The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-04-03
low the adoption of the township
COUNTY SUPERVISION.

COACuLI6uc5 OI opinion regarding
the utility and feasibility of such
Legislation as will place the ungrad-
ed schools of each county under q
wisely planned system of supervis-
ion. This subject is not new to the
teachers, lawmakers, and school
patrons of Ohio.
Since 1888, efforts have been made
to induce the General Assembly to
legislate favorably on bills providing
for system of county supervision,
but in vain. As year after year
passes away the necessity for such
Legislation becomes more and more
apparent. When the system was
first advocated by Hon. Samuel
Lewis in 1888 it had not been SO
we'll tested in other States as to
give full assurance that it would be
productive Of good results in Ohio.
Then the country schools were gen
orally conceded to be doing better
work than the schools Of cities.
Private schools we're abundant in
every city in the State, and these
were for the most part patronized
by those who had the means to edu-
cate their children at their own cost.
As a consequence the public schools
fell in public estimation and soon
became common in fact as well as in
name. In the rural districts, how
ever, the public schools afforded al
most the only means of educating
the children of rich and poor, since
owing to the sparseness of pOpula-
ton the establishment of private
schools could not be so easily ac
complished as in the populous cities
and towns, and the people generally
interested themselves in making the
district schools as good as possible.
The laws of 1847 and 1S49 created
a revolution in the management of
city schools. Consolidation of dis
tricts, classification of pupils, courses
of study, uniformity of textbooks,
professional teachers, and earn
est, well directed supervision have
brought the schools of our cities
and towns to a high state of perfec-
ton. Few of the rural schools have
felt the energizing influence of any
of these instrUmentaities for effect
i've school work and while the grad
ed schools have gone on year after
year making rapid and substantial
progress, the ungraded schools of
the townships have made but little
improvement. Indeed many well
informed persons do not hesitate to
say that country schools do not show
forth as good educational results
now as they did a quarter of a cen
tury ago. Whether the latter asser-
ton be true or not, the fact can not
be denied that our city schools far
outrank the country schools in eff
and are universally regarded
as showing the best fruitage of our
school system.
Intelligent foreigners speak in
terms of praise of the results which
follow the instruction given in
our city schools, but have no word |
of appreciation to utter in behalf of
our country schools, in which by far |
the greater number Of youth are in
structed. It is not to be expected |
that exactly the same means which |
have proved so effectual in assuring
the success of our graded or city |
viii prove equally efica-
cious when employed in ungrad |
ed or district schools. It is the !
part of wisdom to select from those
forces that have been instrumental |
in eIevating our city schools to their
present proud position, such as
would operate with wholesome effect
upon country schools as well, All !
who have bestowed any attention |
upon the subject know that the sue
cess of our city schools has been due,
to a considerable extent, to the care
'ul supervision that has been exer-
eised over them. Nor is success,
with such an aid, o new experience.
The manufacturer who employs, it
nay be, one hundred and fifty oper-
ltives, consults his own advantage
BY placing them under the direction
Of thoroughly competent foreman.
In this manner he introduces this
system into his business and causes
abor to be directed intelligently.
The operatives employed in the one
lr two hundred schools of county
should be placed under intelligent
direction. Ifthe manufacturer guards
against waste of material and un-
skillful workmanship, through the
agency of his foreman, can we not
guard against educational waste and
abnormal methods Of instruction
through the man cement of a clpa-
Ole county superintendent Since
county supervision was first advocated
IN Ohio it has been tested with high
" fItteriug results in other States.
The people in those States favor it
with remarkable unanimity Theory
suggests, and practice confirms, the
wisdom of establishing the office of
county superintendent Of schools.
Supervision, as before stated, is
I prominent feature of ungraded
school management. It's value is
recognized by the people. Super
vision in cities and towns is not the
result of the laws mandate, but ex-
sts by the voluntary action of the
people. Few cities have been so
blind to their own interests as to
abolish the Office of superintendent
Of schools; and now there is not a
3ity or town, of any Importance, in
Ohio whose schools are not watched
over by a superintendent. If super
vision has done so much for the
schools of towns and cities, why can
t not be employed with good results
n the country as well ? The coun-
ny school interest is one of great
and importance. More
Than three-fourths of the 23,000pub-
ic school teachers in Ohio labor in
,he ungraded schools. These teach
srs instruct two-thirds Of the 74O,
300 pupils enrolled in the public
schools The sum annually expend-
ID for school purposes in the town
ships is about one-half of the total
of S8,OOO,OOO. Here