Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-08-28
TRAINING OF TEACHERS
RELATED BY MISS GREGG
Speech of Board of Edu-
cations superintendent
BrOadcastcd by WBAZ.

How Virginia trains her teachers
was broadcastcd from The Times
Dispatch radio station recently by
Miss Rachel l.. Gregg. superintendent
OF teacher training for the State Board
of Education. Miss Gregg's talk is
as follows:
virginia has four normal schools
for white teachers and one normal
school for colored teachers, whose
principal business Is to train teach
ers for the elementary schools -Four
hundred and hfty-one white teachers
ana nfty-four colored teachers grad
uated from these schools in June. Ac-
cordinS To signed contract, these
teachers must teach in Virginia pub
lie schools for two years. In addi :
ton TO these schools the state main
tains the University Of Virginia. the
College OF William and Mary. and
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
me state pays the tuition OF all Wiz
ginia teachers in these Institutions
From these institutions n large mum
her OF high school teachers. princI-
pals. supervisors and superintendent
are Secusd. The non State supnort-
ed colleges OF Virginia educate about
90 per cent of the high school teach
crs in the State The teachers of
vocational agriculture aud other voca
uonal subjects are trained at Vir-
Einia Polytechnic Institute. For
training teachers of home economies.
under the Smith Hughes act. the State
has designated the College OF William
and Mary and lIarrisonburg State
Normal School. AT these places the
young women have four years col
lege course leading to "A II. S degree
n Too,
financial assistance also to Hampton
Institute for tuition of tho colored
teachers OF Virginia
'In addition to the regular session
of nine months. all OF these schools.
with the exception OF Virginia Poly
technic Institute. maintain a twelve
weeks summer quarter. During this
summer there were S.76c teachers in
attendance ut these schools: 6,S72 Of
these were white and 1880 were col
ored teachers. With the assistance
of the General Education Board the
State operated five colored institutes
for six weeks in addition to the twelve
weeks session at Hampton Institute
and Virginia Normal and Industrial
Institute.
The state indirectly trains the
teachers Of Virginia through reouir-
inr them TO meet the standards set
up for certificates or licenses. These
requirements are increased from time
TO time as the general condition in the
state Will permit The academic and
professional requirements for some
certificates have been increased 30 3
per cent. of others. 100 per cent, over
the state requirements OF 1915. In
spite OF these facts there are more
teachers qualifying under tho new
regulations. AS evidence OF this IN,
records show 6.22I new certificates
issued in 1927 AS compared with 3.lSS
new ccrtifcats issud I'm 1918. During
the years of 1918 and 1919 there was
a shortage OF 3.n0o qualified teachers
for the public schools. In 1922, In
fnce Of the increased requirements
for ccrtitication and with approxi-
matcly 1000 additional places to he
hllcd. the present indications are
that each school room may he taught
by qualified teacher II proper dis
trihution OF teachers could he ef
fectcd.