Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-02-24
SCHOOL ACTS PASSED.
TEACHERS STANDARD RAISED
AND SYSTEM CHANGED.
state superintendent Alderman says
Efficiency Will Be Increased
100 Percent.

What are considered by State Su-
perintendent Alderman as two hlghly
important and meritorious pieces Oh
school legislation were passed py the
Legislature just closed.
These are the Huntington and Haw-
ley acts, according to the Oregoniah'
the Huntington bill improving rural
schools, and the Hawley bill aiming
to raise the standard of the teaching
profession throughout the state,
Under the Huntington act every
county in the state having more than
60 school districts shall create Coun-
ty Educational Board without COM
pensation, to consist of four members
to be appointed by the County super
intendent and the Superintendent IL
to act as an ex officio member as we'll
All the school districts in the county
are to be divided into supervisory dis
tricts by this board, which is to meet
the first Monday in June. Under the
act no supervisory district is to con-
tain less than 20 nor more than so
school districts.
For every one of the supervisory
districts the board is to name super
visor. who is to work under the direc-
ton of the County School Superln-
tendent. Both men and women may
serve on the board, and it is the intent
of the act to have such men and Wo-
men appointed who are representative
of the county and who are thoroughly
interested in the welfare of the
schools.
School Efficiency Increased.
1t is believed by the State Superin-
tendent that the efficiency of the
schools will be increased by at least
100 per cent under the workings of
this act during the next two years
Concerning the Hawley act, pro-
viding for certification of teachers and
Standardization of schools, Superin-
tendent Alderman said:
The certificate law places premi-
um upon thorough preparation and
special trainig, yet denies no one the
opportunity to take an examination
for a certificate. The graduate of a
standard normal school will receive
from the state department, without
examination, a certificate to teach in
the elementary schools. the one-year,
two-year and three-year high schools
of this state. The graduate of stan
dard college or university will receive
from the state department, without
examination, a certificate to teach In
any of the high schools of this state
plan is also provided whereby a
teacher may secure ceruncate
through the examination method.
County Certificates Abolished.
County certificates are abolished
and all examinations will be conduct
ed by the state department. An eX-
animation equivalent to the present
second grade county certificate will be
given for one-year state certificate,
This paper is renewed once. Exam
nations for a five-year state certif1cate
will be the same as the present life
paper, with the addition of three sub
jects-geology, American literature
and history of education. This will
.
any other paper in the United States
The nVe-year state certificate Sc
cured through examination may be re-
newed when the holder has attended
an institution of higher education foI
l32 consecutive weeks within six years
of date of issue of such certificate, OF
may be renewed by taking the same
examination. This new certificate law
has the advantage of giving to the
teacher when she has once held a GER
tificate the right to teach in any par'
of the state without having to take
another examination every time she
crosses a county line. 1t is also in con-
formity with an agreement reached by
a conference of the State School SUI
perintendents, who met at Salt Lake
city in November, 1910, and in ac-
cordance with this agreement the
holder of a state certificate secured
under the provisions of this law will
be entitled to teach in any state in the
Union.
ut is expected that this plan viii dc
more than any other one thing tha'
could be done to raise the standard
of the teaching profession. One other
estimable feature of the law is that II
gives to any four-year high school IN
the state the privilege of adding a
teachers training course, and gradu-
ates from this teachers training
course will be entitled to a one-yeaI
state certificate. For a school to take
advantage of this law, 1t must provide
one teacher who shall devote not less
than four hours each day to the train
ing course. and such teacher shall bt
graduate of standard normal
school or its equivalent. For the work
done in this teachers training course
three credits rae given on the basis
for Il Al "a 4 IN