Evening star., 1938-06-19
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.


With local graduations the order Of
the day. discussed with Miss Ruth
M. Stauffer, poised, forceful English
department head in the white Junior
and senior high schools, changes in
their English curricula to meet the
needs Of high school graduates for
whom q diploma means the end Of
formal education, rather than an
open sesame" to college.
Bettered English teaching for high
school pupils to meet the needs Of
those who step into their careers from
high school rather than from college
Is Miss Staufiers life interest. From
q family Of educators, and teacher
herself for many years in the Mckinley
High School. where she has her admin
istrative ofhce. Miss StaufYer knows
from classroom experience that theo-
! ries are only valuable when they meet
the acid test of workability with
teacher and pupil.
THE great problem of the educator
Of today" she said, "is how to meet
the needs OF those high school pupils
for whom graduation is a terminal
In formal education" High schools,
Miss Stauf1er EN- phasized. was first
established as college preparatory
courses. with the expectation that only
. comparatively few pupils would at
tend them.
College Population Jumps.
In 1894 for instance, it was estimated
that 5e.S14 men and 2s.657 women, a
total OF 8,47l. constituted the college
census of America out of an esti-
mated population of 66,970, ,496 persons.
or an average of 1921 college students
to every million OF our poulation.
Forty years later, in 1884, with the
proportion of Americans attending
college nearly 10 times greater than
that Of European nations, there were
more than five times as many men and
women availing themselves Of = COL
lege education after their high school
days. This time the college census
showed 919,l76 out Of an estimated
population of 125.770,0o0, or 1908
students attending college out Of every
1000, 900 Of our population.
With every year since the first high
school courses in America there has
been not only q vast increase in the
number Of pupils but for the great
majority, school life stops with grad
| uation.
mo longer, therefore" Miss Stauf-
fer explained. can high school Eng
lish courses emphasize only the ana
lytical study Of few selected master
/ pieces as q basis for the development
of scholarship in understanding the
classics. They must also train nom
college students for the life activities
which will presently be theirs"
| Experiment Begun.
In 1880 an experiment was made
here under the supervision of Miss
Sarah E. Simons, then head of the
English department. to adjust the Eng
| lish courses to meet the needs Of nom
college preparatory pupils.
Now several OF the senior high
schools and practically all Of the
junior high schools are gradually in
Producing less strictly academic courses
than those followed by students pre-
pairing for college. These courses en-
phasize the practical use Of written
and spoken English, the reading of
modern literature and classroom train
ing for the general type of life expert
ence apt to lie ahead of the pupil
From this background is developing
what is termed the experience cur
riculum." BY means of it, so far as
possible, the student is prepared for
future citizenship by placing more
stress upon oral English, with the as
sumption that in all likelihood he will
speak more often than he will write.
Effort is also being made to stimu-
late the more correct and courteous
use Of English in the ordinary give
and-take Of group discussion, dinner
table conversation. etc, as we'll as to
change slovenly habits of usage and
pronunciation. There Is emphasis, too,
upon the more pleasing use OF English
In telephone conversations business
interviews and all public contacts. In
stead Of the more formal type OF COM
position work in which the college
preparatory student Is trained, the
non-preparatory one receives training
in the writing Of all types of letters.
instruction is likewise given in read
ing for information. as we'll as for
leisure-time enjoyment, suggestion be-
ing made as to how dictionaries and
reference books may serve as useful