Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1923-08-03
Office of Division Suprrinten-
dent of Schools for shen-
d0ah County.

DOAH COUNTY:
Gentleman:-In recent years in con.
nection with my annual report | have
been submitting a written report,
which is intended to explain to some
extent, the financial and census fig
ures of the general report. While the
law does not require that such writ
ten report be submitted, l find it bet
| ter to follow this method, and desire
therefore to submit to you the follow
ing Interpretation of facts as they APP
pear in the annual report of the di-
vision superintendent.
The school population of Shenandoah
County, as shown by 1920 census is,
as you know, 5764. The enrolment
for all schools in the county for the
past session was 5049, while the en-
rollment for the session of 1921 and
1922 was 5039.
The average daily attendance for
all schools for the session which just
closed was 1905 as compared with 1880
for tn. preceding session. This is a
gain in attendance of 2 per cent over
the preceding year. When a school
system has once been provided with
reasonably comfortable and sanitary
buildings, the first test then, of the
efficiency OF such school system is
the character of the instruction given
| and the measure of the results obtain.
ed from that instruction and the second
test OF the efficiency is the number oil
children actually in attendance in the
schools. While the enrolment for the
past session increased only 2.1O pei
cent, the attendance increased 2 pei
cent. When we consider the fact that
there were several mild epidemics
throughout the various sections of the
county, this is probably the best show
| ing that the schools of the county have
made in recent years.
The percentage of attendance for
the white schools, which is based on
the days present divided. by the days on
roll was little over IS per cent. This is
a slight increase over the preceding
year and a considerable increase over
the session 1920-21.
The average length in days for the
high school departments in the county
was $50 days. The average length of
days for all white schools was 161 as
compared with 1856 for the proceeding
year, or gain of per cent,
The high schools of the county for
the past session enrolled $50 students
distributed as follows: 1st year-210:
End year-154; 3rd year-101; 4th year
IA. During the session of 192O-21
there were 407 students in the high
schools and during the session of 1921
p there were 4SS students enrolled in
the high schools. This is therefore a
gain of 80 per cent over the session of
l920-21 and gain of 101 per cent over
the session 1922. There are reasons
to believe from reliable information
that has. reached this office from various
sources that the enrolment in the
high schools for the session 1922
will reach 600.
The elimination in this county as
elsewhere, presents serious problem.
1t is one thing to get the children en-
rolled; it is vastly different thing to
hold the children in school continuous
ly. There were 1918 children in grades
l to in elusive Of this number Ais
dropped out before the close of the
session. There were i543 children en-
rolled in grades 5 to inclusive; of this
number 81 dropped out before the
close of the session. Of the 539 chill
dren enrolled in high schools SO drop
ped out before the close of the session.
Of the 5049 children enrolled in all de-
partments, 565 or II per cent dropped
out before the close of the session,
Therefore aside from the irreparable
loss inthe education of these 565, the
people of Shenandoah County, suffered
an economic loss of II per cent on the
amount invested in their schools for
the past session. For the fact must
not be overlooked that it cost Just as
much to run the schools to the close of
| the session as it would have cost if
these 565 children had continued in
school to the end of the session.
Furthermore, as there are 5764 school
Ichildren in the county and only 5049 of
them were enrolled, it follows that 719
children in Shenandoah County were
not even enrolled for the past session.
If this number is edded to the number
dropped out, we have 1884 children in
Shenandoah County who received
benefit only in part or no benefit at all
from the past session. These tremend-
Gus losses in educational economic
values can be decreased and prevented
only when the parents, who are the
tax payers, see TO it that their children
enter school at the beginning of the
session and continue regularly until
the close of the session.
While the figures in the preceding
paragraphs show loss of IL per cent
on investments of the schools in this
county because of non attendance OF
lpoor attendance, it is very encouraging
to know that it is slight decrease over
| the figures of last year which were IS s
Iper cent In this connection you viii
remember that your board made 6
livery serious effort to enforce the Com
lpulsory Attendance Law during the
lpast session as far as it could be en-
forced under the conditions which
prevailed at that time. You will re.
member that six convictions were
Esecured under this act and con.
siderable number of children were
brought into schools who otherwise
would not have been enrolled But
| the way is now open for very much
better enforcement of this law during
1.-THE coming year than during the past
4 Z n