L A 
 Z9/ 
 
 New Series 
 
 No. 2 
 
 IC-NRLF 
 
 KANSAS 
 STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 
 
 EMPORIA 
 
 Report of , \ ourvey of the Public Schools 
 of Leavenworth, Kansas 
 
 BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENTS AND STANDARDS 
 
 Entered as second-nab!" mail matter in the pot. office at Emporia, Kan. 
 
GIFT Of 
 
Vol. IV New Series No. 2 
 
 KANSAS 
 STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 
 
 EMPORIA 
 
 Report of a Survey of the Public Schools 
 of Leavenworth, Kansas 
 
 BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENTS AND STANDARDS 
 
 KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT. 
 
 W. R. SMITH, State Printer 
 
 TOPEKA. 1915. 
 
 Entered as second-class mail matter in the post office at Emporia, Kan. 
 
REPORT OF A SURVEY OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF 
 LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 
 
 A survey conducted under the auspices of the Kansas State Normal School. * 
 
 THE SURVEY STAFF. 
 
 WALTER S. MONROE, Ph. D., 
 
 Professor of School Administration, Kansas State Normal School, 
 DIRECTOR OF THE SURVEY. 
 
 FLORA J. COOKE, 
 
 Principal of the Francis W. Parker School, Chicago, 111. 
 
 ELLA V. POBBS, 
 
 Assistant Professor of Manual Arts, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. 
 
 MINNIE E. PORTER, 
 
 Instructor in English, Kansas State Normal School. 
 
 WALTER R. SMITH, Ph. D., 
 
 Professor of Sociology and Economics, Kansas State Normal School. 
 
 ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
 
 W. C. BAGLEY, Ph. D., 
 
 Director of School of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana, 111. 
 
 J. F. BOBBITT, Ph. D., 
 
 Professor of Educational Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, 111. 
 
 W. W. CHARTERS, Ph. D., 
 
 Dean of School of Iloneadoa, Uoive'rsiiv of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. 
 
THE BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENTS AND 
 
 STANDARDS. 
 
 IT IS RECOGNIZED that the product of instruction in 
 school is complex ; that it at least consists of habits, knowl- 
 edge, and ideals. At present we have no instruments for 
 measuring ideals or knowledge, but we do have several instru- 
 ments which can be used to measure certain specific habits; 
 e. g., the Courtis tests in arithmetic, the handwriting scales of 
 Ayres and Thorndike, the spelling tests of Buckingham and 
 Ayres, the drawing scale of Thorndike. 
 
 To measure the habit portion of the product of instruction 
 does not mean that knowledge and ideals are considered less 
 important. The latter are not measured simply because, as 
 stated above, educational experts have not discovered a means 
 of doing the work. 
 
 In order that the schools of Kansas might have a central 
 place where tests like those mentioned above could be secured 
 and results compiled, the State Board of Administration estab- 
 lished at the Kansas State Normal School the Bureau of Edu- 
 cational Measurements and Standards. The character and 
 work of the bureau may be stated as follows : 
 
 1. It is to be a state bureau. 
 
 2. The work of the bureau must be cooperative. 
 
 The Kansas State Normal School will provide expert direction 
 and clerical assistance. The superintendents and teachers of 
 the state can furnish information, etc. 
 
 3. The function is 
 
 a. To make accessible to the superintendents and teachers of 
 
 Kansas tests and scales. 
 6. To establish Kansas standards. 
 
 c. To devise new tests. 
 
 d. To investigate problems of school administration and provide 
 comparative data for the use of superintendents and boards 
 of education. 
 
 4. Although this bureau has been established recently, this type of work 
 
 was begun by the Kansas State Normal School over a year ago. 
 This year (1914-'15) the Courtis tests have been made accessible to 
 the superintendents. An algebra test and a silent reading test 
 have been devised. The cost of instruction in high schools and 
 retardation in elementary schools are being investigated. 
 
 5. The work of the bureau will be published. 
 
 f>. Similar bureaus or departments have been established in nine cities 
 of the United States, and in less than that number of colleges and 
 1 universities. 
 
 (3) 
 
 367 
 
4 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 School surveys represent one form in which measurement is 
 being applied to school systems. 
 
 The survey of the Leavenworth Public Schools was made by 
 members of the faculty of the Kansas State Normal School, to- 
 gether with other educational experts for whose contribution 
 to the success of the survey this institution desires to express 
 its appreciation. 
 
 This report is published because it contains, it is believed, 
 much material sufficiently general to make it of value to super- 
 intendents and boards of education throughout the state. 
 
 THOMAS W. BUTCHER, 
 President Kansas State Normal School. 
 EMPORIA, KAN., November, 1915. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PREFATORY STATEMENT 11 
 
 Date of Survey 11 
 
 Cooperation 11 
 
 Recent improvements ; 12 
 
 The purpose of a survey 13 
 
 Chapter I. A GENERAL VIEW OF LEAVENWORTH 14 
 
 Economic foundations 14 
 
 Unique features 15 
 
 Industries of Leavenworth 16 
 
 Racial complexity *. 17 
 
 Social organizations 18 
 
 Schools 18 
 
 Community spirit 19 
 
 Occupational analysis 20 
 
 Chapter II. GENERAL FEATURES OF THE LEAVENWORTH PUBLIC 
 
 SCHOOLS 23 
 
 The location of the schools 23 
 
 The organization of the school system 24 
 
 The supervision of instruction 24 
 
 The superintendent should have a secretary 25 
 
 Assistant superintendent recommended 26 
 
 Chapter III. THE SCHOOL BOARD 27 
 
 Powers of the board 27 
 
 Composition of the board 28 
 
 Work of the board 29 
 
 Relations of the board to the superintendent 30 
 
 The purchase of supplies 31 
 
 Recommendations 32 
 
 Chapter IV. ATTENDANCE, PROMOTION, AND RECORDS 33 
 
 The school census 33 
 
 The function of the school census 34 
 
 Attendance 34 
 
 Reports of truant officer 35 
 
 Reports of attendance 36 
 
 The progress of pupils 37 
 
 Enrollment in the High School 39 
 
 Records and reports 39 
 
 Tabulations recommended 40 
 
 Chapter V. BUILDINGS AND MATERIAL EQUIPMENT 42 
 
 The school buildings 42 
 
 The building needs 42 
 
 Analysis of buildings and material equipment 43 
 
 Playgrounds 46 
 
 Gymnasiums 46 
 
 Auditoriums 46 
 
 Sanitation 47 
 
 (5) 
 
6 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Chapter V. BUILDINGS AND MATERIAL EQUIPMENT Concluded: MQ 
 
 Seating 47 
 
 Blackboards 47 
 
 Fireproof construction 47 
 
 Chapter VI. EDUCATIONAL EXPENDITURES 48 
 
 The school system as a business enterprise 48 
 
 How Leavenworth supports her schools 48 
 
 Analysis of salary expenditures 50 
 
 Chapter VII. THE TEACHING STAFF 52 
 
 The training of teachers in the elementary school 52 
 
 Length of service 52 
 
 Improvement of teachers in service 53 
 
 Time given to school work by teachers 54 
 
 Chapter VIII. THE COURSE OF STUDY AND ITS ADMINISTRATION 56 
 
 The basis for making a course of study 56 
 
 Vocational activities, or those activities involved in providing the 
 
 necessities of life 56 
 
 Avocational activities, or occupations of one's leisure time 57 
 
 Civic and moral activities, or those activities which have to do 
 
 with one's contact with his fellow men 7 
 
 Activities relating to personal health 57 
 
 Activities of social intercourse 57 
 
 Activities relating to home-building and parenthood 58 
 
 Religious activities 58 
 
 Educational agencies 58 
 
 Time allotment 58 
 
 The vocational needs of Leavenworth 60 
 
 Preparation for vocational activities 61 
 
 School gardens 62 
 
 Preparation for avocational activities 63 
 
 Preparation for civil and moral activities 63 
 
 Preparation for activities of personal health . 64 
 
 Preparation for activities of social intercourse 64 
 
 Preparation for activities of home-building and parenthood 64 
 
 Bank savings 64 
 
 The use of school assembly halls 65 
 
 The method of the survey of the school subjects 66 
 
 Chapter IX. THE PRIMARY GRADES 68 
 
 The method of survey 68 
 
 Discipline 68 
 
 Reading 69 
 
 Writing 71 
 
 Spelling 73 
 
 Number work 75 
 
 Comments upon the telling of stories 76 
 
 Comments upon the dramatization of stories 76 
 
 Physical training 77 
 
 Construction work or elementary manual training 78 
 
 Comments upon the applied arts drawing course 79 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 7 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter X. ARITHMETIC 81 
 
 The course of study 81 
 
 Points of excellence in the teaching of arithmetic 81 
 
 Oral arithmetic 82 
 
 Classroom technique 83 
 
 Motive 83 
 
 Arithmetical abilities 84 
 
 Recommendations 87 
 
 Chapter XI. DRAWING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 88 
 
 The course of study 88 
 
 Special teachers for drawing 88 
 
 The teaching of drawing 89 
 
 Schoolroom decoration * 90 
 
 Books for reference 90 
 
 Applications / 90 
 
 Chapter XII. GEOGRAPHY 92 
 
 The course of study 92 
 
 Illustrative material 92 
 
 The modes of teaching geography 93 
 
 Motive 94 
 
 The pupils' knowledge of geography 94 
 
 Recommendations 94 
 
 Chapter XIII. HANDWRITING 96 
 
 The time given to handwriting 96 
 
 The quality of the handwriting 96 
 
 Recommendations 100 
 
 Chapter XIV. HISTORY AND Civics 101 
 
 The course of study 101 
 
 Classroom work 101 
 
 Lack of social group work 102 
 
 Recommendations 103 
 
 Civics 103 
 
 Chapter XV. HOUSEHOLD ARTS 105 
 
 The course of study 105 
 
 Recommendations 106 
 
 Chapter XVI. HYGIENE AND MEDICAL INSPECTION 107 
 
 The teaching of hygiene 107 
 
 Classroom work 107 
 
 Medical inspection 108 
 
 Advantages to the state 109 
 
 Advantages to the school 109 
 
 Advantages to the child 110 
 
 Diseases among school children 110 
 
 The school nurse Ill 
 
 Possibilities in Leavenworth Ill 
 
 Plan recommended 113 
 
 Chapter XVII. LANGUAGE 114 
 
 Standards 114 
 
 The teaching of language 115 
 
 The course of study. . .116 
 
8 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Chapter XVII. LANGUAGE Concluded: PAQB 
 
 Examples of the teaching of language 117 
 
 Composition in grades four, five, and six 119 
 
 The oral use of language 122 
 
 Letter-writing 123 
 
 Recommendations for grades four, five, and six 123 
 
 Grammar and composition in grades seven and eight 124 
 
 Grammar test 124 
 
 The results of the test 125 
 
 The writing of one complete sentence . , 127 
 
 Composition 128 
 
 Chapter XVIII. MANUAL TRAINING IN GRADES FIVE TO EIGHT 130 
 
 Technical handwork 130 
 
 Illustrative handwork 130 
 
 Handwork in the Leavenworth Public Schools 131 
 
 Grades five and six , 132 
 
 Recommendations for grades five and six . . . . 133 
 
 Grades seven and eight 134 
 
 Recommendations for grades seven and eight 134 
 
 Chapter XIX^ PHYSICAL TRAINING IN THE GRADES 137 
 
 Theories concerning play 137 
 
 Gymnastics 138 
 
 Corrective physical training 138 
 
 The course of study 138 
 
 Facilities in Leavenworth 140 
 
 Physical development 140 
 
 The value of physical drill 140 
 
 Changes needed 141 
 
 Correlation with other studies 142 
 
 Forming the habit of play 143 
 
 Play as a preventive of disorder 143 
 
 Chapter XX. READING AND LITERATURE 145 
 
 The course of study 145 
 
 The teaching of reading 146 
 
 The outside reading of pupils 147 
 
 Chapter XXI. SPELLING 151 
 
 The teaching of spelling 151 
 
 The spelling ability 151 
 
 Chapter XXII. THE HIGH SCHOOL 153 
 
 The new function of the high school 153 
 
 The reorganization of secondary education 153 
 
 Recommendations 154 
 
 Chapter XXIII. COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS 156 
 
 Recommendations . 156 
 
 Chapter XXIV. ENGLISH IN THE HIGH SCHOOL 158 
 
 Literature 158 
 
 Composition 159 
 
 Alternation of composition and literature 160 
 
 Recommendations.. . 162 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 9 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Chapter XXV. HOUSEHOLD ARTS 163 
 
 Sewing : 163 
 
 Cooking 163 
 
 Chapter XXVI. MANUAL TRAINING 166 
 
 The function of manual training 166 
 
 Handwork in the Leaven worth High School 167 
 
 Mechanical drawing 167 
 
 Recommendations 168 
 
 Chapter XXVII. MATHEMATICS 169 
 
 The course of study in algebra 169 
 
 The teaching of geometry 170 
 
 Recommendations concerning the course of study 170 
 
 Algebraical abilities r. 171 
 
 Chapter XXVIII. NORMAL TRAINING COURSE 174 
 
 The function of the course 174 
 
 Recommendations 174 
 
 Chapter XXIX. PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR BOYS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL . . 176 
 
 Need of an athletic field 176 
 
 Plan suggested 177 
 
 Chapter XXX. SCIENCE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL 179 
 
 Botany 179 
 
 Chemistry 179 
 
 Physics 180 
 
 Chapter XXXI. SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL 182 
 
 History 182 
 
 Current events 182 
 
 The teaching of history -. 183 
 
 Civics 184 
 
 Economics 186 
 
 Recommendations 186 
 
 Chapter XXXII. THE RELA-TION OF THE SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY, 188 
 
 The function of public schools 188 
 
 School extension work 189 
 
 Night schools 189 
 
 The vacation school 190 
 
 Public use of the school plant 191 
 
 Relations of school and patrons 192 
 
 The school, the home, and the church 193 
 
 The school and business 193 
 
 Need of an employment bureau 195 
 
 Summary of recommendations 195 
 
 Some results of the survey 197 
 
 Progress towards improving the school plant of Leavenworth .... 197 
 
 The remodeling of our present school buildings 197 
 
 Parent-teacher associations 198 
 
 Higher standards for teachers 198 
 
 The use of tests and measurements 200 
 
 Revision of the course of study 200 
 
 The use of tests in the Leavenworth public schools 201 
 
Report of a Survey of the Leavenworth Public Schools, 
 Leavenworth, Kansas. 
 
