Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-10-13
COUNTY SCHOOLS.
Their Growth and I'm :
prOvement- 204
Teachers.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF I
SCHOOLS, GRANT COUNTY. Wis {

of Grant County.
Dear Frte,ads:-At the beginning of
another school year some items per-
tanning to the work of the public
schools may be of interest. The rec
ord of the past year seems to show an
improvement along the lines of our
school work. The statistics from
town clerks show gain of some two
hundred in our school population over
last year. The increase in attendance
Slows still greater gain, while the in
crease in attendance at the Normal
and the High schools of the county is
greater than ever before. The rural
schools are not behind but maintain
their ratio of attendance with the vii
lage schools wherever reports have
been made. Two new districts have
been organized, seven school houses
have been built and furnished. Those
which have been built in the country
districts are of modern style and
architecture and are convenient, COM
Portable and well lighted. The beau
tiful stone building erected at Bosco-
bel is not only credit to the city but
is not excelled in beauty, symmetry
and convenience by any similar
building in this portion of the state.
Many school buildings have been re-
paired and enlarged. made more COM
Portable aud convenient, the ventila-
ton, heating and lighting improved
and greater interest is manifested in
the health and comfort of the pupils.
Many additions have been made III
the matter of school supplies, such as
black-boards, maps, charts, globes
and other articles of apparatus, thus
making the work of the teacher more
efficient and the efforts of the pupils
bring more intelligent results. The
statistics of the schools, Judging from
the teachers reports received at this
Office, show better classification and
closer adherence to the course of
study, and the wisdom of this is
shown by the results of the examine
tons held by the teachers for common
school diplomas, in which ninety-two
schools participated, and one hundred
thirty pupils completed the course of
study and received diplomas. Hold
,ers of the diplomas are admitted to
the High schools without examine
ton, and the uniform testimony is
that they are fairly well prepared to
begin the work of the High school.
Grant county is divided for school
purposes into two hundred fourteen
districts including three cities and
eight incorporated villages.
There are twelve high schools, six
having four-years' course and six
having a three-years' course. Grad
yates from the high schools OF Bosco-
bel and Lancaster are admitted to
the state university without examine
ton. The other high schools having
a four-years' course are Bloomington,
Cassville, Fennimore and Montfort
These schools need but little in the
matter of libraries, apparatus and
preparation to enable them also to be
accredited by the university. Five
graded schools of two departments
and one hundred ninety-seven rural
schools of one room complete the roll.
Two hundred ninety-four teachers
are required to teach and manage
these Schools larger number of
teacners under the supervision of one
superintendent than in any other
county in the state, Dodge county
with two hundred thirty-five teachers
coming next in the list. The rural
schools vary in length from SIX to
nine months during the year, but all
are in session during the late fall and
the winter months and the attendance
then reaches its greatest record.
To visit and inspect these schools
requires hundreds of miles of travel,
and in order to reach them when the
attendance is greatest and most regu-
lar, much of this travelling must be
done during the late fall and the win
ter months when the weather and the
roads airs not at their best. During
the past year two hundred nine
schools have been visited. some of
them several times. The work of
three hundred thlrty-four different
teachers has been inspected, sugges-
tions made, and instruction given
when necessary.
The list of teachers of the county
has been revised and corrected and so
far as can be ascertained with reason
able diligence shows as follows:
Whole number of teachers three
hundred sixty-two, divided into the
following classes according to grade
of certi1cate possessed: Life. thirty;
Normal elementary, seven; first grade,
county, fifty-one; second grade, one
hundred forty-four; third grade, one
hundred thirty. This shows re-
markable improvement when COM
pared with the previous years. At
no other time in the history of the
county have the higher grades Of GER
titicaLc ueon held !, - mani teachers
nor have toe teachers ever before