The Detroit times., 1911-01-24
State A|D URGEI
FOR INDUSTRIAL
EDUCATION
Commission After Two Tsara' -
quiry Also Recommend That Phi
lie Funds Be Used in Advancing
instruction. in Agriculture.
Would Have These Branches TslshD
in Public Schools Special In
stitutions Not Favored.

The report OF the Michigan State
Commission on Industrial and Agricul>
tural Education was presented to Gov
Osborn, the superintendent of public
instruction, and the commissioners az
labor In Lansing, Tuesday.
IL is most comprehensive compilo<
tion, showing that the commissfon
made careful and exhaustive mi
vestigation. The commission was aDs
pointed by Gov. Warner I'm April, 1909,
pursuant to the creation OF an act
of the legislature for the purpose, the
City Superintendents' association hny~<
ing requested such legislation. Tho9o
selected by the governor to compose
the commission were Wellington r.
Burt. Saginaw: Shattuck o. Hartwells
Kalamazoo; III. K. Kratz, Calumet:
George A. MCGEE, Cadillac; Charles
III. Johnson, Detroit; Eber w. Yo1t,
Trenton. and Walter H. French. Lam
sing. The commissioners afterward
elected Mr.. French president and
Mr.. Hartwell secretary.
IL was specified In the act that the
commission should serve without pay,
but the State Teachers association
provided a fund of $500 for the In
vestigation and friends of Industrial
and agricultural education added =
like amount.
In July, 1909. Mr.. Kratz wan
Obliged to retire from the commission,
because of leaving the state. Fred "A.
Jeffers, OF Painesdale, was appointed
to succeed him. e
The commission spent several
months investigating the work done
in agricultural and industrial schools.
In Michigan. Wisconsin, Minnesota
and other states, with the result that
the following recommendation are
made:
In view OF the fact that in many
rural districts, OF the state the
school population OF single dis
tricts Is so small and huctuatinx y
that the best school conditions
cannot be maintained, we believe
that consolidation OF these dis
tricts or the organization OF the
districts I'm a geographical town
ship into one district will much
better conserve educational inter-
ests, give equal educational priv
ileges and also tend to economy
In administration; therefore, the
commission would respectfully
recommend the enactment of
township district law for the en-
tire state with provision for at
least one high school In each
township.
The commission would recon-
iend the enactment of law pro-
viding that high school within
the meaning OF the statute shall
consist of four years OF work be-
yond the eighth grade.
The cnxx, mi ION wauId roSpocf-
fully recommend the Introduction
as soon as possible OF courses I'm
agriculture, manual training and
home economies in all high q
schools of the state.
The commission recommends
that the general school laws be SO
amended that any village or city
having a population OF 5000 or
more may establish trade depart
ments- in connection. with. the "a
public school system: also may
provide for continuation schools.
We recommend that law be
enacted providing for the certffica-
tion OF all teachers Of agricultural
and industrial subjects.
State supervision OF all agrf-
cultural and Industrial courses in
the public schools shor,d be pro-
vided by law.
We recommend the enactment
of law providing for a limited
amount of state aid for schools
which introduce high school
courses in agriculture and home
economies or trade schools or con-
tinuation schools, according to
the following general plan: and
that this state aid should not be
more than $500 for each course.
or teacher employed.
The law granting state aid
should provide that the total
amount of state aid under the law
should not exceed, for the first
year, $4,000, for the second year
$4,000. nor I'm any subsequent
year 100000.
The apportionment of state aid
between courses in agriculture
and home economics on the one
hand and industrial courses ON
the other should be equal.
Schools applying for state aid
fGou ttuuea nm .srne Nfue.l