 PREFATORY STATEMENT. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe, Director of Survey. 
 
 THIS Survey was initiated by the superintendent and teachers of 
 Leavenworth. An executive committee was selected and a fund suffi- 
 cient for defraying the expenses of those engaged in the work was 
 raised by contributions from the teachers and Board of Education. The 
 Executive Committee invited the" Kansas State Normal School to assume 
 the responsibility of the Survey. In consultation with the Executive 
 Committee, the Survey Staff were selected by the Director of the Survey 
 and the assignments of sections of the report were made to the members 
 of the Survey Staff. In this final report these sections appear under the 
 name of the member to whom they were assigned. 
 
 DATE OF THE SURVEY. 
 
 The work of the Survey began with a visit by Dr. Charters, Dr. Smith, 
 Miss Porter and myself to Leavenworth, January 21-23, 1914. The work 
 done on this visit was of a preliminary nature. Within the period from 
 February 10 to 15 I visited Dr. Charters, Dr. Bagley and Dr. Bobbitt, who 
 went over with me the plans which had been made for the Survey. Feb- 
 ruary 22 and 23 I again visited Leavenworth in company with Dr. Bobbitt. 
 Dr. Smith, Miss Porter and I were in Leavenworth from March 7 to 21, 
 Miss Cooke from March 15 to 21, Miss Dobbs from March 17 to 21. And 
 finally Dr. Bagley, Dr. Smith, Miss Porter and I spent April 9 to 13 in 
 Leavenworth. In addition, during the week of May 10 to 16, I again 
 visited Dr. Charters and Dr. Bobbitt, who went over a preliminary draft 
 of the report with me, and I also visited Miss Dobbs and Miss Cooke and 
 discussed with them their sections of the report. 
 
 COOPERATION. 
 
 While the Survey Staff were all together at Leavenworth in March, 
 frequent conferences were held and preliminary drafts of several of the 
 sections were read and discussed. We found a surprising agreement on 
 the points of excellence and criticism and on the recommendations for im- 
 provement. In addition, the three members of the Staff who reside in 
 Emporia have been in constant communication, and together have gone 
 over the entire report. Thus, although the sections of this report appear 
 as the work of individuals, they represent in a very great degree the 
 combined judgment of the entire Staff. 
 
 The report represents a cooperative enterprise. Practically all of the 
 data relating to buildings and material equipment and many other items 
 were collected by the superintendent with the assistance of the teachers. 
 The tests were given by the principals and teachers, and most of the 
 
 (11) 
 
12 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. , 
 
 clerical work, except the typewriting, was done by substitute teachers. 
 The manuscript of the report has been read and criticised by the super- 
 intendent and teachers. 
 
 RECENT IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 A school system may be judged not only by its present status but also 
 by its present tendency. What it is is scarcely more important than the 
 spirit which shows what it is to become. That the progressive spirit is 
 abroad in the Leavenworth Public Schools is shown by the fact that 
 within the last few years several important improvements have been 
 made. A few of the more significant are : 
 
 1. Departmental instruction has been introduced in the upper grades. 
 
 2. Supervisors have been added to the teaching staff, particularly in 
 physical training, music, and arts and crafts. 
 
 3. Manual training and domestic science have been added to the 
 program of studies in both the elementary school and the High School. 
 
 4. A splendid system of records has been introduced. 
 
 5. A beginning has been made in acquiring playground apparatus and 
 more attention is being given to playground supervision. 
 
 6. Several parent-teacher associations have made a healthy beginning. 
 
 7. Several valuable readjustments have been made in the curriculum, 
 e. g., less formal grammar is taught. 
 
 The last two of these improvements belong to the present year. A 
 number of others are planned for the coming school year. 
 
 A more important index of the progressive spirit than the specific facts 
 mentioned is that a comprehensive survey of the public schools has been 
 inaugurated by the teachers, and in a large part financed by them. Thus 
 the schools have willingly been subjected to such scientific measurements 
 as were available, and data have been secured which can be used as the 
 basis of future plans for improvement. All these facts, together with 
 many others, show that the Leavenworth Public Schools are rapidly in- 
 creasing in efficiency and a broad foundation is being made for continuous 
 improvement. 
 
 The existence of a weakness or fault in a school system is not neces- 
 sarily a criticism of the superintendent, principals or teachers. It may 
 be due to tradition, to unavoidable conditions, or to the community, and 
 perhaps the weakness or fault has already been recognized and the con- 
 dition is being improved as rapidly as possible. This is certainly true in 
 several instances in the Leavenworth Public Schools. 
 
 Some of the recommendations and suggestions appearing in the fol- 
 lowing chapters must be considered as ideals which will be approached 
 slowly. On the other hand, others are capable of relatively immediate 
 realization. Probably no greater disaster could grow out of this Survey 
 than that it should lead to an immediate attempt to inaugurate and realize 
 all the recommendations made. Careful thought must precede all changes, 
 arid improvements will come slowly. It is necessary always to keep in 
 mind that a high degree of efficiency in public-school work involves several 
 factors. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 13 
 
 THE PURPOSE OF A SURVEY. 
 
 The purpose of a survey of a school system is to stimulate and assist 
 in its future development by revealing existing conditions, recommending 
 plans for enlarging the service to the community, and for increasing the 
 efficiency of the present activities of the school system. The bases for 
 making recommendations are two: First, general principles of education; 
 second, the defects in the present educational practice within the system. 
 
 In order that the recommendations may be understood it is necessary 
 to state the principles and the present conditions which form the basis 
 of the recommendations. This frequently requires that considerable 
 prominence be piven to the present defects of the school system urul'-r 
 consideration. 
 
 On behalf of my associates ant! myself, I wish to express our apprecia - 
 tion of the courteous and helpful assistance which was received at the 
 hands of Superintendent Moore, the principals, the teachers, and th~ 
 Board of Education. The members of the Survey Staff desire to ex- 
 press their appreciation of the generous assistance which has been given 
 by those acting in the capacity of advisory experts. 
 
14 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A GENERAL VIEW OF LEAVENWORTH. 
 
 Walter R. Smith. 
 
 EVERY institution has its social background. If an organization is to 
 be effective it must not only be adapted to the end in view, but it must 
 be adapted to the people who are to run it. The school is an institution 
 which has been created by society for the definite purpose of training 
 children to take part in the activities of adult life. Any scientific study of 
 a school system, therefore, must be based upon an analysis of the social 
 conditions into which the student is likely to be graduated. Before mak- 
 ing a detailed study of the Leavenworth schools, then, a general view of 
 the community is important. 
 
 Leavenworth, Kansas, is now a city of about twenty thousand popula- 
 tion. It is picturesquely located on bluffs overlooking the Missouri river, 
 twenty-eight miles above Kansas City. Its topography, consisting of 
 rolling hills extending back from the river, is unusually favorable for 
 the development of beautiful home sites and lends itself readily to land- 
 scape gardening. These features, as in most western towns, however, 
 have not been fully utilized. 
 
 Its population and industries are varied. A number of American 
 elements have united with a variety of foreign immigrants to make a 
 composite population unusual in a mid-western city. Manufacturing, 
 mining, agriculture, and railroad and mercantile interests all contribute 
 to a complex economic and industrial life. In addition, large national 
 and state institutions are located on its borders and greatly influence its 
 life. Altogether, it is an interesting city for observation and study 
 along economic, social and institutional lines. It not only presents the 
 ordinary phases of life in a small city, but furnishes many unique 
 features; and its complex nature creates larger social and educational 
 problems than are found in most cities of its size. 
 
 The first house was erected on the site of Leavenworth in 1854. The 
 earliest village organization took place one year later. Its growth into 
 a city was very rapid up to 1870, but since then its population has re- 
 mained comparatively stationary. The following table shows the popula- 
 tion at different dates: 
 
 1860 7,429 
 
 1870 17,873 
 
 1880 16,546 
 
 1890 19,768 
 
 1900 20,735 
 
 1910 19,363 
 
 ECONOMIC FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Three things led to this early growth: First, it was a river town, 
 and access to the eastern world was by boat. This made the obtaining of 
 supplies easier than for most neighboring towns and favored more 
 rapid growth. Second, in 1832 a government post was established on its 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 15 
 
 borders, and later it became a point of departure for many of the 
 wagon trains headed for the Far West. This made it an outfitting post, 
 calling for stores and other commercial enterprises. An evidence of 
 this demand may be seen in the Planter's Hotel, now a large apartment 
 hotel, which in its day was the most palatial on the river above St. Louis. 
 Third, it was located in a rich agricultural region, which formed a sub- 
 stantial basis for permanent growth. 
 
 Two of these three features remain to the present. The paralleling 
 of the river with railroads undermined the river traffic just after the 
 Civil War, but the development of agriculture counterbalanced this loss. 
 Moreover, the federal government not only retained the Leavenworth 
 military post but added a federal prison, a military prison, a training 
 school in military tactics, and a soldiers' home for aged and disabled 
 soldiers. The state also established at Lansing, just south of the city 
 limits, its State Penitentiary. 
 
 But the above-mentioned features have not been the only, or even 
 the chief, economic features of the Leavenworth of later years. Manu- 
 facturing has long been and remains her largest source of wealth. 
 Factories were established at an early date, and flourished. For several 
 years it seemed Leavenworth was to be the leading city of the region, but 
 several conditions led to the supremacy of Kansas City. A number of 
 Kansas City enterprises were started in Leavenworth, but later business 
 advantages led to their removal to the more rapidly growing railroad 
 center. 
 
 UNIQUE FEATURES. 
 
 The most unique feature of Leavenworth is her state and national 
 institutions. These institutions have influenced the city in many ways. 
 In the first place, they have been an unfailing source of wealth, pro- 
 viding a demand for a variety of agricultural, manufactured and mer- 
 cantile products. 
 
 In the second place, they have been a legally demoralizing force. 
 This is inevitable where large bodies of men congregate and live under 
 a divided governmental authority. The soldier element, whether from 
 the army post or from the soldiers' home, look primarily to the federal 
 government for control and have a tendency to disregard local govern- 
 ment. They form an unruly civic element, and in Leavenworth, as in 
 most places, they have succeeded in getting large immunity from local 
 officials. Such a large number of idle or partly idle men with a little 
 ready cash to spend are certain to be riotous at times, and create a 
 demand for amusements of the lower sort. Pension day for three thou- 
 sand old soldiers is apt to be a jubilation. The writer was informed 
 that, as was to be expected, the old soldiers were "seldom arrested for 
 offenses that would land the ordinary citizen in the lockup." The same 
 was true of the younger soldiers to a lesser degree. 
 
 The fact that such a large number of persons are partly exempt from 
 the law has a reactionary effect upon others. Unenforced law under- 
 mines respect for law, and discrimination in favor of the soldier element 
 doubtless has some effect upon other citizens. 
 
