Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-06-07
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! LOCAL COMMENT +.


tiltIt has NbIIit w iiSut opih' N''NV''
tent with The Marshalltown school
management including the school
board, the superintendent and even
his principal assistants but 80 far as
can be Judged at this time II seems
to be minority movement, III the
demand Is for more progress, more
buildings better equipment better
wages and necessarily more money Tor
the schools the movement VIII gain
friends where 1t will lose If II Is mere
~ destructive criticism. No school
management on earth could turn out
thousand graduates in thirteen years
and deal with the parents of TINS city
all that time without acquiring Few
severe critics and the marvel has been
to school men all over the state that
things have run so smoothly in Mar
shLltown.
However. let us not get off on the
wrong foot in our desire to find fauit'
Teachers who are -disgruntled with
their wage should argue their case
with the school board and get another
Job where wages are better II they are
not. paid enough in Marshalltown.
Fomenting trouble is unseemly on the
part of intelligent people
II has been argued in recent meet
ings that the Marshalltowr high school
has declined in it's scholarship because
examinations must be taken TO enter
certain colleges which were not re-
9Gired several years ago. The facts
are that the Marshalltown high school
is fully accredited by the state board
of education, as fully as any high
school, and its graduates are accepted
in state colleges without examination
In addition our high school belongs TO
the north central association which Is
the highest accrediting association Oh
the middle west. The reason examina-
lions are now required by some col
Ieges is that the colleges have
Changed their own rule and will here
after require examinations OF gradu-
ates from all high schools. This year
the examinations will be held In Des
Moines on June l6 for entrapce 10
vassar. Mt. Holyoke. Smith ana wei
lesley. The plan is similar to that
long held by Princeton, Yale and Har-
ward.
But preparation for college Is never
the paramount purpose or supreme
test of high school work. Elementary
education for the greatest NUMBER Is
the highest function OF our puohc
school system and Marshalltown has
not only grown under the present ad-
ministration in this respect but eXceis
most other cities in the state. i"eINe
years ago twenty six boys ana girls
were graduated from the high schooi
when the city had 1900 population.
This year population has gained 20
per cent and the nigh school graduates
ninety seven or an increase OF almost
200 per cent. Fort Dodge with 5000
more people graduates only seventy
three, Mason City with 10000 more
people graduates six less while Mus
catine with nearly the same popula-
ton graduates only fifty eight. Wat
crloo and Council Bluffs with approx
imately double our population Will
graduate only l3S and 1870 respectively
when they should have nearly 20o
graduates 20 measure results with our
high school There is something about
our school system that keeps students
interested in their work.
Frank D. Joseph, deputy superin-
tendent of public instruction for the
state. writing to the president OF our
school board. remarks that 1T Is bare
lv possible that Marshalltown has not
been playing to the galleries in the
in
places, but in our judgment the work
is Just as efficient" which is the 1udS-
ment of level headed citizens who har-
Dor no prcjudices. When Marshall
town goes TO the stale fair its school
exhibit wins the blue ribbon and ii
anyone thinks that there has not been
progress because there has not been
much noise let him realize that dur
ing the present administration there
has been added TO the school work
courses in French, history of music,
penmanshi hip, domestic science, domes-
tic art, normal training, military train
ing. physical training for girls, bus1-
ness training. school hygiene, public
speaking. agriculture, school gardens
elementary adm community civics.
German has been dropped. Inc stale
superintendent's office writes your
schools maintain a normal training
course approved by this department
for tuition purposes and you are on the
accredited list at the state university"
The Marshalltown schools are man
AGED conservatively without freakish
experiments, noise or personal adver-
Using but they are efficient to high
degree. The present superintendent is
headstrong no doubt. One of the
editors of the T.-R told him that a
certain teacher was not competent to
be retained but he sent her new con-
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