Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-09-06
HIGH SCHOOL GRADES.


flying to the advocates of high |
school education at public ex-
p,nse. If Supt. Ackerman's de-
cision is a correct Interpretation
of the law the voters of any school
district which maintains schools
of the eight grades provided for
by law for but seven months in
the year may authorize additional
grammar grades covering a full
high school course This reil-
ders it possible for any district
practically to establish a common
high school, or, indeed, have
each school in the district a COM
bined common and high school.
Since this must be sanctioned
by the majority of votes cast at a
lawful school election, it is not
probable many districts will ex-
tend the present common school
course of eight years so far.
There is a possibility, since
this decision coutravenes that
portion of the school law which
requires the schools to be in oper-
alton eight months before high
school shall be maintained in a
district, that it is net good law.
At all events it is of no special
value, because the superintend-
ent's decision in Interpretation of
the law decides nothing. It is
not entitled to the respect which
we usually accord to mere judi
cial dicta, and, unless given by
one familiar with the rules of
legal Interpretation, is of less
value than the prima facie opin-
ion of any lawyer.
1t is, in part, by just such steps
that the common school has been
drawn away from the efficient
prosecution Of its own work and
also burdened with that of the
high school Or preparatory acad-
emy. A wise and wholesome
law, fixing the grades at eight
and presenting a range Of careful
elementary instruction requiring
eight years to complete, should
certainly meet every just require
ment of education at public ex-
pense. This law evidently con-
templates that after eight years,
each of at least eight months dur
alton, all the proper purposes of
common school education shall
have been accomplished. But
the law is made elastic. When
the schools of district are efici-
emily organized and successfully
prosecuting their legitimate work
during the time specified, the
voters of district may, if they
wish, maintain a high school.
This renders high school grades
under the plausible fiction of
additional grammar grades"
wholly unnecessary and ought to
satisfy the advocates of the high
school as part of our common
school system.
We are not opposed to higher
education; far from it, but while
by far the greater number of
youth who enter our public
schools have neither time nor in
clination to pursue an extended
course of study, even so limited
as that of the high school, and
while the few who have such
time and inclination can certain
ly and easily avail themselves of
the facilities offered by numerous
schools, academies and colleges
established and maintained by
private enterprise there is no ne
cessity for a common high school.
The theory of high school in
struction at public expense, sup
plementing the work of the COM
mon school, is a false one and
the practice highly pernicious. If
the common school of eight
grades were doing its work thor
oughly and efficiently, the sup
plimentary high school would be
less Objectionable, but it is not;
every intelligent teacher knows
it is not. One Of the most efici-
eut instructors at the County In
stitute recently held for this coun-
ty, in conversation, declared that
he results of the common school
educational processes were most
unsatisfactory. The schoolswere
burdensomet5 expensive and
gave results by far less desirable
than could be attained through
other agencies at less expense.