16 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 The third effect of these state and national institutions is to weaken, 
 to a degree, local civic responsibility. Inquiry as to the reason for a 
 lack of city parks brought forth the invariable reply that the govern- 
 ment reservation to the north and the soldiers' home to the south were 
 beautiful parks. Show places for visitors were not needed. Concerts at 
 both the above-mentioned places were numerous and free. They were 
 easily accessible. So the only reason for city parks was for playgrounds 
 for the children. It was freely admitted that so many things had been 
 provided by the state and national government that one of the chief 
 virtues asked of a legislator or congressman was the ability to secure 
 these favors. Such an attitude is in line with universal human nature 
 and makes local civic virtue a plant of slow growth, requiring much 
 laborious nurture and scientific cultivation. Thus, there is found a 
 difficult political, educational and religious situation. 
 
 There is some evidence, also, that the commercial value of these in- 
 stitutions affects the spirit of business enterprise. The writer was told 
 that the ordinary demands of these institutions are so large that the 
 usual reaching out for new business, advertising, and the hustling spirit 
 are not so necessary as in other places. The same amount of business 
 can be done with less energy than elsewhere, and consequently competi- 
 tion is less keen and inspiring to ambitious effort. 
 
 INDUSTRIES OF LEAVENWORTH. 
 
 Another general factor in Leavenworth calls for analysis. As before 
 stated, it is a manufacturing town. Three large furniture factories, a 
 stove factory, a saddlery and harness factory, agricultural machinery 
 factories, amusement machinery factory, box factories, a packing house, 
 several large flour mills, bridge and structural iron works, many smaller 
 factories and numerous jobbing houses exist. Altogether there are 
 seventy-nine manufacturing plants, employing over 1600 workmen, with 
 a capital stock of $3,111,000 and producing an annual output of nearly 
 $5,000,000. They have large pay rolls of both skilled and unskilled men 
 and women. There are likewise coal mines. Formerly three large ones 
 were operated (two at present), besides the one at the Kansas State 
 Penitentiary. They vary greatly in the amount of work offered at dif- 
 ferent times and seasons. Their pay rolls are large but uncertain, and 
 they assemble many people who naturally create hard school problems. 
 Members of the Survey Staff saw several boys, who ought to continue in 
 school, sometimes accompanied by their parents, asking for age permits 
 that they might drop out of school and go to work. 
 
 These two industries, mining and manufacturing, necessarily lead to 
 the importation and development of a large day-laboring class. Extreme 
 economic planes are inevitable. The employing class and the working 
 class in these occupations are far apart in standards of living. They 
 clash in many of their ideals. Where these elements form as large a 
 portion of the population as they do inj Leavenworth, mixed civic aims, 
 varied political motives, and uncertain institutional conditions exist. 
 Social, political and cultural organization is difficult. And where organi- 
 zation for these purposes is difficult, there are likely to be found a social 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 17 
 
 aristocracy, the political boss, and a certain amount of cultural cant. 
 Evidence of the existence of some of these things may be found in many 
 of her institutions. The officers at the fort, the old families, and ambitious 
 wealth have formed an exclusive social atmosphere. Many of the negroes, 
 some of the laboring elements, and party fealty have made control by 
 bosses easy. Cultural agencies have been largely for the few. During the 
 whole generation from 1870 to 1904 the public High School charged all 
 students a tuition fee. 
 
 RACIAL COMPLEXITY. 
 
 As the previous analysis of the industries of Leavenworth would in- 
 dicate, the population is varied. The early settlers were of the usual 
 eastern Kansas type. Many crossed over the border from Missouri. The 
 regular stream of westward migration from the Northeast, East, South, 
 and Middle West left its due portion. It is not a New England settle- 
 ment, nor is it southern, nor foreign. No one element of the population 
 dominates. Agriculture, mercantile business and the usual city industries 
 are mainly controlled by the American and the better foreign stock. 
 Moreover, the city is now getting old enough to be strongly moved by the 
 "native son" element. 
 
 Above this native substratum is a great variety of foreigners and 
 their descendants. Large German, English, Jewish and Polish elements 
 are present. Many Italians and eastern Europeans also are found. It 
 is to be noted, however, that Leavenworth was very fortunate in getting 
 a high class of immigrants. The negro population is large for a Kansas 
 town, comprising 12.79 per cent of the total. This large element has led 
 to the segregation of the negroes into separate schools until the High 
 School is reached. The last census report gives the following figures for 
 the distribution of the population according to race: 
 
 Native white, native parentage 8,973 
 
 Native white, foreign or mixed parentage 5,444 
 
 Foreign-born white 2,464 
 
 Negro 2,477 
 
 Indian, Chinese and Japanese 5 
 
 FOREIGN-BORN WHITE OF LEADING NATIONS. 
 
 Austria 154 
 
 Canada 74 
 
 England 174 
 
 Germany 1,221 
 
 Ireland 342 
 
 % Russia 165 
 
 While this diversity of race stock does not create the serious problems 
 found in the foreign districts of our large cities, it does create problems 
 not generally found in neighboring cities. The foreign immigration was 
 mainly of an earlier day and of a superior class, so that practically all 
 the children now speak English. But divergent ideals and different 
 standards of education complicate the educational situation and explain 
 the rather large percentage of illiteracy. The percentage for the whole 
 state of Kansas in 1910 was 2.2, and for the urban population it was 2.4. 
 
 2 
 
18 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Over against this is Leavenworth's 3.3 per cent. The illiterate males 
 of voting age comprise 2 per cent of the total for the state, while in 
 Leavenworth they comprise 3 per cent of the total. 
 
 SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 Institutionally Leavenworth shows the effect of the complexity of her 
 problems and the influence creating them. Social organization is diffi- 
 cult. Twenty churches serve the twenty thousand people, except for half 
 a dozen or more negro churches. There are four Catholic churches 
 German, Irish, Polish and negro two Jewish, two Methodist, and one 
 each of the following denominations: Presbyterian, Congregational, 
 Christian, Episcopal, United Brethren, Lutheran, Evangelical, Baptist, 
 Independent, and Christian Science. 
 
 In addition to the churches, there is a strong Y. M. C. A. It has an 
 adequate building of its own, with a secretary, a physical director, and 
 an annual budget of $6000. Its active membership is 310, and its work 
 varied. Within the last year a Y. W. C. A. has been organized. The 
 promise is large, since it has enrolled 650 members, has just employed a 
 full-time secretary, has started various enterprises, and is planning a 
 well-equipped building for the near future. 
 
 The public library is elegantly housed in a Carnegie building and well 
 cared for. It has an annual budget of about $6000, a collection of 21,658 
 books, and an annual circulation of over 66,000. It is doing a variety of 
 community service and working well with other institutions. Special 
 collections of books are lent to the elementary schools and issued from the 
 school buildings. Some of the churches have libraries, and likewise the 
 separate schools. 
 
 The fraternal organizations of the city are of the usual type. The 
 Elks have an elegant club house, and there is a well-equipped Turn- 
 verein. The labor organizations are also strong. But there is in gen- 
 eral an apparent lack of recreation facilities of an organized type. The- 
 aters exist, and "movies" galore, but they have been without adequate 
 supervision. Plans to improve the supervision are started and coopera- 
 tion with the schools is being fostered. Sociability is mainly along class 
 lines. This lack of organized amusements only lends strength to the 
 unorganized and illegitimate type, and makes law enforcement more dif- 
 ficult. Two small supervised playgrounds exist. They are treated as 
 matters of charity, with but small interest or attendance. In the heart 
 of Leavenworth is a population of 10,000 people with not a single play 
 space larger than a town lot. Social, cultural and civic clubs exist, but 
 not in profusion. . Two women's clubs are affiliated with the Federation 
 of Women's Clubs, and a Woman's Civic League is just awakening to its 
 larger possibilities. Commercial and business clubs also exist. But the 
 varied interests, ideals and occupations of the people have prevented 
 elaborate social and philanthropic organization and rendered ineffective 
 many of the existing efforts at cooperation in social and civic affairs. 
 
 SCHOOLS. 
 
 The school interests and facilities are varied. The school census of 
 1013 indicates an eligible school population of 6649. This has remained 
 practically stationary for a quarter of a century. A mixed population 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 19 
 
 and native conservatism have led to a large demand for private and 
 parochial schools. Consequently the public schools are not so larjre as 
 the size of the city would lead one to expect. For several years the 
 average attendance at the parochial schools has been above one thousand 
 and that at the public schools three thousand. 
 
 Leavenworth has not been as liberal in supporting her public schools 
 as the other Kansas cities of the first class. For years the tax levy 
 for the support of schools has been beneath that of her sister cities. 
 The school levy for cities of the first class for a period of ten years 
 has been studied, and while not all of the information is obtainable, 
 enough is at hand to show that Leavenworth ranked lowest until the last 
 two years, and is still below the average. A table showing comparative 
 tax levies may be found on page 4$. 
 
 Not only has Leavenworth failed to tax herself liberally for the main- 
 tenance of her schools, but half a dozen years ago she voted down a 
 bond levy for needed additions to the high school building. Later the 
 school board raised the taxes and built the additions, but with many fore- 
 bodings, and the present very moderate levy causes much public dis- 
 satisfaction. 
 
 A less tangible proof of a lack of active interest on the part of 
 citizens of Leavenworth in her public schools appears in the small num- 
 ber of visits to the schools by the public and a lack of support for school 
 enterprises. This was repeatedly brought out in conversations -with the 
 public, with the teachers, with high-school students, and was reflected 
 in the recently organized parent-teacher associations. Personal politics 
 in the shape of a quarrel between a former superintendent and a high- 
 school principal had been allowed to divide the city into factions. For 
 years party politics were allowed to enter into the election of the school 
 board by automatically dividing the members to be chosen between the 
 dominant parties. The provincial and in-breeding spirit has allowed 
 unnecessary preference to local applicants for teaching positions, and 
 favoritism instead of merit has had too much influence in the selection of 
 teachers until very recently. 
 
 Happily, most of these evils are eliminated or are in the process of 
 elimination. Leavenworth is becoming willing to pay for good schools 
 by liberal taxation. School interest and parent-teacher cooperation are 
 being fostered. Personal and party politics have largely disappeared in 
 school matters. Teachers are being selected on their merits, paid a fair 
 salary, and are being given friendly social recognition. If Leavenworth 
 schools are going to improve and every single chapter of this report 
 will indicate that they are improving public interest, public support and 
 public cooperation are necessary; and these agencies must be held as 
 responsible for that improvement as the school authorities themselves. 
 
 COMMUNITY SPIRIT. 
 
 One other phase of the city needs to be analyzed, and that is its 
 general community spirit. That it is a cosmopolitan community follows 
 from its varied industries and heterogeneous population. But this cos- 
 mopolitanism is of a mixed type. Class lines are evident in Leavenworth. 
 
20 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 This social stratification makes church work, clean government, com- 
 mercial cooperation and school democracy more difficult than in a more 
 homogeneous community. Some radical elements and some progressive 
 elements are found; but in the main, conservatism dominates. It is 
 quite un-Kansan in this particular. New movements, new parties, new 
 ideals and all sorts of fads make headway slowly. Ritualism in religion, 
 formalism in education, party regularity in politics, negativism in amuse- 
 ments and respectability in society are necessarily in danger of over- 
 emphasis. There is evidence that in the past they have been too in- 
 fluential; but along each of these lines improvements may be noted. 
 
 As previously pointed out, a high standard of civic virtue is not to 
 be easily obtained in such a mixed and uncertain environment. The 
 number of temporary and irresponsible residents is so large that the 
 ordinary amount of civic conscience in the responsible native elements 
 can scarcely be expected to secure adequate sanitation and cleanliness 
 in many quarters of the city. The spring clean-up day is needed oftener. 
 
 Leavenworth is well paved and the streets seem to be well cared for; 
 but in the outlying districts and the draws and the unused lots neglect 
 is apparent. The river bluffs are picturesque and might well be utilized 
 for parks and playgrounds, to the benefit of large numbers of people. 
 A general campaign on the part of her newspapers and organized clubs 
 to develop a spirit of cooperation and local pride based upon real accom- 
 plishments would aid much in the civic reawakening which is at present 
 visible in many parts of the city's life. 
 
 OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSIS. 
 
 A very excellent occupational analysis of Leavenworth has been made 
 by Superintendent M. E. Moore of the Leavenworth Public Schools. It is 
 a type of work that ought to be done in many cities. It, together with a 
 study of the causes of elimination in all grades, should form the basis 
 for a reexamination of the curriculum and its administration in both the 
 elementary and high schools. This should be done with the idea of better 
 adapting them to the pupils while in school and better fitting these 
 pupils to take an effective part in the industrial and social life of 
 Leavenworth or some similar community after leaving school. 
 
 It is here appended, not only for its value in Leavenworth, but as a 
 worthy bit of community study that might be valuable elsewhere in the 
 educational field. 
 
 TABLE I. 
 
 Occupations Taken from the Directory of 1912. 
 
 Total. 
 9 
 11 
 11 
 254 
 15 
 3 
 
 175 
 44 
 6 
 
 Occupation. 
 Chauffeurs 
 
 Number of whites. 
 9 
 
 Colored. 
 
