The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-22
RAISE STANDARD
Of UNIVERSITY
Faculty Outlines Plan to Eliminate
High School Course Next
Year.
FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS MAY PRACTICE IN
TEACHING HIGHER GRADES.

The move of the university faculty
TO eliminate all high school and pre-
paratory work at the university is well
under way At the last faculty meet
ing a committee consisting Of Profess
sOrs William NJ. Stewart, Byron
Cummings, George G. Coray and Dr.
J. F. Merrill, who were appointed to
investigate the ACCESSIBILITY of such a
move reported unanimously In favor
of abolishing the high and normal
school preparatory work at the begin
ming of the coming year.
This committee was appointed some
months ago, and since that time thor
Ough survey of the high school facil-
tiles OF the state has been made. 1t
has been found that a sufficient num-
Der Of high schools are being started
in the state to accommodate all stu
dents who wish a secondary education
Some fifteen high schools have been
started within the last year. Many of
them offer only one or two years as
yet, but they will answer the demands
at present. With this assurance the
university faculty committee feels that
the time, which has been looked for
ward to with great desire, by both the
entire faculty and student body, for
the abolishing of all except college
work from the university has now
injury to the educational system of the
state.
Secondary Training School.
The report includes a provision for
establishing a secondary training
school, similar to the elementary one
now connected with the university.
The provisions are that beginning with
next year, the first year normal and
the second year preparatory work shall
be dropped, and that each year follow
ing one year of work be dropped until
all the high school and AFT the normal
school course except the fourth and
fifth years is done away with.
This would necessitate every student
entering any department of the uni
versity to have completed a course Of
study equal to that given in the high
schools of the state. The normal school
would continue to offer two courses,
one consisting of two years work, en-
fitting the student to a five-year gram
mar grade certificate, and the other
consisting of four years work and en-
titling the student to a state high
school diploma.
Add to Training School.
1t is also proposed to add one year
to the training school next year, and
one each succeeding year until regu-
lar high school course is offered. The
object is not TO rival any high school,
but to provide a secondary training
school for the students taking out a
high school diploma. There is at pres
y ent no secondary training school at the
university, and it is regarded as nee
essary that the candidates for high
school diplomas practice on the regular
university students. The number OF
students admitted to the secondary
school will be limited to the number
in the present elementary school.
L iS "a all Sfn TS-h n
are granted scholarships from the
counties and those who pass from the
elementary training school shall be
given a preference. By giving the pref
erence to those who have passed
through the elementary school, a basis
Will be provided Of judging as to the
merits of the training school methods,
as the student would then pass through
ali the grades and the high school
courses under the direction of the
training teachers
Professor Stewards Views.
Prof. w NJ Stewart, chairman of the
committee appointed for this purpose,
said:
by adding a four-year high school
course to the training school as an ed
vocational laboratory for the college
normals, and by dropping the high
school work now given at the univer-
sity, we will not only strengthen the
university proper, but we will make
the normal school one of the best in
the United States and the only one
of its kind between the University of
Chicago and the Pacific coast.
1T will place the Utah normal school
in rank with Teachers college of Co
lumbia university and the normal
training school of Chicago, which are
the only two schools of their kind i'm
the United States. The need for
trained high school teachers in Utah
far exceeds the supply. According to
State Superintendent A. c. Nelson,
there were us incompetent teachers
placed in the state last year for lack
of better ones. The state law provides
that no one can hold a position in a
high school who does not hold state
high school diploma. yet because of a
lack of such teachers the law is utter
~ disregarded.
For Separate Building.
at is planned that by the time that
the four years of the secondary school
is established that a separate building
win have been erected for the school.
Then expert secondary educators will
be provided so that the student who
completes the normal course VIII be
ready to enter the teaching world as
high school principals. The facilities
offered for such work excel those of
fered by almost any other school in
that the student would also be in close
touch with the college work done in the
university proper
IF the plan suggested is adopted bv
! the faculty, and there is little doubt
( but that it will be, Utah VIII soon be
come the center of education in the
Rocky mountain states as il would /
supply teachers for all the schools of
these states"