The Alaska daily empire., 1920-10-22
TEACHERS WORSE
OFF Than BEFORE
WORLD WAR, CLAIM:
Nationwide Survey of Peda-
gogue's Salaries Devel-
opes Amazing Facts.

5000 or more will receive today from
their National Committee for CO.
operation with the Public Schools
the results OF a nationwide survey
relating to salaries, training and ex-
perience of teacheds in which it
is declared that in point of salary
the average school teacher is worse
off than before the war" The report
the first of four interpretive inquir-
ies," will enable these cities, it IS
said, to learn for the first time
the truth about their own schools
and to compare them with the schools
Of other cities throughout the country.
This survey, which was under
taken by the American City Bureau
after a conference of superintendent
of schools with Chamber of Com
merce Secretaries at Cleveland, O.,
last February "a, has been in progress
more than six months. The question
to which answers were sought and
obtained in the 1853 cities were How
much training do your teachers
have?" and How well do you pay
your school employes?"
One half Of the men elementary
eachers in all cities reporting, it
was shown, have had less than the
median of $40 years of experience.
One fourth have had less than 81
ears experience. OF 6S,291 teachers,
,,493 have had only one years
- ..f hnr x
ire men and women high school
eachers and 2,735 are men and
women elementary grade teachers.
More than 10000 women and 300 men
the cities surveyed, however, have
been teaching 20 years and over
Emergency teachers lacking proper
raining for their work are said to
compose can alarmingly large pro-
1oration" Of those now in thet class
rooms, the report points out, that
he teachers in the elementary
:chools should be at least graduates
Of standard normal schools which
means a two year professional course
ibove graduation from a four year
high school at is very significant
to note in this connection" the report
says, that more than one third OF
The teachers of American cities
have less training than this low
standard and that there are thon-
sands of teachers in the elementary
schools of our American cities who
have even less preparation than
graduation from "a four year high
school course"
y Declaring that national problems
If illiteracy, Americanization, rectal
controversies, equalization OF educ
ational opportunity, health, industrial
organization, require that the product
Of our schools be thinking Amer
cans. provided with the knowledge
md habits which will make them
contributing members of a democr-
,tic society,"" the report says that
teaching needs to be made real
profession" and that adequate sal
,ries ere an absolute essential Tor
he realization of this ideal
The returns disclose what are de
scribed as many surprising Facts
concerning teachers salaries" The
average increase the country over
since 1914 has been 60 per cent.
The increase in the cost OF living
meanwhile, it is shown, has beer
more than 100 perd cent In view
If the decreased purchasing power
If the dollar the average schoold
teacher in the nited States is, there
fore, worse off than she was before
he war the report states.
which divides it exactly in half, one
half the cases falling below the med
ian and the other half above it.
The method of calculation used in
the report is based on a median, or
mid-point, in the scales of salaries
The following cities, respectively,
paid the highest and lowest median
salaries during the school year 1919
1920, according to survey sharts
eastern states) Holyoke, Mass, ST.
SAT; Owego. New York $3.50; great
lakes states) Chicago, 1890; Coshoc-
ton and Belle Center, O., 1868; West
ern states) Oakland. Cal, S1,S14:
Sand point, Idaho $3.50; (great plains
states) st. Paul, Mimi, s1,505; indie
pendence, Mo, $555; (Southern
states jGreenville. Miss, $l,275'
Jackson, Tenn, $57l.
DR.. George d. Strayer, Chairman OF
the National Committee in speaking
of the situation said: What we
need throughout the nation is
better understanding of the school
situation based upon careful assem-
bling of the facts. These inquiries
are intended to serve just this pur
pose The American people believe
in the public school system. THAI
they have not always supported i
as generously as they should is not