Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-29

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the legislature grantb te aid to such
high schools in eacfiS ss as meet ade-
quately the requires: IT'S set forth
When these prelffrlr.. steps shall
have been taken, we will be ready for
state inspection Of high schools, and
that inspection will not end when due
attention is given to the college pre-
paratory work. but it Will extend to all
the work undertaken by the school.
ut may be urged that clearly de-
fined standards may be fixed by a
board or commission such as l nave
suggested, and that inspection can
then he undertaken and made effective
without the necessity of state aid. II
must, however. be apparent to all tina,
we cannot maintain uniform stand
ards where the supervising authority
can neither impose a penalty for non
compliance nor offer reward for COM
pliance.
state aid would give US clearly de-
fined state high schools, the quantity
and quality of work in which would be
known to all. 1t would also strengthen
many schools now necessarily weak be-
cause of the SMALL aggregate Of prop
erty from which their support is
drawn. 1t would, moreover encourage
liberality in high school support in all
high school districts.
But the most important ultimate
effect of state aid, as believe, would
be the bringing Of high school priyi-
| leges within easy reach Of all the youth
of the state. Our present high schools
would be strengthened and others
would be organized and all such
| schools receiving state aid would
doubtless. be made free of tuition to
youth residing outside OF high schooi
districts, but with the provision that
| the cost of schooling non resident pu-
! pills over and above their proportion OF
| the state aid should be pa d by the dis
trict of their residence.
There are two advan ages Of this
plan over that relating to high school
privileges for country youth which en-
gagged the attention of the last general
assembly:
First, only schools of known grade
and of we'll defined standards Of work
would be recognized, and
Second, the amount to be paid by
the district of the childs residences
would be materially less than formerly
proposed and would not fall as a bur-
den even on the small districts.
Forty eight per cent Of the school
population of the state is found in the
school corporations maintaining grad
ed schools. In many Of these corpora
tions, however, high school privileges
are not offered. Doubtless less than
forty per cent Of the children and
youth entitled to school privileges live
in districts maintaining high schools
offering two or more years of work.
Yet, fve-s -sixths of the high school en-
rollment of the state comes from this
forty per cent and only one-sixth of the
enrolment comes from the remaining
sixty per cent. That is to say, of the
3s,916 pupils enrolled in Iowa higl,
schools last year, 31,938 lived in the
| high school districts and ti,97s lived In
| the country The total nrfnber@of
country boys and girls VI no did work
Of this grade last year wus, Of course,
far greater than these figl res indicate;
| for large numbers were enrolled in the
private academies and smaller col
leges; but even with thi., correction
| the number Of country youth who do
any considerable work of high school
grade is shown to be rels lively small.
THE time must come n our state,
and at no very distant day, when all
our youth in the country, as well as in
| the city, will have free access to the
high school.
There is another possible advantage
thru state aid of more special nature
that is worthy of attention. I have
said that nearly one-fifth Of our high
school graduates enter the school room
as teachers Immediately after gradua-
tion. The high school course does not
now and perhaps will not in the future
recognize to any considerable extent
the particular work for which such
students are fitting. Besides, many ol
these young people are too young al
graduation to enter at once upon the
important work OF teaching.
Would it not be of immense value
to the district schools for it is in the
district schools that these graduates
find employment to have one strong
school in a county commissioned by the
state and in part supported by the state
to offer an additional years work OF
special kind to such high school grad
yates of the county as a1e to engage
in teaching?
1 eff objections be made that strength
ening the high schools viii weaken the
private and denominational college.
| that are doing such splen1id work in
Iowa, let 1t be said that the result
would be just the opposite, for any
LEGISLATION resulting in more anc
stronger high schools will benefit every
higher educational institution of the
state by ultimately giving such insti-
| tutions more students and students
better prepared for the work these
higher Institutions offer.
"The plan l have here presented II
merest outline may not appeal to yor
as either wise or adequate. But al
will agree that the confusion and un-
certainty in our high schools shoulc
be corrected. Then let the best thought
of the association be given to a solu-
ton Of this problem to the end thai
wise policies shall prevail and that the
growth and greater efficiency OF oul
high schools shall be assured
JUDGE POWELL PRESENTS BILL
Measure Prepared by Fruit Growers
LEGAL Adviser, Meets With Ap.
proval
Special to Times-R Republican
L Txrlr