The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-01-25
RURAL EDUCATION PROBLEM

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BY Charles r. Curtis, Dean Of Division
of Agriculture, Iowa State College.
The problem of more directly relat-
ing the public school to the work and
life of the people is the foremost OF
educational problems of the present
day We have not yet reached the
stage of abandoned farms in Iowa,
but we have reached the stage OF
abandoned rural schools. or those
that ought to be abandoned for some
better system. We have over 1000
schools with an enrolment OF five or
less. The school population in the
1880 rural schools of Iowa has de-
creased 1875 in the past three years
The total school enrolment in the
public schools of Iowa has decreased
55,562 during the past ten years. This
is not gratifying showing for state
that has prided itself on it's educa-
tional standards.
The rural school problem bears an
important relation to the rural life
problem about which there is so
much concern now that the state is
actually losing population. The rural
life problem will not be solved until
we find a measurably satisfactory sol.
ution for the rural school,. rural
church, and good roads problems
Rural depopulation will continue in
Iowa as long as the educational and
social conditions of the farm COM
munity are unsatisfactory. The
greater the farmers accumulation of
profits the sooner he feels able to
avail himself of the advantages az
forded by the city schools, and the
Imaginary comforts of life of leis,
urely retirement
The whole field of agriculture is be-
Ing projected on higher plane. The
farmer has a broader outlook and
higher standards higher standards CT
life as we'll as of agriculture. He
seeks for his children as good an edu-
cation as any schools afford. The
rural schools are not being abandoned
because the rural pupils are out of
school 1t is because they are in
SCNOCl SOLlcWu6Ic eISc.
The rural school no longer serves
Its purpose Each fall about 5000
new teachers enter the rural schools
They are, in the main, inexperienced.
unframed and out of sympathy with
country life and the country atmos-
phere. Those that develop real teach
ing ability and fitness for their work
soon obtain positions in graded
schools and other inexperienced teach
ers take their places.
have great admiration for Miss
Field and Mr.. Benson, who, by their
enthusiasm and we'll directed efforts
have inspired many of their teachers
to put new life and new meaning into
their work by connecting it with the
farm and the things about them In
nature. But even the best of superin-
tendents and teachers can make but
little progress under a system that is
weak and growing weaker from year
to year. refer to the present sub
district system under which major
ity of the rural schools of Iowa are
organized We may as well face the
fact the fact squarely that no matter
how we'll the old plan may have
served III the past and, regardless of
how strongly we may be attached to
the local control policy. the sub.d
trict uuit no longer meets the re-
.quirements OF our modern educational
needs. In one county in Iowa having
125 sub.districts, thirty-seven Of them
held no annual elections last March
This Indifference alone is fatal to eff
ficient organization even if there were
no other barriers in the way The
sub-district plan must give away to
larger unit, of not less than town
ship. where weak schools may be
abandoned and others consolidated if |
Fesired. General consolidation may
not come about rapidly, but the town.
ship or county unit plan would per-
nit this to be accomplished as fast |
as circumstances warranted and |
would leave it at the option Of the
people concerned
The consolidated school Is able to
provide for the Introduction of agri-
cultural and household economics
on satisfactory and efficient basis,
and such schools can have the sery-
ices Of especially trained teachers. A
school OF that kind can be made
center Of social life and community