The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1919-10-30
THE TEACHER PROBLEM.

THE TEACHER PROBLEM.
More than 100000 teaching positions
in the public schools of the United
States are either vacant or filled by
teachers below standard, and the at
tendance at normal schools and teacher
training schools has decreased 20 per
cent in the last three years. These
startling facts are shown by the com
plete report Of an investigation mi de
by the National Education Association.
Letters were sent out by the Associa-
ton in September to every county and
district superintendent in the United
States asking for certain definite in
formation. Signed statements were
sent in by more than 100 superintend-
tents. from every state, representing
23S.573 teaching positions. These re-
port an actual shortage of 146S5
teachers, or slightly more than 6 per
cent of the teaching positions repre-
scented, and 23,006 teachers below s. an
dard who have been accepted to fill
vacancies, or slightly less than 10 per
cent. 1t is estimated that there are
650,000 teaching positions in the public
schools of the United States, and If
these figures hold good for the entire
Country there are $4,000 vacancies and
$4,000 teachers below standard.
These same superintendent report
that 52,79SS teachers dropped out dur
ing the past year loss Of over %
per cent On this basis the total num-
Der for the entire county would be
10000 The reports show that the
shortage Of teachers and the number
Of teachers below standard are great,
est in the rural districts where salar-
les are lowest and teaching condi-
tons least attractive
The states in which salaries and
standards are highest have the most
adequate supply of teachers. California
shows a combined shortage and be-
low standard Of 31a per cent: Mas
sachusetts shows AZ per cent, and
Illinois per cent In at least six of
the Southern states more than one
third of their schools are reported
either without teachers or being taught
by teachers below their standards.
Nearly all of the superintendent de-
Pclare that teachers salaries have not
increased in proportion to the increased
cost of living, nor as salaries have in
other vocations, and that teachers are
continuing to leave the profession for
other work
Reports received by the National Ed
tlcation Association from normal school
presidents show that the attendance
in these Misunderstanding institutions
has fallen off al@mingly. The total
attendance in IS normal schools and
| teacher training schools located i'm 80
| different states for the year 1916, was
33,051. In 1919 the attendance in these
same schools had fallen to 26,134 The
| total number Of graduates in these
schools in 1916 was 110,295. and in
1919. 1924. The total number in the
graduating classes of 1920 in these rs
schools is 7.119. These figures show
a decrease Of over 80 per cent in four
years in the finished product of these
schools.
The presidents of these institutions
state that in order to induce promising
young men and. women to enter the
teaching profession and thereby fur
nish the country an adequate supply of
competent, well trained teachers, there
must be:
l. Higher salaries for trained
teachers;
,. Higher professional standards ex-
Guiding the incompetent and UMPIRE
pared;
3. A more general recognition by
the public of the Importance Of the
teaching profession;
4. More liberal appropriations to
state normal schools and teacher
training schools in order to pay bet
ter salaries in these institutions and
furnish better equipment.
3: Extending the courses and rails
ing the standards in the teacher-train.
ing schools.