The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-10
SCHOOL HEADS
OPPOSE NORMAL
+: !. SUBSIDY PLANS
Supt. Bentley Among Educa-
! tors Against Taking Over
Private Schools.

II am personally opposed to voting
public money to privately owned
schools, but / am In favor Of allowing
private owned schools to grant teach
ers' certificates to graduates provid
ing their courses met with the approx
al of the state board of education
said City School Superintendent ]. H
Bentley, today following his return
from the conference Of the city and
. township superintendents in Indiana
polls. The superintendents' associa
ton at their final session yesterday
voted to oppose the subsidizing OF
3 private owned normal schools in In
diana by the state, as is being asked
by the presidents Of the schools.
81 The association favored. however
. the establishment Of standard two
year course for teachers in the normal
schools under state direction, and a
four year standard course in the state
colleges" Mr.. Bentley said. This
very important question ties up with
Indiana's problem of getting enough
competent teachers. The fact is that
Indiana does not have one-fourth
enough teachers in training In her
normal schools to supply the demand.
do not believe, however, that 1t will
be necessary to subsidize these
schools ii teachers certificates are
Issued for courses supervised by the
state board Of education"
He explained that Indiana normal
schools have stood out for four
year course for teachers, which Is RI
diculous to expect, since the salaries
Of public school teachers do not war
rant such preparation. Indiana nor
NAL schools are, as result, not near
full. Bentley said. THE substituting
OF privately owned schools would in
clude not only such schools as Tri.
State, Danville, Valparaiso and Vino
ma, but any new schools could Jump
in and claim inclusion. On the pro-
posed basis Earlham college or any
other school can put in a two year
normal course, and in this way the
demand can be supplied.
Another imperative question:" Mr..
Bentley said, is that of Indiana teach
ers' examinations. 1t is my idea and
the general sentiment Of Indiana sup
erintendents that certain requirements
should be made for teachers and that
upon successful experience certificates
should be extended to life length. Our
many teachers examinations cripple
the system and keeps good teachers
out OF the state. l have known a
number Of such cases in which well
prepared and successful teachers hav-
ing teachers certificates from one or
two other states have had to take a
common school teachers examination
before being allowed to teach in In
diana. The system operates against
the good of the schools. Indiana is
peculiar in this requirement. ! do not
recall any other state that has such
law. Good teachers will keep up;
poor teachers will show up, despite
examinations"
At the state meeting, J. N. Hines,
state Observation-Disclosures in reading
the measure that is to be introduced
in the legislature establishing stan.
dard courses, said that section OF
the bill providing for the substituting
Of provately owned normal schools
had been stricken out of the bill. The
superintendent were general in ex-
pressing themselves as opposed to CIV
ing aid to normal schools in this way.