Newark post., 1919-02-12
REPORT ON THE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
III DELAWARE
PUBLIC SCHOOL. COMMISSION
ISSUES SURVEY JUST
MADE.
Existing Conditions in Schools
ReC.tad and Recommendations
Made for improving Them.

1.-The crescent school system of Della
ware is not entirely without good fea.
lures. But what is good in the system
is not effective, and over and above
the few good features the system is
antiquated and mdeyeloped; its fnan
cial support is inadequate general and
local supervision are unsatisfactOry,
the teaching staff is largely unframed
and school buildings are with few eX-
ceptiOnS seriously defective"
In these words the Public School
Commission sums up educational con-
ditiOns in Delaware, outside the city
of Wilmington, which was not includ-
ed in the survey.
Public School Commission.
The Public School Commission, Gre
ated by the Legislature OF 1917, invited
the General Education Board, which
had recently made a similar and high
ly productive study of public educa-
tiOn in Maryland, to report on educa-
tiOnal conditions in Delaware with
recommendations looking to the neces-
SaIy improvements. The report of the
General Education Board is issued to-
day, having been adopted unanimous
ly by the Public School Commission.
In outline the report is as follows:
Population.
Outside of Wilmington, Delaware is
a rural state, 81 per cent. of the popu-
lation, excluding Wilmington, living in
small towns or in the open country.
The population consists of two races,
white and black, both overwhelmingly
native in origin. The school problem
of Delaware is therefore that of or
ganiZing a satisfactory system of ru-
raj schools for homogeneous popula-
ton of two races.
State Board.
The schools of Delaware are now
administered by three bOards-the
State Board, the county school COM
missions, and the district committees,
corresponding to the boards of educa-
tiOn in Incorporated districts. None of
the three can under existing circum-
stances function effectively. The State
Board which has projected some wise
measures in recent years, is without
the necessary organizations powers or
funds The State Commissioner of Ed
ucatiOn, who should be the executive
officer of the Board, chosen by the
Board to execute its policies, is ap-
pointed by the Governor instead of be-
ing chosen by the Board. He is there
fore not responsible to the body which
determines the educational policies of
the state the relations of the Board
and the Commissioner have in recent
years been harmonious, but they cam
not on the present basis be effective.
Moreover, even when policies have
been adopted by the State Board,
there is no way of enforcing them upon
the local authorities. In effect. the
regulations of the State Board and the
State Commissioner amount to little
more than advice; if this advice is
needed, well and good if it is ignored
or rejected, the state authorities are
practically powerless. Finally, even if
the State department had authority, it
has now no way of informing itself
thoroughly about what is happening in
the schools, for the State Commission
er is entirely without trained assist
ants who could Systematically procure
facts and put them in shape for use by
the department and for the informa-
tion of the public.
The report therefore recommends:
l. That the State Board, appointed
by the Governor, should make general
school policies, the execution of which
should be intrusted to a trained Com
missioner of Education chosen bv the
Board.
=. That the Commissioner of Educa-
tion should be provided with q small
trained staff to assist him in the per-
fOrmance of his duties.
3. That the State Department should
receive the powers needed to enforce
the school laws of the state.
County Commissions.
For similar reasons the county
school commissions are inefficient.
These commissions lack both organiza-
tion and authority. They meet four
times a year, but, being without cler-
ical assistance, keep only fragmentary
and incomplete records. The commits
sions are vested with supervisory DOW
ers, which they are not themselves
competent to exercise. The county su-
perintendent, who should be the chosen
executive of the commission. is an
pointed by the Governor. AS he has
no assistance of any kind-not even
decent office quarters-it is absolute
ly impossible for him to know the
schools Of the county well or to render
proper assistance to the struggling ru-
raj teacher.
The report recommends:
l. That the county school commits
sion be elected by the people without
partisan designations instead of being
appointed by the Governor.
.. That, as representing the people.
1t receive authority TO finance the
schools properly.
,. That it choose the county superin-
tenHent, subject TO the approval of the
State Commissioner of Education.