The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1917-08-11
IMPORTANT WORK
!. FOR EDUCATION
New Light on Conditions IN
i Many Southern States.
need OF BETTER EQUIPMENT

Facts Presented In Report Of Dr..
Thomas Jesse Jones Show Lack Of
Proper Facilities For Doing Effective
Work-Short School Terms and Poor
Attendance Constitute Big Problem.
In his recent report OH educational
facilities for the colored people, which
he recently completed for the federal
bureau Of education and the Phelps
Stokes fund, Dr.. Thomas Jesse Jones
says, ...
"Since an efficient school system not
only enrolls the pupils, but also holds
them in school with some degree of
regularity until they have finished the
elementary grades, it is evident that
the low attendance in colored schools
is the first great problem to be solved.
The improvement of attendance re-
quires not only better school plant.
trained teachers and more effective
work, but also stronger interest In
the school among the masses Of the
colored people that they may place
more emphasis on regularity and pune
tuality in attendance.
:. The multiplication OF small. one
room schools. which has led to the
movement for consolidation in the case
>of white children. has not extended to
the cOlored schools. COlOred schools
have never multiplied fast enough to
be too close together, and it Is not un-
common to find pupils who have walk
cd six or seven miles to attend school"
And when the children get to school.
the report continues, they are apt to
find it not only OvercrOwded. but also
taught ina building not owned by the
public authorities. In Alabama over
60 per cent of the schools are taught In
such buildings, and in Georgia the con-
dition is even worse.
$50 long as the school is housed In
such a temporary manner" says Dr..
Jones, 1T is exceedingly difficult to
arouse the interest of teachers. pupils
or patrons sufficiently to improve the
plant or add to the value of the prop.
erty." AS for overcrowding. tho re-
port mentions q careful survey made
by state supervisors in three typical
counties Of Alabama, where the seat
ing capacity Of the eighty colorcd
schools was 3,794, their enrolment
was 6,391 and their attendance was
5,S32. DR.. Jones also emphasizes the
danger Of the large average group of
pupils in tie schools and points out
that the average school term In the
south is less than six months, In Ala
bama, Florida, Louisiana and the Car
Nolinas the term being less than five
months.
AS for the teachers, DR.. Jones says
in part: 1.-THE teachers Of colored pub.
lie schools occupy a peculiarly impOr-
tant position. They are not only the
chief agents in stimulating the inter
est Of the colored people in the public
schools, but they are also In a position
to present the needs Of the cOlored
schools effectively to the school ofIi.
cials. Their work, well done, will not
only produce better trained men and
women, but will also develop friendly
and helpful relations between the white
and colored people Of the south.
"Such q responsibility should be
placed only on well trained teachers.
Observation, however. shows that the
large majority of the teachers now In
the schools are utterly incapable OF
any responsibility. The chapter On
Teacher Training in this report makes
plain the fact that the public provision
for training colored teachers Is nesligi-
BILE. Even the private schools supply
only small proportion OF the number
needed. The question Of teachers sal
aries, white and cOlOred, has received
considerable attention. and scme i'm
proyement In the salaries Of white
TEACHERS has been made. The wage
scale Of colored teachers Is still very
low. however"
The report points out that where the
system Is In force OF paying the ja!ler
so much per capita for boarding the
prisoners the minimum amount fixed
is generally $l50 With this figure In
mind the comparative table for the
salaries OF white and colorcd teachers
In eight southern states Is Illuminating.
Some Of the figures are Alabama
white. 1855: colored. $3.50: Georgia
wl..e, Scctc; cC!o-cd, Sl.3: Asn:2=E.I