Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-12-25
Bulletin No. 81 Further Quoted.

Mr.. Editor On referring further to Bull
letin No. 80, series of 1918, of the U. S.
Bureau of Education, relative to the 1912
educational survey of Montgomery county,
find the following interesting statements
under the head of Summary and Recon-
mendations":
Montgomery County schools compare
very favorably with those of the other
counties of Maryland. However. they, with
the Others. fall short of the ideal of the
school system necessary if the country
children are to receive equal educational
opportunities with those of the best Ameri-
can cities.
Summing upconditions, the chief weak
nesses noted are as follows: The prepon-
derance of one-room schools and the alb
sence of consolidation defective hods of
lighting, heating, ventilation, and of seat
ing pupils; the lack of organizations for
pupils and of recreation facilities the low
proportion of children of school age en-
rolled or in regular attendance; the slight
attention paid to the identifying of the
surroundings of the school buildings; and
the absence from the curriculum of studies
preparing for country life. Over against
these weaknesses we must cite other and
very important sources of strength: Direct
and capable supervision uniform Grading
a sufficient number of buildings in good
repair; teaching force experienced, rela-
lively stable, and efficient; fair BEGIN
ming of introducing into the curriculum
those subjects most closely adapted to
rural needs and a number of high schools
which in equipment and in the grade of
work done are well above the average for
similar communities.
THE number of schools contained in
the county, from the standpoint of eff
cheney and economy, is too great. There
are SO (now $50 elementary schools for
white children, or one for every 7 1-2 square
miles of territory, This means that, if the
schools were symmetrically distributed, no
part of the county would be more than
miles from school, 80 per cent of the
territory would be within l-2 miles, and
AZ per cent. within mile If the num-
Der of schools for white children should be
decreased to 35, there would be one school
for every Is square miles. If the schools
should be located at the center of squares
Is square miles in area, or less than miles
on a side, one-fifth of the territory would
be within mile of the school. four-fifths
within 2 miles, and the farthest point
would be but 2.S miles from the building
By proper management, taking into con-
sideration the geographical features of
the country and the location of the popu-
lation, the 35 schools could be so placed
that approximately 95 per cent of the
school children would live within miles
of school and at least so per cent. within
mile. Under such conditions transpor-
tations at public expense would be neces-
sary only on exceptional days, as the chill
dren would be in walking distance. While
it might not be possible to extend the area
for each school to IS square miles, there
are many sections where consolidation with
transportation of pupils at public expense
is entirely practicable and where the school
might serve an area of IS square miles,
Decreasing the number of schools would
not lessen the number of teachers in the
county to any great extent, as the num-
Der of pupils to each teacher under present
conditions is high. 1t would, however, in
crease the size of each school to two or
three-teacher schools, with enough pupils
to permit classification in such way
that the efficiency of the teaching would
be doubled or trebled 1t would allow also
adequate expert supervision at compare
lively small cost and would decrease the
cost of maintenance appreciably. 1t would
mean much more efficient school ser
vice at about the present outlay.
ION the whole. the white schools of
Montgomery county may be said to rank
high in the excellence of their work in
comparison with other county systems
The same may be said about the negro
schools, although they are relatively in
efficient as compared to the white schools
of the county and are poorly housed, equip
ped, and supported"
SCHOOL PATRON