Evening star., 1945-04-29

educational program IN ,erms of its
contribution to national security in
World War No. as they did in World
War No. l. They hope to make educa-
ton more nearly meet the needs of
peace as we'll as of defense. They are
analyzing weaknesses and seeking to
eliminate them. Once again they come
before the American people asking for
the improvement of existing school serv-
ices and the extension of educational
opportunity on some comparable basis
to all American children and youth.
There is every indication that the re-
turning veterans of the present war will
cooperate in this program as the vet
erans of 1918 co-operated in plans to
improve schools following their demobil-
iZation.
In their proposal for adopting edu-
cation to the present-day needs of in
dividuals and of the national life, edu-
Gators are receiving plenty of advice.
Critics of education, friendly and other
wise, offer scores of suggestions. This
Is as it should be. Schools of democracy
are nobody's monopoly. Like Govern
ment, the schools must remain in the
hands of the people if the people are to
be sovereign. 1t is commendable and
desirable for citizens to offer sugges-
tions for the improvement of education;
but many of the suggestions are Offer
ed with the nonchalance of a patron
suggesting change in the time sched-
ule of trains on an established railroad.
In hundreds of American communities
the schools haven't even a roadbed,
They aren't going any place until some
fundamental work is done. Advice on
whether there should be less mathe-
matics or more mathematics, more his
tory or less history, more vocational or
less vocational study in those commun-
tiles is not as pertinent as advice that
there should be school stated by pro-
fessionally trained teachers and equipped
with books and other tools of learning
which will permit the teaching of any
thing effectively.
Schools Vary Widely.
The degree to which the American
schools have been so stated and
equipped varies tremendously through
out the Nation. America has some of
the finest and some of the poorest
schools that can be found anywhere in
the world. This needless inequality of
opportunity for American children is
hard to justify in peace when the rights
and duties of citizenship are passed out
on equal terms to all alike. It is still
harder to justify in time of war when
the long arm of the Federal Government
reaches into the most remote corners of
the Nation and summonses youth to per-
sonal participation in the defense of
their country.
The result of such policy of in
equality of opportunity is easily seen
in the unequal degree to which youth
were able to answer that summons. A
survey of selective service reflections for
mental and educational deficiency shows
that all States contributed to them, but
by no means in the same proportion.
In Oregon and Utah, for instance, only
l per cent out of every 100 registrants
was rejected for educational made
quacy. In Alabama and South Carolina
nearly 13 out of every 100 registrants
were rejected for that reason. Rejec-
tlons in the other States trail between
these two extremes. It certainly is no
accident that 13 of the Is States with
the highest proportion of reflections oc-
cupy bottom rank in annual per-pupil
expenditures for their schools.
The first problem to solve in the main
tenance and improvement of schools,
either urban or rural, is the problem of
financial support. Urban communities
and States which include large metro
politan areas have gone much further
toward the solution OF this problem than
have States composed largely of farm
populations, but the variation in the
support of school systems within some
of the so-called urban States is almost
as great as the variations in sup
port between urban and rural States.
There are $4,000 school systems in the
SAAAoSA SooVSo do q WAAOAC. 0O11lc SCllOOl
systems spend $1,000 a year per class
room unit. Other school systems spend
less than 500 per classroom unit per
year. The wealthiest State naturally in
cludes some of the classrooms supported
at the rate of 5000 year. It also in
cludes few classroom units supported
at less than $3.50 year.
It is clear that the equalization of ed
ucational opportunity is partly to be ac-
compished by the several States and
within the several States. Programs
toward equalization within the States
have, however, been under way for many
years. Great progress has been made.
Very little progress has been made,
however, in the equalization of educa-
ttonal opportunity between the States.
The amount spent for q classroom unit
On Nationwide average Is about 81 500.