The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1920-07-15
EDUCATIONAL.
THE CRISIS IN EDUCATION

war and the resultant conditions, there
is more need for education of the best
and most comprehensive type than ever
before in this country, for the produc-
ton of material wealth to meet the
material losses of the war, for citizen
ship in new and democratic era when
the world looks to America as to no
other nation since the fall of the Ro-
man Empire, for the development of
manhood and womanhood, and for cul-
ture such as a democratic nation like
ours ought to make possible for all its
people.
TO meet these demands of the nation
will require large increases in the ex-
tent and efficiency of all grades and
kinds of education from the kinder
garten to the university and the pro-
fesSional and technical school.
If the cost of living and the value of
money were the same as before the
war, there would he need for immcdi-
ate increases of not less than 80 per
cent for the maintenance of schools,
including the pay of teachers.
There is also great need for new
buildings and equipment more than
in ordinary times because for three
or four years there has been little
building. The most of living has in
creased at least 100 per cent, the pur-
chasing power of money has been de
preciated not less than 80 per. cent.
Wages in some other occupations have
increased 100 per cent or more, and
there is large demand for men and
women of such educational training as
teachers possess in the industries and
occupations other than teaching. Be
sides there is need for not less than
100 per cent more money for the run
ming of schools and for buildings and
equipment than was needed four or
five years ago.
In many states, cities, and communi-
ties considerable increase has been
made in appropriations for educational
Salaries of some teachers
have been increased from 20 to 90 per
cent, but this is not sufficient This
country is now confronted with a great
shortage of teachers; it is the best
teachers rather than the poorest that
are lost to the profession, and their
places must be filed with those who
are less well prepared, have less nat
ural ability, less general education,
culture, professional knowledge, and
technical training.
In January of this year reports to
the bureau of education indicated that
between $4,000 and 10000 schools we're
without teachers, and $4,000 schools
supplied with temporary makcshift
teachers whose qualifications were less
than the qualifications regularly re
quired by the states in which they
taught, but who were given temporary
licenses in order that schools might he
filled in some way. More than 100000
teachers are now teaching with less
than the required minimum standard
of qualifications.
A teacher in an elementary school,
especially in a country school in which
one teacher teaches all subjects to all
grades and all ages in the only school
that many of the pupils will ever at
tend, should possess at least modern
hgh-school training, with two years of
college or normal-School education, in
Guiding some professional instruction
and training. More than half of the
teachers in the United States have less
than this.
This condition has always existed,
but becomes more fatal now than at
any time in the past. Under present
it must continue to exist.
The normal schools and classes in
which special instruction for teaching
is given in colleges and universities
have smaller attendance than at any
time in recent years. The number of
normal-school graduates is only 10 per
cent or 80 per cent of what it was in
1916.
The National Citizens Conference on
Education held at Washington in May
was called in order to bring as forcibly
as possible these conditions to the at
tcnti0n Of the people who own the
schools, who support them and who
drcn and themselves, in full faith that
when they understand the conditions
they will, as American citizens have
always done, rise to the occasion and
supply the funds that are needed; and
that The conference will result in more
adequate pay for better teachers that
the schools may be made better, and
that the children of the people may
have better education and training for
better citizenship
It is expected that this national con
ference will he followed by many SINH
lar conferences in the states, counties,
cities, and local communities, and that
the result will be a strong current of