Evening star., 1924-09-28
PROGRESS In EDUCATION
DURING lO-YEAR PERIOD
Commissioner Tigert Finds Much En-
couragement in Betterment in
Public School System.

| tion now that literacy means more
| than mere ability to read and write.
| Lteracy in the United States means
| rather such minimum of elementary
education as will enable one TO read
! and interpret intelligently news
| papers. magazines and cotemporary
| literature; to familiarize oneself
| with problems of moment which con-
Germ us as citizens, and to avail ones
| self Of the results of general and
| scientific progress which present-day
| civilization places at the disposal of
| intelligent citizens. The war has also
| hastened our appreciation of the re-
lation between education and National
| wealth and efficiency. To this latter
| cause may be ascribed in large part
| the unprecedented increases in enroll
| ment in secondary schools and higher
| institutions of learning.
| Increase in Enrolment.
| During the decade just ended our
total population has increased 15.o
per cent. The number of children
| from to IS years of age, that is. ac-
tual school age, has increased Is per
| cent The number of pupils enrolled,
outstripping the above, shows an in
| crease of 246 per cent; the average
| daily attendance an increase of $50
per cent; the total number of days
| attended an increase of 3S.4 per cent;
while the number of pupils enrolled
| in public high schools shows the un-
| precedented increase of 1853 per cent
This percentage represents a fat in
! crease in expenditure on public high
schools of approximately s1,700,ooO in
1924 as compared with that of 1914
Other significant increases concerned
with the matter of school attendance
| are: Average number OF days school
/ cd fro
| l65; average number of days attended
! by each pupil enrolled. from llS to
1s1; average annual salary of teach
ers, from 1925 to sl,166; representing
an increase of l22 per cent.
War conditions may be credited also
with turning the National spotlight
upon the economic Importance of
| agricultural production. Our new
| conception of the farmers social and
economic status has, however. been
| translated into terms of improved
| educational facilities for farm chill
| dren only in small part. The school
situation in rural communities mas
not improved to~sthe same extent as
| in cities. yet new impetus has been
given to improved methods of sup
port and administration, particularly
| toward the end of supplying larger
percentage of support from large
units of administration as the State
| and county; to professional superVl-
| sion; increased facilities for prepar-
| ing teachers for rural schools in nor
| NAL schools; to better methods OF pro-
noting and extending school centraH-
zation: more equitable systems of
support: improved standards for
teachers; increased number and ef-
ficiency of high schools; promotion
of vocational training in agriculture.
and better adoption of the school
| curriculum to the needs of the farm
population.
Progress in Legislation.
| Promotion of better school facilities
(, in farm communities is dependent IN
| large part on wholesome, intelligent
| legislation affecting education. Prog
| ress in this field has closely paral-
| leled material growth in schools. II
has been during the last ten years
| that the most effective legislation has
| been passed concerning vocational
training, junior high schools. physical
| educat ton, teachers salary and quail
| fication standards and retirement sys-
| TENS. There has been a tendency to
| concentrate in State departments OF
| education increased responsibility for
| the efficient administration of the
| schools of the State and to make
more effective the administrative ma
chinery of smaller units, especially
| the county, through revised laws; to
| improve the arrangement and form
| of the school law; to increase the
| length of the school term: to improve
| the laws for compulsory school at
| tendance, both as to lengthenlng the
| period covered and the manner OF en-
| forcement, and to improve leglSia-
ton relating to school consolidation
Practice in physical education has
| undergone a marked development in
| the past ten years. Prior to TINS
| decade the development of physical
training had proceeded in large cities,
but had not become matter OF
| state wide interest and organization
Only four States had laws concerning
the promotion of physical education
in the public schools. By 1924 the
number had reached 33. In IL of
these a special State director of
physical education has been installed
| and in most of them provision is
| made for the special training of
| teachers in this subject. The very
important work of medical inspec-
ton. which is the basis of school
| health work, had good start prior
| to 1914 in some of the larger cities
| Since then steady advancement has
| been made in cities and in rural re-
| gions.
Adapted to Life Needs.
| We have new conception of the
purpose of education in fitting chill
| dren for all the various needs of
modern life These ned ideals have
forced upon us a greatly enriched
curriculum, the addition of vocational
| subjects, of music, the fine and in
duStral arts and increased attention
to the social studies. This enrich
ment allows freer selection from a
| larger group of curriculums and
| subjects. and demands teachers with
| specialized preparation, revised sub
| ject programs and daily schedules,
| 'uch as will make possible more
| efficient training for the everyday
needs Of life in new and different
world. Especially marked has been
! the impetus given to vocational
education including vocational agri-
culture. the trades, home economics
part time schools. The Federal
Board for Vocational Education,
established in 1917 with large sub
sides provided for this work from
the Federal Treasury, has aided
materially in this promotion.
1t is not possible to conceiEs Of
changes on so fundamental scare
as those indicated above without
accompanying changes in school or
| ganization and methods of instruc-
tion. Most significant of the types
of reorganization which have grown
conspicuously during the decade is
that OF the junior high school It's
| inclusion in the school organization
contemplates a change from the old
S-4 plan to a 6-3-3 basis of organiza
| tion. The 12 years of elementary
and secondary work are now divided
into six years of the elementary
/ school with a growing tendency to
| hos ;pt~