The Denver star., 1917-07-07
IMPORTANT WORK
FOR EDUCATION
New Light on Conditions ID
Many Southern States.
NEED OF BETTER EQUIPMENT

Work-Short School Terms and Poor
Attendance Constitute Big Problem.
In his recent report on educational
facilities for the colored people, which
he recently completed for the federal
bureau of education and he Phelps
Stokes fund. DR.. Thomas Jesse Jones
says:
"S1nce an efficient scheo system not
only enrolls the pupils but also holds
them In school with E, pc degree Of
regulari'y until they have finished the
elementary grades. 1t Is evident that
the low attendance in colored schools
u the first great problem 20 be solved.
The improvement of attendance re-
Quires not only better school plant,
trained teachers and more elective
work, but also a 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 c0lored schools. Colored schools
have never multiplied fast enough to
be too close together, and 1t is not un-
common to find pupils who have walk
ed six or seven miles to attend school"
And when the children get to school.
the report continues, they are apt to
find 1t not only overcrowded, but also
taught in building not owned by the
public authorities. In Alabama over
90 per cent Of the schools are taught In
such buildings, and In Georgia the con-
ditdon Is even worse.
$50 long as the school is housed in
such q temporary manner" says DR..
Jones, lit 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, the re-
port mentions careful survey made
by state supervisors in three typical
counties of Alabama, where the seat
ing capacity Of the eighty colored
schools was 1874. their enrolment
was 1891 and their attendance was
5,S32. DR.. Jones also emphasizes the
danger Of the large average group of
pupils in the 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
olinas 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 tmpor-
tant position. They are not only the
chief .sen:s 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 ofh-
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 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
'Teac her Training in this report makes
plain the fact that the public provision
for training colored teachers Is negligi-
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 some i'm
provement in the salaries of white
scale Of colored teachers is still very
low. however
The report points out that where the
system Is In force of paying the jailer
so much per capita for boarding the
prisoners the minimum amount fixed
is generally $3.50 With this figure in
mind the comparative table for the
salaries of white and colored teachers
in eight southern states is illuminating
Some of the figures are: Alabama.
white. 1856: colored. $3.50: Georgia.
white, $319; colored, S119; Kentucky,
white 1923: colored. $31O: North Caro-
lima, white, $l97; colored, S119: South
Carolina. white. 1888; colored, $40.
"The Inadequate compensation is am
pie explanation of the poor teaching
found In most of the rural pubic
schools for colored people. 1t Is little
wonder that 20 per cent of the teach
ers in the black belt states have less
than six grades Of elementary educa-
ton" Discussing in another part of
his report the relative interest taken
by the south In Its white and colored
public school, DR.. Jones says that
the rapid increase of the appropria
tions for white schools during the past
few years and especially the multiple
cation of white thigh schools in the
southern states have given lise to the
belief that the appropriations for Ne
gro schools have actually decreased.