, Report cover
one hundred and six pages, and presents the
condition and progress Of each town.
In view # these facts. We submit thu; 1t does
not become u to boast Of our superior SITS
tistical schedule. Our entire statistical report
would not occupy one nth Of 4 Pagr in the
New Hampshire tables 1t is not uninteresting to
know that the schools Of Vermont. all told, re-
port SO Thermou eters in use; but where are
they, Add, that half that number are in the
school-houses Of this city, and tell US where the
rest are, and We shall get some localized, specific
information, that will help us to compare notes
as to the care taken of the health OF the child
ren. So in regard to more important matters
wages, money raised, number Of weeks Of school,
average attendance, fit or unfit school-houses,
visits Of superintendents and pruientisl COM
mittees,-we are sll rendered obnoxious to
sweeping condemnation for which this " statis-
teal aggregate" seems TO afford ample warrant.
We don't like to have to answer for the sins Of
others,-that's one reason why we object to
tumbling our school statistics, gathered at SO
great outlay Of cost and labor, into one confused
heap, of which the people can never ascertain
more than the footings And another and
weightier reason is that desire to be in posi-
t;on IN make comparisons Of town with town,