Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-08
School Board Tries
to Pick Nelr Head
Continued from Page Ono

Continued from Page Ono
OF loss. II, for example. lack Of aC-
commodatiOnS makes It necessary 70
give only three hours Of schooling
day TO pupils who ought to have five
hours. the loss Of educationa, oppor.
tunity is quite apparent. But IL the
situation should be met by increasing
the size Of classes 70 the point whore
they become unwieldv, the educational
loss is less obvious but not less real.
What Is seen IS that every pupil Is
attending school O full day what Is
not seen IS chat each child gets only
fraction OF the attention which he
needs from his teacher 10 make proper
progress in his work.
Then. Inder various subdivisions. Mr..
Wheeler takes UP various phases Of
school work and problems, as follows !;
1T Is frequently assumed that Il fixed
rate Of taxation for school purposes
should be adequate, because the revenue
thus secLyed grows from year to year
keeping pace with growing school needs
as the assessed valuation OF property in
growing community advances. This
Assumption failed 70 take into account
the demands made upon toe schools by
progressive legislation, such IA the child
labor law with its continuation schoO,
requirements and completely overlooked
public school work is greater Immediate
expense for their support.
Every child who is compelled by
an efficient attendance department "a
remain in school until fourteen years
OF age ard who Under a careless Gd
ministration would have slipped
through the meshes Of tAe law and hav,
gone to work a. twelv" or thirteeI
years Of age, adds the cost Of the extrt
years tuition 20 the expenditures 0
the board Every Improvement in N
course Of study or in methods OF teach
ing which adapts the school work bet
ter 70 the individual and thereby make
school more attractive, inducing pupil
TO remain beyond the compulsory age
imposes added burdens on the boarc
Similarly district high scho'
erected to meet Il community need be
comes the starting point in beupfreI
circle, from the point Of view ot educa
tional advancement, but In q vicio'
circle from that Of cost alone, tor Il
high school is soon filled 10 OC0rtOWiI
with pupils who otherwise would ~
have entered high school a. oil becau
of lack OF local opportunity, and all
acts as a stimulus 20 the pupils OF I!
elementary schools OF wide area
continue In school with the local hi!
school as their goal, And soon q
local high school iS using nakeShI
annex because the need for addition
space has outgrown tho financial abili
Of the board TO provide adequate q
commodRtiOns.
"While the primary grades have !
creased about 10 per cent during {
last decade, the grammar grades ha
increased about six times as fnst. a
the high schools have practica
doubled in population, increasing nea
ten times as rapidly as the prima
grades during the same period. I
provision for special education at
present time is 900 per cent grea
than that for 1910.
obstruction Of the grammar gr
nupil costs much more than that for
pupil Of primary grades while the
capita cost OF high instruction Is nea
4 three times, and that Of the special cl
ppils more than twice that OF the n
of the elementary grades. In OF
words, the table shows that the gro'
Of the system has been most cXten.
where the costs are greatest. While
facts Il displays constitute a tribute
he efficiency of the public schools
bringing about so favorable a grow
they also furnish the explanation OF