An Educational Study of Alabama. Bulletin, 1919, No. 41
Author: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education (ED)
Date: 1919-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Higher Education,Physical Education,Illiteracy,African American Education,State Aid,Field Studies,Educational Change,Public School Teachers,Public Education,State Legislation,Educational Needs,School Supervision,Counties,Enrollment,Attendance,Rural Areas,Agricultural Education,Delinquency,Mental Retardation,Special Schools,Literacy Education,Home Economics,Teaching Methods,Health Education,Educational Finance,Teacher Education,Teacher Certification,Educational Administration,Efficiency,Access to Information,Records (Forms)

An act of the Legislature of the State of Alabama, containing the following provisions, was approved by the governor February 6, 1919: (1) That the governor shall appoint a commission of five persons to make a study of the public educational system of Alabama, including all schools and educational institutions supported in whole or in part from public funds, to determine the efficiency of the same and report its findings, with recommendations for increased efficiency and economy, to the governor on or before July 1, 1919; (2) That the said commission is empowered to employ expert assistants in the several fields of public education in which the State is engaged; (3) That the said commission and its employees shall have free access to all public records; (4) That said commission shall, in addition to other work specified by this act, direct special attention to the feasibility and the advisability of consolidating any of the existing State educational institutions of departments thereof, of eliminating any institution or institutions, and of coordinating and unifying the work of any or all institutions under one board of management and control; and (5) That there is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $10,000 for the purpose of defraying the cost of the study herein proposed. On the 11th of March, 1919, the Alabama Education Commission created by this act met in the capitol at Montgomery to outline the wok of the survey. The field studies were organized under several group headings and each study in charge of the survey personnel. On June 9, 10, and 11 Messrs. H. W. Foght and Samuel Capen presented the report of the survey committee to the Alabama Education Commission at Montgomery. Contents include: (1) Alabama, the land and the people; (2) Fundamental educational needs as indicated by character and resources of Alabama; (3) History of public education in Alabama; (4) County supervision of schools; (5) County supervision of schools; (6) School population, enrollment, and attendance; (7) The rural schools; (8) Some typical counties; (9) Negro education in rural Alabama; (10) Village and town schools; (11) The district agricultural schools and county high schools; (12) The city schools; (13) Institutions for defective, delinquent and subnormal children; (14) Illiteracy and its education; (15) Special phases of home-economics teaching; (16) Health and physical education; (17) Home and school gardening; (18) The teachers and their certification; (19) Preparation of public school teachers in the State normal schools; (20) Higher education in Alabama; (21) Administration of higher education in Alabama; (22) State support of higher education; (23) Financing the schools; what the State invests in public education; and (24) Summary of the most important recommendations contained in the foregoing chapters. (Contains 48 figures, 97 tables, and 21 maps.) [Best copy available has been provided.