The Winslow mail., 1925-03-27
"What Is the Matter with Our
Common SchOOIS?o

local bearing. I am thinking of the
schools throughout the United
States. A few years ago | made q
study of the enrolment of all the
children in the common schools in
one of the central western states
which disclosed some very interest
ing facts. The complete common
school enrolment for the grades
and high schools in that state was
as follows: First grade, S8,632;
second grade, 68,936; third grade,
69,479; fourth grade, 65,512; fifth
grade, 59,272; sixth grade, 53,400;
seventh grade, 47,436; eighth grade,
43,014; first year high school, II,
706; second year high school, H.
928; third year high school, SAP
fourth year high school, 5,154. The
number graduating from the fourth
year of the high school that year
Small Enrolment Accounted For.
at will be noticed that the larg-
est changes are between the first
and second grades, and the eighth
grade and the first year of the high
school. The latter discrepancy may
be accounted for by the natural in
crease in population through immi-
grafton, and by the fact that for
one reason or another (mainly that
the first year work is too difficult
with short terms), there were two
and three classes in this grade COW
ering larger range of years in
age than in any Of the other grades.
And the death rate among the first
grade pupils was and is still very
high But even with this allowance,
a difference of 1886 seems too
large. The third year showed a
slight increase over the second, for
which there appears no explanation
unless it may be accounted for in
the combination classes in rural
schools, so general in that state at
that time. AS a result of such COM
bination, many children who re-
manned in the first grade two years
skipped the second grade entirely.
The fourth grade showed a decline
of 1857; the fifth a decline of
6,240; the sixth, 5,872; the seventh,
1854, and the eighth, 4,422. These
differences are too great to be ac-
counted for by a natural increase
in population land may have come
about by lax enforcement of the
compulsory education law. OF
course, slow pupils and those who
were kept back through illness
were found in the lower grades
when the compulsory age limit was
reached.
Decline in the High Schools.
''The most startling decline in en-
rollment was between the eighth
grade and the first year of high
school. However, this may be east
ly accounted for. First, it should
be remembered that the eighth
grade enrolment is increased by
the attendance of pupils who take
this work over sometimes more
than once simply because they have
no high school to attend and be-
cause they desire to review the
common branches. Second, with
the completion of the eighth grade,
a very large number had reached
the age limit of the compulsory ed
another dropped out of school.
Third, the high school course dur
ing those years was not sufficiently
flexible. The rule that required
all pupils to take Latin kept many
boys out of the high school. The
compulsory mathematics rule
caused many girls to give up school
altogether, because of this one dis
tasteful subject A prominent bust
ness man, formerly a strong teach
er, recently made the following
statement: My nephew quit the
high school at the end of the sec
ond year because he did not like
Latin and could not "get" it. He
made good grades in his other sub
jects. When he asked to be al
lowed to substitute some other
work for Latin, he was refused per-
mission to do so because of the rule
requiring this subject for gradua-
ton. Had he been granted this re-
quest, ne would have completed
the high school course The criti-
cism implied voiced the opinion of
many of our most successful bust
ness men and educators of that
time, and finally resulted in the
demand for course of study
which would allow such pupils to
complete their education. Fourth,
perhaps the greatest cause of this
decline has been in the rural COM
munity, which was due to the lack
at that time of good, convenient
high school facilities.
add to all these causes the ne
cessity for additional bread-win-
ners in the home, the fact that
many of the high schools, to say
the least, did not offer very prac-
tical work, and that many of the
schools were not very attractive
the wonder is that the discrepancy
was not even larger.
Poor Teaching One Cause.
"The difference of SITS between
the first and second ears in the
high schools may have been due
to the causes which have just been
enumerated and to failure to do the
work, encouragement and lack OF
interest, but poor teaching in the
first and second years of high
school was one of the sure causes