Evening star., 1932-03-27
INCREASING SCHOOL TAXES
OFFER DIFFICULT PROBLEM
Solution Sought to Keep Costs Within
Reason With Higher Standards and
Better Equipped Buildings.

and write and cipher before entering
school. That is a point We are coming
to in our public school system some dayl
Just how are We to justify the Spend-
ing of the taxpayers money for instruc-
ton in candy making, Indian lore pho
Biography clubs, valet club, where
boys learn to press their clothes; a
dancing club, an archery club, horse
shoe pitching (imagine taxing the
American people to teach youngsters
how to pitch horseshoes! Shades OF
Horace MannD? know your city club,
embroidery club, Santa Claus club.
Let's get down to a fundamental
principle We admit these clubs men,
toned are woPthy enough III thenl-
selves, but how great a part snUuId they
play in our educational systems? Is it
not overemphaSis on this form of ac-
tivity which permits an hour or more
a week Of school time to be devoted to
them?
Our contention is this: Certain extra
curricular activities of broad general
value are permissible in our secondary
schools, but most of those in effect to-
day do not have enough value to be
allowed in our public educational pro-
gram.
Our schools have one great objective.
They must meet this, otherwise there IS
no justification for the billions of our
national resources invested each year.
That objective is: The schools must
prepare the youth so that they will be
ready to assume successful participation
in our social group. The schools must
prepare for worthy citizenship. Unless
we do that our public schools are a
failure. Education otherwise might bet
ter be left in private control.
The frpf11pndOIIS pr0Uth and fnrrp9S-
ing prestige of the private school move
ment is proof to larger extent than
most people realize that many parents
do not believe our public schools are
fulfilling successfully the mission Of ed
ucation.
1t is time for educators to pause and
ask, What are the values to be derived
from a yacht club, chess club,
Martha Washington club? The cart is
running away with the horse in extra
curricular activitieSl The vicious cir
Gle is widening in circumference. Fool
ish clubs are being formed in the
junior high schools, in the elementary
school. Valuable educational time Is
being wasted.
Educators List Club Results.
In an extensive questionary educa-
tors have listed the valuable results Of
clubs in various school systems. Let
us candidly examine them and as we
do so ask this question: How many OF
these values could not be obtained in
a well regulated system without using
school time which could better be en-
ployed in other directions? Keep in
mind the fact that the main purpose
of education is to educate our youth
for effective citizenship.
Here is a list of benefits from clubs
that educators mention: Regulated
lunch rooms, improved the order in the
auditorium assemblies, handled school
social functions, conducted an in
formation desk, reduced thefts, i'm
proved the buildings and grounds,
improved order in the corridors, con-
Quoted assemblies, managed ticket
sales, conducted a cleanup campaign,
conducted a lyceum course, managed
a book store, organized school bands,
started an honor society, instituted
"self-control Friday" gave athletic
awards, bought a piano, bought
flag, built stage equipment, bought
motion picture machine, built tennis
court, handled reunion banquet, spon-
sored dance, eliminated "Roughneck"
day, formulated code of conduct, i'm
proved condition in street cars, inaug-
urated courtesy campaign, handicapped
grounds, gave talks to freshmen and
handled publicity campaigns.
As we go candidly over the list we
are faced with this striking fact: All
these results are worthy in themselves.
They are points all educators and par
ents will agree upon as beneficial.
Now-and here is the gist of the
extra -curricular problem-how many Of
these objects are germane to the use
of school time? Should students elimi-
nate class period of teaching to spon-
sor dance? Should the public pay
for time eliminated from actual teach
ing to build tennis court? Is a class
period of less value than a round-
table discussion to devise a system OF
improving street car conduct? Must
students give up actual educational
time to regulate the lunch room?
Should taxpayers be forced to settle for
improved order in assemblies?
1t seems evident that the pendulum
is swinging back. The economic crisis
is forcing educators to ask what frills
and furbelows may be eliminated.
The club idea has been carried to
autocratic extremes in some cases. In
Altoona, Pa, for instance, the Counsel
of Students selects the captains for all
athletic teams The students who VOL
unteer their strength and energy in
sports for the school may not select
their own leader.
So we come to this question: What
clubs are worthy Of a place in school
system? Which are so valuable to the
purpose of education that 1t Is juStif1-
able to use school time to promulgate
them?
We have been deluded In the past
because the ideals of extra curricular
activity seemed so worthy. Take this
list formulated by a proponent OF the
club system:
1. Capitalize the initiative impulse Of
children.
2. Organize, direct and apply edu-
side school.
3. Capitalize gregariouS instinct.
4. Motivate and enrich school work.
S. Develop worthy ideas of service.
6. Develop closer acquaintance be-
tween teacher and pupil.
All these objectives are so self-eT-
IDENTIFY worthy that we have been
stampeded into believing all club ac-
tivities were splendid help. But ex-
anime the list. How many of those
purposes are foreign to real teaching
in the class room?
Finds Clubs Wasting Time.
Seventy-f1ve per cent of all the clubs
now existing in our secondary schools
as extra-curricular activities have no
reason to exist as part of the school
activities! They waste teaching time
they cost the 91Rc money for which
no adequate return is gwen.
What then are extra-curricuIar acr
tivitieS which deserve a place in our
educational plan? These are the ques-
tions to be asked. Is it necessary to
use school time to foster them? II
school time is used. are the resulN
valuable enough to justify itf
Here are a few suggested extra-cura
ricular activities of value and which
encroach little on school time. They
all produce benefits which lead to more
effective citizenship. They include ath-
1atins aSnnciallv ir1tra mural cnrinrnatitinrn