The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-17
/. UNITE SCHOOLS.
Assistant superintendent Starr
Shows How to do Lit.
Returns From Trip to Republic
City.
WHY PLAN Is BETTER
Superintendent Fairchild Makes
Plain the Advantages.
Adds to Effectiveness and the
Interest i'm Work.

G. A. Starr, assistant state superin-
tendent of education, has just re-
turned from a visit to Republic
tcounty where he went to tell the peo-
pie of Republic City how to organize
a consolidated school district. and
teach the country boys and girls in a
graded public school where all the
advantages of modern educational
methods may be afforded.
At Republic City the situation is
very much the same that it is at scores
and hundreds of other places in Kan
Sas. One of the rural school districts
| lying close to the town proposed to
pay its tax to the town school, and
send its children to the town school,
which is modern graded institution
of elementary. learning. There was
some opposition to the plan. Some of
the town people were not sure the
plan would be good one, and some
OF the people who owned farms in the
country district and lived in town did
not fancy the idea much But the
sentiment was strong enough for the
consolidation school that Mr. Starr
was sent for to explain the advan-
tages of the system. 1t now seems
very probable that the consolidated
school will be organized at Republic
City.
1t is probably not generally known
that E. T. Fairchild, of Ellsworth, or
ganized the first consolidated school
district in the state of Kansas. That
was at the town of Lorraine in Ellis
worth county. The question of con-
solidating school districts therefore is
one of the things upon which Mr..
Fairchild may be counted as an au-
thority, and there is no doubt that the
influence of his Office will be given
toward the promotion of the CONSOLE
dalton idea.
The plan of consolidating school
districts lying adjacent to cities and
towns with the city or town is one
feature of the new movement but an
other feature. equally important, is
the consolidation of two, or more
country school districts into one large
district with a big graded school at
some central point, to which the
parts of the district by means of COW
cred wagons running along certain
routes at regular scheduled time. The
children simply go to the road along
which the carryall is due to run, and
wait for it to take them on their way.
OF course in some of the consolidat-
ed districts the system of collecting
children by wagons has not been
adopted.
Superintendent Fairchild has pre-
pared the following list of some of the
advantages claimed for the CONSOLE
dated district:
1. Insures a larger percentage of
pupils enrolled.
2. Reduces hardness.
8. Reduces irregular attendance.
4. Pupils are better classified
5. Less exposure in bad weather.
6. Pupils under care of responsible
person to and from school.
Z. Better school rooms, apparatus,
etc.
8. Better teachers
9. More interest, growing out of
larger classes.
10. More time for recitations.
IL. More weeks of school and more
advanced work. sa-T
IL. Quickens public interest in
schools because of pride aroused by
better results.
When a consolidated school district
is organized. it is always the intention
to build school house in a central To-
cation of sufficient size to provide &C
commodations for n complete graded
school, just as is provided in the cities. |
With such advantages for education, |
it is unnecessary for parents to move
to town. to educate their children
properly.
1t is related a the office of the state |
that in one little coun- |
try school taught by one young woman. |
a program of 63 recitations had been |
arranged, to accommodate all the va |
rious needs of her pupils. She tried to |
crowd these SO recitations into one
six-hour day, and the result was that
each of the 3 classes recited about |
once every three days.