 Undertakers 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 Reporters 
 
 11 
 
 
 Accountants 
 
 252 
 
 2 
 
 Pharmacists 
 
 14 
 
 1 
 
 Civil engineers 
 
 3 
 
 
 Agents and salesmen 
 
 174 
 
 1 
 
 Apprentices 
 
 44 
 
 
 Bookbinders . 
 
 6 
 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 21 
 
 Occupation. Number of whites. Colored. Total. 
 
 Contractors (a) 5 .... 5 
 
 Contractors (6) 54 .... 54 
 
 Doctors, lawyers, dentists 79 4 83 
 
 Managers (a) 247 2 249 
 
 Managers ( 6 ) 28 .... 28 
 
 Managers <<?) 20 20 
 
 Machine operators (a) 100 3 103 
 
 Machine operators (6) 182 2 184 
 
 Painters, decorators 117 3 120 
 
 Telephone and telegraph operators 91 .... 91 
 
 Photographers 12 .... 12 
 
 Iron workers 125 .... 125 
 
 Silver and gold workers 10 .... 10 
 
 Railroad employees (a) 41 41 
 
 Railroad employees (6) *: 159 5 184 
 
 Woodworkers . 450 25 475 
 
 Cement workers 93 .... 93 
 
 Stone workers 10 .... 10 
 
 Plasterers 90 2 92 
 
 Soldiers 106 29 135 
 
 Clerks (a) 40 4 44 
 
 Clerks (b) 619 1 620 
 
 Laundresses 33 55 88 
 
 Teachers 125 13 138 
 
 Publishers 15 15 
 
 Widows 767 178 945 
 
 Dealers (a) 17 .... 17 
 
 Dealers (6) 320 8 328 
 
 Confectioners, hucksters 31 '3 34 
 
 Bakers (not proprietors) 12 .... 12 
 
 Domestics 82 80 162 
 
 Electricians 27 .... 27 
 
 Engineers, firemen 131 3 134 
 
 Messengers 20 2 22 
 
 Shoemakers 29 2 31 
 
 Stenographers 80 2 82 
 
 Draftsmen, architects' .... 3 
 
 Milliners (a) 15 .... 15 
 
 Seamstresses 184 1 185 
 
 Liverymen (a) 8 .... 8 
 
 Liverymen (6 ) 92 2 94 
 
 Plumbers, fitters 52 .... 52 
 
 Housekeepers (a) hotel 5 2 7 
 
 Housekeepers (&) restaurant 15 3 18 
 
 Housekeepers (c) rooms 44 2 46 
 
 Housekeepers (hired) 10 .... 10 
 
 Nurses 41 3 44 
 
 Barbers 65 11 76 
 
 Mail carriers 25 1 26 
 
 Real estate, insurance, etc 57 .... 57 
 
 Laborers without mention of steady employment 568 209 777 
 
 Laborers holding steady jobs, given in directory 861 195 1,056 
 
 Unclassified 764 89 853 
 
 Federal employees (mostly guards) 91 2 93 
 
 Miners '. 520 103 623 
 
 Farmers, gardeners, florists, etc 135 4 139 
 
 Cooks (a) 8 12 20 
 
 Cooks (6) 24 23 47 
 
 Tailors . 52 1 53 
 
22 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Occupation. Number of whiles. Colored. ' Total. 
 
 Butchers, meat cutters 34 .... '4 
 
 Printers , 44 .... 44 
 
 Manufacturers 45 .... 4."~> 
 
 Ministers 29 4 33 
 
 Students 23 1 24 
 
 Musicians . 19 3 22 
 
 Totals 8,721 1,102 9,823 
 
 An analysis of this table shows that 286, or 2.9 per cent of the total 
 number, may be classified as professional workers requiring elaborate 
 educational preparation; 87, or .9 per cent, are business managers need- 
 ing a thorough commercial education; 1963, or 20 per cent, are commer- 
 cial workers who need practical commercial training; 2204, or 22.4 per 
 cent, are skilled industrial workers who need first-class industrial train- 
 ing; 3419, or 35 per cent, are unskilled workmen who need at least a prac- 
 tical elementary education; and 1866, or 19 per cent, miscellaneous. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 23 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 GENERAL FEATURES OF THE LEAVENWORTH PUBLIC 
 
 SCHOOLS. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE LOCATION OF THE SCHOOLS. 
 
 THE Morris, Oak Street, and Third Avenue schools are to-day the 
 large elementary schools of the city. In addition to these, which are for 
 white children only, there are two schools for colored children, the Sumner 
 School in South Leavenworth and the Lincoln School in North Leaven- 
 worth. 
 
 The Morris School is located in a thickly settled district in North 
 Leavenworth. There is a large foreign element; Poles, Germans, and 
 Italians being most numerous. The United States reservation, contain- 
 ing Fort Leavenworth, borders the city on the north. The army has some 
 influence upon the school. A considerable element (45 per cent) of the 
 people are well-to-do; a few are wealthy and a number are poor. This 
 is an old section of the city, and the population is now drifting slowly to 
 the southwest portion. Mining is the most prominent industry. 
 
 The Oak Street School is centrally located, near the business section of 
 the city. The people are well-to-do, mostly merchants, with a few bank- 
 ers. A few children (30 to 40) come to this school from the western part 
 of the city, where truck gardening is the chief occupation. 
 
 The Third Avenue School is in South Leavenworth in the wealthiest 
 section of the city. The district is thickly settled and the school is the 
 largest elementary school in the city. In this school a number of chil- 
 dren come to the seventh and eighth grades who live in outlying sections 
 of the city. 
 
 The population of Leavenworth, while not growing in numbers in 
 recent years, has been spreading out. This has made necessary buildings 
 to accommodate at least the younger pupils in the outlying districts. 
 
 The Franklin School, built in 1903, is a four-room brick building in 
 the southwestern part of the city. The first six grades are taught in this 
 building, and from here the pupils enter the seventh grade in the Third 
 Avenue School. The patrons of the Franklin School are a very in- 
 dustrious laboring class of people. Most of them own their own homes 
 and have sufficient space for gardening. 
 
 The Jefferson School, a two-story brick building, was constructed in 
 1903. Employees at the federal prison, built several years prior to the 
 erection of the Jefferson School, necessarily lived near their place of 
 employment, and this fact led to a demand for a school in this neighbor- 
 hood. In addition there is an element of prosperous truck gardeners. 
 
 The Maplewood School building, originally a seminary for girls, was 
 purchased by the Board of Education in 1890 and rebuilt in 1903. The 
 building has a splendid location in the western part of the city. The 
 first six grades are taught here and the pupils enter the seventh grade at 
 
24 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 the Oak Street School. The patrons of the school are mostly laborers, 
 such as machanics, gardeners, bricklayers, stonemasons, and molders. 
 
 The Wilson School, a two-room building, was built in 1903 to accom- 
 modate a settlement of miners around the Riverside coal mine. Nearly 
 all the miners are foreigners. Some of the patrons work in Helmer's 
 furniture factory. 
 
 The Cleveland Park School was organized in 1911 to meet the demands 
 of a population drifting into the southwest portion of the city. The 
 building used for the school is a remodeled dwelling house. The school 
 is located in a community of truck farmers and the employees of two 
 large greenhouses. 
 
 TABLE II. 
 The Leavenworth Public Schools. 
 
 Enrollment Number of teachers, 
 
 January 23, 1914. including principals. 
 
 High School 420 20 
 
 Third Avenue 446 11 
 
 Oak Street 376 13 
 
 Morris 380 12 
 
 Sumner 185 6 
 
 Lincoln 127 5 
 
 Franklin 124 4 
 
 Maplewood 262 6 
 
 Jefferson 143 4 
 
 Wilson 39 2 
 
 Cleveland . 28 1 
 
 Total 2,530 84 
 
 THE ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
 
 A superintendent is at the head of the system. For the elementary 
 schools there are a supervisor of arts and crafts, a supervisor of music, 
 a supervisor of physical training, and two special teachers of domestic 
 science and art. At the Third Avenue, Oak Street and Morris schools 
 the principals do only a limited amount of teaching, and the principal 
 of the High School devotes all of his time to supervision and adminis- 
 tration. At the other buildings, except Wilson and Cleveland, substitutes 
 relieve the principal at regular intervals. 
 
 THE SUPERVISION OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 The principals are experienced and capable teachers who have been 
 selected for their present positions with considerable discrimination. 
 They are enthusiastic and vigilant in their work. Furthermore, they 
 have the cooperation of their teachers. The teaching staffs of the sev- 
 eral schools are well organized, and even details are not neglected. The 
 effectiveness of the class-room supervision is evident in the work of the 
 teachers and in the deportment of the school as a whole. In the matters 
 of routine the supervision has been very effective. 
 
 The supervision in Leavenworth is of the type which is to be found 
 in most schools. Several principals mentioned testing the work of a 
 teacher. These tests were oral and the estimate made of the ability of 
 the class necessarily was a matter of opinion on the part of the principal. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 25 
 
 We are just beginning to develop a new type of supervision in which 
 scientific methods of procedure will take the place of personal opinion or 
 prejudice in the valuation of methods and results. This type of super- 
 vision, because of its newness, we could hardly hope to find in Leaven- 
 worth. 
 
 The Courtis Standard Tests in arithmetic have been standardized and 
 are very convenient to use. We have two scales of handwriting which 
 may be used with profit. Other tests and scales are in course of prepara- 
 tion. Within a few years supervisors will have at their command tests 
 and scales which will make possible an entirely different type of super- 
 vision, in which facts will take the place of opinion. In Leavenworth the 
 application of measurement to the work of the schools should be under 
 the direction of the superintendent, but he can not take the time neces- 
 sary for the actual work without seriously impairing his usefulness to 
 the community. Besides, it is more properly the type of work which 
 should be done by the building principals as a part of their work of 
 supervision. In the case of the Third Avenue, Oak Street and Morris 
 schools, the building principals can do much in this way to increase their 
 service to their respective schools and the community. 
 
 THE SUPERINTENDENT SHOULD HAVE A SECRETARY. 
 
 Perhaps the most effective work of the present superintendent has 
 been in creating a stronger community interest in the public schools. 
 The most tangible results of his labors in this direction are the parent- 
 teacher associations which have been formed within the present year. 
 By temperament he is peculiarly suited to render this type of service, 
 and he would be able to serve the community better if he were provided 
 with a secretary, who could attend to many petty details which he is 
 now compelled to take time for. 
 
 At present the superintendent must type all his letters, answer all 
 telephone calls except such as the clerk of the board answers, notify 
 teachers of all meetings, file transfer cards, etc. Quarterly reports have 
 been issued this year in mimeographed form. These are valuable, and 
 the practice should be continued with a more complete report at the end 
 of the year. Under the present arrangement the superintendent must do 
 all the work of preparing these reports, even the mimeographing. 
 
 This practice is expensive. It makes the highest-salaried man-in the 
 whole school system spend a large amount of his time doing what a $50 
 to $75 secretary could do just as efficiently, perhaps more so, since she 
 would be trained for the work and would not have to do it piecemeal. 
 The high-school principal, who does no teaching, is provided with a 
 secretary, and most of the other principals receive clerical assistance 
 from the substitute teachers. 
 
 A secretary to the superintendent should be a person who has had 
 sufficient experience as a teacher to understand the work of a school sys- 
 tem and who has had office training besides. With a secretary of this 
 type, the work which the superintendent is now doing would be more 
 efficient and the scope of his services could be enlarged. 
 
26 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT RECOMMENDED. 
 
 The Survey Staff believes the school system would be much strength- 
 ened by the addition of an assistant superintendent or educational expert 
 who would rank between the superintendent and the high-school princi- 
 pal. This man should be vitally interested in public-school work, par- 
 ticularly the work of the elementary school, should have had experience 
 as a city superintendent and as a teacher in the elementary school, and 
 must have had recent training in the field of education, especially in 
 school administration of the scientific type. 
 
 He should be placed in charge of the normal-training work, but should 
 not devote all of his time to teaching. Under the direction of the super- 
 intendent, he should guide the teachers in doing constructive work in the 
 direction of reorganizing the subject matter of the program of studies 
 and in the testing of results. He should take the lead in placing the 
 teaching and supervision in Leavenworth on a scientific basis; that is, 
 upon a basis of facts and not opinions. As we point out in another place, 
 the principals should be in immediate charge of this work, but to make 
 such work most valuable to the community there must be a source of ex- 
 pert advice and a clearing-house for the facts gathered. Data which are 
 collected by means of tests have only small value until they are compared 
 with other data which have been collected in the same way. Such a man 
 as we recommend would be very valuable in comparing and interpreting 
 the data collected ; and in order that there may be uniformity it should be 
 collected under his supervision. 
 
