Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-01-07
II. CONSULTATION OF, SCHOOLS. By J. R. Jewell, Dean School of Edu-
 cation University of Arkansas.


 teachers in rural schools for some time to come. The average age of teachers is continually lowering, and more and more our country children have as a 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 lected without finally bringing ruin upon the farming communities. If these advantages are not provided they will drift into other. callings.,
 When we reflect that 1t costs just as much to support a 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 to have an average attendance of say thirty-flyer 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 in 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 a 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
 It 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 its fullest sense, means the Reorganization of two, three or more school districts and uniting them into one large school district, organizing in it 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. " .i.@ e~ Consolidation is by no means new movement. Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Missouri. Iowa, Nebraska. South Da- kota, Kansas and Colorado are all abandoning their weak schools. Easih Carolina has only recently con- sos.d&tedstwelveh hundred districts. The difficulties in the way Of con solidation are bad 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: Y " (1l Many country school districts are so small and weak that no school 1 is conducted; (2) many others consist 1 of but three or four pupils, and the
 expense for elementary schooling ire | Quently amounts to more than the tu- I ition for collegiate instruction; (3) at
 least one-third of the country schools
 are too small to be even fairly sue
 cessful; (4) consolidation and trans ! portation tend greatly to lesson ex. ! pense, so that the same grade of
 schools can be had much cheaper, or
 a far better grade at the same cx- pense, as patrons may desire; or. if
 they please, a 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.
 il 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 .-l and other expenses of their older chil' dren attending city schools for what
 ts not offered at home.