Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-27
SCHOOL INSPECTION
Committee of College Instruc-
tors Hold a Conference With
Superintendent Riggs
CLASSIFY SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Riggs Gives Opinion That There Is
Authority to Gather the information
Desired, but His Office Has Not the
Equipment Nor Funds to Accom-
pish the Task.

pIsh the Task.
Desc Moines, Dec. PA committee
of college instructors conferred with
State Superintendent Riggs at the cap
itol yesterday afternoon relative to
inspection Of high schools and other
preparatory institutions.
1t is the rule among colleges to admit
without examination graduates Of GER
tain accredited schools. Information
on which to classify the secondary
schools with reference to their eff
cheney has been secured In various
ways by the colleges. The State Uni
versity has employed an inspector who
has examined the schools personally
and made report on them; other coll
leges have done similar work.
With view to expanding operations
along this line, the committee referred
to met with superintendent Riggs yes
terday to propose that the state take
hold of the inspection and investiga-
ton of preparatory or secondary
schools. secure information as to their
efficiency and give all Of the institu-
lions of higher learning within the
state the benefit Of the information
SO obtained.
Superintendent Riggs furnished the
committee with a written communl-
cation on the subject, last evening, but
1t was not opened and will not be be-
for u conference OF the committee
again this morning.
It is understood that while the state
superintendent has no doubt about his
authority under the law to gather the
information desired by the colleges, the
office of the superintendent has not
the equipment in the matter of funds
with which to do the work.
The committee, however, believes
that if the work Of eliciting the desired
information were undertaken by the
superintendent thru the medium of
blank reports, the business could be
expanded in due time to the personal
inspection Of the schools which appear
to be the desirable thing. However,
no detinit plan has been agreed to.
The college men are talking 1t over
merely.
The members of the committee who
met with superintendent Riggs yester-
day were: ]. III. 7. Main, OF Grin
nell, chairman; Frederick %. Bolton,
of the state university; President Hill
M. Bell, of Drake University; G. ii.
Belts, Of Cornell, and r. g. Barrett.
of Ames. Mr.. Barrett appeard for Or.
Storms who was detained at Ames by
the Budd funeral.
Chairman Main of the committee
said last night at the Elliott that about
half of the time of the conferece at the
state house yesterday was taken up IN
discussion of the misinformation which
had appeared in some of the neWspap-
ers-not the Register and Leader-wlth
reference to the subject Of high school
inspection. Having convinced ourselV-
es that there was no possibility Oh a
controversy among us" said he, the
newspapers to the contrary, notwith-
standing, we were able to go into
discussion of the situation as to ac-
credited schools Our sole desire was
and is to expand the inspection Of these
institutions to the fullest extent. to
broaden the opportunity Of the secon-
Diary schools to secure advantages for
their graduates, and Of the institutions
Of higher learning to get in touch with
the secondary schools. 1t was for
discussion of this without the sugges-
ton of any definite plan, that he met
with the superintendent today.
"The other colleges Of the state have
no quarrel with the university on this
account. Indeed they are grateful to the
university for the work it has done. 1t
has opened its books to all the colleges
for their information in the matter of
the quality Of work done by the pre-
partory institutions. 1t had been OF
much advantage all around.
"But you understand there are from
It's to $50 schools which are not in
spected at all and whose standing is
not definitely known. The university
follows the policy of inspecting only
those schools which invite it. 1t Is
with a view to devising some plan for
the inspection of the remainder of the
schools that we have met.
Let State Do It.
"It has been the thought Of the COM
mittee that perhaps the office Of the
state superintendent might undertake
to cooperate IN this work. 1t would
be Of immense value to the colleges of
the state If the superintendent were
able to secure from the high school and
other secondary schools of the state
definite and specific information as to
the work they are doing, the number
Of instructors they have, their courses,
etc. This information would be open
to all the colleges, Of course and every
institution would have at its disposal
all of the facts necessary properly to
credit to the various schools whose
graduates might seek entrance.
cit Is desirable that this work be
done by personal inspection, Of course,
but If the superintendent has not the
funds with which to go to this expense
now. he could do the work by securing
blank reports, etc. the personal in
spection to come later"
Superintendent Riggs said last night
that he would not care to make pub
lie his communication to the commit
tee before it had seen the communica-
ton. He said that the gossip about
a bitter controversy having arisen be-
%1,,o ~,