The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-07-06
STATE SYSTEMS Of
EDUCATION BEST
Gives Country Child School
Facilities Equal to Urban
Students
MOVEMENT HELPFUL
Feared Country Children Do Not Get
Equal Education, New York State
College of Agriculture Man Says -
County Unit Advocated.


BOSTON, July 6.-The most impor-
tant rural need today is that systems
of state support of education and edu-
e~ational organization be put ON such a
basis that the country child may have
school facilities that compare favorably
with those available to the child living
under urban conditions, George A.
Works, of the New York state college
of agriculture, Cornell university, said
yesterday in an address before the Ma
tional Education association here.
The best approach to a consideration
Of the needs of rural life is through a
popular mIsconceptlon concerning the
decline IN proportion of our population
that is living under rural conditions, =
Mr.. Work said. The noting OF this
TACT has given rise TO two slogans that
have been generally used during the
past generation, VIZ, 'back-to-the-farm'
and 'stay-on-the-farm'. In spite OF the
tact that both OF these are unsound from
the social and economic viewpoints the
latter has been generally accepted III
educational literature dealing with the
problems of rural education. 1t has
manifested itself in the doctrine that
rural schools should be dedicated to
keen1ng children in the country.
The economic forces that underlie
this movement are so powerful that it
is unlikely that the schools could have
stopped it., had it been attempted
through them. lit would have been un-
fortunate for both country and city if
the movement had been stopped. There
are two different but very important
questions to be considered in connection
with the drift Of population from
country to city. Is the country re-
tanning a fair proportion of the more
capable who are born and reared there ?
DO those who remain have facilities
that make it possible for them to OBJ
tain an amount of education that COM
pares favorably with those who live in
cities?
Data is lacking sar final answer to
these questions but sGcll as is avaiiabla
indicates that they must be answered in
che negative"
Advantages of County Unit
BY the county unit plan the rural
schools would be able to compete with
The best city schools, Agnes ~Samuelson,
superintendent of Page County schools.
Clarinda. Ohio, said in an address last
night before the National Education as
ISOLATION,
THE county unit plan means the
abolishing of the small district system
and the Inauguration OF business elf
cheney standards in all that pertains to
the rural school, the STRENGTHENING of
supervision. the u%nifving of administra-
ton, the facilitating of consolidation,
and the elevation Of the county super
intendcncv to a position of high pro-
fessional standing" said Miss Samuel
son.
"Of pivotal Importance in this pro-
gram of reconstruction Is the county
superintendent of schools, who should
hocorna the executive official a%npoinf1 -
by the county board of education for
qualifications. not for n%olitieal reasons.
His salary. tenure. and the recognition
due him should he commensurate with
the duties, possibilities and responsible
ties OF the Office"