The Springdale news., 1916-05-05
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ARK
ANSAS
No. 6. The High School Problem.

BY ]. H. Miller, Director Cooperative
Extension Service. University of
Arkansas, and U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture.
ton of law or statecraft, will ask
whether this or that action is In har-
mony with the intent of the lawmak-
ers or with certain judicial decisions
In considering the American high
school, however, it is not pertinent to
ask whether this or that is in harmony
with the original purpose of the foun-
ders or originators, because the high
school must be considered as a piece
of present-day machinery for the
training of men and women for the
duties of the present and future. II
must, therefore, be measured by Ger
tain reasonable laws of efficiency
The high school may be inefficient
because of inferior teachers, INSULT
Gent equipment, an inadequate and
badly planned building, because of
bad social conditions of the commu-
nifty or because of wrong ideas and
ideals of those In control as to what
the high school should be and what
it should do. In a way, the high
school should be measured by certain
rules of factory efficiency. 1t takes
IN certain raw material and the pub
lie or any critic has right to ask
how the output compares With the
original raw material. II 1t takes in
hundred first-year students and
graduates fifteen, the public has
right to know the reasons for this
great mortality. II we accept the
claim of many, that the high school
should be the preparatory school for
the university, and only three of the
fifteen enter the university. the pub.
lie has right to know why.
If the high school. however, is ac-
cepted as the peoples college," and
not as a preparatory school for col
lege. we have right to ask in what
way it=has prepared its students for
the occupations they will follow.
Ninety per cent of the girls will be
home makers, and few schools in Ar
kansas have taught them many les,
sons of efficiency for this great life
work. The majority of the boys will
enter some form of commercial life,
with no preparation except the desire
TO dress we'll. Too many of the grad.
yates, and far too many of those wha
dropped out on the way, enter upon
forms of clerical or office work
The high school offers the finest op.
portunity in America for the great
work of preparedness for the problems
that must come. SO far it has sig.
nally failed when measured by the
ordinary laws of efficiency II has
thrown out too much waste. There is
no good excuse for the horrible NOR,
tality that marks the earlier years of
che high school course Such mortal
ity proves that the system has been
TOO ruthless and that too little
thought was given to the 81 per cent
and too much thought to the per
cent, too little regard for the eff
cheney of the many and too much
thought for the glory of the few. II
must be admitted that far too many
high schools have had little, if any,
influence even in building up an eff
Gent community citizenship It be.
hooves thoughtful patrons of our
schools and earnest patriotic men and
women TO give serious consideration
70 the problem OF making the high
school an efficient factory.
No factory can be efficient with in.
ferior buildings and inferior workmen
who are paid low wages. In Arkansas
We cannot have efficient high schools
until each community provides ade-
quate and well arranged buildings and
adequate equipment and we'll paid
teachers who have the training and
zeal that will enable them to do eff
eient work for training efficient citi-
2ens. Our communities must come to
appreciate the fact that the high
| school should train for efficiency in
the business Of that community.
The modern high school, 10 be an
efficient factory for efficient members
of democracy, should be an expon-
ent of good health. good morals and
real efficiency in all things 1t should
| stand for industrialism and agricul-
ture and home making. The efficient
high school should have more attrac-
tive power to draw into it a larger
proportion of those from the lower
grades and greater holding power
for retaining in its ranks those who
enter the high school. It should send
its students into the industrial or the
commercial world or into the homes
of the community as efficient work
ers. This canhot be possible until
more money is put into the invest
ment in the way of buildings. equip
ment and teachers, and real efficiency
cannot be possible until courses of
| study shall be offered that will pre-
pare for efficiency in the community
and the avowed purpose of the high
| school be declared to he IN train for