The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-10-29
NEED
Of BETTER
EDUCATION
APPEAL MADE FOR IMPROVE
MENT OF RURAL SCHOOLS IN
STATE - CONSOLlDATlON is
URGED.

uO LOT tuuNdllOll III inc SCuOolo anu
colleges Their contribution to the
revenues Of moving pictures is one
third as much as to education. The
cost of the pie counter and the pork
barrel together with the necessary
expenses of maintaining the federal
government, is 60 per cent more than
the expenditure for education of
the youth of the nation.
These deductions have been made
by the state department of education
in Oklahoma and circulated among
the people in bulletin form to show
the need of more attention to educa-
ton in this state Yet the bulletin
makes showing OF the excellence of
Oklahoma schools as compared with
the schools of other states, especially
as to those that are in the cities
and villages. The problem in this
state is asserted to be in the rural
schools. The conservatism of the
people of the country is pointed out
as the underlying cause of the need
for work in that section.
Schools Are Largely Rural.
Of the $3.50 school districts in Ok
lahoma, 1O5 are independent, 34j have
villages located in them and $3.50
are located in rural communities An
independent district is one including
city of the first class or 4 town dis
trict which maintains a four-year
high school fully accredited by the
state university The average emu
meration Of scholastics in independent
districts is 1887 and of village and
rural districts is Il. There are 367
school districts, so in village dis
tricts aud 5,732 in rural communi-
ties. School is in session in these
buildings during an average term of
$50 days in independent districts 162
days in village districts and 102 days
in rural districts OF the 5SG134
scholastics enumerated in oklahoma,
l39,3G9, of q per cent live in inde-
pendent districts and 4iI7G5, or 76
per cent, live in village and ruarl
communities.
1t is pointed out that there is diff
Guilty in retaining trained teachers
in the rural schools because such
teachers are in request in the city
schools. 1t is concluded that the
rural school problem is largely a
matter of teachers. That city schools
are better than country schools is
due, according to the logic of this
bulletin, to the fact that the cities
have bought and paid for better
schools than the country has achieved.
Consolidated Schools Needed.
Consolidated rural schools are urged
as cure for the condition complained
of. The bulletin proceeds;
The quickest and most satisfactory
way to remedy this defect in our
educational system will probably be
found in the establishment of the
county as the unit of school admins
tration and taxation under plan al
lowing a county board of education to
provide township high schools and
thus equalize the educational oppor-
tunity of all the children in the coun-
ty. We realize that there are those
who will oppose this plan, on the
ground that it is undemocratic, but
we maintain that such a system is
purely democratic because 1t provides
equal educational opportunities for
all Under the proposed plan blan-
ket tax would be levied on all prop
erty in the county and all OF the
rural and village schools would be
maintained for a term Of eight or
more months. This would give to the
country child the benefit of a school
system equal to that OF the city. I'm
der this plan there would be estab-
lished a system of rural high schools
offering courses of study designed for
the best education of our rural boys
and girls and which in time would
he fully accredited by the state uni
yersity High schools have increased