Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-03

70 take charge OF the department Of
SchooI administration IN Yale Untver-
nF THE many impressive revelations
- OF the great world war, none was
more impressive than that of the su-
preme Importance Of education. In
Russia and Prussia the whole world
witnessed the dire disaster resulting,
IN the one case, from the lack of uni
yersal education, in the other from mis-
directed or false education. And both
the strength and the weakness Of our
own country have been easily traceable
to the excellencies and the deficiencies
respectively of our educational proyi-
sions and efforts.
d, Now. is the time to take stock of
these impressive revelations; to look
into the demands and the opportunities
of the future. Let us try To
sketch in broad outlines merely the
outstanding characteristics of an edu-
cational program, indeed a minimum
program, such as is Immediately needed
in these United States.
THIS program consists of two parts !:
u First, a brief statement of the OBJ
lectives Of American education for the
immediate future; and second, an out
line OF the general plans and means cal
culated to realize these objectives. =
The simple, practical, but exalted de-
mand of the British Labor party for a
program of education which shall
bring effectively within the reach, not
only of every boy and girl, but also of
every adult citizen, all the training,
physical, mental and moral, literary,
technical and scientific, Of which he is
capable sets an educational objec
tive none too advanced for America.
Indeed, there will be those to claim
not only that we have long had such an
objective, but that we are realizing it.
There are three minimum. definite,
comprehensive objectives that American
public education should at once set for
itself. They are: First, essential ele-
mentary knowledge, training and disci-
pline; second, occupational efficiency
third, civic responsibility.
ESSENTIAL elementary knowledge,
IL discipline and training should be
understood to include so much as re =
suits from the successful completion of
the full elementary school course in the
best school systems-a course requir-
ing, as a rule, eight years of regular
attendance, thirty six to forty weeks
year.
The present eighty elementary
school course, as it is carried out even
in the best school systems, is not here
proposed as fixed or final ideal, es-
pecially in details, Of the first objective
of public education. 1t should be un
derstood to be inclusive, not exclusive,
Of any improvements that may be made
in content, in method or in organiza =
tion affecting the latter years of the
typical elementary school course.
This first objective is the indispens.
able basis of the other two-occupa.
tional efficiency and civic response
bility; it makes the full achievement oi
these two practicable.
A PROGRAM adequate to the achieve
"A ment of the first Of our three OBJ
jectives must involve the following foul
features: First, minimum school yeai
Of thirty six weeks; second, adequat,
laws, effectively enforced, compelling
regular attendance throughout tn,
school year of all children over a Ger
tain age, preferably seven, until th
elementary course is completed, or unit
certain age, preferably sixteen, il
reached; third, effective public coutro
of all elementary private schools, I,
insure the maintenance therein O
standards equal to those maintained II
public schools, and to insure the regu
lar and full attendance of pupils regis
tered therein; fourth, teaching fore
every member of which has a genera
education at least equal to that afforde,
by u good four year high school cours
and professional training at leas
equivalent to that provided by a goo,
two year normal school course.
The mere statement of these simpl
measures for the achievement of ou
first educational objective should b
sufficient to convince any intelligen
person of the necessity of their adop
ton.
DARTLY because of the short schoo
l. year, partly because only partial ad
vantage is taken even of this short year
the amount of schooling that we Amer
leans are getting is startlingly little
As n nation, we are barely sixth
graders.
According to the we'll considered es
innate of Doctor Evenden in his recen