The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1955-11-11
Controversy Over
Education Continues

The Editor, in the Oct. 7th issue of
THE PEOPLES VOICE took exception
to some of the criticisms of our mod
ern schools by Mr.. Maury and myself.
Citing the experience of only his own
family, he contends the quality of edn-
cation now impaired compares favor
ably with that of around the turn Of
the century. With this cannot agree
because his stand is not supported by
available facts and figures. The New
York Times is deeply concerned over
the quality of present day training and
lists some of the reasons, towit: The
percentage of high school students
studying algebra has declined from Sc
to 24.6 since 1900. The drop in geometry
is from 27.4% to 1867: in physics from
1870 to %. Some 100000 high school
students are being taught mathematics
by teachers who are unqualified 20
teach it. Our colleges graduated 519o
fewer teachers with mathematics GER
tificates than years ago.
Phi. d.. Rudolph Flesch in his 222
page book entitled why Johnny Can't
Read, states that he was staggered
when he discovered Johnny Couldn't
Read" for the simple reason that no.
body ever showed him how. Also he
says that Until the abandonment IF
phonetics in elementary schools gen.
GRAFTON ago, the teaching of reading
was not problem anywhere in the
world"
Maj. Gen. S. d. Sturgis, Jr., Chief of
the Army Corps of Engineers, writing
in the Civil Engineering magazine
asks: How can they teach college level
engineering and scientific subjects to
classes of which only Sc per cent can
correctly multiply 21sx3h; of which
only 81 per cent can divide 7,642.3S by
LOCO; and only 60@6 can express 3I20th
as a decimal. These were the results
of tests recently given to a freshman
class at one of our leading universities.
In a study of 100000 eighth graders.
only per cent could find 81 per cent
of 60.
Doctor Flesch visited several Roman
Catholic elementary schools near Chica-
go where the phonetic method of teach
ing reading was used The results were
always the same: General student
achievement of about one grade level
above the national norm in all sub
iects.
The so-called progressive" method
of education has been tried and found
wanting. All the tax money in the
world, plus doubling the teaching staff
and classrooms will not improve its
results. Pupils must be intelligently
instructed in all subjects, particularly
and required to study and re-
cite in order to learn. 1t has always
been that way since the beginning of
j. PARKINSON, Great Falls.
NOTE: This I'D" student in
high school algebra holds firm to his
earlier basic contention that what
ever faults our 1856 educational sys-
tenn may have are primarily charge |
able to . insufficient financing of
d NC i n. insufficient financing |
coupled with rapidly increasing |
birthrate has resulted in grossly in |
adequate teacher salaries and greatly |
over-crowded classrooms. / am sure, |
had similar Investigations of John
ny's inability to read been made BY
interested lay people rs years ago /
the results would not have been much /
different from those by DR.. Flesch.
Today, because the nation is more
education conscious, such conclusions
as those by DR.. F1esch lead many TO
believe that this cant read" stuff
is something which has just devel-
oped. Personally, I'm glad to see DR..
Flesch. Mr.. Parkinson and Mr.. Maury,
as well as countless other citizens
get aroused, even though do not
agree with their conclusions in the
entirety. Arousing the public is
spread Improvement program. Only
when the public does fully under
stand the problem will they demand
positive action toward solution.
In this case the answer is financial
Once that part of the problem has