Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-11-29
SERIOUS SHORTAGE
TEACHERS EXISTS
OVER THE COUNTRY
Educators Confronted With a
Hard Problem-More Than
N 100000 Vacancies Now Elk
list in United States.


There is a serious shortage of teach
ers throughout the United States and
our school system is threatened with
serious loss and the probable closing of
schools unless greater interest is taken
and more teachers become available,
according to the statement of P..
Soulen, head of the department of cd
ucation in the University of Idaho.
Professor Soulen says that his depart :
ment has received applications for four
toachers within week, a condition
never before met at this time of Year.
Hc says one school in Clearwater cousi-
" is closed because it is short seven
teachers, The department of educl :
ton has an Unprecedented enrolment,
100, which is 80 per cent above the
past two years, but he does not ok
poet this condition to continue as any
one capable of teaching can earn much
more i'll other vocations. The follow
ing statement sent out by the Ma
tional Educational association gives
much interesting information on this
subject The circular letter follows:
TIE TEACHER PROBLEM
& More than 100000 teaching positions
In the public schools of the United
7sNlSltS are tAllttl' vacant Vi iliiSN Wy
teachecs below standard and the at
1tendanco at normal schools and teach
er-traininE schools has decreased 20
per cent in the last three years. These
starting facts are shown by tho com
plete report of an investigation made
b. The National Educational associl-
lion
Letters were sent out by the asso-
citation in September to every county
nd 1ietri4f Sr1nnrin tpn1pnt in Thp l. nj
ted States, asking for certain definite
information. Signed statements were
sent in by more than 1900 superintend-
ents, from every state, representing
23S.573 teaching positions. These re-
port an actual shortage of 14,6S5 teach
ers, slightly more than per cent
of the teaching positions represented,
and 23,0O6 teachers below standard
who have been accepted to fill vacan-
cies, or slightly less than 10 per cent,
1t is estimated that there are 100000
teaching positions in the public schools
of the United States. and if these fig
ures hold good for the entire country
there are $4,000 vacancies and $4,000
teachers below standard.
MANY DROP OUT.
These same superintendent report
that 52,79S teachers dropped out during
the past year, loss of over 22 per
for the entire country would be 49,
0OO The reports show that the short
age of teachers and the number of
teachers below standard are greatest
in the rural. districts where salaries
are lowest and teaching conditions
least attractive.
The states in which salaries and
standards are highest have the most
adequate supply of teachers. Califor-
mia shows combined shortage and
below standard of 31s per cent; Massa-
chusetts shows Az per cent and Hi
.nois 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.
81 Nearly all of the superintendents
declare that teachers salaries have
not increased in proportion to the in
creased cost of living, nor as salaries
have in other vocations, and that the
teachers are continuing to leave the
profession for other work.
NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS
Reports received by the National Ed
Vocational association from normal
school presidents show that the atten-
dance in these teacher training institu-
tions has fallen off alarmingly. The
total attendance in IS normal schools
In IS different states for the year 1916
was S3,051. In 1919 the attendance in
these same schools had fallen to %
1874 The total number of graduates
i'm these schools in 1916 was 1926 and
in 1919, 1914. The total number in the
graduating classes of 1920 in these rs
schools is 7119. 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 induct promising
Young men and women to enter the
teaching profession and thereby fu'
nish the country an adequate supply
of competent. well-trained teachers,
there must be:
/. Higher salaries for trained teach
ers.
2. Higher professional standards.
excluding the incompetent and unpre-
pared.
z. A more general recognition by
the public of the importance of the
teaching profession.
a. 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.
s. Extending the courses and rails
ing the standards In the teacher-train-
ing schools
Our photos make best gifts. Carriers
studio 1922 Main St-Adv.