Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-09-03
REPORT OF DR. STEPHENS
COUNTY SCHOOL STATUS
State Superintendent Of Education
TO the
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Recommendations Facing The Begin
ming Of New School Year.

Bates Stephens, State Superintendent
Of Education, was made to the State
Board OF Education at meeting held
August %, 1918. II was adopted in
its entirety by the Board.
We are facing the beginning OF a
new school year. Whatever our
chisvements or mistakes have been
in the past, We need to realize there
is very much constructive work
among school lines which the State
Board Of Education can at least sug-
gest, and possibly, through the CO
peration OF the county school author
tiles, accomplish.
We should begin the year with
definite plan Of administration, with
well defined ideas of what we should
DO and then work systematically to
attain such ends. With the pc rmis-
sion Of the members Of the Board,
offer the following suggestions as a
basis for discussion, and out of such
discussion feel sure there will come
a crystalized judgment which will be
more valuable than any individual
opinion. it may be that some of
these recommendation have been
made before, but feel safe in saying
that they have not been reduced to
educational practice.
FIRST, the real status Of each cOun-
cy's school system is not known TO
this body Aside from statistics com
piled in our annual report, we have no
means of determining the efficiency
ef schools in any particular county
and such statistics, valuable as they
are tor instituting several COMPARE
sons, will not furnish safe standard
for measuring actual school room re-
suits. In view Of this lack of definite
information, | suggest that this
Board make an educational survey
of at least two counties each year,
such survey to require from ten TO
twenty days during which all types
of school shall be listed and close
ly examined.
For such an examination there
should be thr se persons lone TO be
appointed by the United States Com
mission OF Educati IN 10 represent his
department, one by the State Board
of Education to represent the State
Department OF Education, and the
third to be named by the County
School Board, and resident of the
county to represent the County
School Board The State Board of
Education should select the county to
be surveyed and after conference
with the United States Commission
of Education, the line of investiga-
ton should be determined.
Second, an awakenir & on the pub
lie school question is an urgent need.
If people were as Indifferent to their
other business interests which are less
important and sacred than the edu-
cation of their children, it would be
regarded as little less than criminal.
They are indifferent for the reason
they have not been caused to feel or
realize such sacredness. They are
not agreeable to many of our good
educational practices be cause they are
not informed as to their real merit
We must inaugurate some plan which
will scatter broadcast this knowledge.
If under the direction Of this Board
one meeting can be held in each
county for instruction, entertainment
and organization, it may result in
many smaller unit meetings )ut of
which will grow healthy school pa
irons or civic leagues whose object
will be to bring the home and school
into closer and more sympathe tic re-
lations.
Third, since 1910 the high schools
of the State have increased in num-
Der and also in efficiency 1t is pos
sible for adequate and effective super
vision of these schools to be given by
the State Superintendent and his as
sistsnt. In behalf of the other schools
no State supervision is provided or
required. The rural school is not de-
veloping as it should and this condi-
ton in part charge able to an absence
of State cooperation along the line
of supervision. 1t would be a long
step forward placing the rural
schools on higher plane of useful
ness if this Board can use its influ-
ence in having provided rural school
supervisor for the State.
Fourth. the following school legis-
lation is needed, viz: a, A State
wide mandatory school attendance
law; b, minimum school term of
seven months for the colored schools
c, Appropriations made for approved
high schools and normal schools, and
also for retired teachers should be
paid out of the general treasure and
should not be charged TO the 10 cents
public school tax. The growing de-
mand on the elementary schools
makes it necessary to have at least 10
cents of the State tax.
Cd The appropriations made far the
three State Normal Schools is made
luate and should be increased. The
Maryland State Normal School will
likely move into its new home IN
about a year, and the approaching
should provide for the
additional cost of maintenance. The
expenses of maintai hing the Frost
burg Normal and the Normal and
Industrial School are larger than
he annual appropriations.
(e) The institute law should be so
that ii will be legal for a /
county school board to provide tut
ion for a percentage OF seachers to |
attend summer school in lieu or |
lolding an institute; 81 The position |
IF assistant teacher should be made /
saore secure; (g) In the absence of
State architect, plans for public /
.chool huildincs should be annroved |