The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-06-21
NEW MExICOs PROGRESS IN EDUCATION.

NuRrNG the % years from 1890 to 1918 New Mexico made greater
~ progress in education than any other state in the Union. This
q monograph Of that institution, An Index Number for State School
The Herald. In the period studied New Mexico moved from the
lower ranks 10 thirtyirst place among the states and dependencies
and TO twenty eighth place among the states on the continent
The director Of the Taxpayers association Of New Mexico has
made a preliminary check Of the data and the methods used in meas
illusion that our place should be 2ist in the line, instead Of Sist.
Errors in the computations made by the Russell Sage Foundation, he
states, are due 20 wrong estimates Of the children Of the ages os
9 70 IS and 10 placing the number Of teachers IN isl'.l9ls at prae,
this is true. he holds that New Mexico would be in advance of 20
states. including all Of the southern states, many of the more inn
portant middle states and one western state.
While these conclusions are extremely gratifying the computations
show that New Mexco's place is due largely to the five component
That are educational IN character show room for greater improve
ment. In other words actual educational achievement has not been
ment has NOT kent pace with The expend;tures for education This
should not be surprising, because New Mexico did not begin to spend
adequate funds for q real state school system did not begin until
sa,,ssU ". sss achieved sdS.ee., ~ n i sI1.na Ms %i h probably ,Ss .t,s savs =, to maxi.
ue school systems is valuable in showing us whore emphasis should
be placed. Further analysis will show. no doubt, that our weakest
point is in daily average attendance Of pupils. For this condition
there is an obvious explanation and the relief is now within sight
through the building of better school houses, the adoption Of trans
portation Of pupils, the employment of better teachers and the pay
conviction among our people of the Importance Of education.
1t is worth repeating that the fact that our expenditures for
schools have increased more rapidly than the efficiency of The system
from the STANDPOINT OF educational results need not surprise any
one. The greatest gain in educational efficiency in the state school
system has rome during the past four years. There should be an
even greater advance In efficiency during the next four years and
there VIII ee q the same sound management Of the past four years
and that job is rot yet finished. We must find a way to provide
adequate salaries, for it is in those counties that the need for high
efficiency in the school room is greatest. School buildings, upon an
average, are now efficient throughout the state. The first big task to
put over is TO provide salaries that are adequate to get and hold
good teachers; the next is 10 find . way to put the very best teachers
into the remote rural districts; the poor districts; the backward dis
iriets. At present, through the stern logic of short money the third
grade and second grade teachers, the beginners, r sent to these
districts; because they draw the smallest salaries. We have still a
long way to go before we reach real state school efficiency in New
Mexico, but 'he splendid gains made q $ shown in this analysis prove
eonclusivey that we are well o our way.