 To those who may claim that this is just what the superintendent is 
 for, it should be pointed out that the superintendent's office has two 
 functions which are quite distinct. The one is primarily administrative, 
 the second supervisory. In a community the size of Leavenworth, with a 
 teaching staff of nearly 100 teachers and an annual pay roll of over $65,- 
 000, the total work to be done is too much for one man if a high degree of 
 efficiency is attained. The Survey Staff believes that the superintendent 
 can be most valuable to the community by continuing the things which 
 he is now doing, i. e., maintaining a general supervision over the system, 
 interesting the community in the schools, furnishing inspiration for the 
 teachers, and performing the other similar duties of his office. This is 
 enough for one man to do well, and doing the type of detailed work such 
 as we have recommended tends to incapaciate a man for the other duties. 
 By adopting this recommendation Leavenworth will align her school sys- 
 tem with the most progressive in the country. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 27 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE SCHOOL BOARD. 
 
 Walter B. Smith. 
 
 THE Boards of Education in first- and second-class cities in Kansas are 
 organized under a general statute of the legislature of .1911. They con- 
 sist of six members elected for a term of four years each, three being 
 elected every two years. Before the enactment of this law the Board of 
 Education of Leaven worth had consisted of twelve members elected for 
 a two-year term. ,. 
 
 The board is organized with* a president, vice-president, clerk, and 
 treasurer. The president exercises the functions usually devolving upon 
 that officer, and the city treasurer serves ex officio as treasurer for the 
 board, receiving $50 a year therefor. Since the money is banked by 
 sealed bids there are no perquisites. "The clerk is chosen by the board 
 and is required to furnish bond for $1000. This clerk keeps a journal of 
 the proceedings of board meetings, looks after the records, books and 
 documents of the board, countersigns all warrants upon the treasurer, 
 and must publish an annual report giving details of the board's fiscal 
 operations, and perform such other duties as the board may require. 
 This office has long been an important one in Leavenworth. It pays a 
 salary of $1200 per year, and for the last ten years has been filled by the 
 present incumbent. 
 
 The result of a good salary and the continuous service of the clerk are 
 well demonstrated in Leavenworth. An excellent system of records is 
 kept. The minutiae of administration of such an office call for cumulative 
 knowledge, and only long service can meet the incessant demands for 
 petty detailed services. Supplies for a large school system are multi- 
 farious and multitudinous. Specifications for contracts and bids for 
 supplies, blank forms for records, and requisitions, orderly methods of 
 filing information, records and plans, and stowing away materials, call 
 for not only a special type of mind, but can be more effectively done with 
 long practice and continuous experience. The board is to be commended 
 for this general policy, and the completeness of the records and business 
 formulas would indicate that their choice of a clerk is also worthy. 
 
 POWERS OF THE BOARD. 
 
 The powers of the Board of Education are full and complete and their 
 duties are numerous. They are to "make all necessary rules for the 
 government of the schools" and "to exercise the sole control over the 
 public schools and school property of such city." They are to elect a 
 superintendent, teachers, janitors, a truant officer, clerk, etc. All fiscal 
 operations must be under their control. The compulsory-education law 
 must be enforced, and definite provisions for safety in case of fire must 
 be made. 
 
 From a comparative standpoint, the most important power lodged 
 with the board, however, is the levy of taxes. It has full control of the 
 
28 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 levy for school purposes. The rate may be made whatever it pleases up 
 to six mills on the dollar for running expenses, and above that the board 
 may levy enough to carry the bonded debt of the school district. With 
 these powers, several of the boards in both first- and second-class cities 
 of Kansas have levied seven mills on the dollar and above. 
 
 COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD. 
 
 An analysis of the various boards of education since 1894 indicates an 
 average term of service of about four and three-fourths years. The 
 average length of service of the present board is four years. Frequent 
 elections under the old system led to many short terms, and consequently 
 to a lack of the necessary continuity of service to produce high efficiency. 
 The new method of election for four years is sure to work a helpful re- 
 form along this line. 
 
 There are two weaknesses inseparable from short terms in public- 
 service corporations. One is that the duties required are so complex that 
 the novice may assume little responsibility and become a figurehead. The 
 other is a far more serious danger. It is generally recognized that in a 
 democracy like ours the most dangerous man, whether in politics, religion, 
 business or the schools, is a man with convictions and no knowledge. All 
 of us are prone to act most impulsively and precipitately in the fields 
 where we are least informed. It is a matter of general observation and 
 comment that the new man on a public-service board is likely to be 
 willing to act first and think afterwards. This applies especially in re- 
 form movements, churches and schools, where every one has pretty 
 clearly defined feelings and convictions. 
 
 It is greatly to be desired in school boards that thoughtful men should 
 be chosen and continuity of service be maintained where possible. The 
 Survey Staff is consequently ready to urge upon the Leavenworth public 
 the desirability of reflecting good men, and upon members of the school 
 board the responsibility of serving long enough terms to enable them to 
 become fully conversant with the school system and school needs. This 
 will guard against hasty action and enable boards to work out construc- 
 tive plans far enough in advance to insure efficiency and economy in any 
 progressive measures. 
 
 A school board, to be well balanced, should represent various interests, 
 and big enough men should be elected to consider the needs of various- 
 parts of the city. Undue attention to geographical locality, however, is 
 pernicious and should be avoided. The caliber of men elected is much 
 more important than the place of residence of the board member. Under 
 the old system of ward election this dependence upon geographical loca- 
 tion was necessary, but under the new system its evils may easily be 
 avoided. Any citizen with a sufficient sense of civic and school responsi- 
 bility would represent the whole city, not merely the wants of a particular 
 locality. 
 
 A history of the Leavenworth board indicates that a representative 
 body of citizens have filled those offices. In the last twenty years, seven- 
 teen merchants, nine professional men, seven manufacturers, four con- 
 tractors, three bankers and thirteen other representative business men 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 29 
 
 have served the community as members of the school board. Of the 
 present board two are professional men, two are merchants, one is an 
 editor, and one is a railroad man. Two were born and educated abroad, 
 one in New York, and the other three are natives of Leavenworth. All 
 are actively interested in the Leavenworth schools ; two have served eight 
 years, two three years, and two are new members the present year. No 
 one was found to question the public spirit or unselfish zeal of a single 
 member. 
 
 WORK OF THE BOARD. 
 
 They are required by law to meet the first Monday in each month and 
 at call. The minutes for the present school year were read by the writer, 
 and interviews were held with each member (except one, who was in 
 Europe). All regular meetings have been held, and one called meeting. 
 These meetings have been from less than one hour to more than two 
 hours in length. 
 
 The board is divided by the president into five committees, each mem- 
 ber, aside from the president, being chairman of a committee. These 
 committees are as follows: 
 
 1. Ways and Means and Supplies. 
 
 2. High School, School Laws and Regulations, and Libraries. 
 
 3. Teachers and Salaries, Textbooks and Course of Studies. 
 
 4. Buildings and Grounds and Janitors. 
 
 5. Furniture, Apparatus, Printing and Auditing. 
 
 These committees are the real working features of the board, as indi- 
 cated both by conference and by the length of time spent in general meet- 
 ings. In fact, it may well be questioned if sufficient time is spent by the 
 board as a body in session to develop a full spirit of cooperation or a large 
 enough body of information about the school system as a whole. Con- 
 ferences with the board indicated a general rather than a specific knowl- 
 edge of the conditions and needs of the schools. Inquiries failed to elicit 
 information that any member had done much school visitation or thought 
 over the situation enough to have any constructive plan for the better- 
 ment of the schools. While all were open to conviction and ready to 
 accept suggestions for improvement, the attitude was a passive rather 
 than an active one. 
 
 Since the members of the board are not technical experts, this attitude 
 is immensely to be preferred to such meddling interference with purely 
 educational affairs as is often found in boards of education, notably in 
 the Portland system, as shown by the recently published survey of the 
 Portland schools. But a little more of a forward look, a little more con- 
 tact with actual schoolroom work, a little more knowledge of what is 
 being done, a little more conference with teachers and principals, and a 
 little more of specific planning for the ever-enlarging demands of educa- 
 tion in the matter of equipment, will yield a rich harvest in putting the 
 Leavenworth Public Schools to the front. 
 
 An illustration of the need of advance planning came out in con- 
 ferences with several different members of the board. They are unani- 
 mous in feeling that the greatest need of the schools at present is more 
 room about the buildings for playground purposes. In discussing costs 
 
30 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 of adjacent property it was agreed that any knowledge of plans for the 
 purchase of property would lead, in the usual patriotic American way, to 
 an increase of the cost of such property. Yet no plans were being made 
 until the money for such purchases was at hand, although a knowledge 
 of the presence of such plans would guarantee that this additional price 
 would be demanded. Some of the members were unaware that needed 
 property could be acquired under the right of eminent domain. Since the 
 board are agreed, it seems that the wisest and by far the most economical 
 scheme would be to set aside a certain minimum amount of money each 
 year to be used in this expansion. 
 
 THE RELATIONS OF THE BOARD TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. 
 
 The board is to be highly commended for its policy in leaving purely 
 educational problems to the authorities selected for that purpose. The 
 law gives practically complete powers to the board, and many boards are 
 unwise enough not to delegate that authority to experts. Many elect a 
 high-priced superintendent, who ought to know his business, and then 
 proceed to tie his hands with rules and regulations so that his work is 
 crippled. Education is a progressive business, and only a progressive , 
 superintendent can keep up with it; and he can not do it if interfered 
 with and hampered by a politically chosen or unprogressive board. 
 
 The proper lines of demarcation between the functions of a school 
 board and a superintendent are perfectly clear. The relations should be 
 exactly similar to those between the board of directors of a railway or 
 manufacturing or banking corporation and the active managers of those 
 concerns. The directors advise and recommend, and, if need be, check 
 the president in too rapid expansion of the business or in a manifestly 
 unwise policy. But the successful corporation is managed by a generally 
 unhampered and well-supported president whose reputation is at stake 
 and whose interests are bound up with those of the stockholders. The 
 same must be true of a school system. The superintendent should be 
 very carefully and wisely chosen, and then held fully responsible for the 
 success of the schools. Just as the president of a railroad must be free 
 to select his expert assistants, so must the superintendent be free to select 
 his teachers, even his janitors. When he proves unable to do this wisely 
 he has proved his unfitness for his position. 
 
 The Staff is glad to be able to say that this higher policy is followed 
 by the Leavenworth board. They are to be commended for electing their 
 superintendent for two years as long a term as the Kansas law allows. 
 And they stand back of him in his policies. So far as could be deter- 
 mined, he is allowed full power in the selection of his expert assistants. 
 Teaching efficiency depends largely upon a settled feeling an identifica- 
 tion of the teacher with the whole responsible life of the community. 
 The teacher must feel that his position is secure so long as efficient serv- 
 ice is rendered, and only so long. We are glad to be able to say that the 
 Leavenworth teachers feel much of the necessary security in their posi- 
 tions. It is unfortunate that teachers are employed, not as other people 
 are, but to be automatically discharged at the close of a year; but that 
 being the custom, the Leavenworth board do the next best thing by 
 making employment fairly permanent. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 31 
 
 THE PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES. 
 
 While this excellent business principle is followed with reference to 
 the superintendent and the teachers, there is a strange lapse from 
 business practice in the purchase of supplies. The factory, or street- 
 railway system, or other large business that allowed a number of inexpert 
 persons to purchase supplies would soon lose out in the competitive 
 struggle. But that is exactly what is often allowed to happen in public 
 business; and the Leavenworth school board has fallen into this an- 
 tiquated practice. Buying supplies for as large and varied a business 
 as the Leavenworth schools is business fit only for an expert fiscal agent. 
 Most of these supplies are prepared by specializing firms and may be 
 handled cheaply in large quantities. A good fiscal agent knows the firms 
 making them and can buy directly. Such an expert is required to learn 
 the quality and specifications of articles needed and to get unquestioned 
 supplies without delay. 
 
 The present board have the confidence of Leavenworth. They are 
 honest. But not a member would maintain that he is an expert buyer of 
 school apparatus. Yet he attempts the role. A requisition for supplies is 
 made out by the clerk; it is countersigned by the superintendent, and then 
 sent to the appropriate committee. The chairman of that committee 
 will then have to see his committee and make the purchase or submit it to 
 the board. Even small and necessary supplies are thus delayed. And 
 what member of the board feels that his judgment is good in regard to 
 the particular sort of things usually needed about a school building? 
 
 An illustration was at hand during the Survey. A field meet was 
 being planned by the director of physical training for the last of April. 
 Supplies were asked for during the latter part of February. They were' 
 needed very soon. No one objected to their purchase. A requisition was 
 made out and was accepted by the board at its meeting on March 2. 
 The supplies will cost about fifty dollars. It is now the 18th of March, 
 and bids are not called for until April 6. The supplies, therefore, can 
 not be expected before the middle of April six weeks to make a pur- 
 chase no one objected to; and this by a board which the public expects 
 to handle expeditiously the business end of public-school work. 
 
