The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-12-07
WHY SOUTH CAROLINA NEEDS
AN EDUCATIONAL SURVEY
(Bv Dr. Robt P. PeIl, President Of Converse College,

tendents have expressed their es-
Inmates Of the value of this policy.
DR.. Harris Hart, superintendent
of education Of Virginia, writes:
.In answer to your letter Of No
vember 9th. let me advise that IN
1918 the assembly Of Virginia was
requested to appoint an education
al commission under which COM
mission a survey would be made
of the state school system. This
was done, for the reason that II
was apparent that certain funda-
mental changes ought to be made
in our school operation. 1t did not
seem wise to attempt such changes
without careful study and lnvesti-
CATION.
THE commission procured a sur
yey staff, and this staff made about
as careful a study Of state school
conditions as the subject would per-
nit.
"As a basis of the survey, the
commission made recommendations
to the assembly l found the work
Of rhe survey staff Invaluable in
support of recommendations be-
fore committees of the assembly.
Indeed, without such full study it
would not have been possible ter
much of our educational program
to be adopted
DR.. John w. Abercrombie, su-
pcrintendent Of education of Ala
bama, writes:
81 shall indeed be greatly pleas
ed if anything I can say Of the sur
yey of. the Alabama school system
! which was made in 1919 may prove
Of value in securing to South Car
DINA benefits similar to those Sc
cured to Alabama by that ln7es-
tigation.
For the expenses Of the Alabama
survey an appropriation OF SlO,-
! 600 90 made by the state legislature
I believe it would have been diff
cult to have found way in which
IS great benefits could have been
/ secured to the state at so small a
cost as resulted from the work OF
the Alabama education commits
sion. Some of these were as fol
lows:
"Closer coordination Of the work
of the institutions Of higher learn
ing and the public schools through
the creation of a State Council OF
Education.
Wise counsel and valuable sup
port to the state superintendent OF
education through the creation OF
state department Of education.
Extension of the opportunities
for service of the state depart
ment Of education through the re-
organization Of the department
. into ten divisions, with well train
ed leaders in charge Of each dlvls-
ion.
Improvement in school attend
ance through the Strengthening OF
the school attendance law and the
lengthening of the compulsory at
tendance term.
Definition of the duties and re-
sponsibilities of county and city
boards of education and Of countl
and city superintendent. The new
school code, so called, which con-
tains most of the recommends
tions of the survey, established lr
this state a county unit organiza,
ton of the educational system
which has been described as one
I of the best in the country.
encouragement Of the construc-
ton of better rural school building:
through the extension and i'm.
provement Of the law providing
state aid.
These are a few Of the striking
Improvement in the .educationa
situation in this state which have
resulted from the survey of 1919
Equally great Improvements might
we'll be expected in the education
al situation of any state. AT pres
ent we have progressed in Alabama
almost as far as we can go under
the limitations Of the present con-
stitution. To carry out the rec
concentrations Of the survey COM
mission which have not yet been
adopted must await the constitu'
tional convention, which it is prob
able viii come in the next few
years.
South Carolina can well afford
the moderate sum Of money neces-
sary to have as productive a piece
Of work done for the education OF
, her children