The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-12
PLAN IS SUCCESS
Kansas Rural Schools Start
Fourth Standardization Year.
In Three Years 500 Have At
tanned Degree of Efficiency.

Kansas rural schools-approxima
ly 5000 of them-are starting the
fourth year under the standardiza-
ton system. In three years since the
system became operative. 500 Kansas
rural schools have attained the de-
sired degree of efficiency to receive
official recognition as standard
school," OF this number 119 qualified
as standard schools the first year.
Under the Standardization system. a
list of qualifications is given, covering
all the essential details of a first class
school, and it is to attain this stand
ard that practically all the schools of
the state that already have rot
reached the goal are striving.
State Superintendent w. d. Ross
has for the last two years offered
prizes for the schools showing the
highest degree of perfection and there
was keen rivalry between a large
number of the rural schools. The
state is divided in prize districts a
first and second award going to
and those in the south half compel
| ing for similar prizes. The prize win
| ners thus far have been:
North half: 1917, first prize, Hill
| top school. Brown county; 1918, first
prize, Diamond school, Brown county !;
| second prize, Center school, jackson
county.
South half: 1917, first prize, Oak
land school, Rice county. 1918, first
prize, Volunteer school,, Rice county;
| second prize, Centennial school, Nc
| Pherson county.
School Standardization.
The school Standardization has
worked out as intended, according to
j. A. Shoemaker, one of the school
supervisors in charge of the standard
izatfon work, because it. has set a
| fixed goal towards which the schools
work. and he says it has served to
/, engender surprising increase in dis
| trict pride in the schools. Indirectly
this has resulted in building of hun
dreds of new school houses and with
out exception almost, the district
| boards have had in view, in the cree
| ton of the new buildings, meeting the
| qualifications laid down by the stand
| ardfzation system.
The old saying that ''the farmer
build better barns in which to keep
! their live stock, than they do school
| houses for their children" is fast be-
| coming passe in Kansas Many of
the o1d-fashioned, one room, poorly
ventilated and heated and insanitary
school houses dot the rural districts of
| the state, but they are fast being sup
! planted by new, up-to-date edifices.
The Standardization qualifications
| lay stress on the ventilation and sani-
| tary equipment of the school house
as well as its educational equipment
and qualifications of its teacher.
Modern science has done much to al
leviate the problems Of sanitation.
Even without the ordinary equipment
utilized in cities of water and sewer
systems. it now is possible for the
rural schools to have indoor toilets bf
| approved sanitation thru the use OF
chemicals. A school house using the
old-fashioned heating stove can not
| qualify as a standard school" II
the structure OF the building will not
| permit the installation of a basement
furnace, there are available furnace
systems operating from a furnace on
the ground floor which meet all re-