Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-01-09
vermonvs Rank Among tho States as to Education.

vermonts educational has long been the subject of
animated discussion and at times Of heated controversy Form
ery holding high rank the absence of iteracy
people, had dropped nearly to the foot of the ladder
claimed certain directions and some people began to
In the absence reliable statistics in directions
difficult say just how compared with other states in
relation educational work
We are now by the publication the results
the latest study conducted by the Russell Foundation under
title "a comparative study of State school systems in the
forty eight States.'
According report the system of Vermont
twelfth place in general efficiency among the systems of
the of the Union which, all things considered
credtable and gratifying showing
Rhode Island has the longest school year of any 1913
days but if these 1913 days of schooling were divided equally
the children of school the the result would
be 16 days of schooling each The report terms this the
defective school year and compares the As states that
basis.
results comparison show that Vermont provides
10 days of schooling for every child of school In nearly
quarter of the effective school year is less than
three months nation the United States has shorter
day shorter school week and shorter school year than
any other highly civilized country in the world.
Our expenditures for public education have than
doubled in the past ten To-day the people of the United
States spend nearly half billion dollars their public
schools The expenditure per child of school age all the
way from SO in South Carolina to nearly eleven times as much
$32 in Washington.
The that the has invested in school buildings
is index of its past interest in education In Mississippi the
investment child in school buildings and property
is $780, while Massachusetts nearly % times much
$115
In expenditure per chil1 of school Vermont
takes fourteenth place the As states while in the average
value Of school property standing fifteenth significant
fact in connection with this expenditure for school property
is that nation allow public schools burn down
the of than for school day the
Many states through the lack of compulsory attendance
laws through their nonenoccmen waste much of the
that they expend their schools have long school
and short attendance The cent of attendance
from about go in Maryland and Mississippi to more
than so in Oregon and Massachusetts In Vermont the
per cent of attendance is 7 which gives rank of nine
among the 4S commonwealth
In North Carolina New Movico Arkansas and Alabama the
attendance period short that the pupil would need
about % to complete elementary of eight wears
of nine full months each If he compelled TO live to
the
get his eighth grade certificate until he y
Teachers have received much attention recently j"
Vermont
In IS of the is the annual of public
school teachers amount to less than dola" day In just
five states it more than two dollars day The highest
salary paid in the United States 9lS in California
and the lowest 5000 in North Carolina The rank of Vermont
is 43rd the IS with of $3.50 teacher
less than $50 year. In New England hundreds
of teachers less than six dollars week In county
in Central Atlantic state the for all teachers 1929
per year southern
at little than 800 per year while it pays its public
school teachers slightly $500
According to the study the annual of carpon
in the United is about miners $500 of
factory workers $3.50 aborers 1913 and of teachers
@4S5 This showing hardly be regarded credabc to the
American people.
In general all round efficiency this study places Washing
first the of the Inion with Massachusetts
close second. and New York third All of the have
weak points which need be remecd The object of publishing
weak points to the attention of educators and to place in the
hands legislators authoritative present
public school conditions Copies be member
of every legislature converting III 1913
We present in another column of the detailed
information for the benefit of the legislators of Vermont
and other states and is TO be hoped that part of the report
Of the recently appointed cda ion commission be sub
mttcd time that lawmakers be able take action
in any desired direction Vermont afford to drop
behind the general movement for educational that
is sweeping the country.