The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-09-11
WOULD DISPLACE
NORMAL SCHOOL
At RANDOLPH
State Commission Recommends
New Institution.
SYSTEM IN FOR CRITICISM
Financial Support Inadequate and
Buildings Poorly Equipped for
educational Purposes

The report OF the commission to ex-
anime the normal schools OF the state
to the general assembly OF Vermont
follows:
The commission desires to report
that IL has found the present normal
schools well conducted so far as con
ditions permit The state board of
normal school commissioners is to be
commended for the work It has ac-
complished with the inadequate
means at its command.
Your commission is, however, of
the unanimous opinion that the pres
ent normal schools do not adequately
meet the educational needs of the
times and are open TO serious crit
cism as representative institutions Of
the state.
II desires to call your attention to
some Of the more prominent of these
defects.
1st Buildings-The buildings are
poorly adapted to the modern require
tments of normal school education and
do not meet even the present demands
made upon them. The sanitary con.
dltions, the lighting OF class rooms
and the general condition OF the
plants leave much to be desired. This
Is largely due to the fact that the
state Of Vermont does not own the IL
tie to any of the property now occup.
led for normal school purposes; has
no satisfactory lease of the buildings
pays no rent and has authority to make
only slight repairs. whereas extensive
alterations are necessary to meet the
growing demands of modern educat-
ion.
End Financial support-The appro-
priatiOns for the normal schools are
insufficient and the lack OF available
funds has led to several unfavorable
results:
(a) The equipment of the build
ings in supplies, apparatus, natural
history collections, manual training
material, etc, is inadequate.
.(bl. The normal school commits
sioners forced to offer meager salar-
les, are seriously embarrassed In Sc
curing and retaining teachers of thor
ough preparation and rich expert
ence. This results in large proper
ton of instruction that is unprofes-
sional or experimental, and virtually
makes OF our normal schools institu-
lions for the training of normal in
structors who shortly leave for better
paid positions in other states.
(c). The enrichment OF the course
of study by the elaboration of present
studies, by the addition OF new cour-
SEES, or by increasing the number OF
the faculty, is practically impossible.
I'D. The attractions TO prospective
students are limited, with the conse-
quence that the number and the per-
sonnet of the student body are unsat-
isfactory. 1t is generally true of the
state that capable graduates of high
schools or academies who intend to
teach do not attend the state normal
schools. either contenting themselves
with high school education-which
by a large number Of school officials
is regarded as fully equal to Vermont
normal school training-or, II financi-
ally able to do so, attending the nor
NAL schools of other states.
3rd Status of the normal schools
The normal schools are in no sense
the pedagogical leaders OF the state,
and play little or no part In shaping
its educational policies and standards.
They do not fairly represent the dig
nifty or the educational ideals of Yer
mont, nor can they, under existing
conditions and in their present locat-
ions, ever assume their rightful place
in these particulars.
4th. Training school facilities
The opportunities for affordIng normal
| onhnol cfudapfc ofioaI trafnfua, In
teaching and school management are
lamentably poor and insufficient. The
| number of children in the model or
practice schools should be not less
than three times as great as the en-
rollment of normal school students,
and for really satisfactory work should
be even greater. The insufficient
amount and the inferior kind of prac.
tice work now obtained by the normal
students are among the most serious
defects in the present system.
5th. Standard of admission-The
standard of admission, and consequent
ly the grade of work done by the stu
dents, is too low. The requirements
for entrance are appreciably lower
than those demanded by the state for
entrance to high schools under the
free tuition law of 1906. In the opin
ion of the commission however the
standard of admission cannot be mat
erially raised so long as the normal
schools remain In their present gener
al condition.
| 9th. Possibilities of improvement
and growth--The outlook for the i'm
Improvement and growth of the norma
schools in their present locations II
not encouraging.
Under the existing conditions o
ownership, extensive repairs and neet
ed alterations are impossible, ant
without them the work will continu,
to be badly handicapped. The untow
ard conditions are inherent and no
merely external.
The boarding facilities for students
are far from satisfactory at present
many residents even now furnishing
Accommodation for students at cor
siderable. Inconvenience. 1t would b
practically impossible, especially q
Johnson and Randolph, to house an
appreciably larger number OF student
should the normal schools increase 4
| size.