Evening journal., 1911-02-27
EDUCATION OF
STATE GIRLS
County Superintendent Spaid
FaVOrS Plan and Makes
Suggestions
STATE AID HELPS IN
EDUCATIONAL WORK

A. r. Spaid. superintendent of
county schools. submitted the follow
ing paper on Higher Education for
Girls az the recent meeting OF the
State Board Of Education.
AT present there seems TO be a real
desire to give our girls in Delaware
the same educational privileges that
our boys now have. This is right
and proper. If intelligence counts
for anything in our land we should
provide equal educational facilities
for our girls and boys. I am in
favor OF co-education. In the United
States about SO per cent of the insti-
tutions Of learning have II. II is a
pity that Delaware College ever eX-
cluded girls. The State has undoubt-
eddy beent he loser thereby. Young
women, whose parents could afford It,
have been graduating from Vassar,
Smith, Wellesley, Sworthmore, and
other well-known colleges for so long
that IL will take many years perhaps
TO turn their sisters and trends to
Delaware College should those in au-
thority grant this privilege. However,
II is my opinion that the question of
making Delaware College co-educa-
tional should be left largely to those
in charge of the institution as they
can Judge Of the outcome more ac-
curately than others no difference
how good their intentions may be. II
is not "A question of the right which
the girls have by Inheritance, so much
as one Of practicability. The cost Of
any new arrangements brought about
! by co-education must be taken into
consideration.
"a college course for women. while
not always practical, is certainly Of
the greatest value. Mrs Newell
Dwight Hills declares I'm a recent
articles in The Outlook that a college.
course is undoubtedly the most desir-
able Of all forms Of training. broaden
! ing woman and fitting her for lead
orship and for n comprehension of
any work which may come 10 her. and
enabling her to grasp and handle any
situation more easily and effectively.
/ II is the highest form OF study and
Is necessary 10 the maintenance OF a
general standard: but the variance OF
temperament and gifts. the difficulty
i'm the paths of life lying before young
women, make n necessary and desir-
] NUAt AHIN MfIt ElANuAu nArn W. EINNlul
training for special work Mrs.
/ Hills last sentence opens the way
/ for discussion OF the advisability of
la normal-school training rather than
college training for Delaware girls.
1T takes four years for graduate
OF standard high schools to complete
a college course; it takes two years
TO complete a course az normal
school AS a rule the graduate from
the normal school succeeds better in
managing a school than college
graduate The reason therefor Is
quite plain the one has been trained
for her work, the other has not The
saving of two years is no small item.
/ Delaware needs more good teachers
and needs them now. I'm New Castle
county there arc four times as many
normal-schOol graduates as college
graduates in the white schools.
Benefits Of State Aid.
"Iu 1903 the Legislature OF this
State passed law appropriating
81 900 for each county to be used i'm
defraying the expenses Of persons de-
String a training at a normal school
AZ the rate Of not more than 81 per
week or $50 per year. For this finan-
cial aid each applicant agrees to teach
at least two years I'm Delaware after
1 graduation. This enables each county
school commission to keep twelve
persons in certain normal schools
year after year. During the operation
Of the law IS applicants have re-
ceivnd State aid. OF these % grad
uated.1 died, 3 are teaching who did
not graduate and II are now taking
their courses. Only OF the %
graduates have taught more than the
required two years Three have mar
( ried. But 10 who have received aid
| are now teaching in this county. How
! ever. there arc four others teaching i'm
other States who still have two years
to teach in Delaware II this ratio
] holds good in the other counties. Della
ware has about so teachers in the
school room out Of 100 or 1876 trained
! I'm seven years at an expense of S21,-
900. This money went largely to the
normal schools of PENNSYLVANIA. In
addition TO the S21 900 paid by the
State at last 10000 more was paid
by these young people for board and
books. The question now arises. Can
Delawar imprOv upon the situation
by establishing a normal school Of her
own?
There are between POS and 800 nor
NAL schools in the United States
Nearly a third OF them are private
schools. They graduate over 10000
teachers annually. In Massachusetts
a normal school training Is required
A teacher before she can enter the
Philadelphia schools must be a grad
uate Of a high school giving a four
year course. as well as a graduate OF
a normal school. Previous 10 1903
less than two per cent of the teachers
I'm the rural schools of the State Of
1 Michigan had received any training 10
III them for their work Today 40
per cent. Of them have had at least ono
year of preparation. Normal school
training Is increasing everywhere.
/ Pennsylvania has 13 normal schools
with an enrolment of over 5000.
/ Pennsylvania has $1,000 teachers in
round numbers in her public schools
about 40 times as many as Della
ware has. From these figures It will
be seen that for each person in the
4 normal schools Of Pennsylvania there
are four teaching. The same ratio in
Delaware would mean 225 or $50 in a
normal school, If ye had one. Such
a number would make a prosperous
school
But we have no buildings to begin
with. and no instructors. unless a
normal school department is estab-
liShed al Delaware COIlaoe TthfQ