The Springdale news., 1915-12-17
II. CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOLS. By J. R. Jewell, Dean School of Edu-

By J. 1t. Jewell, Dean school or Edu-
 cation University of Arkansas.
 The most pressing educational problem today is that of the rural school. Most of the teachers are in- experienced, and salaries are so low that we can hardly expect better teachers in rural schools for some time to come. The average age of teachers is continually lowering. and more and more our country children nave as teacher some boy or girl only just recently graduated from just such a school as he or she is to teach, but who has never seen a bet ter school than the one just left.
 Progress in every phase of life has been so rapid, competition is now so severe and methods of business have so changed that better and broader education is necessary for our coun- try children. The proper education of the farm boys and girls cannot be neg leeted without finally bringing ruin upon the farming communities. If these advantages are not provided they will drift into other callings.
 When We reflect that it costs just as much tC support small school as one of thirty or more pupils, We catch some idea of the tremendous per cap ita cost of the Arkansas rural school. If, through consolidation or otherwise, these rural schools could be brought l have of of " thirty-fiVe pupils. the number of teachers required therein would be one-half the number now employed.
 But the financial question. however important. is not the most important consideration. The fatal weakness III these schools lies in their size It is impossible that schools so small as many of these are should do the best work. With but handful of pupils no teacher can secure the best re- suits The pupils themselves miss the incentive and inspiration that comes of numbers. As soon as the boy and girl are free from the oper- ation of the compulsory attendance law, they, too, often leave school be- cause they find little to attract
 II is held by all students of this problem that the only remedy is the consolidating or uniting of two or three or more small or weak schools into one. Consolidation in it's fullest sense, means the Reorganization of two, three or more school districts and uniting them into one large school district, organizing in 1t large central school, and, if necessary, transporting the pupils thereto.
 At first thought consolidation would seem expensive. Experience. however, shows that this is not true to any considerable degree By combin- ing small schools fewer teachers are needed than under the separate sys- tenn, thus saving certain outlay While several buildings are now nee. essarily maintained, under the new plan but one needs to be provided and cared for.
 l Consolidation is by no means a new movement. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, | d. kota. Kansas and Colorado are all abandoning their weak schools North Carolina has only recently con- solidated twelve hundred districts
 The difficulties in the way of con solidation are had roads and a dislike to see the school house placed in any location that is farther from the farm than the old site. Some of the more obvious of the many advantages of consolidation follow:
 CD Many country school districts are so small and weak that no school is conducted; t2) many others consist of but three or four pupils, and the expense for elementary schooling ire quently amounts 10 more than the tu- ition for collegiate instruction; {3) at least one-third of the country schools are too small to be even fairly sue cessful; (D consolidation and trans portation tend greatly to lessen ex- pense, so that the same grade of schools can be had much cheaper, or far better grade at the same ex- pense, as patrons may desire; or, if they please, full equivalent of the best city schools may be established and conducted at slightly greater cost than heretofore. and at much lower rate than in the city.
 As things are today, without consol- idation, country people not only pay more for elementary instruction alone than city schools cost, including the high school course, but. in addition, farmers pay out vast sums for tuition and other expenses of their older chil- dren attending city schools for what ls not offered at home