The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-11-11
State Superintendent Cotton
Went to Wisconsin to Tell
Teachers About 1t.
INDIANA RANKS HIGH
PACE WITH THE BEST IN THE
MATTER OF IMPROVEMENT OF
THE SCHOOL.

Fassett A. Cotton. state superinten
dent of public instruction, has gone tc
Milwaukee, where he was to deliver
an address before the state teachers
association of Wisconsin. Mr.. Cotton
said he would tell the Wisconsin tea
cheers about Indianas country schools
With other states, Wisconsin is study
ing the country school problem. In
diana has done as much with the coun
try school problem as any other state
and perhaps more.
The task of improving the country
schools of the United States was first
taken up actively in 1898. Mr.. Cotton
says. In that year the National Tea
cheers association directed its atten
ton toward the country schools and
committee was appointed to investi
gate. From this time on the states
We'd with one another TO improve their
rural educational facilities.
Indiana Ranks High.
In this work Indiana has kept pace
with the best of them. Various laws
have been enacted increasing the sal
aries of teachers and thereby making
more efficient teachers available. 9th
er laws have been enacted to increase
the length Of the term in the country
school. With these laws and other
changes introduced by the educators
OF the state, Indiana stands well to the
fore in the way of country schools.
II shall tell the Wisconsin teach.
srs something about our country
school system, including the township
and county organizations" said Mr.
Cotton. In the township the trustee
with the consent of the advisory board
directs all of the educational affairs
He regulates salaries, the length OF
terms, ETC., being guided, of course, by
the minimum requirements fixed by
law. In general way the county su.
perintenfent directs the schools of the
entire county. Every month or two
in this state. the township trustees OF
each county meet with the county SUI.
perintendent and educational affairs in
the county are discussed. The mini
mum term of school according to law
is six months. but if a trustee learns
that other trustees are having longer
terms of school his pride is affected
and he usually attempts to increase the
length OF terms in his township At
these meetings the qualifications of
teachers are discussed. The question
of placing teachers also comes up and
in this way the teachers Of the county
are employed to the best advantage.
Simplicity Of Organization.
Another good feature of the town
ship system is the simplicity of organ.
ization and uniformity in length of
school terms in the several districts.
All school terms in the same township
are of the same length. In many 9TH
err states the district. instead of the
township, is the unit and one school in
the township may have a term of five
months while another has nine
months. For example, the largest town,
ship In Indiana employs fifty teachers
One man directs all of the schools OF
this township. In many other states
that number of schools would be di
rected by fifty men,
An encouraging feature is the DUAL
county superintendent in Indiana
70 The law now imposes educational dual
if1cations for county superintendents
In many counties of the State there Is
n tendency to elect township trustee,
\ from the ranks of the teachers. Sucl
trustees have an enthusiastic Interest
in the welfare OF the schools and they
invariably try to elect for Superintend
ent man who is we'll qualified for the
position. All this has tendency tc
take the educational affairs away from
politics and this is we'll. Many Of the
county superintendent in Indiana to
day are college, normal school or uni
versity graduates. Our organization
places Indiana's country school sys
tenn foremost among the State systems
in the Union