Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-02-04

I'M HREE letters were recently re-
ceived the same day from three
| i Of the most prominent educators
in the United States, comment
Ing upon the work of the Boise schools.
one of these letters came from New
Jersey, the second from Iowa, and the
third from Washington. Three Of the
most widely read educational maya
zines in the country. the New England
Journal of Education, the American
School Board Journal, and the Indus
trial Arts Magazine, contained the
same month articles concerning the
Boise schools. A prominent club wo-
man in Boise made an investigation
recently to determine for what things
Boise is most talked about by outsiders
Her conclusion was that Boise Is best
known for her schools and her natural
hot water.
A QUESTION ANSWERED.
Sometimes we know least about the
things closest at hand. Why do the
Boise schools attract the attention Of
men and women interested in educa-
ton to an extent far beyond scores
Of cities exceeding us in population
and commercial advantages? Do we
things which are causing us to be
talked about?
Some OF the strongest points In the
Boise system of schools are:
First, the unusually large per-
centage of children completing not
only the elementary school, but
also the high school; second, the
provision which is made, by
means of q wide range of elect
ives, for offering suitabl, work
for all classes of children; third,
the efforts which are made to
each the necessary things, second
the useful, and third the orna-
mental; and fourth, the keeping
of the cost of education down to
a point which is much N our ia
vor when compared with other
cities, and which attracts the WON
der Of some cities offering equal
advantages.
Practically all Boise children finish
the elementary school. or the first
eight grades. During the school year
of l914-15, careful checking OF tile
list of pupils in school against the
school census revealed the fact that
there were only IS children in Boise
between the ages Of and Is who
were not attending school and had not
completed the eighth grade or these
children, one was IL years old, one
was 10, two We're a. six were Is, 10
were IL, and % were II years old.
During the year 19l5-16, the truant Of
ficers could find but 80 children IN
Boise who were not in school, had not
finished the eighth grade, and were
between the ages of 8 and IS. The rea-
sons for such non attendance were:
Married, seven; poor health, Il; per-
mlts to work, IL; deaf. two; blind,
one; subnormal, one; could not speak
English Gage ~, one; N. G., one; to
be looked up further, three.
1t Is very common situation
throughout the country to find fewer
than one-half as many children in the
seventh or eighth grade as in the first
or second. In fact, the most recent
available data for all schools in the
United States show the enrolment in
the eighth grade to be 27 per cent that
OIL the first grade. The enrolment in
all or the grades OF the Boise schools
last June Is very interesting when
compared with the foregoing. Our
enrolment in the first grade was $50:
second grade, 256: third grade, ZIG:
fourth grade, 305; fifth grade, y77.
sixth grade. PA; seventh grade, o71;
eighth grade. 264 This shows only
one child fewer in the seventh and
eighth grades than in the first and
second grades.
An unusually large percentage OF
school and graduate. The last report
or the United states commissioner of
shows that less than Z per
cent of the public school enrolment
are in the. high schools. Berkeoy,
Cal, by the same report boasts o. per
centage Of 23.2 per cent in the high
school. Newton, Mass. comes next
with Fl per cent. Both of these are
university towns. Boise. however.
last year had almost 20 per cent OF it's
in the high school, and
promises to beat it's own record this |
year. For several years the numbers
In the graduating classes show that |
fully so per cent OF our boys and girls !
finish high school. This is another
remarkable record. So far as can he |
learned, no ether city in the United |
States having n population of 5000 or |
more, can surpass or even equal the |
record of the Boise schools upon en-
rollment
EFFECTS ON CITIZENSHIP,
1t liz not flattery and not intended |!
rs such, to say that the high type OF |
citizenship In Boise accounts. mainly.
Tor the fact that our children continue
n school. On the other hand 4, Il,
'air to assume that the nature OF our
high school curriculum ana the char
lcter OF work offered, meet the de-
nands of an enlightened citizenship.
md. by satisfying the needs of the
'oung people. keep them In school.
When the writer first began his work
n the Boise schools. practically all Of /
he studies in the four years of high
school were prescribed. The only nlec-
ives offered were the subjects which