Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1913-10-24
News Snapshots
of the Week
RURAL SCHOOL
EXPERT WRITES
Admiral Eaton, retired, was
lea around New York city.

To school boards. patr )ns, ard
teachers of Meagher county:
The state superintendent Of public
instruction has commenced an active
campaign for the betterment of rural
schools. This department is working
OH the principle that the country bow
and girl are entitled to as good ad-
vantages for an education as their
city cousins; that the advancement
of any country or section of country
is just in proportion to the degree of
the efficiency of the education of the
citizens Of that country; that the ed
ucation of the young manhood and
womanhood Is the guiding force in
the next generations; that more than
half of the pupils enrolled in the state
OF Montana are enrolled in the rural
schools and that more than half of
the future citizens of Montana are re-
: ceiving far poorer advantages than
the rest; that the highest develop
ment OF the state depends upon the
improved conditions Of the rural life.
The people must realize that the
problem is their own and that senti-
ment in favor of thing must pre-
cede the thing itself.
The greatest issue before the AM
erican people today is not the Mexi-
can situation or the Japanese ques-
ton but the elimination of the inef1i-
cient rural school.
Upon the solution OF this question
depends the future welfare of the
country people which includes the
welfare of all the people.
Statistics show that 62.3 percent of
all the children enrolled in the
schools of the United States are ell
rolled in the rural schools. They al
so show that only about percent of
the rural teachers have had special
training for their work. These un-
trained teachers are placed in poorly
equipped schools with practically no
supervision. Most of these schools
are built without any special refer
ence to proper heating, lighting OF
ventilation.
The dominant American ideal has
always been equality of opportunity.
The people are beginning to awaken
to some of the points in which our
school systems fail to do their share
| toward equalizing opportunity. They
have begun to realize that we cannot
equalize opportunity by providing
the same stereotyped form of educa-
for each individual, for individuals
or for schools. They have begun to
realize that we cannot equalize op-
portunity by placing less than four
tenths of our future citizens under
trained teachers in well equipped
schools and more than six tenths in
poorly equipped rural schools.
Statistics show that in North Da-
kota eighty percent of the girls and
fifty percent Of the boys who enter
the elementary schools in town fin.
isl,ed the eigth grade; in the country.
only eleven percent of the girls fin
ished and five percent of the boys.
Montana is not much III the lead OF
North Dakota. Many of our boys
and girls drop out after the sixth
grade, often because the teacher isn't
strong enough to make the work
worth while to them or has SO many
classes that she cannot give them thu
necessary time.
Montana has one thousand twt
hundred seventy three school dis
tricts. In about one fifth Of then
school is held less than six months
in many of them four months. II
many of the districts, the trustee
are doing their best to support a gOO'