The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-06-29

Editor The Star:
The United States Bureau Of Edu.
cation offers a number Of fhc,s
which n would BE- well for tho Seat
tie board of education. the real 80.
tate association and other local
enemies OF public school education
% ponder.
II shows that Of the Toe. 900 teach.
err IN the public schools OF the
oountfy. 400. goo. or 20 per cent.
have no professional training. Two
hundred thousand never were grad.
mated from high school. and 10000
have not gone beyond the eighth
grade But these figures DO not
tell tho Who'll. ssory. Says II. II
Bonner. OF the Federal Bureau Of
Education. IN an article tn tho Eda'
catlonai Review for June. is3s.
Teachers In accrcdiated high
schools ar. not 80 well qualified IN
three years ago
Mr.. Bonner makes the claim. and
he 1. well supported BY the facts.
that low wages are driving the best
talent and the beat experiences from
the school rooms. From data com
piled BY tho bureau 70 which he IL
attached. ~ 4. shown that for every
100 college graduates employed In
accredited high schools three years
ago. there are now ~. for cvery 100
normal graduates employed In &C
credited high schools In 1919. there
are now ie2. and for every 100 non.
graduates teaching In accrcdiatsd
high school three years axc. there
are now ia. Tia fun sixnificAncs Of
thess farss 10 obvious when we re
feet that the universal requirement
| for teaching IN . standard high
school. Ia graduation from a coiiegs
or university. not q normal school.
In only 10 states during the past
thrse years has the number Of col.
lego graduates teaching In the hlEh
schools increased. Twelve states
lost moro than ~ per cent OF their
college graduates. while Arizona.
Delaware and New Mexico de.
creased their normal graduates BY
more than 20 per cent In 1921
To.s per cent Of The teachers In 40.
credited high schools we're college
or university graduates. 1873 per
cent were normal graduates. and II
per cent were non graduates. In
Of the teachers In accredited high
schools were college graduates. and
In only ~ states did the percentage
exceed 50. In Wisconsin 40 per
cent Of the teachers In accredited
high schools are normal graduates.
while 5o.s per cent OF the teachers
In Indiana are non graduates. In
IL states over 20 per cent OF the
teachers are graduates Of normal
schools, and In five states the per.
oentage Of non graduates exceeds Is.
But these are by no means the
most damaging facts against the
present campaign that 10 being
waged for the progressive detoriora.
ton Of our public school system.
They are 20 be found In the vast
hord,s Of now. poorly trained. un'
trained. and inexperienced teachers
that low wages inevitably bring into
the profession. At the beginning Of
the school year f9si-is22, 45 per
cent OF tho teachers In accredited
high schools either had no expert
snce, or had taught less than five
years. In tho states OF Delaware.
New Jersey, Rhode Island and tho
District OF Columbia there we're
over so per cent more beginning
teachers IN the accredited high
schools than three years ago. In
only eight states. Massachusetts.
Rhode Island. California. Connect.
cut. Pennsylvania. New York. New
Jersey. and tho District OF Columbia,
does the percentage Of teachers OF
over five years experience exceed
go. In about 10 per cent OF the
states the percentage of experienced
teachers ranges between 40 and 80.
Bulletin Number so, 1921. OF the
Federal Bureau Of Education says
that the average teacher In the