Imperial Valley press., 1920-12-22
TH|SLAND NOT
ON PAR WITH
EUROPEAN
NATIONS
President of Mills College
Addresses Final Session of
Imperial County Teachers
Institute; Attendance Is
Very Poor.

DIR. Aurelia Reinhardt, presi-
dent of Mills College at Oakland.
and recognized as one of the lead
ing woman educators in the Unit
cd States, addressed the final
session of the annual Imperial
County Teachers Institute at the
Central Union High School this
morning.
Choosing as subject, "The Pro-
fession of Teaching" DR.. Reinhardt
related incidents, quoted government
statistics and introduced evidence
which showed the relative standing
OF the United States with many of the
European countries in the matter OF
education. The figures were aston
ishing and revealed situation she
said, (which should command the ut
most attention of ever instructor in
the country"
In part Dr. Reinhardt said: "Thero
are fewer schools, fewer pupils at
tending, approximately, and the
standards of grading are lower in the
United States than in the countries
Of western Europe" These figures
were taken from the annual report of
the United States bureau of education,
Mr.. Claxon, director, Washington,
ID. c..
"There are, on an average, 200
school days every year, but statistics
show us that in the past year the
average attendance in the United
States was eighty days"
Glimpses of the early training OF
the noted woman, intermingled with
bits Of pleasing humor, added to the
character and quality Of the address.
Incidents of her mothers first school,
when only Is years old, were added
to drive home points illustrating the
need of a more thorough method of
education were readily grasped by the
Imperial Valley teachers.
DR.. Reinhardt opened her topic
with: "In the twentieth century the
profession of teaching has grown to
be the biggest in the coun-
Try, and the sooner you and
|, as instructors, learn this the
better. The success or the failure of
this country depends largely on the
teachers, and for this reason it is
the duty of every teacher to acquaint
herself with the problems OF our ma
ton, its organizations, departments,
forms of government, in the smallest
detail"
Every teacher was urged to affili-
ate herself or himself with some state
or national organization, in order that
the national problems coming to the
attention of the country and of inter
est to the welfare of the child may
receive its just consideration.
A cabinet position for the educa-
tional department of the United
States was urged by Dr. Reinhardt,
who stated that she, with other wo-
man educators, appeared before the
conventions of the two leading politi-
cal parties and asked that plank be
put into their platform supporting
such move. In both cases the re-
quest was refused with no explanation
offered.
Among some of the figures given
by DR.. Reinhardt were that only 56
out of every 100 pupils in the United
States attended the elementary
schools.
There are 100 girls attending the
high schools in the United States to
| every Is boys.
Fifty thousand boys and girls
leave school in New York at the end
of the fourth grade.
The United States is a sixth grade
nation"
Superintendent C. B. Collins of I'M
perial presided over the meeting this
/ morning.