Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-07-20
SCHOOL REFORM In IOWA.

The scheme of maintaining central
graded schools together with COM
Portable means Transportation thereto
for outside students is meeting with
quite general appreciation. The fol-
lowing correspondence to the Chicago
Record from Dexter, Iowa, under date
of July 18th, indicates that the plan in
operation at that place is a good one:
"While the members of the commit
tee of twelve, appointed at the Denver
meeting of the National Educational
association to make a report to the Mil
waukee meeting respecting rural
schools, We're sitting in their offices
specializing on what to offer, the school
authorities of the little city of Dexter,
Iowa, We're putting into actual practice
some of the reforms which the commit
tee finally advocated. Dexter has in
successful operation two plans for the
advancement of rural pupils, the first
of which can beused by every town and
small city, and the second by at least
one in each county. The first plan
provides for the attendance of pupils Of
rural districts at the Dexter public
school, Dexter has demonstrated that
these rural districts can send their pu-
pills TO school i'm town with less expense
and greater regularity in attendance
and efficiency in work than can be pos
sible by maintaining district schools.
A contract is entered into between the
Dexter district board and that of the
rural district wishing to send to Dexter
specifying the amount of tuition to be
paid, the manner of paying, etc. The
pupils are taken to and from school in
a covered coach, so that pupils residing
two and three miles from town reach
the school in better condition for days
study if the morning proves rainy or
snowy than pupils who have walked
three or four blocks in town. The new
school law provides that districts may
employ persons to carry the pupils to
and from school and pay for the trans
portation from the contingent fund.
This feature will only increase the pop
ularity of the Dexter plan, which has
many points in its favor over the town
ship plan. The second plan of which
Dexter has made marked success is
one that affords additional advantages
to the Older pupils of the county or the
community. Instead of maintaining
simply a high school course, Dexter
provides also for normal course,
course in business training, music, elo-
cution, shorthand, etc. The cost of
such school is very much greater than
that of high school since it requires
thoroughly efficient, as well as special
teachers. But the increased expense is
met by outside tuition as the attend
ance of non-residents is great when the
school is under able and wide-awake
conductors. This kind ofschool affords
all the young people within radius of
twenty-five or forty miles an inexpen-
sive, but efficient, secondary education.
OF course, this class of schools can not
be maintained in every town, as each
school should have at least one county
as it's territory. But it is great ad-
vantage to the rural youth, who can go
to town to school four or six months
each winter and pursue any kind of
study which he may desire. Both the
plans tried at Dexter are receiving the
Endorsement of able school men.