The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-04-04
CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS AND
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS, EDU-
CATIONAL PROGRAM
Good Roads Answer to One Room
Country School Problem

Country SchOOl 'frODiem
With the enormous amount Of il
literacy in the United States, educa-
tion is generally conceded to be one
of the greatest of our economic prob
lens. To show the extent of that
problem as it appears in the light OF
educational methods and, facilities OF
a bygone age, still largely in use In
this country, Frank P. Graves, New
York Commissioner of Education.
sets forth some startling statistics.
According to these, as yet about
one-fourth Of the total rural school
enrolment and As per cent of the
rural teaching corps are housed in
one-room schools Of the crudest
sort. There are upwards of 100000
Of these one-room buildings in the
United States, and a. fairly large
percentage of them were constructed
at least 40 years ago, despite the
fact that school architecture and
equipment have been advancing by
leaps and bounds during that time.
Four-fifths of them have no provis-
ion for heating and ventilation, ex-
cept the old unjacketed stove and
the rickety windows, and nine-tepths
of the buildings are not properly
lighted. In at least 80 per cent the
seating is poor and unadjustable,
and often where the seats could be
arranged to suit the pupil, this has
never been given any consideration.
Where in the cities some four-fifths
of the teachers have had at least
the minimum amount Of standard
training is, two years beyond
the high school-in the country less
than one-twentieth have SO qualified.
and the turnover in rural teachers
each year is just about SO per cent.
One of the most effective answers
to such conditions has been found in
the consolidated school, in which
many children can be accommodated,
brought from miles around and re-
turned to their homes by the motor
bus.
But this solution. to the problem of
how to get good rural education is
possible only where there are good
roads. In the days to come, when
national highways gridiron this
country, as they undoubtedly will,
there will be no problem of rural
education.
According to the National Auto
mobile Chamber Of Commerce, the
consolidated school movement began
in Massachusetts in the early seven
ties. For many years horse-drawn
vehicles were then used in carrying
children to and from school within
a radius of seven miles. Parents
gradually began to see the many adj
vantages of the larger schools over
the old "little red schoolhouse."
With the motor bus children are
now transported for Is to Is miles
in an hour. School districts have in
creased in size, extending to 50.75
or 100 square miles in area. With
this development has come large
modern. school buildings, improved
equipment and specially trained in
strucJors equal to that of the best
city schools. Motorized school busses
make possible these large, modern
rural school plants They tend to
reduce the costs and to give children
better opportunities for education.
The consolidation movement has
brown to such proportions that many
normal schools and colleges are CIV
ing special courses preparing super
intendents to manage fleets of motor
busses transporting children to and
from consolidated schools.
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