Evening star., 1926-11-14
YOUR CHILD
in SCHOOL
BY DR.. Frank W. BaLLou
Superintendent of Schools, Washington,
d. G..
No. 9-Importance of Supervision.

NO. 9-ImpOrtance of Supervision.
Supervision means oversight. Every
efficient organization made up of a
number of workers must have some
one In general charge who exercises
oversight Of the workers in that or
ganization and who is responsible Tor
the securing of the desired results.
| The simplest form of public educa-
! ton in America was to be found in
the one-teacher school Of colonial
times. That teacher was employed
and paid by group Of citizens who
had children to educate. The parents
of the children hired the teacher, con-
t1nued him in service as long as they
wanted to and terminated his services
at will.
The business Of educating a ma
tons youth has grown in our coun.
try to tremendous proportions. Great
changes have taken place since the
time of the one-room colonial school,
| attended more or less irregularly b.
pupils for only few months Of the
year, until the present time. when
| thousands of large, well proportioned
and finely built schoolhouses are
crowded with nearly 10000, 900 school
children, who are receiving instruc-
ton and training considered neces-
sary to fit them to become useful and
efficient citizens a few years hence.
AS the ideal and the Importance of
public education has expanded the
problems of organization and super
vision OF schools have become more
complex. The need for supervision
is universally recognized. There are
county and rural supervisors looking
after the interests of the country
schools. At the head of the school
system in every city in America there
Is a superintendent, who, under a
board of education, exercises general
supervision and direction over the
educational program provided for the
public school children of that city.
Finally, the schools Of every State are
supervised in general by a State SUI
per1ntendent of public instruction.
These superintendents of schools are
orga niZed into the department of su.
perlntendence of the National Educa-
tion Association. This organization
meets annually for the consideration
of the educational problems that are
common to all sections of the country.
The continuing increase in attend
ance in the public schools has made
it difficult for school systems through.
| out the country to provide ADEQUATE
schoolhouse accommodations. In the
City of Washington, for example. we
schools more than 10000, an ex.
traordinary increase in attendance
during less than a decade. This in.
crease has resulted from the expansion
| of the National Capital during ard
following the World War. Other
cities have likewise experienced large
| increases in school enrolment and
have felt the need for better equip.
| ment, more teachers and larger, bet.
ter appointed buildings.
One OF the problems Of every super
lntendent Is the adequate housing of
public school children. Another
pressing administrative problem for
every superintendent is the securing
of properly trained teachers and off.
GERS. The number of normal schoo,
and college graduates each year is not
sufficient to fill the vacancies in the
teaching staff caused by promotions.
| retirements and designations Of those
who leave the service Of classroom
teaching.
Despite the difficulties which grow
OUT or an ever-lncreasing number of
pupils or OF securing adequate in
structlon for them, superintendent
of schools do not lose sight of the fact
that the schools deal with human ma.
terial and the human product Is al.
ways their most important concern.
! All administrative and supervisory
problems are concerned with and
subordinate to the needs Of the bows
and girls who today fill the class.
rooms of the country and who tomor.
| row must bear the responsibilities of
citizenship in a democratic govern.
ment.
1t is obvious that In our cities.
large or small, the superintendent
cannot be in intimate contact with
every classroom in every school build.
ing in all sections of his city, though
II is also obvious that the success of
the educational program Of the CITY
depends upon his knowing what goes
on in those classrooms. The super.
ntendent of schools must DISCHARGE
his supervisory responsibility largely
through other officers whose chief
functions are classroom and school
supervision.
tCopyright. 1e26.l