The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-24
BETTER SCHOOLS
Kansas Has Total of 725 That
Meet All Requirements.
About Ten Per Cent of All One
Teacher Schools.
SIXTEEN IN SUPERIOR CLASS
Reno County Leads State With
FIfty-FOur Standards.
Superintendent Public Instruc-
ton Issues Detailed Report.

The total number Of Kansas rural
schools that have met all require
ments for standard" schools as desig
mated by state law is now 725, accord
ing to figures just compiled in the
office of Miss Lorraine e. Wooster,
state superintendent of public instruc-
ton. This is approximately 10 per
cent o6-aH one-teacher schools in the
state.
Still higher requirements are ex-
acted for schools designated as super
Tor" Sixteen schools are now under
this classification. Four of these are
in Brown county, two in Rice, and
one each in Allen, Douglas, Ford, Jack
son, Marshall, Montgomery, Pawnee,
Republic, Saline and Wilson.
Standard Grade Schools
Graded schools also may be desig-
mated as standard. The number now
meeting the requirements is by thirty
eight, since this classification was ere
ated only recently
Reno county leads the state with 81
standard" rural schools. other
counties with twenty or more stand
ard schools are: Brown, SO; McPher-
son, SO; Rice, IS; Douglas, %; STAFF
ford, %, and Franklin, 20. The record
of counties with less than twenty
standard schools includes: Allen, IA;
Atchison, 10; Barton, 2; Bourbon, 4;
Z; Crawford, 2; Dickinson, II; Frod,
10; Geary, 8; Harvey, 10; Labette, /;
Leavenworth, 1; Lyon, 8; Montgomery
10; Neosho, /; Riley, 8; Saline, Z;
Sedgwick, 10; Shawnee, 9; Sumner
10; Wilson 8, and Wyandotte, 2.
1.-THE plan of standardization of rural
and graded schools has been invaluable
in raising the standard of the Kansas
elementary schools" said Miss May
Cain, state supervisor of rural schools
Miss Cain inaugurated the school
Standardization program in Kansas
while she was superintendent OF the
johnson county schools.
Must Have Standard Teacher.
"a school to be strong or to be
standard must have first standard
teacher" Miss Cain continued. The
present requiremtnts prohibit IN
standard school any certificate lower
than a. second grade. During the war
period when teachers were unusually
scarce, it was somewhat difficult TO
maintain even this standard. How
ever, it will doubtless be the policy
in the near future to require not oh!y
better certification, but also certain
amount of experience for the teacher
of a standard school. This, of course
will necessitate better salaries.
'TTnder the plan of standard1zaaon'
the type of buildings has improved.
Instead OF the unattractive. 1ne1lclehI
box model, the new buildings hav7
modern plans employing, in most
cases, finished Easements, modern
light. heat and ventilation systems,
and often indoor chemical systems:
an spite of the unusually hlgh
cost of materials and equipment, the
DELAY in TRANSPORTATION and the scar
city and high cost of labor in the last
few years, there are but sixteen
counties that, as yet, have not stand
ard schools. In some of these count!es,
large consolidation projects are being
developed which will decrease the
number of small one-room rural
schools and substitute for them the
more efficient grade schools
Requirements for Standard School.
The requirements for standard
school include:
School grounds of at least one acre,
kept in good condition; trees ana
shrubs where climatic conditions per-
nit; convenient and well-kept build
ings: well where possible.
school house must be well built, I'm
good repair and painted; well lighted
. from at least two sides, left and rear;
each room well ventilated and heated
by a room heater with ventilator well
placed. or basement furnace.
Desks must be furnished suitable for
children of all ages; satisfa Glory book
case with sood collection of Juvenile
books: set of good maps, globe, die
flag.
The teacher must hold a state GER
tificate, a first grade county certifi-
cate, a normal training certificate. or
must hold at least a second grade
certificate and be a graduate of a
four year high school. The teacher
must receive at least the average sal
arv of the county and at least $50 a
month. The teacher must be ranked
by the county superintendent as a
good or superior teacher and must at
tend institutes and associations and
otherwise show a proper professional
spirit.
In addition to meeting all the re-
uuirements for a "standard" school
exceptionally well, the superior
school must have a schoolhouse of
wholly approved architectural type,
modern in all respects. The equip
ment must be very complete and in
cIude a good musical instrument and
library of at least 100 volumes of un-
Questionable quality. The require
ments in regard to sanitation and hy-
giene also are more strict.