Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-01
HAS, COMPLETE COURSE OF STUDY.
Handbook Published Under the Direc.
ton of the State Educational De-
partment-valuable to Country
understanding of Contents.
From SATURDAYS Daily.1

l
department of Iowa.
It's Features.
1t contains 1914 pages, it's features
being course of study for country,
township and village schools, the fin
al report of the committee of twelve of
the State Teachers association OH the
course of study for high schools, the
school laws directly affecting teach
ers and excerpts from the report of
| the committee of twelve of the ma
tional association relating to rural
school improvements.
Not Radical Departure.
The course of study for the coun-
try, township and village schools is
not a radical departure from the
course appearing in the 1895 edition
of the handbook, the last edition pre-
| vious to this. 1t is rather an amplifica-
| ton of it. In the matter of nature
study, for instance due attention is
| given the subject to meet present ne
| cessities. The whole plan of the
course looks to the unification of the
| public school system, with "the uni
versity its capsheaf."
Most Complete in West.
The course of study contained in
the handbook" said Superintendent
Barrett, sis the most complete one to
| be found in any state in the west.
| A careful examination has been made
of the courses in surrounding states,
| and l can think of nothing in the way
| of courses for the country schools
more complete than the one just pre-
pared"
The county superintendent sec
| ton of the State Teachers associa-
ton, three years ago, requested the
| superintendent of public instruction
| to revise the course of study. The
last edition of the handbook, contain
ing the course for the country
schools, had been issued in 1895.
Previous to that an edition
had been issued in 1892. Three
years ago, the attorney general held
there was no law for the publication
of the handbook, and hence the wishes
of the county superintendent were
not carried out The last general as
sembly enacted a provision that the
superintendent of public instruction
shall have power to prepare, publish
and distribute among teachers and
school officers, courses of study for
use in the rural and high schools of
| the state" Under this section, Mr..
Barrett has prepared and caused to
be published the 1900 edition of the
handbook containing the new course.
Some Other Features.
The chief features and facts as to
the handbook are explained in the
preface, as follows:
"The edition of the handbook pub
lished in 1895 was exhausted early in
1898. 1t was our hope to revise the
course of study at that time, but for
reasons entirely beyond our control
this could not be accomplished. The
twenty-eighth general assembly hav-
| ing conferred upon the superintend-
ent of public instruction authority to
prepare and publish course of study,
the work of revision was Immediately
undertaken and the course is submit
ted for the use and guidance of teach
ers with the hope that it will prove
useful in promoting the general well
fare of our public schools.
Believing that the course of study
is the most essential feature of the
handbook, We have given it the great
est prominence. An examination will
show that we have .endeapored to fol-
low the general plan given in former
editions. Where handbooks are in
use this arrangement will make it nee
essary to supply only those schools
now without copy of the course of
study.
Former Course Supplemented.
tSince in quite a large number of
districts there is demand for work
1 aio VI,
plemented the former course of study
published by briefly outlining work
for the ninth and tenth grades. This
enlargement of the course will, we
think, prove especially helpful in the
smaller villages and in those districts
having central or township graded
schools. In other years the adoption
and endorsement of the course of stu
dy has proven highly beneficial, and
we earnestly hope and urge the adop-
ton of this course turnout the state.
Drawing and Music.
Attention is called to the outlines
| in drawing and music. 1t is to be
hoped that all teachers will give these
subjects the attention they deserve.
The passage of the school library law
has caused us to insert few sugges-
tons regarding the use of libraries
and books. We sincerely believe that
the right use of the library by teach
ers and pupils will prove most benefl-
cial.
| Cooperation Important.
Earnest endeavor and cooperation
on the part of the county superintend-
ents. teachers and boards of directors
are important if the rural schools are
| to be unified and harmonized and rails
ed to that high plane which all SO
much desire.
Nothing on Civil Government.
within recent years nearly all
teachers of the state have found it
well to supply themselves with the
same textbook on civil government,
and for this reason it has seemed un-
necessary to include in this edition
outlines on this subject. We express
the hope that the omission of the out
lines heretofore given will not in any
way lessen the deep interest aroused