The daily Missourian., 1917-01-15

grade schools into high school and
from high school into the university
and normal school than in any other
city of the same size in the United
States"
So ]. d. Elliff, professor of school
administration and high school visitor,
characterizes Columbia's school sys-
TEN.
"Fhe faculty in both grade and high
schools is better trained here than in
any other city of similar proportions
in Missouri" he asserts. "The salar-
les. perhaps, are below standard but
Columbia tax payers have voted all
the bonds they can afford for the
present. Our admirable school system
is due mainly to the people them
selves. We are in an educational
community and anything within rea-
son needed for educational purposes
is enthusiastically given. A business
like school board and hustling super
intendent does the rest. The best
method of judging a school system is
by the number of children kept in
school and what they do there"
Truant Officer EnfOrces Law.
The records of nearly three hundred
other school systems, similar to that
in Columbia, show that per cent of
the children who started to school in
the first grade graduated from high
school. In Columbia 40 per cent re-
ceive high school diplomas. A COM
pulsory attendance law and a truant
officer, ]. NJ. Pennington, to enforce
it resulted in the school attendance of
all but nine of the children between
the school ages of eight and sixteen
years. Ninety-one per cent of the
2,476 children between the ages OF
six and twenty years were in school.
If child is absent for more than
two days without an excuse, Mr.. Pen
nington investigates and, upon the
refusal of the parents to place the
child in school, the case is taken to
court. One man was fined SO in 1916.
A promise to replace his child in
school was exhorted.
The maximum attendance in Column
bia schools is also secured through
the prevention of epidemics. Super
intendent ]. E. Mcpherson has hob
by. 1t is the card-index system. If
any child is absent for more than one
day on account of illness, the teacher
fills out a prepared card stating what
she thinks the disease is and the
name of the family doctor. The phy-
sician is then consulted. In case of
a contagious disease, any other MEM
bers of the family who are attending
school are dismissed until doctors
certificate indicating that the cure is
complete admits the pupils. The
schools-rooms used by the pupils are
rious epidemics and the consequent
decrease in enrolment are averted.
Card Index System Saves Teacher.
A running account of Columbia's
school system is found in Mr.. McPher
sons card-index. If Johnnie sticks
pin into Willie, the offense and con-
sequent punishment are recorded on
special card. If Johnnie's card be-
comes too crowded with demerit
marks, he is placed on the blacklist.
The irate parent, asserting that his
son is model boy" when confront
ed with the record of the offender in
black and white often changes his
intention of having the teacher arrest
ed for inflicting cruel and undeserving
punishment.
If new family locates in Columbia,
their street address and number OF
children of school age soon find
place in the card-index. One hundred
new families brought more than two
hundred school children to Columbia
last year.
The school faculty is tested three
times each year. and the rank of
each teacher is filed. Hardness and
absences for the grade schools are
also recorded, the grades having
clean record at the end of each month
are given half-holiday. Thus, fear
ing the wrath of his school mates, the
wayward pupil is induced to strive for
perfect attendance.
By means of this system of record
ing. Columbia children of school age
have been kept in school. and the to-
tai attendance has increased from l.
953 to 1882 in the last five years.
Thirteen members of the high