The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-05-04
THE "SIx-AND-SIX" PLAN.
Half for Elementary School and Half
for High School.


Emphatic approval of the six-and
six plan OF school organization urged
by the Inland Empire Teachers asso.
citation at their Spokane meeting was
Expressed by DIR. P. ?. CIaxton, United
States commissioner OF education. q
know of no valid reason for the present
plan of eight and four years Of school,
declared DR.. Claxton. "There should be
six years OF elementary school and six
years of high school, the high school pc.
riod being divided into two sections Of
three years each.
| There are many reasons for the
change. Children II and Is years old
are at the beginning OF the transition
period between childhood and youth
! they should not be kept doing elemen-
tary work, At present the pupils in
most school systems mark time to a
large extent through the seventh and
eighth grades. This is especially true
where the methods of the elementary
schools are carried through these and
the children are taught by women grade
teachers. With sixth year elementary
school it would be easily possible to
promote the teachers with the children
from grade to grade, thus gaining the
| large value that comes from teachers
and children remaining together until
the teacher knows the needs of the chill
dren, their strength, and their weakness
and can build intelligently on all the
work of previous years.
Furthermore, to begin the high school
with fha Sayaufh fYro do will y,talra ,,a.,ob
easier the departmental work, which
should begin at least this low down 1t
will also make it much easier to begin
work in such high school subjects as
foreign languages, constructive geometry,
and real literature, at this point where
they should be begun. The study of
languages, especially of modern Ian.
guages, should be begun in practical
way before the children have passed the
time when they can learn in this way.
This plan will also make it possible
introduce manual training. domestic sci
ence, and various forms of vocational
work two years earlier than they are
now begun.
''0ur secondary school work is now
at great disadvantage as compared
with the work done in the Gynasien
and Realschnlen in Germany. the Ly-
Gees of France, and the so called public
schools of England. By giving six years
TO the high school, the boys and girls
who go to college may easily have, on
admission to college, much larger
amount of mathematics, languages, and
other subjects than they now have. !
feel quite sure that by an arrangement
of this kind and little more care in
the preparation and selection OF teachers
you may gain for most children two
years in the IL.
"The division of the high school into
two sections of three years each viii
make easier second differentiation of
work at the end of the first three high
school years.
AT present only about one fourth Of
the children enter the. high school. The
compulsory school age in most states
quite closely with the ele-
mentary school period. Parents and
children are thereby confirmed in the
idea that the elementary education is
all that is needed. Besides, the break
between the elementary school and the
high school at this time suggests leav
ing school and makes it easier. If the
break came at II or ID, the great ma
iority of children would be in the high
school, doing high school work under
high school conditions. and probably a
much larger proportion of them would
continue in school than under present |
conditions"
The Inland Empire Teachers assoeia-
ion which adopted the resolution ia
roring the new plan, enrolls about 1000 |
.eachers from the states of Washington
oregon. Idaho, and Montana. The reso-
ution passed unanimously.