Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-16
TEACHER WORSE OFF
THAN BEFORE WAR
Nationwide Survey of Public
Schools Shows Room for
Much Improvement.
BY Associated Press to Every Evening

By Associated Press to Every Evening
New York, Oct. 16.-Chambers OF
Commerce in $50 cities of the United
States with population of 5000 or
more will receive today from their Nation
al Committee for Cooperation with the
Public Schools, the results OF nation
wide survey relating to salaries, training
and experience of teachers In when II is
declared that in point of salary the aver
age school teacher is worse OH thsah pe
fore the war" The report, the trst of
four s.interpretive inquiries" viii enable
these cities. it is said, to learn for the flrst
time. the truth about their own schools
and to compare them with the schools of
other cities throughout the country.
This survey. which WAS undertaken by
the American CITY Bureau after con-
ference of s,Ipcrintsndentso of schools with
Chamber of Commerce secretaries at
Cleveland. O., last February "A, has been
in progress more than SIX months. me
questions to which answers were sought
and obtained in the 359 cities, We're:
'How much training do your teachers
have?" and How well do you pay your
school employees!
One half of the men elementary teach
ets in all cities reporting, IT was shown,
have had less than the median OF $40
wears of expcrience. One-fourth have had
lcss than 81 wears experience. Of 6S,29l
teachers. 3.4q3 have had only one year
expcrience and of tins number 15S are
men and women high school teachers and
2.135 are men and women elementary
grade teachers. More than 10000 women
and 800 men In the cities surveyed, how
ever have been teaching 10 years and
over
Emergency teachers lacking proper
training for their work are said to COM
pose IAN alarningly large proportion oi
those now in the classrooms. Ii IS = com
monty accepted standard among city
Boaris of Education, the report points
out. that the teachers III the elementary
schools should bc at least graduates of
standard normal schools, which means
two-vcar professional course above gradua-
ton from four-year high school. 1t IS
very significant to note IN this connec-
tion. the report saws, that more than
one-third of the teachers of American
cities have less training than tins low
standard and that there are thousands oi
teachers In the elementary schools OF our
American cities who have even less pre-
paration than graduation from tour-vear
high school course.
Declaring that national problems OF
illiteracy, Americanlzatlon, racial con-
trovcrsies, equalization ct educational
opr,ortslnitv. health, industrial organlza-
tion. REQUIRE that the product OF our
schools be thinking Americans, provided
with the knowledge and habits which will
make them contributing members OF
democratic society, the report SAYS that
teaching needs to be made a real proies-
son and that adequate salaries are an
absolute essential for the realization OF this
ideal
The returns disclose what are described
as many surprising facts concerning
teachers sSalaries.' The average increase
the country over SINCE 1913tl4 has been
60 per cent. The increase in the cost OF
living. meanwhile, it rs shown, has been
more than 100 per cent. In view oil the
decreased purchasing power of the dollar
the average school teacher IN the United
states is, therefore. worse of thsn she
was before the war. the report states.
The method of calculation used IN the
report is based on a medIan, or mld-point7
in the scale of salaries which divides 1t ex-
actly In half. one-haf the cases falling
below the median and the other half
shown above IT.
The following cities, respectively, paid
the highest and lowest medlan salaries
during the school year 1919-1920, accord
ing TO survey charts: Eastern States
Holyoke, Mass, S1,S47: Ovego, y. y,
$500: Great Lakes States Chicago,
81 1894: Coshocton and Belle Center, O..
s663; (Western States Oakland, Cal,
sI,sl4; Standpoint, Idaho $3.50: Great
Plans States St. Paul Mimi, 81, sos;
independence, Mo, s555; South
ern States Grcenvllle, Miss, s1,275,
Jackson, Tenn, SAL.
DIR. George d. Strayer. chairman Of the
national committee. IN speaking Of the
situation. said: What W need throughout
the nation Is better understanding Of the
school situation, based upon careful
assembling OF the facts. These inquiries
are intended TO serve just tins purpose.
The American people believe ID the public
school system. That they have not al
WAYS supported il as generously as they
should Is not due To ANY lack of faith, but
rather, because Of laek of information Ii
superintendents Of schools make available
the facts with regard 10 the present situa-
tiOn. and If chambers of commerce under
take the obligation to carry these tacts to
the public, we shall have an informed pub
lie The American people, when they
come 10 full realization Of the present
emergency, can certainly be counted
upon TO provide the support necessary for
the maintenance and development Of our
public school system.