The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-07-21
Compare Schools;
M any Surprises
Continued from page one

M any Surprises
Continued from page one
schools was supplemented with re-
port of some things learned on his
trip east. The board paid his ex-
penses of this trip, amounting to
$4,000 and while there he was max
ing selections of principal and teach
ers to fill vacancies here.
Mr.. Blooms report showed that Of
the seven rural routes for delivery
of pupils to Blackfot, one route, No.
4, has outgrown the capacity Of one
wagon and new arrangements will
have to be made for it. There are
suxty-four pupils living on it, and
it will require two wagons or one
motor truck to handle them. A
truck will cost about the same as two
wagons and will be cheaper to op-
crate, besides being available for do
ing the transfer work of freight be-
tween the school buildings and carry
in the athletic classes on long trips
where they have usually had to hire
transportation. The board Is con-
sidering the purchase of truck and
Prof. Bloom advised them that of
the many cases he had investigated
where various kinds of trucks had
been used for such purpose, the Ford
had been giving most satisfactory
service and had actually displaced
other makes in many places after a
thoro trial.
The superintendents annual re-
port shows that it cost as low at 8
cents day and as high as % cents
a day to transport pupils from the
rural routes last year, the average
being " cents per day for hauling
them in and back.
Recommendation was made that
one extra radiator be placed in each
of the rooms on the windward side
of the Irving school to heat it better.
The greatest need in the housing
question is another ten-roOm build
ing, but there is no hope of getting
it under present conditions.
The budget ESTIMATED needs) for
the year 1920-21 was $122,420, and
the actual receipts were $176,740.
The amount actually expended in
Guiding borrowed money and war
rants issued in excess of funds on
hand was not shown because several
large items had not yet been totaled.
The cost per pupil for the school
year was $66.64 in the grades,
1852 in high school, or an aver
age of $7S.42. Professor Bloom said
this was about SO higher than the
general average Of the United States.
The salaries paid teachers last year
ranged from $1,000 to $4,000.
In nationwide study of the sub
ject of retarding pupils, having them
60 over the work of a given grade the
second time, it has been found that
it is not profitable and that millions
of dollars have been wasted In the
effort to make pupils thoro when
they did not master the work the
first time thru. II pupil does not
learn given scope OF work the first
time thru, 1t us a grave question
whether he will get 1t much If any
better by being held back to 60 over
it again. Mr.. Blooms annual re-
port showed that Blackfot has more
than 10 per cent of failures for the
past year to be treated by the retard-
ing practice unless national exper-
fence shall be regarded as reason
for taking the other plan. Some
pupils do the work and stay at home
half of the time, while others with
ample opportunity fail and If re-
tarded are likely to fail again. Re-
tarding is much greater in high
school than in the grades, notwith-
standing the fact that those who en-
ter high school are in measure the
best brains of all the grades. This
failure in high school work is partly
due to the fact that it comes at an
age when students are developing |
into a new phase Of life and they do
not always concentrate on their
studies and do what they are nor
mally capable of.
Algebra is the study that has the |
highest percentage of failures. For
the past three years the number OF |
failures in algebra has ranged from !
29 to 35 per cent of those who took |
up the study. Failures in arithmetic |
have gone as high as Al per cent OF
those entered and as low as zero
when a teacher passed everybody |
in the class regardless Of lack of
understanding Of the subject. Fail
ures in English have gone as high |
as 81 per cent. Failures in civics
(civil government) have gone as
high of SO per cent and as low as
IL per cent. Failures in bookkeep-
ing have gone as high as 81 per cent
and as low as %. Sewing has ranged