The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-11-27
Social Studies il High Schools.

Social studies iii High Schools.
How history. civics, and Kindred
subjects in the high school may be
made to meet the requirements Of
present-day citizenship and the needs
Tor boys and girls as growing citizens
is told in q report on social studies in
secondary education just published
as a bulletin or the United States Blu
reau Of Education OF the Department
Of the Interior
This report is the first TO appear OF
the final reports OF the commission on
reorganization OF secondary educa-
ton, which was appointed In 1912 by
the National Education Association.
The commission, organized in sixteen
committees which include in theIr
membership more than 200 superin-
tendent, principals and teachers rep
resenttng nearly all the states of the
union, has been at work continuously
since its appointment. The reportson
social studies comprises six-year
program, embracing the work Of the
seventh and eighth grades and that
of the present four-year high school.
While the civic education value or
all the social studies Csuch as history.
government, economics, and geogra-
-phy) is kept IN the foreground of the
report, especial emphasis is given to
organized ciyics instruction, Of the.
Community Ciyics" type, in the
eighth and ninth years. The fact is
emphasized however. that the pupil
us member not only or local COM.
munity, but also OF national cons
munlty. It would be 1nexpressibly
unfortunate ii the study Of local com
lTnunlty life and relations should sup
plant study Of nationalllfe and ma
tional ciyics relations. The two as
poets Of civic life should supplement-
each other Questions OF health,
OF education, Of industry can no
longer be considered in their local
bearings alone, but must be dealt
With In the light of national policy
and to the end of national er-
Other topics dealt with in Part II.
Of the report are the civic relations
OF vocational life the adaptation OF
lctvics. to rural conditions, and the re-
Elation of ciyics to history In con-
tnection with the first of these topics
it is said that the chief purpose
should be THE deyEl opment OF an ap-
probation Of the social significance
rot all work Of tile social value and
| tnterdependences Of all occUpations;a
i.of the social responsibility of the
worker. not only for5the character OF
Ibis work. but for he8use6nf Its fruits;
or the opportunities and necessity for
good citizenship in vocational life: OF
the duty Of the community to the
worker; OF the necessity for a social
Control, governmental and otherwise.
or the economic activities OF the com
immunity; and Of the part that govern
nsent actually plays in regulating the
economic life of the community and
5of the Individual
For the last year OF the high school
1.-THE report proposes q concrete study.
n Of tproblems OF democracy.'' These
Fprohlems SWill naturally vary from
year ia year, and from class ID class,
\ but they should be selected on the
A ground G1 D of their Immediate inter
est to the class, and C20 OF their vital
Importance to society. The pur-
pose Of. secondary education and not
the intrinsic value OF any partfcu' ar
body D i: knowledge should be the de-
.tternlining #consid Grafton 2. 1t is
far less important that the adolcscent
youth should acquire u oinprGhensiv
u Knowledge Of any or all Of the 5soctal
Esciences than 1t is that lie should be
given experience and practice In the
III observation Of social phenomena rs
The encounters them; that he Should
VI BE brought to understand that every
q social problem Is many-sided and
. complex: and that he should acquire
THE habit OF forming social judgment
III only on" the basis Of dispassicnate con
sidcration of all The facts available
This g can best be accomplished
Y by dealing with actual situations as
]. they occur and ~ drafting into ser.
n Tlce the materials of all the socia,
Esciences as occasion demands for 2
lthorou gh understanding Of the situa,
4. tons IN question
\ Part Nv Of the report deals Will
til standards by which to test methods
]. the preparation OF teachers, and the
araila bility Of text materials.
4 Eject OF Improved Country Roads.
To determine as far as possible tn
4 exact dollars and cents effect on \
a county OF the Improvement Of ba'
l8roads, specialists Of the office OF publ
II roads and rural engineering OF tn
q United States Department Of Agricnl
ture m ado economic surveys IN eigh
counties IN each or the years from Isl
n to 1915, inclusive.
Il This study or the increase in tn
n values of farm lands In the eight coun
ties reveals the rather interesting lac
! that following the improvements Of tn
\ main market roads the increase In til
a l#selling price or til1able farm land
Il served by the roads has amounted
s from one to three times the total 8coa
I of the improvements The 1ncreas
N tnApalueB in those instances Whic