Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-07

The fiftieth annual convention of the
National Education Association is now
being held in Chicago. The annual ses-
sion of this powerful organization con-
stitutes the eliminating event Of each
year in the educational world 1t brings
together the men and women who are
the leaders in educational progress, and
they exchange ideas, learn from one an
other, and all take home the sum of their
several contributions. The proceedings
of the convention Of the n. E. A. are
published in large 1900 page annual
volumes, known as the Addresses and
Proceedings of the National Education
Association"
The present convention. is one of I'M
usual interest. More than 10000 educa-
tors have gathered for the meeting. and
the program laid out for the several ses-
sions calls for a discussion of all the
questions foremost in the educational
situation. There will be consideration
of the high school problem, how to bring
the benefits of high school education
within the reach of a greater number Of
boys and girls; the problem of using the
public school as a rallying ground for
the public health crusade will be con-
sidered from every vantage point; rural
life and rural education, how to make
the latter fill the needs of the former,
will claim its share of attention; while
many men and women who have been
laboring in the direction of making the
rural school the social and civic center
of the community will tell of the results
achieved and the prospects of the future.
The past decade has been one Of I'M
precedented expansion in educational
lines under the leadership of the n. +. A.
Thousands of teachers now are making
teaching their lifework instead of a
mere stepping stone to something else;
the states are nearly all building new
normal schools and requiring higher
standards of teaching qualifications.
newer and better courses are being laid
out in both rural and urban schools,
courses fitted to the needs of the pupils
who attend those schools: industrial
training Is being made possible in hum
dreds of communities where II was I'M
heard of a decade ago: the health of the
children of the country lis being made a
prime consideration in their education:
medical inspection is being provided, and
everywhere one may see evidences that
out Of a chaotic mixture Of primitive
educational ideas the American people
are evolving a system which promises
ultimately TO meet the needs of a great
republic where a discriminating electo-
rate is the greatest asset it may possibly
have.
And yet one can but look at the story
of the present status of education in
the United
Vast Work Is Before States to
Educators of Country. MAJ q : va :,
work is before the educators of the coun-
try IL the things they desire to bring
about shall come to pass. 1t IS estimated,
for instance, that more than half OF the
half million teachers in the United States
are under twenty-four years of age
which precludes the presence of ripe ex-
perience from half the schools. Half of
the teachers of the country have not
taught more than four terms, and at
least a fourth of them will teach their
first session next winter. The average
teacher leaves the profession after four
years. Half of all the teachers have only
high school education, or even less
Furthermore. the statistics OF education
show that while there are 25,O0O,0O0 chill
dren OF school age In the United
States, less than 2O,O0O0OO of them go &c
school and only 100000 of them are in
school on the average day. According to
sioper of education, more than half OF
the children of the country must look tc
the rural school for their education and
training for citizenship He considers the
problem of adjusting these schools to the
needs of the country as the greatest oil
the educational world today. He woulc