Newark post., 1919-02-12

on the part of all children, and Mt
:. Sary office facilities.
, That, subject to the state and
county boards the county supcrntend-
| ent be empowered to enforce the
/ school laws,
The District Committees.
The real school authority in Della
ware at this moment is the district
I committee. No other single cause is
as responsible for the doporabe con-
| dtous us the district system. Della
ware is now divided into 292 white
school districts. IS coored districts and
fl Incorporated districts, a total Of 424
| small educational republics, managed
. by 1899 officials, who, with the cXcep-
tiOn Of the clerks. serve without pay.
In creating these 424 independent edu-
cati0nal units one question has been
asked: Are there enough children in
the proposed district to warrant the
| building of a one room sChOOlhOuse and
the employment of one teacher? Now,
a school in the full sense of the term
is decidedly more than merely a rec
tangular room and a teacher. No dis
trict, large or small, should be a sep
arate school unit unless it is large
enough to perform the functions of a
separate educational unit, that is,
financially able, after contributing its
due proportion to financing the educa-
tional program Of the state and coun-
ty, TO provide schools of a standard
elementary and high school grade,
with adequate grounds, buildings and
equipment, well trained teachers and
the requisite administrative direction
and control. On this basis not to ex-
ceed two or three of the largest towns
in any one of the three counties could
qualify as separate school district
Popular Interest Slight.
No wonder that popular interest in
education is slight. The annual dis
trict school meeting is, with occasional
exceptions, sparsely attended, unless
strong differences of opinion arise over
the choice of teacher or additional
school expenditures Otherwise not
more than one in six voters is present
Indeed, the usual number in the rural
districts is about ten, including the
three school officials. In one instance,
when the annual district meeting was
called to order, only two patrons were
present, father and his son-in-law,
both members of the district school
committee. They elected q son of the
father to the committee as clerk and
then proceeded to employ the daughter
of the father-although she had no
certificate-as teacher for the ensuing
year.
The truth is the district system rep
resents pioneer conditions. 1t goes
back to the time when an isolated
group, desiring some sort of a school
for its children, pooled its meager re-
sources in order to establish a neigh
6orhood school. Increased wealth,
larger numbers, improved cOmmunica-
ton, more complicated educational re-
quirements, render the district system
obsolete.
The report recommends that the
county system, already outlined, should
replace the district system: district
school committees may still be utilized
Jul WIN iCHii IEltO DbNbES.
The Delaware system, as just de-
scribed, has worked badly. This the
report shows by examining it's results
under four heads: Teachers, Instruc-
ton, Buildings, Finance.
Teachers.
There are now in Delaware 734
teachers. On the basis of data OBJ
tanned 1t appears that 81 per cent. of
them hold the very lowest grade of
certificate issued. OF the teachers re-
porting, 81 are classified as high school
teachers. Only 43 per cent. of these
can be regarded as qualified to under
take high school instruction. The ele-
mentary teachers in Incorporated dis
tricts are even less well equipped.
only - per cent. reach an acceptable
standard of training, while Al per cent.
have not completed a high school
course Teachers in the rural elemen-
tary schools make a still more unfayor-
able showing. In general, they are
products of rural schools, and of high
schools which give one, two or three
year courses. Only 1S, or 6 per cent,
of them have had full normal training
or its equivalent; ii per cent. have
never advanced beyond the grades, and
139 others, or As per cent, have had
only part of high school course. OF
the elementary teachers the cOlOred
teachers appear to be relatively the
best prepared; 40 out of 80 reporting,
or 10 per cent, are normal school grad
yates or have had part or all of a col
lege course.
The teachers of Delaware are not
only deficient in respect to training;
they are in the main immature. OF
the Col reporting, 152, or 90 per cent,
are under twenty-one years of age.
Nor is the number of older teachers
large; only y are fifty years Of age
and older.
AS is generally true throughout the
country, the teachers are mostly new
to the system. Good school work in
wolves knowledge of community
needs. Newcomers are at a disadvan-