The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-10-14

the curse OF partisan politics and To-
calism in the selection of a superinten-
dent, they have been free to 90 ahead
and make progress wherever and
whenever progress has seemed pos
sible' He calls the district system
of school organization curse, and
claims that the result of such a sys-
TEN is that state educational depart
ments are statistical and clerical
rather than educational
School Board Organization and
Functions: The Progress of a Quar-
ter Century by William Estabrook
Chancellor of the University of
Wooster, is unusually difficult to sum
up and still more difficult to criticize.
Out of the many thoughts presented
which are worth while, the following
', may be chosen as among the most i'm
portant: Capitalization has been tax
ing place everywhere. Il has assumed
three various forms-State centraliza-
ton, county Capitalization and town
Capitalization. Capitalization is de-
fined as the collecting OF powers from
the minor jurisdictions into the super
iCr, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Massa-
chusetts are mentioned as states
which have looked into the subject of
Capitalization and have adopted it in
some form.
The extreme backwardness of the
schools of some states even so late as
1891 was largely due TO the fact that
laissez faire ruled; because boards
could do as they pleased. they often
pleased not to do at all. They
functioned. They vegetated
Some boards maintain a city college.
city public library, various special
schools, a teachers retirement fund,
a bureau OF school research and school
farms Elected boards persist in pub
lie esteem, report in 1913 from
l,272 cities eliciting the information
that in 1857 cities, the boards
we're elected, In tht section
on the school superintendent. Profess
sor Chancellor recommends long
terms. and even approves of life-ten-
urc.
The true purpose of school board
is to reflect public sentiment, not TO
provide educational direction. One
of the greatest of all calamities to a
societal institution is to go high. and
then fall for want OF support Small
board committees are advocated and il
is recommended that each member of
board belong to at least.one com
mittee, otherwise, he ranges AT large,
and inevitably becomes troubled and
troublesome" The writer favors also
boards that are independent of the city
government, and are separate. indie
pendent organizations.
We have reached In America the |
complete separation OF church and |
state 1t is possible almost as
completely TO separate government |
and education state and school. -
High as the price is, one of the best |
means to elevate the schools is to |
make the board elective at large, to |
make it small, 20 make the terms Of |
the members long, 10 have the election |
held at a special time and to canvass
school issues thoroughly in the news
papers. The schools are worth think
ing about. and talking over once a
year. They should not be governed |
by men quietly slid in by some tact
full appointing power That is not
democracy. but diplomacy
Simplicity. directness and definite
ness are the theme Of W. S. Deffen-
baugh. of the t. S Bureau of Educa-
ton, in CITY School of Tomorrow"
making a prophecy. the
writer keeps these three desired quail
tiles before the minds of his readers
all the time. He says that there win
be no clashes tomorrow between the
school board and the city council, be-
cause the school board will be entire
y independent of the council. or the
city officials will have fuller control of
The schools. with only an advisory
school board or no school board at all.
should and will be
lodged in one board or the other. The
placing OF more responsibility in the
hands Of the school board is more in
accordance with the thought OF school
men than giving the control OF the
school over to the city officials.
Summing up. this article predicts for
omorrow that city school boards will
provide better school buildings and /
schools; there will be in every small
'ity a cosmopolitan high school cen
rally located and elementary schools
nut near the people; every building
will have an auditorium and gymnas-
UNI; each school will have a large |
playground; the school year will be
onger-four terms OF twelve weeks
ach: the school plant will be used all
he time, for night school as well as
lay school, the school house will be
he common meeting place for the
eople-the peoples forum. The
curse of study will be revised; there q
viii be education through vocations,
nore education in real life situations;
reater provision will be made for ex- {
optional children no city will be t
Without its school physician and L
chool nurse; no school board viii EN- /,
10y an elementary teacher who has
ot completed at least two years
Professional course in addition to |
our years high school course. nor l
Iill a school board employ high | y
chool teacher who is not college
raduate or who has not had profess
ional training.