Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1925-11-12
Rural High School
Problems are of
National Concern

Approximately 80 per cent of all
high schools in the United States are
located either in the open country or
in villages of less, than $500 total
population. We have adopted a pro-
gram in secondary education that
looks toward the proper education
of all children of secondary school
age, approximately IL to IS years,
inclusive. This means serving a
group of children much more diveres
in life purposes and learning abilities
than the population group that hS
been served in high schools in the
past. Accordingly, as we work to-
ward our ideal we are broadening
our programs of studies and adopt
ing practices in high school organi-
cation and administration, intent on
meeting the educational needs of the
more complex pupil group now en-
rolled in high schools.
In our cities and in rural districts
where we have been able to assem-
BILE in single school large number
of pupils, we have made decided
progress in building high schools
which were adequately the varied as
sets of pupils now enrolled. We are
able to offer in such schools many
specialized curriculums contributing to
specific life purposes of pupils and
to form special recitation sections
for groups of pupils of comparable
learning abilities.
In rural territory, however, where
large numbers of pupils are not as
sembled in single school, such mea-
sures lead to excessively small reci-
tation groups and cause unreasona-
bly, high costs per pupil for unit of
educational accomplishment. Never
theless, many small high schools have
adopted such procedure. Small
schools have done this in part be-
cause of demands of pupils and of
parents for specialized high school
training. In part, however, they have
been prompted by the accepted phi
losophy that the school should serve
the individual pupil according to life
needs imposed because Of the nature
of our present social roder and of
the individual pupil.
The growing costs of secondary
education because of this tendency
have become a national concern, so
that there now stands out problem
Of vital national significance, namely,
How can small high schools meet the
varied demands now made upon them
at cost that is reasonable, as large
high schools are doing? We realize
that no approximation of equality of
educational opportunity for children
served by small high schools is posi-
BILE until the problem is solved.
There are three outstanding prac-
tees through which we hope for a
solution of the problem. They are !:
"a Further Capitalization and con-
solidation of high schools; ~ sub
stitution of general courses for spe-
cial courses, and (3) abandonment of
traditional practices in high school
organization in favor of organization
for individualized instruction.
Capitalization and consolidation
aim at assembling sufficiently large
numbers of pupils in single school
for the conditions obtaining in city
and large schools to be duplicated.
Substituting general for specialize
ed courses involves the development
of such couses as general science,
general social science, and general
mathematics.
Organization for individualized
instruction means the abandonment
in large measure of fixed recitation
periods and group recitations, which
in small schools are primarily respon-
sible for a few pupils, using all of a
teachers time.
Parents and community organiza-
lions should realize this situation
that faces the small high school prin-
cipal and should encourage any or
all of these three measures that pro-
mise to help toward solution of the
problem. School men are conservative
enough. They are not prone to at
tempt unsafe, radical changes. Either
children served by small schools will
get inferior educational opportunities
or the community will pay an unreal
sonable price for education until the
problem is solved through one or a
combination or adaptation of these
measures. Opposition by the COM
munity to change in present prac-
tice simply delays a successful solu~