The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-06-27
FORMULATE CODE.
Plan Presented to Change High
Schools to Fit Pres ent Needs.

Schools to Fit Present Needs.
After study of the present day high
school, Superintendent of Public In.
struction Luther L. Wright has devised
the following code of fourteen articles
for the readjustment of secondary
schools.
First. Course of study should be
broadened, one route to point towards
the university for the few and another
towards irdustrials for the many In
the college preparatory courses, most
of the work now offered beyond the
fifteen units should bs eliminated; for
eign language offered only for those
preparing for college, and that simply
because the college requires it. 1t ought
to be posi- BILE in Micniean to get an ed.
ucation in the English language.
Second. Have fewer academic sub
jects, fewer sciences, but take these for
a longer time.
Third. Do away with the idea that a
student, especially girl, must take sub
jects for which the student has no apti-
tude.pG' g3j.5 al
Fourth. Provide industrial training
for every body, every day. every boy in
the shop and every girl in the kitchen
at least until pupil is certain that he
is to follow the route toward the col.
lege, this training to head straight
toward life work.
Fifth. Special trade or continuation
schools for those who want trade, the
trades to be taught by master work
man and not by school teacher.
Sixth. Break the lock step for gradu.
alton. The high school is run on the
plan that every body may or will gradu-
ate. For the student who can remain
only year or so the present high school
has little to offer. Give any one who is
willing to work an opportunity to fit
himself for livelihood in the shortest
time possible. This means special classes
graduation in less than four years. 1t
means, perhaps, classes started at irreg.
ular times. 1t means teachers who ap.
preciate the situation.
Seventh. Lengthen school day and
week and year. High school students
are capable of much work. The long
vacation and the short school day tend
to create habit of laziness The great
asset that a young man may bring to
is life job is the habit of work. The
Russell Sage Foundation has recently
published Comparative Study of Pub
lie School Systems in the Forty eight
States, On page II you will find this
sentence, "As nation the United
States has shorter school day, short
er school week, and shorter school
year than any other highly civilized
country in the world" But there must
be a diversity of work, work for the
hand and the mind, so that work will
be less like drudgery than now. We
must hustle more and hurry less.
Eighth. Fewer books, more labora
tories, shops and study of things, and
greater emphasis on the constructive
side.
Ninth. Less written work, more oral,
more public speaking; much less Of
written work intended for the waste
basket.
Tenth. Study of modern English
classics instead Of ancient English clas.
sics.
Eleventh. Run the school primarily
for the great majority who can never
go to college. Give the others their
fair share of attt ntion, but do not, as
now, let their interest dominate the
school.
Twelfth. Bear in mind that different
types of education are required for boys
and for girls.
Thirteenth. Make the school to fl
the community and the course of study
TO e. the pupil.