The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-03-17
MONDAY, MARCH II, 1918.
THE SCHOOL CONTROVERSY.

~N4A lag bHC past "SOA CAoNCAAiUllLG
have been given to the public from
both the majority and the minority
sides Of the school controversy. First
the six members Of the board who de-
cided that there should be a change
came out with a statement, making,
for the first time since the controversy
started, a definite and detailed criti-
cism Of Mr.. Hoover and giving their
reasons for wishing to get a new su-
perintendent of the schools.
Saturday The Forum published a re-
ply to the criticisms made by the ma
jorfty members, from the minority
members, DR.. Carpenter, Mr.. Smith
and Mr.. Hannaher.
A careful analysis of the statement
made by the majority members will
show that their chief criticism of Mr..
Hoover Is that he does not spend
enough time in personal supervision Of
the schools.
They make this statement:
The importance of frequent vista
ton by the superintendent to each
school room, observation of mode of
government and instruction and the
giving Of instructions, aid and encour-
aEement as required by this rule is
fundamental to the success of any SUI
perintendent. We can say that there
has been practically an entire failure on
the part of Mr.. Hoover to comply with
this rule. Teacher after teacher has
told us that during the last two years
Mr.. Hoover has not heard or conduct
ed a single recitation in their room;
and several teachers have told us that
when he visited them he walked across
the room, examined the thermometer,
and then Immediately departed.
Note that the majority members do
not make the statement from their own
personal knowledge. This statement
does not agree with the records in the
superintendent ofice-records that
are backed by the reports from the
teachers themselves. For the minor
ity members in their report say:
We find upon examining the records
in the supe~rintendent's office, that ev-
cry duty indicated in the foregoing
rule, that Is a matter of record has
been performed for the past seven
years; and in addition to the supervis-
ory duties indicated in Rule Z, above
quoted, we find as a matter of record
that the Superintendent in the years
1S10-11 and 1911-12, made 1901 visits
to the individual teachers. The record
shows the name of the teacher visited,
the date of the visit, the hour Of the
day and the length of the visit, all
verified by the teachers monthly re-
port, ranging in length from ten min
utes to one n One-half hours.
But ever granting that Mr.. Hoover
does not spend a great deal of time in
personal supervision in the class room.
as The Forum sees it that is not his
business. The Fargo school system
has become a pretty big proposition,
so big that instead of it having grown
away from the superintendent, it may
be that it has grown way from certain
members Of the board of education.
There are members of the board of
education that were educators them
selves-years ago. Perhaps they are the
ones who are imbued with old fogy
ideas. In these modern days the per-
son who is handling a big proposition
in the business world has found that
that man gets best results who selects
carefully trained assistants to take
charge Of the different departments
n who holds each of those DEPART
ment heads responsible, for everything
that goes on In his department.
This is also the new idea in the edu-
cational world. The superintendent
selects his school principals very care
fully n he holds Fac principal re-
sponsible for everything that goes on
In her building. He holds frequent
conferences with his principals, and
his principals in turn hold conferences
with those under them.
This is Mr.. Hoover's system. II is
the system adopted in the big cities
and 1t a proved a success. The Fo-
rum believes that instead of being a
criticism Upon Mr.. Hoover il reflects
credit upon him n proves that he is
keeping himself up-to-the-minute in
educational affairs.
In a city where there are not more
than twenty or thirty teachers it is
probably we'll for frequent visitation
of the superintendent to each school
room to conduct Rotations" but the
member of a board of education who
will say that such a thing should be
done in a school system of the propor
ton OF Fargo's is sadly behind tho
times.
There are two other principal criti
cisms of Mr.. Hoover made by the ma
Jority members. One is that he did
not hold enough conferences with his
teachers. The other is that he does
not visit other schools and educationa
gatherings. Both of these criticisms
seem to be completely refuted by the
records.
AS a matter of fact the only salts.
factory criterion, in judging the eff.
cheney of a school system is to judge
it by results, in comparison with 9th.
er contemporary systems. Al system
that liz forced to take thousands OF
children, OF varying standards of men.
tai capacity, put them. through a rou.
tine mill OF learning and grind then
out in d certain length of time, canno
be expected to turn ont a perfect re.
suit, invariably.
The Fargo schools will measure III
to any schools in the land when results
are compared. This Is proved BY tn,
graduates from the schools who hay,
gone to higher institutions Of learning
have baen admitted BSth0ut examina-