Educational Surveys. Bulletin, 1918, No. 45
Author: Buchner, Edward Franklin
Date: 1919-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational History,Educational Research,Research Utilization,Educational Policy,Educational Finance,Educational Assessment,Educational Practices,Curriculum,School Districts,Public Schools,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,Urban Schools,Rural Schools,Private Schools,Municipalities,Counties,State Surveys,School Surveys,National Surveys,Data Collection,Vocational Education,African American Education,International Education,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Special Schools,Teaching (Occupation),Teacher Education

The educational survey has ceased to be a mere event or an occasional happening. It has been critically transformed into a permanent means of progress. Changes in the educational conditions of a given system are now to be expected not merely from the initiative and push within, but are actively sought for as the outcome of an objective and unbiased study of the situation. The establishment of standards based on current practices and the more exact definition of the relations which should obtain in the dynamics of educational support and organization, of teaching and learning, have made possible the increasing number of scientific approaches to the task of formulating qualitative and quantitative judgments concerning communities and their schools. The system of schools set up and maintained by a State, county, or city is a most important form of human behavior, and therefore worthy of the intensive study essentially characteristics of a survey. The synthetic judgment in which the study culminates, prophetic of vital readjustments to be made, is possible only to the survey whose scientific acumen is guided by a fertile imagination drawing from the now rich stores of ranks, standards, and measurements possessing both accuracy and applicability. The permanency of the survey as an American means of educational progress is clearly shown by the greatly increased number made during the biennium of 1916-1918, which this report reviews. Of the 157 surveys (including 7, the reports of which are unpublished) made during the past seven years, 73, or 47 per cent, were made during the last two years. The 147 published reports present the results of extensive, or special studies of districts, in whole or in part, thus distributed: United States, 1; States, 18; counties and &quot;towns,&quot; 40 (reporting on conditions obtaining in 67, 3 counties in one instance being &quot;typical&quot; of a State) cities, 59; higher institutions, 10 (covering 24 institutions); vocational, 13; and special, 6. The average number of surveys per year made during the entire period is 22. During the biennium the annual average is over 36. The 69 survey reports published (or in press) during these two years show in their distribution a steady widening of the field of application: State, 8, county and &quot;town,&quot; 24 (reporting conditions prevailing in 49); city, 22; higher institutions, 5; vocational, 6; and special, 4. Contents of this bulletin include: (1) State surveys; (2) County surveys; (3) &quot;Town&quot; surveys; (4) City surveys; (5) Vocational education surveys; (6) Higher educational institutions; (7) Negro education; (8) Foreign surveys; (9) Miscellaneous; and (10) Unpublished surveys. (Contains 5 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]