St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1914-08-19
IMPORTANT CHANGES
Of VermontEducational Com
mission Recommends New Plan
FOriHigh Schools and Colleges.

&
The report of the Vermont Educa-
tionaI Commission has been filed
with the governor. 1t is in the form
of massive bound book of more
than 284 typewriter pages and is
based very largely on the report of
the Carnegie Foundation, which is
made a part of it, but the commits
sion's report goes even further in it's
findings and recommendations.
Reduced to the fewest possible
words, the findings of the commits
sion are as follows;
Commissions Findings.
Teaching in rural schools insult
able for daily life of pupils and most
ly preparatory for secondary schools;
Secondary schools still more I'M
suitable and mostly preparatory for
institutions of higher learning, and
therefore of benefit to but one-tenth
of their pupils;
Length of school term insufficient;
Lack of adequate vocational train
ing for pupils and efficient normal
school training for teachers;
insufficient emphasis on agricul-
ture;
Appropriations to institutions of
higher learning too large according
to states property valuation;
Duplication of effort in u. V. NJ,
Middlebury college and Norwich Uni
versity, which are declared to be
private institutions and not entitled |
of right to any state aid.
Recommendations.
The recommendation of the COM
are similarly condensed as
follows:-
Consolidation Of rural schools;
Establishment of junior high |
school in every town if necessary to
provide for pupils from IL to 16
years of age, including the 7th and
Sth grades and the first two years
of present high school course;
These junior high schools to teach
commercial subjects, domestic sci
ence, manual training and agricul-
ture, to the end that they may be
finishing schools for life' in case
the pupil goes no farther;
Establishment of as many central
senior high schools as the number
Of pupils shall demand, the curricu-
um to include special vocational
as above, and also high
grade courses for pupils from IT to
L9 years of age who may be fitting
'or college; !,
Abolish Incorporated Districts. Z
These senior and junior high
schools to articulate directly with ]
zach other for the purpose of in {
reasing the percentage of pupils who
axe advanced studies;
Increase school year to SO weeks, |
which is about the average of the
ountry, thus adding nearly two
ears to present length of school 7
ng; :
Dissolve all specially Incorporated
chool districts $50 in number) and !,
ring all schools under the general !
aw;
instruction designed "to educate
outh toward the occupations of the Z
in which they live; =
his is the key note of the whole re- Z
ort.
Strengthen staff and equipment of 7
tate agricultural school, increase ap-
ropriation and aid manual train =
lg; 5.
No State Aid for Colleges. b
No financial aid to University of O.
ermont, Middlebury College or "
orwich University until state has 81
its full constitutional II
uty to public schools and then only
| return for some specific service; n
On the theory that teachers train II
within the state are more valuable tC
ian those trained without, state ap- Il
ropriations to be expended by the te
ate board through arrangement ri
it'll the state agricultural college al
train teachers for teaching agr1- U
llture in the junior high schools; tt
so by arrangement with Middle al
Try College to train teachers for ca
aching the higher courses in the
nior high schools;
Cooperation in federal extension :.
ork in agriculture; =,
Two Normal Schools. p,
Discontinue normal schools at m
'hnson and Castleton; and develop hi
aiming courses in secondary schools tn
train teachers for elementary tn
hools and earlier years of junior sc
gh school.
The report deals very fully with an
nditions at the University of Yer 70