The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-04-08

associating with them, not having
! formed stable principles for independ :
emit action, and always being especial
lily inclined to copy the actions that
was thought that the ninth grade
pupil would be better OF in every way
| IL he were to associate with pupils of
the grades just below his own, and
were to receive instruction at the
hands of teachers especially prepared
by experience and training to deal
with the difficult period of adele
scence. $ stated above this change
originated in 1910. From the very
first, this grouping has been found to
be much better than the earlier group
fundamentally superior to the
| old ga plan, and so far as the ninth
lgrade pupil is concerned, much bet
ter than the 6-2-4 plan.
Among the best known large scale
adoptions are those of Minneapolis
and Buffalo. In the latter city, twelve
junior high school buildings are being
erected simultaneously, the aim being
to locate such buildings SO that no
pupil in Buffalo will be more than a
mile distant from a junior high school.
This calls attention to the feeling on
the part of those who have had most
experience with pupils Of the adele
scent age, that poung pupils should
not be absent from home all day-that
buildings should be SO located that
they can establish home contacts
every day at noon. The Mankato
program takes account of this fact
providing buildings within easy
walking distance for all pupils
through ninth grade.
The scheme that Is most approved
calls for the housing of seventh. eighth
and ninth grades in building entire
ly separate from the grades above or
below. In the Mankato program. al
though they will be under the same
roof with elementary school pupils,
there will be complete separation of
the two units. 1t Is much more econom
ical, both in first cost and in opera :
ton, to erect large grade and Junior
high school building under one roof
than to erect two separate smaller
buildings, one for the elementary
school and one for the junior high
school, and with the provisions for
complete separation of the two parts of
the building, this combination is just
as satisfactory in every way as if there
were two distinct buildings. =
! The foregoing brief statement must
suffice, because of the limitations of
kspace, for the reasons underlying the
universal approval of the 6-3-3 plan
OF school organization. 1t is FORUM
ate that what Is most desirable edu-
cationally is also the most feasible
and most economical solution of the
local problems.
Possibly there are some who are
not In close contact with educational
progress who on first thought are of
the opinion that going back to the old
eight grade elementary school, with a
four-year high school, would involve
less exenditure for new buildings
than would the plan adopted by the
Board of Education. Even if il would
involve a smaller expenditure of
money, there can be no doubt that a
majority of the voters of Mankato
would favor the proposed plan. he
cause they have no desire to see Man
kato take backward step education
ally, thus advertising a reactionary
attitude toward the. development and
erations Of children. But the pIan
proposed by the Board is undoubtedly
the more economical plan in the long
run, as an analysis of enrolment fig.
ures will show
There are 936 pupils in the hign
school building, 40l Of them being in
the upper three grades and 535 in
the lower three. In the latter group
224 are in the ninth grade, 1856 in the
eighth grade and 1856 in the seventh,
suppose that these 81 seventh and
eighth grade pupils are removed from
| the high school building. What shall
we do with them? If we were To
send them back to the four districts
! from which they came, it would ne
necessary to erect Immediately a
new building on each grade school
site or an addition to each grade
school. 1t would mean an addition at
the Union School, and certainly a
new building in each of the other
three districts, because no one would
| consider 1t wise or economical policy
to build an addition to structures
erected as long ago as were the
Lincoln, Franklin and Roosevelt
schools. 1t would mean extension OF
| the school grounds in each district m
order to provide the required play
ground space. And there would be Sc
many pupils left in the high school
building that 1t would be necessary
| almost Immediately to replace this
structure. Under the proposed plan
| this comparatively new building will
be utilized for number of years
For these reasons, going back to this
| out Of date, ga organization would
| undoubtedly involve as great an ex-
penditure as the plan proposed by
the Board, probably greater ex-
penQ1Cure.
The Junior High schools that will
be established under the Boards
plan will be ideal in size, with a
large enough enrolment so that the
pupils will be impressed with the
size and importance of the organiza-
| ton while at the same time the en-
rollment will be small enough so
that the principal and techers can
come into personal contact with
every student. There will be a suf-
| ficient number OF pupils to make it
possible to offer a variety of work
economically. -
Even if the $50 plan had never
been tried in an American school
| system, survey of the local situa.
ton would certainly point to it as
the most feasible, logical, practical
solution OF our problems. The. fact
that it Is universally approved after
a long experimental period removes
every question mark from the ad :
visibility of its continuance in Man
kato.
The next article will describe the
combined junior high and grade
building which the board of educa
ton proposes to erect in the Lincoln
district.
Street Trades Bill Defeated.
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch
ST. Paul, March 31.-The street
trades bill today was defeated, 60 to