The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-16
The MeddIer
Il! The coat fits you, put It on"

ltlct 10 eliminate the ninth grade VIII
no doubt meet with general approval,
not so much because it shortens the
school period as because it seems to be
III line with what the most mature ed
ucational thought of the country con
siders the most efficient arrangement.
1t is to be hoped, however, that the
} change IS step toward the adoption
OF what IS known as the slx-and-six
plan; namely an elementary course OF
six years and a high school course of
SIX years, the latter subdivided at the
: end of the third or fourth year as con
ditions seem to warrant
5 There are a number of advantages
: IL this plan, and SO far as The Med |
: der has been able to ascertain, very
few if any disadvantages. For one
thing 1t brings the break between ele-
2 mentary and secondary school at a 1
+ time in the pupils life when he is much |
Il less likelg to think of giving up school
than Is the case when he now completes
: the graded course. Furthermore the
: inclusion Of what are now the seventh
i and eighth grades in the high school
q brings the pupils under the influence
Of men teachers at an earlier age, and
in the case Of boys this is especially
desirable. Under the six-and-six plan
the average pupil would complete the
elementary course and be ready to en-
= ter high school at the age Of IL years
the time of change in the lives Of
youth when entering the adolescent
period, and the time when they are
= likely to be most inclined TO enter up
on q course OF high school work. With
: the course once started, no argument is
. needed to convince 4 fair minded per
: son that q pupil would be more likely
80 complete at least four years of the
high school than he would to begin
high school work after an elementary
course extending for eight years.
e The commission appointed four years
Da ago to investigate the educational sys-
h. tenn of Vermont made a thorough
k study of this plan and strongly recon,
nd mended It's adoption in this state.
ne Here is an extract from its conclusions:
- There can be no doubt that under
!. the six-and-si plan of organization a
much larger per cent of the youth com
80 pleting the elementary school course
- than now will seek higher instruction
~ in the secondary (high) schools; and
.ot there is no perceptible reason why the
"A per cent remaining there throughout 4
=. four-ycar course may be materially less
-. except as affected by causes beyond
:, control -
DO The idea Of this commission was that
tie comparatively few Of the high school.
III Of the state would need to maintain
II six-year course, the majority of then
ar providing but four years of study il
am addition to the six grades. In the cas-,
in IF Brattleboro, six-year high schoo
or would be necessary, the last two year
hu being for the particular benefit o
an those pupils who wished to fit for col
lege or to enlarge and broaden thei
high school education.
The local school authorities hay
I'll. made long strides during the past yea
airs or two toward that mental attitud
ate which eomprchends the needs of tn
ed pupils for whom n college course is on
ont of the question as well as the needs 0
the fewer number for whom higher edu
on cation is possible, but The NEEDLE
Ter. firmly believes that there is still oppor
Oh tunitv for further advance in this di
on rection and that this opportunity lie
Ia in careful consideration and the ever
'on tual adoption OF the so-called six-anC
oar six idea.
In an advertisement in a magazin
of national circulation The Meddler Ia
sr," across the following significant par;
avs graph the other day:
nos Most municipal engineers in til
large centers have what they call
. road program that is, the plan fC
all the streets and roadways with
their jurisdiction covering from thre
10 five years or more in the futur
w In the smaller cities and towns sue
a program is occasionally prepared b
outside consulting experts They con
,rv in and make scientific studies of I'll
traffic on various strcets-the grade
the kind of materials that are avail
able, etc. Then they lay out a complet
scheme calculated to keep the road d
partment working for many yea
fro ahead toward a we'll -defined objectiN
and of a perfectly paved town. More FIR
,hnr quently, however, no program is fc
,oda lowed and the roads are built and mai
nm tanned by rather loose and costly met
fuI DDS. Every town, no matter no
who small, ought to have u road program.
iful
rae Brattleboro. as everybody who hv
in it must know, is among those col
MY munities that have no definite roo
~. program, and il would be stating Il
of fact moderately to say that its roa
'om- are built and maintained "by rath
so floose and costly methods - Jndee
J