Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-01-28
Rural Schools Lag in Work.


: fewer than II pnpils. and l05 district
with an attendance of fewer than 81,
pupils. Each one of these district.
has the organization of real schoo
district and theoretically each gives
the instruction given in the eight
grades in the city schools. Bot one
does not have to be school man Ia
know thekindof schooling those child
rem get.
The scho0lhouse is the one-room afss
fair at the cross roads, often insani.
tary. The equipment and facilities are
the least possible. The taxes of such
a district cannot pay a trained teacher
and so some immature, unframed girl
is The executive and the teacher for
all the grades. So long as these school
exist. Wisconsin is not living up to
the fundamental of the principle of
the American public school equal
educational opportunity for every
child.
These schools are not in the newly
settled parts of the state, where pio-
neer conditions might be justified. In
one of the southern tier of counties
ten schools have a total enrolment of
120 pupils.
This is one of the richest counties
IN the state. The farmers pillow and
reap with tractors, haul the milk from
their blooded COWS to market in auto
mobiles, pay their bills with checks,
light their houses and barns with
electricity and chat with their neigh
bors by telephone, but their children
go TO the same kind of schools their
fathers went to half a century ago.
a district almost within sight of the
capitol has an enrolment of five
pupils and an average attendance of
three.
John Callahan, state superintendent
OF public instruction, is right when
he says that the rural school is the
weakest part of the states school
system. He is fulfilling the promise
he made before his election to con
centrate the work of his department
on the improvement of the rural
school. Mr.. Callahan believes that
the consolidated rural school is the
solution of the problem.
Rural school consolidation means
the union of several adjoining districts
into one district large enough and
strong enough to maintain modern
school. Instead of a one-rOom shack.
there still will be modern school
building with all the eonveniences and
facilities of city school The greater
resources will permit the employment
OF competent teachers. The schools
will be graded, and wherever possible
they vii linclude high schools-twelye-
year schools so that the farmers Sons
and daughters may prepare for college
without leaving home. Improved roads
and the automobiles have eliminated
distance so that the ride 10 the CON
solidated school is less OF hardship
than the tramp TO the old One-ro0m
school.
Wisconsin now has many cOnsOli-
dated schools in successful operation,
but they have been organized in a
haphazard way which does not meet
the situation. &. Z. Cary, in his final
report as state superintendent, SAYS:
I'm some parts Of Wisconsin con
solidation has been going on in a lin
tied way the last few years but in an
Implanted fashion which, if allowed
TO continue, will in few years result
in considerable harm to certain local
areas in every county"
What Supt. Callahan ia doing now
is to work out plan. Though the
present laws are inadequate, Mr..
Callahan purposes to do the most
possible under the laws. Cases in
court now are expected to interpret
vague points of the laws. He is max
ing a survey of the state in the mean
time, so that when he knows what the
laws and the facts are he will be able
to frame a plan for rural school con
solidation