Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1908-09-10
roAsous4 RANDOLPH NORMAL
Examining Commission Recon-
mends Rad cal Change In System.


Examining Commission Recom-
mends Had cal Change In System.
II the recommendations made in the re-
port OF the commission appointed to ex-
anime the normal schools OF the state are
adopted, the Randolph Normal school,
located at Randolph Center, with . rec
ord and traditions reaching back more
than century, will shortly cease to exist
as such. The report outlines q new sys-
tenn altogether, by which the three exist
ing normal schools shall be succeeded by
others more centrally located and with
better facilities. OF these three, the COM
mission recommends that the Randolph
school shall be the first to go. II Ram
dolph is to retain her school, it behooves
her newly-elected representative and all
friends and alumni OF the school to get
busy and keep busy every minute from
now on. The report of the commission
in full follows:-
To the General Assembly Of the State of
Vermont
Under joint resolution approved by
His Excellency Governor Fletcher D.
Proctor, Dec. IA, 1906, your commission
respectfully submits the following report
in relation to the normal schools OF the
state of Vermont.
The duties of the commission are de-
fined in the joint resolution, which reads
in part as follows:-
"Resolved, by the Senate and House
of Representatives. That q commission
consisting Of five members to be appoint
ed by the governor is hereby created and
empowered TO consider the present status
and the equipment of the normal schools
of the state, to compare the same with
the normal school facilities of other states
and to report to the General Assembly at
the biennial session in 1908 their findings
and recommendation by bill or other
wise. Said commission is empowered to
call for and examine persons, books and
papers in relation to the normal schools.
No. 500 of the Acts of 1906.
Acting under the authority conferred
in this joint resolution, your commission
desires to report that it has found the
present normal schools well conducted sc
far as conditions permit. The state
board OF normal school commissioners is
10 be commended for the work it has &C.
complished with the inadequate means at
its command. Your commission is, how
ever, of the unanimous opinion that the
meet the educational needs of the times
and are open to serious criticism as repre-
/ sentative institutions of the state. 1t de-
sires to call your attention to some OF the
more prominent of these defects.
J 1st. Buildings. The buildings are
i poorly adapted to the modern require
! ments of normal school education
and do not meet even the present
demands made upon them. The san
itary conditions, the lighting OF class
rooms and the general condition o
I the plants leave much to be desired. Thil
is largely due to tn fact that the state o
Vermont does not own the title to any o
the property now occupied for norma
4 school purposes, has no satisfactory leas'
of the buildings, pays no rent ana ma
authority to make only slight repairs
| whereas extensive alterations are neces
sary to meet the growing demands
modern education.
I'd. Financial support. The approprl
ations for the normal schools are insun
Gent and the lack of available funds ha
led to several unfavorable results:-
(a). The equipment of the building
in supplies. apparatus, natural histor.
collections, manual training material
ETC., is inadequate.
(bl. The normal school commission
ers. forced to offer mesger salaries, are sc
riously embarrassed in securing and re
tanning teachers of thorough preparation
and rich experience. This results in
large proportion of instruction that
unprofessional or experimental, and VII
tualIy makes of our normal schools inst
tutions for the training OF normal IN
structors who shortly leave for bette
naid positions in other states.
fc). The enrichment of the course q
, study by the elaboration OF present STU
dies. by the addition OF new courses Q
nv increasing the number OF the faculty
is practically impossible.
fd). The attractions to prosperity
students are limited, with the conss
ouence that the number and the person
mel of the student body are unsatisfat
tory. 1t is generally true OF the stat
! that CAPABLE graduates OF high schools
academies who intend to teach do not a
tend the state normal schools, either col
tentipy themselves with high school et
ncation-which by a large number
I school officials is regarded as fully equi
tn Vermont normal school training-o
if financially able to do SO, attending u
!. normal schools of other states.
,, Sd, Status OF the normal schools.
. normal schools are in no sense the peo
oooicaI leaders of the state and play II
? tie or no part in shaping its education
: no,icies and standards. They do not iai
II renresent the dignity or the education