The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1908-10-01
National Education Association in Con.
ventiOn Assembled at Cleveland,
OhiD, July I, 1908.

ton, which held its fiorty-sixth an
nual convention in Cleveland, and
representing teachers and friends of
education in every state in the union,
made the following declaration of
principles and aims:
l. Fully realizing that trained
and skilled labor is primary essen
tial to the Industrial and commercial
welfare of the country, we cordially
indorse the establishment by NUM-
cipal boards of education of trade
schools, and evening continuation
schools; and further recommend that
the instruction in these schools be
practical and efficient, and have the
advice and the approval of the trade
interested, to the end that graduates
of these schools may at once become
advanced apprentices or Journey
men.
2. We recommend the subordina-
tion of highly diversified and over
burned courses of study in the grades
to thorough drill in essential sub
jects; and the sacrifice of quantity
to an improvement in the quality of
instruction. The complaints of bust
ness men that pupils from the schools
are inaccurate in results and care
less of details is a criticism that
should be removed. The principles
of sound and accurate training are
II ID oh lo
insistently followed. Ill-considered
experiments and indiscriminate
methodizing should be abandoned,
and attention devoted to the per-
severing and continuous drill neces-
sary for accurate and efficient train
ing; and we hold that no course of
study in any public school should be
so advanced or so rigid as to prevent
instruction to any student, who may
need it, in the essential and practical
parts of the common English
branches.
3. We assert that the individual
ity of the pupil should be carefully
considered, to the end that he may
NC uoll uOLCO III lnC ny III VI us lluIl-
tations and capacity; and we COM
mend to all local authorities the
necessity of greater care in the ar
rangement of courses of study, that
they may be adapted to the pupils to.
be instructed, rather than that
pupils should be adapted to fixed
courses of study and an lnhexible sys-
tenn of grading.
4. The public high schools should
not be chiefly fitting schools for
higher institutions, but should be
adapted to the general needs, both
intellectual and industrial, of their
students and communities, and we
suggest that the higher institutions
may wisely adapt their courses to
this condition. We also suggest to
school boards and superintendents
the Importance of securing for their
high schools teachers who have not
only abundant scholarship but also
successful experience in teaching or
efficient and practical training in
pedagogy.
8. There is concededly a grave
moral depression in our business and
social atmosphere. The revelations
of the financial and legislative world
for the past two years denote too
general acquiesence in questionable
practices and standards. We earn
estly recommend to boards of educa-
tion, principals and teachers the con-
tinuous training of pupils in morals,
and in business and professional
ethics, to the end that the coming
generation of men of affairs may
have a well-developed adherence of
unfair dealing and discrimination.
The establishment of the honor
system in schools, the ostracism of
the dishonest or unfair pupil, the
dialy exemplification in the routine
life of the school of the advantage
of honest and truthful methods, are
commended to the especial attention
of teachers as a partial means to
this end.
6. The Bureau of Educa tion at
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its integrity and the dignity of its
maintained and increased. 1t should
receive at the hands of congress such
recognition and such appropriations
as will enable it not only to employ
all expert assistants necessary, but
also to publish in coucient and disable
form the results of Investigations:
thus making that department of our
government such d source of in
formation and advice as will be most
helpful to the people in conducting
their campaigns of education. We
are of the opinion that the import
ance of the subject under its control,
and the dignity of this country re-
qCire that this Bureau be maintained
as an independent department of the
government.
:. The National Education Asso-
citation notes with approval that the