The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-28
SOME PRIVATE GIVING
 THROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Fly ELSA DENIsON Bureau of Municipal Research, New York

sound. but 1t takes sometimes whole
 generation to convince taxpayers that increases in the school budget are de-
 sirable. The time required for convinc- | ing has been greatly 1essened when outside private interest and money
 have been available to support actual demonstrations of what the schools would do with s500o for domestic l science or s250 for playground appara . 1 tus.
 | In scores of communities manual training, kindergartens, the special care of backward children, playgrounds, | physical training, etc, are due to the interest and money of volunteer outside agencies and individuals. Every city can tell of school Improvements due in part or entirely to outside interest which means money. The Bureau of Municipal Research has estimated that in New York city s1,000,O00 a year is spent by some outside agencies in sup plementing the work of the schools
 Superintendents see how by giving through schools donors could help all children, while by giving through out side private agencies they help only q small percentage The school men more readily than others can tell where the need for relief Is not being met by organized charity or private
 giving: where scholarship In grammar and high schools would enable children
 Small gifts of from s5 to s200 for pho
 tographs. prizes. pictures. library
 books, musical entertainments, are need
 ed in practically all schools and cannot
 everywhere be expected through taxes.
 In several cities superintendents
 show that not money but services are
 needed from physicians dentists and ' l,a |. .s.,1f f-f rf...- convince the community that all school children should be made physically fit
 and make it easier to appropriate mon
 ey for inspectors and nurses Of the 30 different wants. by supplying which,
 as superintendents suggested, private giving would help schools, all but four -scholarships and material aid for l schol children, sick funds for teachers.
 and prizes--are supplied in some legiti-
 mate school expenditures.
 l The needs for private giving which
 are not local. but nation wide, as sug-
 gested by l42 superintendents. would | justify the income of a $120,000,o 900 1 founda tion and would affect 20.000.000 1 school children and l00,000.o00 citizens. 1 ssuperintendents show how all the schools would be helped by experf-
 lnents in school administration and
 methods standardized courses of stu 1 dy; endowed agencies for tho study of
 school problems in poor sections of the country: promotion Of educational standard units and educational scien- 1 tific manag cement: research and general | information about model schools ''to make common the splendid accumula- 1 ton of knowledge not now usuable' Before rich men and moderate givers
 can know how to give. school people superintendents, teachers and princi- pals-must make known the needs Of the schools by advertising through l their annual reports. This summer
 superintcndents are planning their re- port on the work of the school year just completed. Some--a few only | will tell to their communities and to prospective givers the details of what ! they wrote to the Bureau of Municipal
 Research. All of them have an oppor- tunity to list needs as they see them in
 the order of urgency and to show ta) l first cost. tbp maintenance cost. tc)
 whether properly a public charge, td)