 There might be some excuse for this unbusinesslike and extravagant 
 method of buying supplies if the means were not at hand for remedying 
 it. But the proper organization already exists. A clerk is paid a good 
 salary to look after details for the board. It is easy and natural for him 
 to learn the specific needs of the schools. He knows what sort of brooms, 
 dusters, crayon, paper, gymnasium apparatus, laboratory supplies, etc., 
 are used, because he has to handle them from the storeroom. His whole 
 time and interest are centered about his work; therefore he becomes the 
 natural fiscal agent for the board. Such should be his chief work, and 
 the Leavenworth board should return to its former practice in this 
 matter, allowing the clerk to purchase the supplies under proper super- 
 vision, or else it should appoint some other expert fiscal agent. 
 
 Another evil is in the results upon the schools. Teachers ask for 
 Supplies, which are delayed so long that a large share of their value has 
 
32 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 disappeared before they can be obtained. This happens a few times, and 
 the teachers grow indifferent toward the use of up-to-date tools and 
 illustrative materials. They either do without or through their own zeal 
 go to the expense of buying them out of their own savings. Several of 
 the Staff found teachers using expensively acquired private equipment 
 rather than go through the elaborate process of red-tape required to get 
 it through the board. This puts a tax upon the zealous and progressive 
 teacher and discourages and disheartens the less efficient and less un- 
 selfish ones. The total result is that the net salary of the poor teacher 
 is larger than that of her more progressive sister teacher. 
 
 On the whole it may be said that the present board is doing its 
 allotted work effectively. It is honest, sticks to its proper function in 
 general, shows courage in levying a fair rate of taxes at present in the 
 face of a not too generous public feeling, and gives unselfishly of its 
 time and energy to an unpaid public service. Any criticism of its work 
 must be largely negative; that is, that it may sometimes lack foresight 
 or depth of knowledge of school problems or enough intensive study of 
 the actual needs of the school system to lay plans in advance for the 
 constructive program much needed in the near future of Leavenworth. 
 
 V/ RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 1. That the board be careful at all .times to continue to stick to its 
 own work the business administration of the schools interfering only 
 when necessary with the educational administration. 
 
 2. That the former excellent practice of turning over the purchasing 
 of supplies to the clerk of the board be returned to, or an expert fiscal 
 agent be employed. 
 
 3. That a definite budgetary system be established, whereby all income 
 shall be estimated at the beginning of the year and parceled out to meet 
 the needs of the schools as they have been reported through principals 
 and superintendent. 
 
 4. That the present moderate tax rate of six mills on the dollar be 
 maintained for the running expenses of the schools, for the more liberal 
 purchase of equipment, and for the necessary repairs and remodeling 
 needed in some of the half-century-old buildings to adapt them more fully 
 to up-to-date school work. 
 
 5. That an expert school architect be consulted for this remodeling and 
 for future school expansions. 
 
 6. That a definite and comprehensive plan be carefully worked out for 
 the purchase of additional land about some of the buildings, and a certain 
 sum of money be set apart in each annual budget for this purpose. 
 
 7. That a similar definite plan be devised for some of the expansions 
 which all recognize will be demanded in the near future, many of which 
 are recommended in other parts of this report. 
 
 8. Finally, that through the press, the parent-teacher associations, 
 and the various cultural and business organizations of the city, a cam- 
 paign of publicity be inaugurated for the education of public sentiment 
 regarding the needs of the schools and of the commercial and other values 
 of meeting these needs in the building up of a greater Leavenworth. 
 
 J 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 33 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ATTENDANCE, PROMOTION AND RECORDS. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE SCHOOL CENSUS. 
 
 IN A CITY the size of Leavenworth the first prerequisite for securing 
 the enrollment of children in school is a reliable census of all the children 
 of school age who are living within the school district. From this census 
 list teachers or some other authorized person should check off those who 
 enter school at the beginning of the school year. The names of those 
 whose age falls within the period *of compulsory attendance, and who 
 have not enrolled in school, should be given to the truant officer for in- 
 vestigation. In this way all cases of nonattendance can be checked up, 
 except for pupils who have moved into the district since the census was 
 taken. For these cases the school has to depend upon the cooperative 
 spirit of the community and the acquaintance of the teachers and the 
 truant officer with the community. 
 
 In Leavenworth the school census is taken under the direction of 
 the clerk of the Board of Education, who employs competent persons to 
 make the necessary house-to-house canvass. The census is taken upon 
 the blanks provided by the state . superintendent for that purpose. The 
 data collected are transferred to cards for the purpose of convenient 
 filing, a card being made for each child. These cards are filed alphabeti- 
 cally, and are used by the truant officer and in making out age certificates. 
 Each year a new census is taken and a new set of cards is made out. 
 There are on file now the cards for the last six years. The only use 
 which is made of the data of the previous year is when a parent or child 
 questions the accuracy of the data for the current year. 
 
 The weakness of the system is in not providing an automatic check 
 upon human fallibility. Errors may be made by parents in giving the 
 age of a child. The enumerator may make an error in entering the data. 
 There may be errors in transcribing the data upon the cards. And last, 
 children may be missed even in a careful enumeration. To guard against 
 these possible errors it is recommended that instead of there being a new 
 set of cards each year, the data collected in the blank books be checked 
 on the cards of the previous year. If a pupil had moved, the changed 
 address could be added on the card or a new card made. New cards 
 would be made for those who had moved into the district within the year 
 and for those who had attained school age. The cards remaining from 
 the previous year after this was done would include, first, those who had 
 passed school age, and those who had either died or moved from the dis- 
 trict within the year, and second, those who were overlooked in taking the 
 census. 
 
 Such a plan would not call for more labor than is now required to 
 make out a new set of cards each year. It would have the added advan- 
 
34 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 tages just indicated, and would provide a permanent and continuous 
 school census. During the school year cards should be added to this file 
 for the children who move into the district. 
 
 THE FUNCTION OF THE SCHOOL CENSUS. 
 
 A school census should have functions in addition to giving a count of 
 the children of school age living within the district. For instance, from 
 a school census the number and age of children living in the district and 
 not attending school could be easily determined. Such data, together 
 with the grade attained by the child before leaving school, would portray 
 some of the educational needs of the community. In a city the size of 
 Leavenworth it doubtless would show several hundred boys and girls 
 between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one who are not in school, and 
 some of whom have not even finished the eighth grade. These young 
 people represent an urgent educational need of the community, and if our 
 schools were conducted as a private business, accurate data concerning 
 them would be collected and used in the administration of the schools. 
 
 ATTENDANCE. 
 
 A comparison of the age distribution of the school census for 1913 
 with the age distribution of the enrollment for the year 1913-'14 shows 
 that there are 826 more children between the ages of eight and fifteen 
 years enumerated in the school census than are enrolled in the 
 Leavenworth public schools. The enrollment in the parochial schools of 
 the city for the year 1913-'14 was given as 1137. Since the work of the 
 parochial schools does not extend beyond the eighth grade, except in one 
 instance, these figures indicate roughly that the compulsory-attendance 
 law is effectively administered in Leavenworth. 
 
 TABLE III. 
 Age Distribution of Children Enumerated in School Census, 1913. 
 
 Number Per cent 
 
 Age. of children, of total. 
 
 5 382 5.8 
 
 6 406 6.2 
 
 7 345 5.3 
 
 8 370 5.6 
 
 9 323 5.0 
 
 10 326 5.0 
 
 11 332 5.0 
 
 12.. 322 5.0 
 
 Number Per cent 
 
 Age. of children. 1 of total. 
 
 13. 351 5.4 
 
 14 388 5.9 
 
 15 361 5.5 
 
 16 457 6.8 
 
 17 493 7.5 
 
 18 560 8.5 
 
 19 529 8.0 
 
 20 572 8.7 
 
 At the end of the first month of school, each teacher is required by the 
 rules of the Leavenworth Public Schools to file with the superintendent a 
 list of the pupils enrolled under the teacher. Thus by October first the 
 truant officer has the data necessary for checking up the school at- 
 tendance. The truant officer has a regular schedule for visiting the sev- 
 eral buildings. He also visits regularly the parochial schools. Whenever 
 a transfer of a pupil is made, a card giving the facts is filed with the 
 truant officer. It is his duty to check up the transfer. Thus if the 
 transfer is simply an excuse for leaving school it is detected at once. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 35 
 
 REPORTS OF TRUANT OFFICER. 
 
 A summary of the annual reports of the truant officer for the past four 
 years is given in Table IV: 
 
 TABLE IV. 
 Summary of Reports of Truant Officers. 
 
 1908-'09. 1909-'10. 
 
 Number of cases investigated ......... 468 303 312 317 
 
 Number of pupils placed in school ...... 247 62 58 43 
 
 Juvenile court: 
 
 Before court ................... 5 13 4 4 
 
 Convictions .................... 5 *13 4 4 
 
 Other courts: 
 
 Before court ............... ?... 
 
 Convictions .................... 
 
 Sent to industrial schools: 
 
 Boys ......................... . 2 3 4 4 
 
 Girls ......................... 1 
 
 * Nine boys paroled. 
 
 The drop from 247 pupils placed in school in 1909-'10 to 62 in 1910-'ll 
 is significant. It shows the influence of a vigorous administration of the 
 compulsory-attendance law. The fact that conviction was secured in 
 every case which was brought before the court indicates that the court is 
 used only as a last resort. 
 
 From conferences with the superintendent and the truant officer, it ap- 
 peared that the law was well and intelligently administered so far as con- 
 cerned the pupils who entered school in September. For those who do not 
 voluntarily enter school, the system followed has a very evident loophole 
 when applied to a community as large as Leavenworth. A month must 
 elapse before the attendance can be checked up, and then the burden of 
 checking is placed upon the truant officer, who has no clerical help. And 
 the fact that the teacher's lists are on large sheets of paper makes the 
 checking very tedious. 
 
 In order that there may be an earlier checking up, it is recommended 
 that the teachers be required to report the pupils enrolled at the end of the 
 first week of school, and to report these data on cards similar to those on 
 which the census data are recorded. When the enrollment cards are 
 alphabetized it will be comparatively easy to determine if all children 
 are in school who should be. 
 
 Children who are between the ages of fourteen and sixteen must file 
 with their employer age certificates. In Leavenworth age certificates are 
 issued by the clerk of the Board of Education, who has access to the 
 alphabetized census record. The form supplied by the commissioner of 
 labor and state factory inspector is used. No record of age certificates 
 issued is kept, except that the card is taken from the file and placed in a 
 separate file after being marked. It would seem worth while to keep at 
 least a record of the pupil's age, sex, grade attained in school, and 
 reason for leaving.* 
 
 * Since this was written a form has been devised by the clerk of the board, on which 
 this and other information is to be recorded in the future. 
 
36: 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 TABLE V. 
 
 Distribution of pupils according to number of days attending school, not 
 including those who moved into the district or moved from the district 
 during the year and who transferred to and from the parochial schools. 
 
 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 1912-'13. 
 
 Number Number 
 
 days attended. of pupils. 
 
 180-176 815 
 
 175-171 304 
 
 170-166 175 
 
 165-161 117 
 
 160-156 
 155-151, 
 150-146, 
 145-141 , 
 140-136. 
 135-131, 
 130-126. 
 125-121 . 
 120-116. 
 115-111. 
 110-106. 
 105-101. 
 100- 96. 
 
 81 
 
 59 
 
 49 
 
 42 
 
 36 
 
 20 
 
 13 
 
 12 
 
 15 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Per cent 
 of total. 
 
 45.89 
 
 Number 
 days attended. 
 
 95-91 
 
 Number 
 of pupils. 
 3 
 
 17.12 
 
 90-86.. 
 
 1 
 
 9.85 
 
 85-81 
 
 3 
 
 6.58 
 
 80-76 
 
 3 
 
 4.56 
 
 75-71. .. 
 
 2 
 
 3.32 
 
 70-66 
 
 
 2.76 
 
 65-61 
 
 2 
 
 2.36 
 
 60-56 
 
 
 2.03 
 
 55-51 
 
 1 
 
 1.13 
 
 50-46 . 
 
 1 
 
 73 
 
 45-41 . 
 
 1 
 
 67 
 
 40-36 
 
 1 
 
 .84 
 
 35-31 
 
 
 .34 
 
 30-26 
 
 1 
 
 QA 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 Total . 
 
 1,776 
 
 .22 
 
 
 
 Per cent 
 of total. 
 
 .17 
 .06 
 .17 
 .17 
 
 .11 
 *.'ii 
 '!6e 
 
 .06 
 .06 
 .06 
 
 ".06 
 
 REPORTS OF ATTENDANCE. 
 
 In the quarterly reports of the superintendent for the present year the 
 attendance is reported in terms of the number enrolled, number belong- 
 ing, and the per cent of attendance. This method of reporting is quite 
 usual, but very unsatisfactory, for it fails to reveal the facts which need 
 to be known. 
 
