The San Francisco call., 1899-06-25
STATE NORMALS
THREATENED BY
A REVOLUTION
Course May Be Cut to
Two Years.
ELEVATION OF THE STANDARD
ATTENDANCE WOULD BE MUCH
DECREASED.
Plans, Problems and Needs of the
New San Francisco School May
Produce Profound
Changes.

A possible revolution in the State nor
nal schools is impeding as one result of
the recent appointments by the Governor
| of new boards of trustees for these in
sututions located at Chico, San Jose Los
Angeles and San Diego, and now also at
San Francisco. A big shaking up of this
pedagogical system, and much contro-
| versy is apt to result Soon
| 1t is proposed to raise the standard of
| the schools and make them purely nor
NAL schools by raising greatly the stand
ard of admission and reducing the term
| OF instruction from four years to two. A
much-lessened attendance and a large re-
duction of the cost of these institutions
to the State would be one of the results
\ For years boys and girls have been ad-
T mitted TO the State normal schools on
qualifications acquired at graduation from
a grammar school course. The first two
years of the normal course has been SIM
| liar to that of an ordinary high school,
and during the last TWO years high school
| instruction has gone hand in hand with
| that in the science and art of teaching.
| large proportion of the students have at
| tended these normal schools simply as a
means of general education without the
| intention of entering the teaching pro-
| fesson, though many of these have been
attracted by the advantage that a nor
NAL school diploma Is a good thing for a
| young man or woman to fall back on if
| needed in the future.
The threatened revolution seems to have
! trustees, though State Superintendent of
| Public instruction Kirk is reported to be
heartily supporting it. 1t is also said by
| the San Francisco trustees that the new
| Los Angeles and San Diego boards ap-
| prove the plan of making these institu-
| tions normal schools for the training of
| capable teachers and l.Othing else, leaving
general education to the abundant high
schools and higher institutions of learn
! ing.
The San Francisco board is com
| posed President benson.
Secretary II. G.. W. Dinkelspiel,
NJ. Cooney. F. A: Hyde, and ": Job
| tendent as eX-officio members. When this
| board approached the problem of creating
the new San Francisco institution for
which the Legislature appropriated $4,000
for the two years, it was realized that to
establish another high school in this city
would be waste of money, and it was
| argued by NJ. Cooney and others that the
| State should not be called upon to support
high school, anyway.
1t was at once proposed to require grad
uation from high school or it's equiva-
! lent as a standard O. admission to make
the term two years and to devote this
| time to a review of studies from a teach
! ing standpoint, to pedagogical instruction
| and to practical work in the San Fran
! cisco public schools 1t was proposed to
| add to the borrowed equipment of the
! City Normal School, to supplement the
work of an able staff with courses of
! pedagogical lectures by university pro-
| fessors and to turn out teachers of rather
| superior scholarship we'll grounded in
| professional wisdom.
But section 1892 of the Political Code as
amended last winter was found to block
| this plan. 1t provides for joint board
of Normal School Trustees, to be COM
! posed of the chairman and two other
mem bers of each board. which shall meet
! yearly at alternate schools and which
| shall prescribe a uniform course of text
! books, a uniform standard of admission
and graduation from all the schools 1t
! thus became apparently necessary to open
+ francisco WOUld q a
| second class and needless high school,
with four years course, to which pu-
! pills could go from the grammar schools
because the rest of the normal schools
We're run on that standard.
The result of the dilemma was that the
idea of making all the State normal
schools purely normal schools with a
two-years' course and a higher standard
was agitated. AS stated, Superintendent
Kirk and some of the trustees of other
schools are understood to favor the plan.
A meeting of the joint board will be held
in Los Angeles July 12 and the matter
will be then thoroughly canvassed.
1t has been proposed that if this cannot
be done because of opposition, the uni
formity" required by law might be pre-
served and the San Francisco school still
| left free by simply dividing the four
year course into a preparatory" and a
regular one and neglecting to establish
| a preparatory" course in the San Fran
! cisco school.
This cutting down of the term and rails
ing of the standard would necessa rily drive
many pupils at existing normal schools
to the high schools San Jose has a fine
high school, but the normal school at
| tendance is over 600 The change would
greatly increase the attendance at the
San Jose High School. Chico, it is un-
derstood, has no high school, the normal
answering the purpose well. Los Ange-
les and San Diego are in the position of
San Jose.
The San Francisco trustees will meet
Monday evening to elect the teaching
staff of the new school.
Celebrate the Fourth with California
fireworks. Buy direct from makers. Cali |