Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-29
CONSOLIDATION OF
SCHOOLS FAVORED
(contlnued From First Page)
Chance Teachers Too often.

(Contlnued From First IngeC
Change Teachers Too Often.
Superintendent Riggs then pointed
out the fact that the country schools
suffered from frequent changes oil
teachers and gave some interesting
figures on that point. He also point
ed out the waste of efficiency In THIS
practice. The speaker also pointed
out the difference in the average school
year Of the country schools and The
graded schools, showing that 81 pei
cent of the graded schools were III
session nine months Of the year, where
as only 10 per cent of the schoois OF
the rural districts We're In session nine
months. He next took up the matter
of classification and showed how the
country schools we're unable to do as
effective work owing to the many SUD
jects which one teacher was cornpel-
ed to teach and the numerous grades
which gave practically no time TOT
recitation. Relative to the hlgh
schools he pointed out the ADVANTAGES
which the city pupil has over the
country pupil and continued:
"rhe figures have given thus rar
In this address will, believe, convince
any unbiased mind that, so 1ar as
! school privileges are concerned the
country child Is placed, In comparison
with the city child at great disadvan-
tage. A smaller per cent OF his teach-
ers are trained and experienced; ne
must suffer the annoyance and loss In
cident to frequent change OF teachers;
=. ~ 1Sy{ln
the prevalent small school: he often
loses the inspiration OF numbers IN
class work; his school year Is shorter
and he has no high school privileges IN
his home district. In view of these
conditions no one think, will deny
that we have a country school problem
In Iowa.
II can take the time today to discuss
but one of two Of the questions involv-
ed in that problem.
Rural School Enrolment.
ITO my belief teacher can do her
most effective work with school or
about two dozen well classified pupils.
In such q school the classes will be
large enough to ensure class enthus-
iasm and the spirit of emulation and
at the same time small enough to af-
ford the teacher opportunities for in
dividual instruction. Many educators
would assign to the teacher not less
than thirty pupils and some would
make the number forty. Very few, I
twenty-four Is too large. But II such
there be, when the school is reduced
below twenty. no one will be found who
will deny that it Is too small for the
most effective work.
and yet we find in sixty in every
100 rural schools Of the state the en-
rollment for the past school year was
twenty or less, and in eighty-five In ev-
cry 100 the average daily attendance
was twenty or less.
There may be those who consider
this condition accidental and liable
soon to change. True the school pop
ulat IN in any community varies to
some extent from year to year. But it
must be remembered that economic
forces are at work tending to reduce
the rural population Of the state in re-
lation to towns. rather than to increase
It, and that these forces have been at
work for a generation.
ed a phenomenal growth Of cities both
in this and in other lands. In America
they have also witnessed marked in
crease in the size of farms, and a more
than corresponding decrease In rural
population. For the city has attracted
to it the young men and young women
by the tens Of thousands, while the
older people have, as a rule, remained
on the farm. Then, labor saving ma
chinery has come in to supplement
much Of the hand labor required gen.
GRAFTON ago. 1t Is said that four men
with improved machinery can now do
the work that formerly required the
labor of fourteen men. One Of the re-
suits is shown in the constantly in
creasing size of farms. For the
twenty years from 1880 to 1900 the av-
erage size of farms for the United
States as whole increased 9.8 per
cent while the increase in Iowa for the
same period was 14.4 per cent"
Advantages Of Consolidation.
1.-THE problem then before the small
school corporations OF the state Is whe-
Their the little schools are to be con-
tinued or whether school district boun-
daries are to be SO changed as to
greatly reduce the number of districts.
This is question each community
must settle for itself. The legislature
may and should remove all hindrances
to the consolidation Of contiguous dis
tricts where such consolidation is de-
sired by the people of the districts In
terested. Further than this legislation
should not go, for local independence In
the control of the school Is funda-
mental principle in America that we
do we'll to guard.
"While, in my Judgment, consolida-
tion of schools and transportation Of
pupils at public expense is the rational
solution of the country school prob
lem in Iowa, 1 want to see this solu-
ton applied where conditions demand
it thru the awakened interest of the
people in the welfare of their schools
1 have presented and, as believe,
without exaggeratlon, some of the
weaknesses that cripple the efficiency
Of many of our country schools. A
wise and liberal policy on the part Of
school boards will remove some Of the
Weaknesses. The schoolhouse may be
made attractive, the surroundings
made beautiful, the length Of the school
year increased, and one teacher, and
she a competent one, employed for the
full year. All that is necessary to
bring about these results is to raise
more money for the support of the
school and to expend it wisely.