The Mena weekly star., 1920-03-04
Better Schools
Prepared Especially for the Star for the Thouahtful Consideration Of Polk County Parents.

Polk County Parents.
 It has been said that good roads and good schools go hand in hand. This Is true saying, for wherever you find good schools there will you find good roads. for people who have good schools are progressive and all pro- gressive people are for good roads, and vice versa. Where you find good roads you will find good schools, for people who have good roads are a pro- gressive people. and are not satisfied with poor schools.
 In the past Polk. county has had neither, but as the years went by both have improved and today we stand on the threshold of the greatest improve ments in both possible to conceive In the past 1t has been considered that what was good enough for gran'pap is good enough for me-" We have-now definitely passed that point. When Polk county gets the roads completed that are now projected, she will have some of the finest roads of any county in the state. comparing favorably with many of the richer counties.
 Our schools, too, are moving ahead very rapidly. In other states, and in other parts Of our own state, the schools have made greater progress than ours. We refer particularly 10 the matter of consolidating and com bining the little one-room rural schools teachers. Ten years ago, Arkansas stood thirty fourth in the Union for education. Today. she stands thirty seventh. Why this loss? For Arkan- sas has been progressing educational ly, by leaps and bounds. Because our near neighbors, Louisiana and Ala bama, have taken the lead in elimina- ting the little one-room school Even far-off Florida is going so whole heart edly into this great work that she is bidding fair to distance some of the older states who have thot in the past
 
 could never be taken from them.
 Arkansas and Polk county are going into this work with an enthusiasm which bids fair to make our part of the state noteworthy in the next year. The chief argument for consolidation is efficiency. The most ignorant man can readily see the need Of graded schools for teachers to get the most out of the work they do Another great point, the matter of expense Where three or more schools are thrown together two teachers can han dle ali the grades at great financial saving and have better teachers. In other words, if they desire to put on high school work, they can without any increase in expenses. Another great point is that better class of teachers can be secured under the graded school system. In the past. 1t has been the case that tine average country teacher is from the city or town, and all her interest is at home in town. She is thinking and talking of the events and doings of town and what she will do when she gets home -on Friday night. The result is that our country children get the idea that the town is the only desirable place and when they get old enough they leave the country for town.
 Under consolidation we can afford to pay enough to get the better, more efficient teachers and can hold them in the school district the year around In this way they will be there to work for the interests of their employers. the people of the community. In the church, the Sunday School. the liter ary society, the teachers will be there to boost them along. Many schools will get teacher and his wife to teach them. thus eliminating the town as the teachers point of interest. Teach erages will be built, thus furnishing a rallying point for the community mak- ing the school the center of all the ac- tivities of the district. This point alone would make consolidation a de- sirable thing if there were no others. The only way we can get the best out of the school is by awakening the in terest of the patrons, making them proud of their school and we can not do that with the one room school.
 Another point for consolidation is. the larger classes. thus furnishing the good of mental contact to arouse the spirit of rivalry No child. if alone in class will do the work he would do ' if he had companions to equal or ex- icell. This is one reason why our larger boys and girls quit the country school when they should be just getting ready to complete the grades and take up high school work They have no one of their own age. they are alone in their classes and they lose all interest and drop out of school. where if they had large class to work with they would be glad to continue coming If there were more of their own ages, they would come to school for the companionship, as they could organize base ball and basket ball teams, foot ball elevens and various other activi- ties. We say we want to keep our boys and girls on the farm but if we really