The Colorado statesman., 1917-01-13
Larger Proportion of Population
Students Than in Other
Leading Countries.
EMPLOY 7O6,OOO TEACHERS
Expenditures for Education Reach ST.
ooo,ooo,ooo Annually, Half Of
Which Goes for Public Ele-
mentary Instruction.

There We're %, 10000 persons attend
Ing schools of some kind in the United
States in 1916, according to estimates
of Uncle Sam. "This MEANS" declares
the annual report of the commissioner
of education, that approximately "A
per cent of the inhabitants of the
United States are attending school, as
compared with 10 per cent in Great
Britain, II per cent in France, 20 per
cent in Germany, and little over 4 per
cent in Russia The bureau points
out, however, that the result is much
less favorable to the United States If
daily attendance, rather than enroll
ment, is taken as the basis for COMPARE
son, since some of the other nations
have better attendance and longer
school term than the United States.
The number of pupils in public kin
lergarten and elementary schools rose
from 16,900,000 in 1910 to 1895, 900 in
1914, an increase of more than a mil
lion in four years. In the same period
the number of public high school stu
dents increased from 915,000 to 1,219,-
900; and for 1915 the corresponding
figure was 100000. AS the result of
this increase of 10000 in public high
school students the total number of
students in the $4,000 high schools of
all kinds increased to 100000. OF the
II ,674 public high schools reported,
$40 had full four-year courses. Ap-
proximately 90 per cent of all public
high school students are in four-year
high schools.
Teachers Number 100000.
The report analyses the number of
teachers in the United States, show
ing that of the 100000 teachers, 169,-
900 were men and 537 900 women. The
number of man teachers has increased
very slightly since 1900; the number of
woman teachers has almost doubled. In
public elementary schools the number
of man teachers has decreased 20 per
cent since 1900, while the number of
woman teachers has increased 8 per
cent. In 1900 teaching positions in
public high schools were evenly di-
vided between men and women. AT
the present time women outnumber the
men by 5000. The average annual sal
AIRY of all teachers is $525. The figure
is highest in the East and North Attain
tic states, with 5000 and 5000, respect
lively, and lowest in the South Atlantic
states, $500. 1t varies from 1924 in
Mississippi to $S71 in California, and
S941 in New York.
Expenditures for education in 1914,
partly estimated, totaled close to $780,
100000. An estimate, making due al
lowances for the Intervening two years
and for items necessarily omitted,
would easily bring the nations current
educational expenditure to 81 100000
600. Public elementary schools cost in
1915 approximately $50O,O00000; pub
lie high schools, $7O,000,000; private
elementary schools, So, 900, 900; private
secondary schools, $15,00O,000; univer-
stiles, colleges and professional schools,
00,000,000; normal schools, $15,000,-
900.
OF the S555, 5,077, ,146 actually reported
for public schools in 1914, $39S, ,511 ,104
was by the North Atlantic and North
Central states. New York expended
S66,000OO0; Pennsylvania, $50, ,000,0 900 !;
Illinois, $39,007, ,314; Ohio, $35, ,172 $50 /;
S25, ,492, ,292, and New Jersey, $23, ,2S4,-
096. Six states, New Hamphire, Yer
mont, Delaware, Wyoming, New Mexi-
co and Nevada, expended less than S2,
100000. On a per capita basis Utah
ranked highest, with an expenditure
for education of S10.07, Idaho expended
$9.66 per capita of population, North
Dakota, $9.62; Montana, $3.50; Ari-
zona, $S.93, and Washington, $3.50; ;
while Mississippi spent $1.4S, South
Carolina, $1.S3; Alabama, $1.97, and
Georgia, $1.9S.
Millions in Gifts.
Gifts and bequests to education
amounted to $31 1857 1893 in 1914, of
which S26,670,017 was for universities
and colleges, 81 ,55S,2S1 for theological
schools and 1,495,773 for law schools.
Since 1896 sums aggregating $407, ,000,-
900 have been given to educational in
stitutions by private donors.
In discussing educational movements
the report points out that most of the
recent contributions are in the domain
of practice rather than in theory. The
report declares: "There seems to be
clearer vision as to the essential aims
of education. Educational surveys
have multiplied to a remarkable ex-
tent; almost no field has now been
left untouched, and the latest findings
in scientific measurements are being
utilized in survey work. The health
movement in education has experienced
a notable stimulus from the prepared
military training. Rural education has
more and more enlisted the interest of
the general public outside of profes-
sional circles and has clearly become a
problem of administration and financ-
ing, rather than promotion. Vocational
education is advancing slowly, but