 The total days absent for the 1776 pupils in Table V exceeds 20,000. 
 The cost of the instruction which was provided and was not received by 
 these pupils amounts to approximately $2500. This amount inadequately 
 represents the cost of absences to the city of Leavenworth. This is no 
 small item, and the parents may well bear this in mind when permitting 
 unnecessary absences. 
 
 From this analysis of the table it should be clear that this is a more 
 valuable form in which to report the attendance than the one now used. 
 It is a form which is coming to be used, and the writer recommends it for 
 future reports. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHODLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 
 
 37 
 
 TABLE VI. 
 
 Age and Progress of the Pupils in the Leavenworth Public Schools, 
 taken January 20, 1914. 
 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 III 
 
 > IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 F 
 
 S 
 
 J 
 
 Sr 
 
 P 
 
 Total. 
 
 5yrs. 
 
 69 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 69 
 
 6yrs. 
 
 176 
 
 31 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 207 
 
 
 104 
 
 127 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 254 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 yrs 
 
 20 
 
 52 
 
 95 
 
 28 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 195 
 
 9 yrs 
 
 5 
 
 26 
 
 80 
 
 120 
 
 18 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 252 
 
 10 yrs 
 
 4 
 
 18 
 
 32 
 
 68 
 
 70 
 
 21 
 
 *3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 216 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 yrs. 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 22 
 
 44 
 
 59 
 
 68 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 219 
 
 12 yrs. 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 27 
 
 45 
 
 63 
 
 58 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 229 
 
 13 yrs. 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 71 
 
 67 
 
 31 
 
 28 
 
 
 
 
 
 253 
 
 14 yrs. 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 21 
 
 42 
 
 55 
 
 70 
 
 17 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 222 
 
 15 yrs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 20 
 
 33 
 
 24 
 
 49 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 152 
 
 16 yrs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 15 
 
 24 
 
 39 
 
 15 
 
 
 112 
 
 17 yrs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 14 
 
 27 
 
 25 
 
 4 
 
 80 
 
 18 yrs 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 11 
 
 15 
 
 3 
 
 36 
 
 19 yrs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 15 
 
 20 yrs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 Total.. 
 
 381 
 
 267 
 
 270 
 
 314 
 
 232 
 
 252 
 
 219 
 
 147 
 
 146 
 
 112 
 
 102 
 
 61 
 
 12 
 
 
 Below.. 
 
 69 
 
 31 
 
 23 
 
 28 
 
 18 
 
 24 
 
 20 
 
 13 
 
 32 
 
 17 
 
 21 
 
 16 
 
 4 
 
 
 Normal 
 
 280 
 
 179 
 
 175 
 
 188 
 
 129 
 
 131 
 
 125 
 
 86 
 
 94 
 
 73 
 
 66 
 
 40 
 
 7 
 
 
 Above . 
 
 32 
 
 57 
 
 72 
 
 98 
 
 85 
 
 97 
 
 74 
 
 48 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 15 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 
 
 According to this plan (see Table VI) the "normal" ages for the first 
 grade are 6 and 7, for the second grade 7 and 8, for the third 8 and 9, 
 and so on. When a pupil's age is less than the "normal" age for his 
 grade he is said to be "below normal," oj under age. When his age is 
 greater than the "normal" age for his grade he is said to be "above nor- 
 mal" age. 
 
 The table shows that some children in Leavenworth start to school 
 when they are five, some when they are six, others when they are seven, 
 and possibly a few when they are eight. Those who start to school at five 
 are "below normal" age in the first grade. If they are promoted at the 
 end of the year they will be "below normal" age in the second grade, and 
 so on. If a child is six or older when he starts to school, it is possible 
 for him to become "below normal" age only by sometime skipping a 
 grade. On the other hand, a child who enters school before he is eight 
 can become "above normal" age only by failing to be promoted. 
 
 This age and progress table for Leavenworth shows 69 pupils "below 
 normal" age in the first grade, 31 in the second grade, 23 in the third 
 
38 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 grade, 28 in the fourth grade, and so on. The table does not tell us 
 positively, but it suggests that very few pupils are "below normal" age 
 because of skipping a grade; that the pupils "below normal" age are so 
 primarily because they started to school when five and not because they 
 possess greater capacity for the work of the school than other pupils. 
 
 When we consider those "above normal" age, we find 32 in the first 
 grade, 57 in the second, 72 in the third, 98 in the fourth, and the number 
 remains relatively high until the eighth grade. These facts tell us quite 
 conclusively that many of those who are "above normal" age have be- 
 come so because in some grade they failed to be promoted, and that only 
 a few are "above normal" age because they started to school after they, 
 had passed the age of seven. Not all of those who fail of promotion are 
 included in the "above normal" age group. Considering those of "normal" 
 age, we find the ratio of the two ages varies from 127 to 52 in the second 
 grade to 31 to 55 in the eighth. These figures indicate that a number fail 
 of promotion who are still included in the group of "normal age." 
 
 This condition is significant for two reasons: First, it is expensive. 
 For the year 1912-'13 the expenses of the Leavenworth Public Schools 
 totaled $88,918.20, or an average of $31.85 for each pupil enrolled. In the 
 case of a pupil who failed to be promoted and must do the year's work 
 over, this $31.85 was largely wasted. If 20 pupils fail of promotion the 
 cost is $637, or the salary of a teacher paid $70 a month. And second, 
 these figures indicate, and more careful studies have shown it to be true, 
 that it is the child who is "above normal" age who is most likely to leave 
 school and not take advantage of the educational facilities which the 
 community has provided. 
 
 There will always be, or should be, some pupils who fail of promotion 
 or are retarded, because all are not equally capable. But it will be most 
 economical to adjust the work of the school so that the number failing 
 will approximately equal the number who skip a grade. In this way the 
 loss on the one pupil will be balanced by the gain on the other. Such a 
 system would probably also decrease the number of pupils who leave 
 school. The figures indicate that the Leavenworth Public Schools are so 
 adjusted that a number of pupils are retarded and very few are accel- 
 erated. The system can be made more efficient by making these groups 
 more nearly equal. 
 
 Such a table as the one above is valuable in exhibiting the age and 
 progress of pupils, but it necessarily leaves one in doubt about many 
 questions. For instance, take the pupils in the eighth grade. One does 
 not know how many years the 24 who are 15 years of age have spent in 
 school. In this table they are given as being "normal age," but it is 
 probable that some of them have been retarded at some point of their 
 course. For this reason it would be helpful to supplement this table by 
 another showing the relation between the grade and the number of years 
 spent in school. From such a table it will be possible to determine the 
 amount of acceleration and retardation. Knowledge of these items is 
 essential to efficient management of a school system. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 39 
 
 ENROLLMENT IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 TABLE VII. 
 Per cent of Distribution of High School Enrollment. 
 
 First year. Second year. Third year. Fourth year. 
 
 Leavenworth 34.68 26.60 24.23 14.49 
 
 Federal 41.73 27.08 18.21 12.98 
 
 Kansas 42.46 26.27 17.38 13.89 
 
 The figures in Table VII show that fewer pupils leave High School in 
 Leavenworth before the senior year than in general in the state of Kansas 
 or the United States. However, the drop from 34.68 per cent in the first 
 year to 26.60 per cent in the second year shows that many who enter the 
 High School do not enroll the second year. Also the drop between the 
 third and fourth years is significant. It is quite evident from these 
 figures that in Leavenworth the first and third years of the High School 
 are the critical years. 
 
 RECORDS AND REPORTS. 
 
 The system of records and reports is moderately elaborate. Reports 
 are made by teachers quarterly to their principal, and a summary of 
 their reports is made by the principal to the superintendent. These re- 
 ports include the usual items with reference to attendance, corporal pun- 
 ishment, suspensions, etc. In addition, there are a number of items such 
 as the number of visits by the Board of Education, superintendent, prin- 
 cipal, supervisor, and patrons, the work of the truant officer, etc. At the 
 close of the year a complete report is made for the year. 
 
 In addition, in the elementary school the following blank forms are 
 used: 
 
 1. Notice of supervision assignment. (For buildings and grounds 
 supervision for the week. Made by the principal.) 
 
 2. Work needing attention of janitors. 
 
 3. Temperature record. (Hourly record from 8:30 to 4:30. The 
 janitors register temperature and the card is filed with the principal at 
 end of week.) 
 
 4. A warning notice to parents of children who are not doing satis- 
 factory work. 
 
 5. A warning notice to parents of children who have been irregular 
 in attendance. (The rules of the Board of Education provide that more 
 than five half-days' absence in four consecutive weeks without satisfac- 
 tory excuse will result in suspension.) 
 
 6. A suspension notice, 
 
 7. "The Teachers' Loose-leaf Plan Book." (Requiring a plan for each 
 day's work.) 
 
 8. A blank form for recording the daily program. 
 
40 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 By far the most valuable records are those kept of individual pupils. 
 When a child enters school the following card is filled out by the parent: 
 
 LEAVENWORTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 ENTRANCE CARD. 
 
 School Grade Teacher. 
 
 1. Name of child 
 
 2. Date of birth, year month day 
 
 3. Place of birth Nationality, Father Mother 
 
 4. Name of parent or guardian Occupation ^. 
 
 5. Residence (street and number) 
 
 6. When vaccinated 
 
 7. By whom vaccinated , 
 
 8. Defective sight, Yes No Throat, Yes No 
 
 9. Defective hearing, Yes No Teeth, Yes No 
 
 Parents receiving this card will please fill out the nine numbered blanks and return 
 
 to teacher. 
 To be used in the primary grades in securing information from parent. 
 
 An attendance and scholarship record is kept for each pupil on a loose- 
 leaf form, and in addition there is a progressive record card for each pupil 
 which extends over twelve years. On one side of this card there is space 
 for recording for each quarter of each year the date of entering the room 
 and grade, the number of days he was a member of the room, number of 
 days admitted, days absent, times tardy, days dropped, date of readmit- 
 tance. 
 
 Individual and accumulative records of pupils are among the most im- 
 portant records which can be kept in a school system. As has been pointed 
 out by the National Educational Association Committee on Uniform 
 Records and Reports, the records made by teachers in the schoolroom are 
 the foundation of all statistics concerning pupils; and without reliable 
 statistics concerning pupils, no superintendent can administer a school 
 system in a scientific manner. 
 
 The forms used in the Leavenworth Public School collect in a usable 
 form the records made by the teacher in the schoolroom. However, the 
 progressive record card would be more useful if the attendance record 
 were given by years only and the space saved were used for a progressive 
 scholarship record in each school subject. 
 
 TABULATIONS RECOMMENDED. 
 
 The purpose of collecting and recording data is the use which may be 
 made of them. Only partial use is made of many of the data collected in 
 the Leavenworth Public Schools. For instance, the following tabulations* 
 are very valuable for the scientific management of a school system : 
 
 1. Distribution of withdrawals, by ages and causes. 
 
 2. Distribution of attendance according to number of days attended. 
 
 3. Graduates, by years in school. 
 
 4. Nonpromotions, by grades and causes. 
 
 5. Failures, by studies and grades. 
 
 6. Distribution of leavings and withdrawals, by ages and grades. 
 
 * See Report of the Committee on Uniform Records and Reports. Bull. 1912, No. 3, 
 U. S. Bureau of Education. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 41 
 
 In a school system the size of Leavenworth's the superintendent can 
 not be expected to make these uses of the records unless he is provided 
 with clerical assistance. In another section of this report it is recom- 
 mended that the superintendent be provided with a secretary. The tabu- 
 lation of data under the direction of the superintendent would be one of 
 her important functions. 
 
 These tabulations, together with their interpretations by the superin- 
 tendent, should be printed as a part of his annual report, and should be 
 read by each patron who has an interest in the public schools. These 
 tabulations of statistics will show to the stockholders the efficiency with 
 which their business is being conducted. 
 
42 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 BUILDINGS AND MATERIAL EQUIPMENT. 
 
 Waller S. Monroe. 
 THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS. 
 
 IN CONSIDERING the buildings and material equipment of the Leaven- 
 worth Public Schools it is necessary to have clearly in mind, first, the 
 past history of the city of Leavenworth and its public schools, and, 
 second, the probable future school needs of the community. 
 
 The Third Avenue School was built in 1860, the Sumner School in 
 1866, the Morris School in 1867, Oak Street School in 1874, and the 
 Maplewood building has been used as a public school for twenty-five 
 years. Thus over three-fourths of the pupils in the elementary schools 
 attend at buildings which have been built over twenty-five years, and 
 approximately half of the pupils attend at buildings which have stood for 
 nearly half a century. 
 
 This means that the majority of the school buildings were constructed 
 when much less was known about school architecture than at present, 
 and also when much less importance was attached to such matters as 
 lighting, heating, seating, hallways, fire-proof construction, playgrounds, 
 etc. In addition, these old buildings have been remodeled from time to 
 time, and in two cases additions have been built. These conditions neces- 
 sarily make the arrangement of some rooms and their lighting very poor. 
 
