The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-03-17
Considered Future Policy

Considered Future Policy
Members of the state board of adj
ministration Saturday night had
under consideration the states flu
ture policy regarding work to be done
by its institutions of higher learning.
Thorough canvass Of the relations
between the state teachers COLLEGES
and normal school was had Satur-
day afternoon at the closing session
of board members with institutional
heads. No decision on the various
questions raised during the two-day
session and in the report of Dr.. w. E.
Peik. Minnesota educator who re-
Gently made an educational survey.
was announced by the board.
Efforts of the teachers college
presidents to learn when decisions on
various points would be made, failed.
Leading questions to he determined
are:
!. Shall summe school sessions at
teachers colleges and normal schools
be curtailed to prevent high school
graduates from teaching in common
schools the fall after graduation in
the spring with only IL weeks of nor
NAL preparation?
2. Shall preparation of high school
teachers be limited to the state uni
versity and agricultural college or
shall the teachers colleges continue
to train teachers for both high and
grade schools?
3. Would the normal schools better
serve the state by giving four years
of training for work in elementary
grades and Junior high schools?
There was another question which
the board cannot decide. The con-
ference was unanimous in urging that
standards of training for teachers in
both high and grade schools be raised.
The law. however, fixes these re-
quirements and they cannot be
changed except by legislative action.
Circumventing Methods Discussed
Methods of circumvcnting the law
were discussed today and Bertha r.
Palmer, state superintendent of public
instruction. urged that it be done.
Teachers college heads objected, how
ever. contending that the right way
to obtain a change is through legis-
lative action.
Miss Palmer suggested that the
course of study given at summer
schools could be changed so students
could not do the work necessary to
obtain an elementary teachers certif-
icate. Board Chairman J. e. Davis
contended, however. that 1t would
only disturb the situation to adopt
a subterfuge and would impair the
chances OF, obtaining a change in the
teachers c~ertification law when the
legislature next meets. Although the
board took no action it appeared GER
tain that curtailment of the summer
school courses would be disapproved
until the legislature changes the e
quirementS for the certification Of
teachers.
The debate as to whether the uni
versity and agricultural college should
train high school teachers to the ex-
clusion Of the teachers colleges APP
parently ended when J. v. Breitweiser,
dean Of the education school at the
university, said this institution had
never suggested that such action be
taken.
The recommendation was made in
the Peik report and today the normal
school heads countercd with a sug-
gestion that the work Of training high
school teachers be left to the teachers
colleges as provided by law. Brett
wciser strongly opposed that sugges-
ton.
Teachers from Other States
Teachers college heads offered data
to show that a large number Of high
school teachers now working in the
state are the product Of schools not
specializing in the work and whose
requirements for teacher training are
not as strict as their own. This was
in answer to the charge by Miss Pal
mel that the state schools are pro-
ducing more h~igh-school teachers
than it can use. II persons who
graduated from outside schools were
replaced by the home-trained product
there would be no surplus and plenty
Of work for everybody.
g. L. Kjerstad. Dickinson Normal,
said only five Of more than 80 In
structors at Dickinson high school
were North Dakota trained and one
Of these was from jamestown college,
q private school.
Fighting Is Scored
George A. Mcfarland, Minot teach
ave ro11oUA Soid state 1nSf3f,tin,,c In