The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-04-21
STUDYING VERMONT
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
State Commission Informs Public Of
Some Of the Steps Being Taken
To Improve School Con-
ditions,


tgate the educational system and con
\ ditions of Vermont is an indication o.
the genuine interest which the people
OF Vermont have in their institutions
The schools of the state and the sehoo
system mean more TO the whole peopl,
of the state than any other institu
tons which the state controls or sup
ports. The school touches every vii.
lage. every family, every individual
however remote his life may be from
the crowd or from the city.
Some explanation may therefore, be
of interest as to what an educational
survey undertakes to do, as to how it
is made and what agencies the com
mission has chosen in order to prepare
for il an exhibit of the educational ma
chinery.
The idea of having an educational
study of the schools of given state
or county prepared by some outside
agency familiar with education is a
comparatively recent thing. Perhaps the
most admirable example of such efforts
are the studies made by Sir Michael
Sadler, now administrator of education
in the Victoria university of Manches
ter Sir Michael Sadler is one of the
most eminent men in educational work
in England II rarely has been the good
fortune of community to have its edu-
cational problems receive the study of
a man so able and so familiar with
the educational effort of the whole
world.
! Sir MichaePs surveys of the educa-
ton of various English counties form
almost a classic model for such work.
/ The ordinary English county such as
Essex or Hampshire, while smaller than
the state of Vermon's has much larg
! er population. For example, Essex and
| Hampshire, Of which Sir Michael made
studies, had respectively population of
l.0s5,77l and 797 1874, with an area only
about one-sixth that of Vermont
Sir Michaels study of these counties
took up, first, the general Typographical
and geographical conditions of the re-
gion, the proportion of the people who
lived in towns and villages and those
who lived in the more remote country
districts. and the occupations of the in
habitants.
He took up, in addition, not only the
existing condition OF the school, but
he went into the more fundamental ques-
tion as to what The elementary school \
is intended to do. what is the pur-
pose of the secondary school, what sort |
Of results does a community expect to |
obtain when it sets up a school Of
given sort?
These questions are fundamental ones
They are the most important which |
questions which are seldom addressed |
H.. -.
munities adopt as pure matters of imi-
tations the schools which are conducted
elsewhere. II rarely happens that the
attention of community can be brought
to the primary question, what are the
public schools which it maintains ex
pected to do? and whether they are
out this purpose.
With this fundamental inquiry as
basis a survey then undertakes to study
the individual schools. to examine
enough of them to know how well they
are conducted, what character of teach
ers they have, what sort of supervision
Of the schools there is from above what
relation the elementary school has to
the high school. what relation the high
school has to the college and uniyer-
sity and whether there is through all ,
these institutions any consistent plan or
whether each is conducted as isolated
efforts.
1t viii be seen that any such sur !
sey may be extended to the most insig
lfeant details OF school life and school
In fact, one OF the dan
yers OF such studies has been that in
many cases. attention has been so d.
'ected to details that the essential prin-
.iples of administration and of school
have been lost sight OF.
t is part of the problem of those di.
Getting the survey to steer between the
LANCER of too great attention TO detail
nd the danger of a superficial examina
ion of existing conditions. No set OF
nen, however familiar they may be with
educational problems. can understand
he viewpoint of those who have to do
With local schools without actual vista
ion. An understanding, therefore. of
he schools will require visitation OF
sufficient number to be sure that
rue viewpoint and comprehension of the
roblem has been obtained.
All depends in such study on select
~ men who have not only had expert
nee in the particular phase of educa
on which they are asked to study. but
no also have the power to appreciate
ne point of view of those directly con-
,rned with the problems. In under
king the study the commission invited .
he Carnegie Foundation for the ad- -
of teaching to charge itself
18th the duty of selecting these men
nd of carrying out this study.
1t may be of interest to those who
e concerned with the schools of Yer
ont to know why this action was tax
! and to know something of the edu-
ltional agency which the commission
rs availed itself of 81 bringing to-
'ther the facts for its own considera.
on. n
The Carnegie Foundations Ideas.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Ad-
of Teaching is an education
agency founded some seven years ago,
lich has carried on two definite lines
work.-one, the work OF the pension.
2 of old teachers under definite rules
lis has been carried out by admit =
" to the privileges of the retiring :
nd institutions maintaining good coll