Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-15
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
DOES NOT CONTEMPLATE
RADICAL REFORMS.
SURVEY RECOMMENDATIONS
UP 70 GENERAL PUBLIC
Board Will Work Out Suggested
Changes Only as People Of State
Demand Them-Lesis'ation Along
Lines Of Commissions Idea May Be
Attempted by General Assembly.
Special to Times Republican,

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. Is. Widespread
interest among educators, college
alumni of the state institutions and
their friends is shown in the report
of the Iowa survey commission, made
public by the state board of education
Monday. Full copies of the printed
report have not yet reached the board
but it is expected they will come some
time this week. The board Is receiV-
ing many requests for copies.
The board purposeiy delayed giving
out anything with reference to the re-
port until after election. They wished
to avoid having the Recommendations
of the survey commission become any
part Of a campaign issue. 1t was
feared that, should the commissions
recommendations become known before
election, friends and interested parties
of the various institutions would en-
deavor to line hp candidates for the.
legislature on these recommendations
And the commissions report should not
be thrust into politics before the cleo
ton, the board said.
No Changes Planned.
The board is not. now prepared to
urge any Of the recommendations or
the commission SO members say, UNI
less it is evident that there is a strong
demand that certain changes be made.
However, it is anticipated that q fight
will be precipitated in the legislature
on the subjects involved in this report.
It Is recognized that the commission
was probably as able one as couia
have been selected in the United States.
That 1t made it's survey and it's recon-
mendations without fear or favor and
along the lines Of what It considered
efficiency, is self evident,
Some legislation along the line OF
the COMMISSIONS ideas will be at
tempted without doubt. Just how far
it will go Is the question. The incon-
sistencies and the needless expendi-
lures in duplicating courses in the three
state schools hare been so graphically
pointed out by the distinguished COM
mission that they will not be over
looked, even tho the state educational
board may not feel called upon to take
the initiative in putting the recom-
mendations into effect.
Double Inspection System. Faulty.
One of the Recommendations Of the
board which has created considerable
attention Is with reference to "the re-
adjustment of the official relationships
between the office Of the state super
jntendent Of pubic instruction and the
state board OF education" It has long
been recognized that the having of two
sets Of inspectors for the high schools
~ tHy I,n
state board of education and the other
by the state superintendent Of public
instruction, did not work out we'll to
say the least. The state law speci-
fically directs the state superintendent
to do such work. Subsidies or state
aid is granted to high schools which
comply with requirements fixed by law
and in order to see that these require
ments are met inspectors, working I'M
der the state superintendent who Is
to administer this law, are necessary.
On the other hand the state educa-
tional institutions fix certain standards
which high school graduates must at
tain before they can enter the state
schools as freshmen and to enforce
these inspectors, under the state board
of education, have been employed. In
the past few years, however, the state
board has quietly dropped some Of its
inspection work.
In discussing this double system Of
inspection the survey commission con-
cludes by saying: The commission il
of the opinion that it is unwise to have
perpetuated situation which contains
a constant menace, of friction, tending
to stimulate controversial \ relations
among the educational institutions Of
the state or among the official repre-
sentatives of the different divisions Of
its educational system"
However the commission really rec.
ommends radical change as follows:
"A still more radical alteration Of the
states administrative machinery but
enc which seems to the commission
much more likely to result IN the
smooth operation of all its parts, would
be the extension Of the jurisdiction Of
the board of education to include the
public and elementary high schools
and the provision for the appointment
of the superintendent of public in
struction by the board"