The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-18
STATES Effort II
EDUCATION /: |!
Biennial r eport Of Super nd.
ent Of Public Instruction
WoR K in AL Il ITS S PHASES.
What the Needs Of the School System
Where il Falls Short and
What Changes Are
Desirable.
[HE. WoR / n ALL ITS PHASES

The biennial report of the Supertnten-
dent OF Public obstruction for 1910 and
1901 is now in the hands of the binders.
This book, so carefully prepared by
DR.. Joseph W. Southall, the Superinten-
dent, who is putting forth every effort
to improve the school system In the
| State, is the best presentation Of that
system ever issued-best IN being the
most complete and informing. best in the
nature Of facts set forth. virginia
schools have made real PROFESS In the
last two years. and the report rehects
| this as it should be.
Dr. Southall makes the following In
teresting statements as deductions from
the summaries of statistics relating to the
schools:
The school census taken in 1900 show
| ed the total number of persons of school
age in this State to be 691,312. Of whom
426.u54 were white and 265.25S were col
ored. This was an increase in the white
school population of 2s,SaN and a de-
crease in the colored school population of
2. AS. as compared with the census taken
In 1895.
II NAV not be devoid of interest to
compare the present condition Of the
school system with its condition two
years ago, when the last school report
was issued In 1901 there were enrolled
/ i n
123, s39 colored pupils, as against 241.669
white, and 117,129 colored pupils In 1889,
showing a total increase Of 20, 1872 Dur
! ing the same period the average daily
attendance increased from 141, 3S2 to 1885,
az among the white, and from SLOT to
So 4O among the colored pupils There
was an increase of AS in the number
or white schools. and a decrease Of 3 in
the colored schools. The increase IN the
/ of phora
and the length Of the average school
term was increased from 5.97 to 61O
| months While there was a slight in
| crease in the average monthly salary OF
| the teachers, both male and female, the
whole cost of public education for each
pupil enrolled was reduced from s1.41 to
! 1872 per month. The value of school
property owned by districts has grown
from 1886, 1852 to s,6O3, 4.03. and the
total expenditures for all public school
| purposes from s1.971. 26449 to s2,0s4747-74.
showing a total increase in property
values of s26746s.21. and in school ex-
penditures of s115, 1925. From carefully
compiled statistics it is estima ted that
the cost of the colored schools for the
year just ended was S434, 1921, or some
thingless than one-fourth the entire cost
of the system.
THE AVERAGE SMALL.
Speaking of the large number of coun-
ty schools of the State which do not
have the average attendance. DR..
Southall says:
This deplorable state of affairs. is due
mainly to the wild and insane tendency
to: multiply small district schools. Ito
put schoolhouse on every hilltop and in
every valley" as the popular phrase used
to run in the early days of the public
sscshool system. We have thus been dis
sipating our educational energies and re-
| sources instead of consolidating and
concentrating them for the great strug-
| gle against illiteracy and crime The
tendency to multiply small schools has
! gone on until nearly one-half of the rural
schools for white and one-fourth Of the
1 rural schools for colored children are IL
legal by reason of the fact that they
| fail to make the required average OF
twenty pupils for each school during the
1 term. This unfortunate condition of af-
fairs exists in other States to a greater
or less extent; but this is no reason why
we should not bend all our energies to-
! wards remedial measures that will in the
end reduce the evil to the minimum.
! In order to ascertain the extent to
which the evil had gone in Virginia, a
special circular was addressed last Au.
l gust to every county and city superin.
tendent asking % for the number OF
i schools in his jurisdiction having ar
l average attendance Of less than twenty
and not less than fifteen pupils; (2) 1ol
the number of schools having an aver
1 age of less than fifteen and not less thar
ten; and 60 for the number OF schools
/ having an average of less than ten
/ a table is published in the report com
a piled from the replies to these questions
The following comments, In part. arr
made:
An examination Of the foregoing tabl
will show that nearly all the schools
having an average attendance Of les
than twenty pupils are In the country
schools in the country districts, 2.65
have an average attendance Of less thai
Z twenty. OF the 2,032 colored schools i,
the couptry districts. 49S have an aver
age OF less than twenty. It is feared
that a rigid Investigation would SHOW
even asworse state of affairs in man
1 sections of the State than these figure
would seem to Indicate.
a SUPPLY OF TEACHERS.
Concerning the supply of teachers the
4 report says in part:
q AS I have indicated above, one Of the
most crying needs Of our public schools
is better equipped teachers. But it can
! hardly be expected that the schools can
i command the services OF thoroughly
i educated teachers without offering them
/ more adequate compensation for their
i work. me average salary of male teach
ers in Virginia public schools, including
i cities as well as counties, is only $40 90
! while that of female teachers is $3.50
i The average salary of the rural male
1 teacher hardly exceeds s25 per month,
i and that of the rural female teacher will
probably not exceed s22 When one re-
fleets that the term Of the country school
i in Virginia rarely extends beyond five or
\ SIX months. one must be amazed that
50 many excellent teachers can be found
in our rural schools.
The salaries of teachers should not be
regulated by the law Of supply and de-
mand. We should endeavor to secure
/ the best teachers for our schools. and
we should pay them good living salaries
In order to do this we shall have to
consolidate the small country schools.
E5lengthen the school term. and raise more
! money by State and local taxation for
school PURPOSES. we could then give our
teachers an honest years work and an
honest years pay. Many more of our
most promising young men and women
would then be induced to prepare them
selves by special professional training.