The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-01-06

that students will not go away any
great distance to school-few over
fifty miles"
There is a national demand for bet
ter teachers for rural schools. Illit-
eracy and educational deficiency re-
vealed by army tests were due first
and last to the weakness Of the rural
school. Becauce Of this revealed con-
dition federal hin s now pending
providing federal assistance for rural
schools. February 2S TO March 3,
eight thousand men and women Of the
department Of superintendents Of the
National Educational Association will
meet in conference to give special con-
sideration to this crisis in rural edu-
cation. In letter sent September /,
1920, TO every county and district
superintendent Of schools in the Unit
ed States the National Educational
Association recommended drive tow
ard securing a well-trained teacher for
every boy and girl in America. WY
not take the initiative step? Make
Vermont first in the drive for better
rural schools
Training Class Certificates a
Grievance
In our new teacher-training pro-
gram why not have the different
teacher-training institutions function
together? Our training courses IN
high schools were supposed in theory
to function with our normal school
courses. But they never did because
the graduate Of the high school train
ing course was gwen the same cer-
tifcate a normalp graduate received.
In fact, the high school girl was given
the advantage in certifcation because
she could take teachers training in
her senior year, teach one year, attend
summer school three weeks and re-
ceive a qualification certificate identi-
cally Of the same grade given the
normal school girl who attended high
school four years, normal school two
years and taught one year.
The United States commissioner Of
education in his report Of 1918 said:
"A recent law in Vermont by allow
ing recognition to training classes in
high schools equal to normal schools,
apparently tends to lower the stand
ard of teaching in that state"
The otate board at that time defead-
ed its policy by stating that our nor
NAL schools at Castleon and johnson
were not real normal schools. These
schools were referred TO many times
in the reports Of the Carnegie and
Vermont commissions as the $50
called normal schools"
Normal Schools Recognized
Our United States commissioner ev-
identity classified them as real normal
schools when he made his report Of
1913. The fact that Vermont normal
sehAbl diplomas were accepted in other
states proves that they were real
normal schools. Massachusetts, gives
gr. duateS Of Vermont normal schools
a state bonus just as she gives gradu-
ates 81 her own state normal schools /
and Boston University accepts gradu- 1
ates Of Vermont state normal schools
as juniors IN the School Of Education. /
allowing them 70 graduate in two
YER with 3 degree u Bachelor n
Education.
Is il too much to ask that our own /
colleges allow the same privileges - /
our normal graduates and thus have
our FORMAL schools function with our
colleges
New York state is already looking /
toward this advanced step in the edn-
eaticnal field. George " Wiley,
assistant commissioner Of elementary
education. writes