The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-15

upon what went before, n 1t changes
the school avs as well as pretty much
everything else. Has educational devel-
opment in Vermont been forward or not =?
The agitation of manifold questions
threatening school revolution legislation
during the session of the legislature to
begin three weeks hence, is apparently
based upon the supposition that Vermont
had been making progress backward III
educational matters. This applies not
only to our rural schools but also to our
training of teachers and our supervision
of schools and to our public school sys-
tenn in general. We are not dropping be
hind other states, except in our payment
of disastrously low wages to teachers
although that counts for weaker schools.
A school system is to be measured by
it's results, no matter how it may affect
any private interest or locality. The Rus
sell Sage Foundation has furnished in con-
nection with a survey briefly outlined as
to Vermont and other states an excel
lent criterion by which the educational
progress of the state is to be estimated.
This criterion includes the number of
children in school of school age, school
plant, expense per child, school days per
child, school year, attendance, eXpendi-
lures and resources, educational results
secured.
A comparative study of the public
school systems in AS states conducted
under conditions about like those now OBJ
tanning does not indicate that Vermont is
backward as compared with other COM
monwealths in its school legislation and
school requirements. The report m
bodying that comprehensive study shows
that Vermont ranked first among all the
states in it's percentage of children in
school. 1t had 66;6l5 in the public schools
and 5000 in private schools. 1t had only
10 per cent not in n school, while the
per cent of Massachusetts was 1871,
New York's. 1873 and Louisiana's AT, at
the bottom of the column.
In the matter of total school revenue
Vermont stood AID in the. column of
states, while New York ranked first. The
report said the right of the state to tax
property to educate children is now
firmly established. 1t said that school
taxation should provide for sufficient
local taxation TO encourge local pride and
initiative, sufficient state taxation to
equalize educational opportunities; and
that distribution of school funds should
be based both on the number of teachers
employed and the aggregate days of at
tendance of school children. Vermont
combines some of these and other feat
ures.
Vermont stood 18th among As states in
it's value of school property in propo
tion to its number of children of school
age, its proportion being $50 per child,
while that Of Massachusetts, ranking
first, was Sis. In the annual expendi-
ture for public schools Vermont stood
l4th among all the states, spending $2l
per child, while Washington, ranking
first, spent 1872 per child, and Massachu-
sets spent $35 per child. South Caro-
lima, at the foot of the list, spent only So
per child.
In children of school age and average
days of attendance Vermont stood fifth,
with an average per child of ll5. Massa-
chusetts led with 13I, and New Mexico
stood at the foot with only 46 DAYS of
average attendance per child. In illit-
eracy Vermont ranked 18th with a per
cent of 81, while Iowa led with only II.
As to teachers in the public schools and
the average annual salary, Vermont
ranked AID with an average of 1886.
California stood first with an average of
1913, and Arizona second with an average
of $Sl7, while North Carolina stood last
with an average salary of only $500.
The Russell Sage Foundation says: 1T
is evident that Vermont, Maine and Con
necticut, with more than 90 per cent of
the children of school age, actually in
school are making better investments in
future citizenship than Alabama, Texas,
Louisiana and Nevada, with from 80 to
40 per cent of their children of school age
not receiving schooling"
The Sage Foundation also finds a
healhful progress in the New England
states as to school expenditures. 1t de-
claTes, however, that the most efficient
of the quantity and kind of education a
school system gives the children of a
state is one that combines the two great
factors of the problem, first the number
OF. children to be educated and second the
amount of education supplied.
The remarkable statement is made
that as a nation the United States has a
shorter school day, a shorter school week
and a shorter school year than any other
highly civilized country in the world. On
the basis of an equal distribution of in
tstruction given among all the children
of school age, the effective school wear in
1.-THE state making the best record is less
than seven months Taking the country
as a whole it is hardly more than four
school months, and in nearly a quarter
of the states it is less than three school
months. The significance of this com
parisOn appears when one stops to con
slider that a school boy in North Carolina
or New Mexico would require no less than
p years to complete a standard elemen-
tary education.
Vermont is well to the front in some
directions. Like all other states, how.
ever, the high cost of living has reduced
the wages of its teachers relatively
faster than the same have been increased
in actual dollars and cents. 1t appears
that Vermont is far behind the great ma.
lorlty of the states in the North and
West as to the average wage of its
teachers.
In this connection the Sage Foundation
rightly says that the whole problem il
in effect that of the child versus the dol
lar. The wages received by the schoo
teacher constitute the measure of tive
things; first, the quality of ability of tn
teacher; second, the value the coHmun
ity PUTS on the value of a school.
The chief source of trouble in TIL
schools of all states at this time is tn
shortage of teachers. This applies t
states having the town system as well a
to district schools. Maaifestly, there
fore, the remedy is not to be found i
any. change from town to district school
or from district to town schools TIL
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