Evening journal., 1916-05-06

tain proper facilities. after due notice
the higher authority should have
power to go ahead and make the
changes on the principle that the edu-
cation OF the child is State resDon-
sibility. and that the higher authority
has a right to insist that the State
appropriation shall be spent to Sc
cure the ends for which IL is ap-
propriated. To be able to apply inn
mediate relief to schools that are
overcrowded, the State Board of Edu-
cation should own a number OF col
lapsible transportable school build
ings. for temporary use to relieve such
conditions To carry out the changes,
all the funds Of the local committee
should become unable by the higher
authorities. The mere fact that some
higher power had the authority to do
these things would serve to make local
boards tractahle and acquiescent.
More Frequent Supervision Of Schools.
AT present the supervision of our
schools is very unsatisfactory to the
county superintendents TO parents
and 10 teachers. One visit a year, ex-
tending over an hour or an hour and
q half. may be called supervision
but everybody knows that II is so in
name only This is not to accuse the
county superintendents of incompe-
tence. not 10 reproach them Of neglect
of duty With a large number OF rural
schools. far apart over poor roads. ef-
fective visiting Of schools becomes an
impossiblity Most Of the States OF
the United States have already given
the county superintendent assist
ance This is what Delaware should
do also Such assistants might be
specialists in primary work. or i'm eX-
tension work. or in club work, as
could he decided later. Suppose they
we're primary experts and specialists
Then these assistants would supervise
the primary grades and from one to
four; the county superintendents
would oversee the work of the gram
mar grades. from five TO eight; a high
school inspector. whose provision is
proposed by another new law, would
supervise the high schools of the
State. and thus bring all these schools
mp To- one standard because one man
rs directing their work. To objectOrs
10 this proposition il is necessary TO
say that II farm or factory can
not he properly supervised by ono
visit year of an hours duration, no
more can a school. Supervision means
planning the woyk and then seeing
that the plans are carried out With
the single brief visit year. there can
be no planning. no advising the teach
or, and then determining by a later
visit whether or not the advice has
been followed.
Better Attendance by the Children.
"Delaware's record for school attend
ance has been low for years. The re-
cent strenuous effort TO call attention
TO this fact has secured slight inn
provement. but chiefly I'm The towns,
where the attendance had not been
poorest TO impress parents and citi-
zens with the Importance Of attend
ance, the plan of our neighboring
State. New Jersey. is very effective. II
bases the distribution Of the school
appropriation upon the number of
days attendance made by the children
lf the Delaware distribution of State
funds were made. say one-half upon
number Of teachers. and the other
half upon the number of days attend
ance. there would not be needed much
experience OF an Indifferent neighbor-
hood to discover that when the chill
dren are in school hut few days per
year, that the share OF the appropria-
tion becomes very small. which means
that even if they are insensible to the
loss of the child when he is out of
school. they cannot long remain insen-
sible to the loss TO the district. since
ii will require a higher local tax rate
Not only New Jersey. but many other
States base their payment OF State
dividends upon attendance OF the chill
dron and il is admittedly the fairest
basis. since the State money then goes
to pay for education the child actually
gets.
A Standard School.
This means that a set Of require
ments upon every important circlm-
stance and condition about the school
would be prepared. These require
ments would state exactly what the
school is supposed to do for the child
in respect to heating. lighting, venti-
lating. equipment. teacher, community
activities, and so on The school that
conforms TO all the requirements is
recorded and listed as a standard
school. In return for making cOndi.
tions that conform to the standard
the school is generally given a special
appropriation. varying from S25 "a
/ S75. in different States. Experienc,
has shown that communities are ready
I TO conform to standards when the,
learn definitely what is needed. anC
they have also learned that the pro
+ ceeding is not mere sentiment. be