The Little River news., 1916-05-20
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN :.Rk.
 AhSAS
No. 6. The High School Problem. By J. H. Miller, Director Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, and U. S. Depart
 ment of Agriculture

GAtensloH oeIflCS, CulVeTSltJ Ol
 Arkansas. and U. s. Depart
 ment of Agriculture
 Most people, in considering qucs- tiOn of law or statecraft, will ask whether this or that action is in haI- mony with the intent of the iawmak- CTS 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 criginators, because the high school must be considered as piece of presentday machinery for the training of men and women for the duties of the present and future. It must, therefore, be measured by cer- tain reasonable laws of efficiency.
 The high school may be inefficient because of inferior teachers, insulti- cient 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. It 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. If it takes in a hundred first-year students and graduates fifteen, the public has right to know the reasons for this great mortality. If 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 preparatory school for col lege, we have right to ask in what way it has prepared it's 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 well. Too many of the grad, uates, and far too many of those who 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 It has thrown out too much waste. There is no good excuse for the horrible mor- tality that marks the earlier years of the high school course. Such mortal. ity proves that the system has been too ruthless and that too little thought was given to the 97 per cent and too much thought to the per ceat; too little regard for the eff. ciency of the many and too much thought for the glory of the few. It must be admitted that far too many high schools have had little, if any, influence even in building up an eff cient community citizenship. It be- hooves thoughtful patrons of our schools and earnest patriotic men and women to give serious consideration to 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 well paid teachers who have the training and zeal that will enable them to do eff cient work for training efficient citi- zens. 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, to 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 It should stand for industrialism and agrlcul- ture and home making. The efficient high school should have more attrac- tive power to draw into it larger proportion of those from the lower grades and a greater holding power for retaining in It's 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 CTS This cannot 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 ayowed purpose of the hiSh school be declared to bs, te tsaja fas community ss0cisncy aAl ns4 n1edt BaAs fer eeoisgs.