Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-03-03
A COUNTRY CLASS JUDGING CORN

A Glass in Corn Jud
RURAL EDUCATION PR0BLEl
BY Charles 2. Curtis, Dean Of DIvlsIeI
Of Agriculture, Iowa state College.
Tho problem Of more directly rela1
ing the public school to the work ant
life Of the people u the foremost o
educational problems Of tho presen
day. We have not yet reached tn
stage Of abandoned farms In Iowa
but we have reached tho stage Q
abandoned rural schoolA or those
that ought to be abandoned for some
better system. We have over 2.00(
schools with an enrolment Of flve o
less. The school population In tn
1850 rural schools Of Iowa has de
creased 1875 in the past three years
The total school enrolment in thu
public schools Of Iowa has decreased
1869 during tho past ten years. Thii
is not gratifying showing for STATE
that has prided itself on it, educa
uonal standards.
The rural school problem bears n
important relation to the rural life
problem about which there 10 &c
much concern now that the state il
actually losing population. The rura
life problem will not b solved until
we md . measurably satisfactory sol.
ution for the rural school. rural
church, and good roads problems
Rural depopulation will continue In
Iowa as long - the educational and
social conditions Of the farm com
munity are unsatisfactory. The
greater tho 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 10 be
ing projected on . higher plane. The
farmer has . broader outlook and
higher standards-higher standards OF
life as well az Of agriculture. He
seeks for his children - good an edu-
cation as any schools afford. The
rural schools are not being abandoned
because the rural pupils are out Of
school. It 10 because they are In
school somewhere else.
The rural school NO longer serves
It's purpose: Each fall about 5000
pew teachers. enter the rural schools.
They are, In the main. inexperienced.
unframed and out Of sympathy with
country life and tho 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 well directed efforts
have inspired many Of their teachers
to put now Ne and new meaning into
their work By connecting 1t 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 system that IL
weak and growing weaker from yea.
to year. I refer to the present sub
district system under which q major
ity of the rural schools of Iowa are
organized. We may as we'll face the
fact the fact squarely that no matter
how well the old plan may have
served in the past and. regardless of
Low strongly we may be attached to
the local control policy. the sub.dis.
trict unit no longer meets the re-
quirements of our modern educational
needs. In one county in Iowa having
125 sub.districts, thirtyseven Of them
held no annual elections last March
This indifference alone 10 fatal to Of.
flcient organization even II 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 II
lesired. General consolidation may
not come about rapidly. but the town.
ship or county unit plan would per.
NIT this to be accomplished a. fast
rs circumstances warranted and
would leave 1t at the option Of the
people concerned.
The consolidated school 10 able to
provide for the Introduction Of agri-
cultural and household economies
on satisfactory and ehacisnt basis,
and such schools can have the serv-
ices Of especially trained teachers. A
school Of that kind can be made
center Of social life and community
interest in q way that can never be
reached by q one-room, six-toten.pupil
school. 1t can do the work that 1t
undertakes to do a. efficiently - any
of the graded schools in the cities,
and in addition it can have it, gar
dens and it, laboratories. access to
the fields and livestock. and other
means of connecting up the school
work with the Life and problems Of
the country.
There 10 also an urgent nsed TOR Z
country high school. This nsed not 81
necessity be located IN the country,
though for many reasons It would b
desirable to have 1t located there.
Here again we may az we'll face the
unpleasant fact that the average high
school has not served its purpose IN
the sense Of meeting the present day
demands. It has tended not only 70
direct tho country boy away from IN
dustI1al life, but 1t has lost ID grip
on the city boy to such m eQent that