Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-04-09
The School Textbook Law.

The town superintendent of schools, as
we judge from their reports in county meet
ings April LIST, are acting with discrimina-
ton and efficiency to secure good schools for
the coming season. They set up wisely a
standard of qualification TO which the teacher
must come up, though the standard is diff
ferent in different counties. That Of Addi
son county upon "written examinations is
seventy-fve per cent, and no candidate to
receive certificate who falls below fifty per
cent. on any study" That Of Washington is
"sixty-ive per cent, and no teacher will be
regarded as qualified whose examination
falls below fifty per cent" The superin-
tendents of Caledonia, moved by complaints
that some of the candidates assist their
friends in passing the public examinations,
resolved that "no certificate will be granted
to any applicant who holds communication
with any person other than the superintend.
emit during the hours of examination"
To make the best of the new law con-
corning textbooks, and to secure as much
uniformity as possible in the matter, the
Caledonia superintendent recommend that
the several town committees, or delegates
from the same, meet in st. Johnsbury, on
the 3D. day of May, at ten o'clock A. NJ, to
take steps to secure uniformity; also that
when town committees choose delegates,
they give them authority to act in behalf of
the town which they represent" Washing
ton superintendent, that the textbook
committees of the different towns of the
county meet for conference at the Court
House in Montpelier, on the first Saturday
in June, to consider the matter of county
uniformity in the use of textbooks" They
also appointed committee of three to in
vestigate the matter of change of textbooks
and report at that meeting. Addison "voted
to call convention of the textbook COM
mittees to meet at Middlebury, Tuesday,
May 9th, proximo. And requested each
committee of the several towns to submit
their choice of textbooks to that conven-
ton, so that uniform series may be adopted,
if possible" Chittenden superintendent
for the most part desired county uniformity
of textbooks, and county meeting to Sc
cure this, but took no formal action to call
such meeting lest the superintendent and
textbook committees of the towns should
feel that they were ignored by such action.
The State Superintendent of Education,
in a circular reaching us last week, says
"Action in acceptance of the school text
book law has been more general and hearty
than its most sanguine friends anticipated"
He also calls attention to the fact, " First,
that the law requires a selection and recon-
mendation of text books on the several sub
jects required by law to be taught in the
common schools Of the state; which are 'or
biography, reading, writing, English gram
mar, geography, arithmetic, freehand draw
ing, history and constitution of the United
States, good behavior, geography, and history
and constitution of Vermont. Second, that
but one book of grade is to be selected.
Third, that other things being equal they
are to give preference to books in use.'"
" The object of the law" he says, sis to
secure for each school in the state the use
of but one book of grade in each study.
The fulfillment of the law requires in each
town where several books of grade on one
subject are in use the prompt dismissal of all
save one of those books, or the dismissal of
all and the introduction of new book but
where book of reasonable excellence is in
general use and is used with satisfaction,
the letter and spirit of the law and sound |
policy equally seem to require that it be re-
tained." He further says, GA wider uni
formity than that of single towns is, in
many respects, desirable. Could the same
recommendations be made by all the towns |
of a county, or by all the towns lying about |
a common center, obvious conveniences |
would be gained"
Is not the law that authorizes each town |
to choose a committee to select and recon-
mend textbooks to the schools of that town, |
and so makes as many different committees
for this purpose as there are towns, opposed |
to ga wider uniformity than that of single |
towns" and against the object of the law |
to secure for each school in the state the use
of but one book of grade in each study ?"
The textbooks are next in Importance to
the teachers in our schools. The superin-
tendents are evidently trying, as they ought,
to do the best for the textbooks under the |
law that regulates the choice of textbooks.
We shall watch with deep interest the oper-
alton of this new law, and the result of the
effort under it to solve the problem of text
books in our schools.