The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1922-01-06

II simply does not pay to get training;
poorly trained teacher and well trained
teacher may fare alike as far as salnry
goes. It Is urgently necessary to psss a
new certihcation law and teachers' salary
schedule. which will give the higher SAL
aries to the better trained teachers. The
experience Of Maryland. North Carolina.
and other states shows that with this IN
ducement teachers will quickly improve
their professional fitness.
BUILDINGS. GROUNDS. AND EouIPMENr
Though the state has in recent years
invested large sums in buildings, the
money has not always been wisely and
effectively spent. The State Superin-.
tendent, charged with the responsibility
Of preparing building plans. has had
nobody m his Office 10 do the work. In
one-half the schools built in the country
since 1908, "the roofs leak, the weather
boarding is off here and there. doors are
broken, knobs gone, window panes out.
walls stained, floors uneven and cracked,
seats broken and out of place. and pail
of dust over all. These neglected school
houses teach eloquently the doctrine Of
shiftlessness. disorder, and indifference.
Their silent lessons will he reproduced in
the home, on the farm. in the factory and
store" Consolidated schools are better.
but m most instances, though recently
built. fail to meet present-day standards;
newer city school buildings are praised as
well built, well heated and well ventilated.
Thee schoolhouse situation Is thus ex-
tremely bad: The entire rural school plant,
with the exception OF q few ANAL T;ifal
schools recently constructed and the new
consolidated schools, needs to be rebuilt.
In the Bluegrass sections, in the western
counties, and here and there in the noun
tain regions. one-room rural schoolhouses
should be displaced by consolidated
schools. Where II is necessary to min
tain one-room schools, as will always be
the case in the mountain counties and In
number OF the Knob counties, the present
shacks should be replaced as rapidly as
possible by modern structures, well lighted.
heated, and ventilated, containing moi
only the usual classroom, but also cloak
rooms. small room for cooking, a small
room for agricultural and manual training,
and lavatory and sanitary toilet facilities.
There should also be well, a coal shed,
and horse shed. The grounds should
be ample. for free play and for agricultural
demonstration beds.
But no amount OF money will give the
state well designed and well built schools
unless the State Department at Frankfort
contains a division Charged with the prep
aration Of plans and the supervision Of
construction.
LENGTH OF School TERM AND SCHOOL
RESULTS
Under the circumstances above de-
scribed, an unframed teacher could at best
accomplish little enough: but her posi-
bilities are still further reduced by the
brevity OF the school term and by the
irregular attendance Of country children.
As rule, the rural term is six months Of
20 days each. i.e,, 40 days, less z days
(holidays and institute work., making
generally a net term, OF Il3 days a year.
a full third less than the term OF city
schools. Attendance in the country is
so irregular that the effectiveness OF this
short term is still further reduced.
To find out the quality OF instruction
obtained under these conditions, standard
tests or examinations were given to the
children of the rural and graded school
districts of9 counties, and to the children
of Is cities Fifteen thousand seven
DulJho WCiN CA4AAillllCu III Tit
fifth, seventh and eighth grades, and
and the results tabulated. These tests
were given under the direction OF repre-
sentatives from the University Of Ken
lucky and other colleges Of the state, from
the normal schools and the State De
partment Of Education.
The results are among the worst that
have yet been disclosed in any state by
actual tests. Owing TO the short school
year and the irregular attendance, rural
children are in large numbers two. three,
or more years behind the classes TO which.
on the basis Of age they really belong; and
In all the subjects in which they were
tested. reading. arithmetic. spelling. and
achievements Of rural chill
dren OF Kentucky are lamentably in
ferior to the achievements OF city children
Of the state, while the city children are
themselves behind the corresponding city
children Of other states. Il
SCHOOL FINANCES
It is evident from the preceding account
that Kentucky ranks low In educational
efficiency. The report points out that
the state gets little because it pays little.
Its investment in school property is per
pupil enrolled on the average less than
one-half the average Investment in the
country at large, and its current expendi-
lures for teaching and maintenance of
plant on the average is just one-half the
average.
Before the schools OF Kentucky can be
greatly improved, larger sums must be
available for buildings and equipment.
teacher training, teachers salaries, adj
and supervision. To bring
Kentucky schools even up to the country
wide average. it will be necessary to
double the state school fund and double
county school expenditures.
Moreover, educational conditions in the
state are highly uneven because OF diff
ferences in taxable wealth and the number
Of children to be educated and because the
entire state school fund has to be dis
tributed on per pupil basis In con
sequence, school children III towns and
cities are greatly favored. Country chill
dren will continue to be at great dis
advantage until some part OF the state
school fund can be distributed ON some
other basis than per pupil basis.
CONCLUSION
The four concluding chapters OF the
report make constructive suggestions as
10 how the state can obtain better state
improved local administra-