The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1916-06-01
Elimination Of Duplicate Work
in State Schools Regents Plan

First steps toward the elimination OF
duplication in the courses at the
states educational institutions were
taken at the meeting of the board of
regents which closed at Valley City
at noon Saturday. Ever since the
new board came in charge of these
schools the members have been con.
sidering ways and means to accom-.
plish this end, and although all the
details of the plan have not as yet
been worked out, an outline has been
arrived at and this was made public
Saturday for the first time.
Recognizing the crying need for i'm.
provement in the rural schools of the
state, it is the aim of the board to
better equip the normal schools for
the preparation of teachers for their
work in the country districts. Only a
small percent of the teachers needed
in this state are educated at the state
normal schools at the present time.
! There is growing demand for teach.
ers qualified to teach vocational and
industrial subjects, and the courses at
the various institutions will be so ar
ranged that this need will be filled.
No great educational institution can
be built up without proper foundation
and it is this detail that will be given
special attention at this time. The
survey which has been made of the
state institutions by experts is one
step in this direction.
Broadly the plan outlined by the
board aims at making the state uni
versity an institution for professional
and classical work, also the training
of teachers for high and secondary
schools, county superintendent and
supervisors.
The Agricultural college is to en-
phasize, besides agriculture, vocational
and industrial education and train
teachers for instruction in all schools
Of the state along those subjects. The
farm engineering course is to be en-
larged and some courses eliminated.
1t Is the plan of the board to so ar
range the courses at the normal
schools at Mayville, Valley City and
Minot as to train teachers exclusively
for elementary school work, to elimi.
nate those students who do not intend
to teach, and to provide for technical
training in pedagogy rather than gen.
eral Institutional work. Requirements
for entrance at the normal schools are
to be gradually raised so as to require
higher preparation. The ten and one
half months course will be discon-
tinued. Two years work beyond high
school is to be required to get teach
ers' diplomas.
At the Glendale Normal-Industrial
school the course will provide for the
preparation of teachers along the
same general lines as the other three
normals but to also emphasize indus
trial education. The Wahpeton Sci
ence school will eliminate general in.
structional, cultural and high school
work, and devote it's courses to indus
trial, commercial and agricultural sub
jects, the latter to correlate with the
Agricultural college.
The state school of forestry at Bot.
tineau Is to abandon forestry as it's
primary work and will devote it's ef-
forts to build up a high-class agricul-
tural school, with industrial and other
features correlating with the state Ag-
ricultural college at Fargo
Agriculture is to be the main sub
ject at the Fargo institution, the board
has decided. Courses will also be pro-
vided to train men and women to teach
vocational and Industrial subjects.
The industrial and agricultural engi-
neering course will be strengthened.
1t is also the plan of the board to
build up strong home economics de-
partment and to strengthen other de-
partments, especially public service,
community service and extension