The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-19

from the home. TO prevent this the
School Improvement association has come
into existence. II is needed in the towns
and cities to counterfeit the feeling of re-
straint between patrons and school Off
cials.
1t is needed in the country for still an
other reason. 1t is desirable. not only to
encourage friendliness between home and
school, but also to supply material neces-
sites which in larger schools are usually
provided through regular channels. 1t is
needed that the buildings and grounds
may be improved and that books, cur
tains shades and such things may be
placed in the schools and that school ex-
tension work may be introduced into
the country districts, and that the school
r become social center.
1t can readily be seen that an organ
iza..... eslaDnshed for the express pur-
pose of improving the school and of Gre
ating harmony between the formality OF
the school and the varying circumstances
of the Individual home is an important
factor. Without sympathetic understand
ing in the home, no school can have
great influence over the pupils from those
homes Hence the necessity of some con-
Meeting link. The School improvement
association is that tie.
The Improvement Association
School improvement in the south origi-
mated in North Carolina at the suggestion
of DR. McIver
In 1904 Mrs. Erwin ,Craighead of Mo
bile conferred with Mrs. |. w. Hill, who
was then state superintendent of educa-
ton, as to how the Alabama Federation
If Women's Clubs could give him the
most practical aid in school work,
1t was Mr.. Hills request that the club
women would give their attention to the
rural schools II was then decided that
the federation would introduce the Schooi
Improvement association into Alabama
that interest in the schools might be
aroused, and that their conditions nigh,
be improved Investigation by the Ala
bams educational committee had shown
that the condition Of Alabama's rural
schools was highly unsatisfactory. The
buildings were unhygienic, uncomfort-
able and unattractive. But few of them
were we'll supplied with things necessary
for intelligent teaching and study. That
these conditions have been changed and
are now being changed is due to the in
terest of the Federation of Women's
Clubs which established the School I'M
provement association in Alabama
Active work was begun in the summer
of 1905. when the federation appointed a
committee of organizers known as the
school Improvement committee. The Woin-
en- on this committee were to give their
time Without pay, TO the organizing OF
Improvement associations throughout the
state Especial significance attaches to
this beginning. 1t means that Alabama
has never had what is known as a state
organizer person paid to introduce this
movement. In other states organizers
have been paid $1,000 to $500 year, but
Alabama's organizations have been made
through the time and labor given by
manv women In different parts of the
state
This school Improvement committee,
doing the work from altruistic motives,
filed the place of a state organizer. Per
hans there has been more ready response
because of the attitude of these advance
agents.
-Four years later. March, 1909 80 coun-
ties were organized in, improvement as
sociations - of this number being ae-
lively engaged There We're three city as
sociations and 800 local associations Be
tween $4,000 and $4,000 had been spent
in the interest of school Improvement
Between March, 1909, and March, 1910,
the number of county organizations was
increased to So, and 50 of these were
active. OF the u counties which We're
not organized eight had local associations.
The eight large cities of Alabama were
organized and $47, 7S4. 20 had been spent in
school improvement work. Fifty school