 The remaining elementary school buildings were constructed about ten 
 years ago, except the Cleveland Park School, which is simply a dwelling 
 house purchased by the Board of Education and adapted to the needs of 
 a one-teacher school. In the newer schools better provisions have been 
 made for the needs of the pupils. 
 
 The High School building was completed in 1905 and an addition was 
 built-in 1912. The building is poorly planned and represents very poor 
 community foresight. Before the High School can become what it should 
 be to the community of Leavenworth additional space must be provided. 
 
 THE BUILDING NEEDS. 
 
 The school census, the enrollment in the elementary schools and the 
 High School, and the total enrollment, are given in Table VIII. 
 
 TABLE VIII. 
 
 School Census and Enrollment since 1900. 
 
 Year. 
 
 1900-'01. 
 1901-'02. 
 1902-'03. 
 1903-'04. 
 1904-'05, 
 1905-'06, 
 1906-'07. 
 1907-'08. 
 1908-'09, 
 1909-10, 
 
 Census. Elementary schools. 
 
 High School. 
 
 6,963 
 
 2,575 
 
 176 
 
 6,865 
 
 2,417 
 
 164 
 
 6,646 
 
 2,480 
 
 174 
 
 6,615 
 
 2,342 
 
 229 
 
 6,695 
 
 2,282 
 
 255' 
 
 6,746 
 
 2,853 
 
 325 
 
 6,871 
 
 2,753 
 
 348 
 
 7,174 
 
 2,650 
 
 273 
 
 7,080 
 
 2,721 
 
 283 
 
 6,850 
 
 2,601 
 
 304 
 
 6,871 
 
 2,981 
 
 326 
 
 6,859 
 
 2,465 
 
 377 
 
 6,649 
 
 2,335 
 
 460 
 
 Total 
 enrollment. 
 
 2,751 
 2,581 
 2,654 
 2,571 
 2,537 
 3,178 
 3,101 
 2,923 
 3,004 
 2,905 
 3,307 
 2,842 
 2,795 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 43 
 
 The population of the city has been remarkably constant for twenty 
 years (see page 14), and there is no reason to suppose that there will be 
 any considerable change in the immediate future. The enrollment in the 
 elementary schools has fluctuated from year to year ? but the absolute 
 change for the period represented here is slightly negative, and the age 
 distribution of the school census shows the school population to be de- 
 creasing. (See page 34.) These facts, coupled with the population data 
 and general observations, indicate that it is not probable that there will be 
 any considerable permanent increase in the elementary-school enrollment 
 in the near future. Since a maximum of approximately 3000 children 
 have been cared for with slightly less than the present equipment of 
 schoolrooms, it is fairly certain that the present schoolrooms will not be 
 crowded in the near future. 
 
 On the other hand, the high-school enrollment has steadily increased 
 except for two years, and the indications are that it will continue to in- 
 crease until an enrollment of 800 or more is attained. Until such an en- 
 rollment is attained the Leavenworth High School can not be said to 
 serve the community as it should. In view of the fact that the High 
 School building is already seriously crowded (as the school is at present 
 conducted), provision must be made for nearly double the present en- 
 rollment. 
 
 Thus the building problem for the city of Leavenworth involves an in-' 
 crease in the number of classrooms only in the case of the High School. 
 The Sumner, Third Avenue, and Morris buildings are each approxi- 
 mately half a century old, and although the need for their replacement is 
 not immediate if they are kept in repair, they can not be expected to 
 stand forever. In the course of a few years some plans should be de- 
 cided upon which would involve the erection of modern buildings to take 
 their place. Also the Cleveland Park building is simply a small dwelling 
 house in which a partition has been removed so that the building could 
 be used for school purposes. This building is ill adapted to school work 
 and should be replaced as soon as possible with a modern rural school 
 building. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF BUILDINGS AND MATERIAL EQUIPMENT. 
 
 In Table IX an analysis of the buildings and material equipment and 
 their relations to the pupils of the elementary schools is given. 
 
44 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
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 Number of pupils 
 1913-'14 
 
 Total cubic feet bu 
 
 Number of cubic fe 
 
 Total cubic feet 
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 Number of cubic fe 
 
 Total outdoor play 
 
 Number of square 
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 $ ? -S ^ ' g | 
 
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SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 45 
 
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46 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 The data for the building space used by teachers and pupils and the 
 total floor space in recitation rooms suggest slightly crowded conditions 
 in the Maplewood, Jefferson and Cleveland buildings; but when the writer 
 visited these buildings the condition did not appear serious except in the 
 case of the Cleveland School. A more adequate building should certainly 
 be provided for this school. 
 
 PLAYGROUNDS. 
 
 The facts relating to facilities for indoor and outdoor play are among 
 the most significant in the entire table. At the two largest schools, Oak 
 Street and Third Avenue, the total outdoor play space per pupil is 30 
 and 34 square feet, respectively. This is entirely inadequate, and much 
 less than the average for the 83 buildings. The outdoor play space is 
 moderately adequate in the case of the other schools except Lincoln. How- 
 ever, at the Jefferson School the arrangement of the buildings and 
 grounds is such that there is no play space for the girls, and much of 
 the space at the Sumner School is not usable. The latter is partly true 
 of the Morris School. In the case of these schools, and to a less extent 
 the others, the efficiency of the playground could be much increased by 
 grading and providing an appropriate surface. The equipment of the 
 playgrounds is inadequate, being much below the average except in the 
 case of the smaller school. During the present year, 1913-'14, a start has 
 been made in equipping the playgrounds. It is recommended that addi- 
 tional equipment be provided as rapidly as funds can be secured and that 
 additional outdoor play space be obtained for those buildings which show 
 crowded conditions. 
 
 The Morris, Third Avenue, Sumner and Cleveland buildings are evi- 
 dently poorly lighted, but some remodeling of the first two of these build- 
 ings is being done this summer which will increase the amount of window 
 space. The corridors of the Oak Street and Third Avenue buildings are 
 not well lighted. This is due to the fact that additions have been built 
 onto the original buildings. A few features found in many of the 83 
 buildings studied are entirely wanting in Leavenworth; for example, 
 school baths and stationary wash basins for pupils' use. 
 
 GYMNASIUM. 
 
 There is no gymnasium, though the need for one is acute. Our recom- 
 mendations with respect to a gymnasium will be given in connection with 
 the treatment of physical training. See page 176. 
 
 AUDITORIUMS. 
 
 The Survey Staff is unanimous in approving the present plans of the 
 Board of Education for providing auditoriums in the Third Avenue, Oak 
 Street and Morris buildings. See page 65 for recommendations for using 
 auditoriums. 
 
 Detailed recommendations as to the remodeling of the present build- 
 ings or the construction of new buildings are not given because our 
 knowledge and standards of school architecture are increasing so rapidly 
 at the present time. Extensive remodeling of the present buildings would 
 not be good business. When the city of Leavenworth is ready to replace 
 the present old buildings by modern structures a competent architect 
 should be secured. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 47 
 
 SANITATION. 
 
 The High School, Morris, Third Avenue and Oak Street buildings have 
 sewer connections. The other buildings have none, although three of 
 them Sumner, Lincoln and Jefferson are sufficiently near the sewer. 
 Toilet paper is furnished only at those buildings which have sewer con- 
 nections. The three buildings, Sumner, Lincoln and Jefferson, should be 
 connected with the sewer at once, and as soon as sewer connections are 
 available the other buildings should be connected. The need is particu- 
 larly pressing at the Lincoln building because of the small playground and 
 the thickly settled district in which it is located. The Leavenworth Public 
 Schools can render valuable service to the community by setting standards 
 of sanitary cleanliness. 
 
 SEA-DING. 
 
 The dimensions of many of the classrooms and the position of the win- 
 dows make impossible the placing of seats according to present-day 
 standards. In a number of the classrooms the placing of the seats and 
 the lighting are good. In a few these features are very poor. In all, 
 except a few cases, the best is being made of an unfortunate situation. 
 
 Many of the seats have been inherited from the same generation as 
 the buildings. They are nonadjustable and unsanitary. The superin- 
 tendent stated in a report for 1912 that within the previous year "700 
 old nonadjustable and unsanitary seats" had been replaced by "700 ad- 
 justable and sanitary seats." This is a commendable improvement. In 
 some cases even yet the seats are entirely unsuited to the pupils who must 
 use them. In one schoolroom blocks are being used to make possible a 
 resting place for the feet of some children. A room in the Jefferson 
 School was visited in which scarcely a child could touch the floor with his 
 feet when sitting erect. Such a condition should not be permitted to con- 
 tinue to exist. In the rooms which are equipped with adjustable seats, 
 the seats appeared to be properly adjusted. 
 
 BLACKBOARDS. 
 
 The table on page 44 shows that adequate blackboard space is pro- 
 vided in most of the buildings in Leavenworth. The High School build- 
 ing is equipped with slate blackboards. In the other buildings, except 
 Cleveland Park, the blackboards have been made by applying a liquid 
 slate preparation to the plaster. In some of the buildings a fresh coat is 
 applied twice a year, in others only once a year. 
 
 At best, this type of board is unsatisfactory, and in many of the class- 
 rooms the boards are very poor because of an imperfect plaster surface. 
 The classrooms should be equipped with slate boards and sanitary chalk 
 ledges, but in view of the fact that the buildings are old and the present 
 boards are usable, there are other more urgent demands for improve- 
 ments. Perhaps an exception should be made in the case of the rooms 
 used for the departmental teaching of arithmetic. In any case, a fresh 
 coat of the liquid slate should be applied oftener than at present. 
 
 FIREPROOF CONSTRUCTION. 
 
 The buildings are not fireproof. This is to be expected when the age of 
 the buildings is considered. Fire escapes have been provided at all 
 buildings of two stories or more, and the children were found well trained 
 in fire drills with the exception of one school. These conditions minimize 
 the danger from fire, but it could be further decreased by installing fire- 
 proof stairways in the three large buildings. 
 
48 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 EDUCATIONAL EXPENDITURES. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE. 
 
 JUDGED merely in dollars and cents, the Leavenworth Public Schools 
 are one of the large business enterprises of the community. They repre- 
 sent an investment of approximately a quarter of a million and carry a 
 yearly pay roll of over $65,000 and a yearly budget of approximately 
 $125,000. It is thus worth while to inquire into the nature of this in- 
 vestment and compare the expenditures with those of similar com- 
 munities. 
 
 HOW LEAVENWORTH SUPPORTS HER SCHOOLS. 
 
 There are in Kansas ten cities of the first class, i. e., which have a 
 population of 15,000 or over. In Table X we give some facts for these 
 cities, taken from the report of the state superintendent for 1912. 
 
 TABLE X. 
 
 
 School 
 census. 
 
 Enroll- 
 ment. 
 
 Tax 
 levy. 
 
 Total 
 valuation. 
 
 Possible 
 revenue 
 from direct 
 taxation. 
 
 Possible 
 revenue 
 per pupil 
 enrolled. 
 
 Value of 
 school 
 property 
 per pupil. 
 
 Atchison 
 
 3,486 
 
 2,002 
 
 4.2 
 
 $16,042,373 
 
 $67,377.66 
 
 $33.66 
 
 $125.00 
 
 Coffeyville 
 Fort Scott 
 
 3,&76 
 4,273 
 
 3,406 
 2,625 
 
 7.0 
 
 5.8 
 
 11,541,115 
 8,956,512 
 
 80,787.70 
 51,947.70 
 
 23.72 
 19.79 
 
 53.00 
 45 00 
 
 Hutchinson 
 
 4,240 
 
 3,491 
 
 4.3 
 
 20,644,512 
 
 88,771.35 
 
 25.43 
 
 143 00 
 
 Kansas City 
 
 25,314 
 
 14,593 
 
 5.5 
 
 92,919,110 
 
 511,055.05 
 
 35.02 
 
 95.00 
 
 Leavenworth 
 
 6,649 
 
 2,842 
 
 4.0 
 
 17,297,281 
 
 69,188.80 
 
 24.34 
 
 81.00 
 
 Parsons 
 
 3,190 
 
 2,529 
 
 5.6 
 
 11,593,311 
 
 64,922.48 
 
 25.67 
 
 158.00 
 
 Pittsburg 
 
 5,008 
 
 3,211 
 
 6.0 
 
 11,440,505 
 
 68,642.40 
 
 21.39 
 
 29.00 
 
 Topeka 
 Wichita 
 
 11,641 
 12,545 
 
 7,936 
 9,443 
 
 4.7 
 7 
 
 50,950,000 
 64,133,116 
 
 239,475.00 
 448,931 70 
 
 30.17 
 47 54 
 
 109.00 
 103 00 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Average 
 
 
 
 5.4 
 
 
 
 
 96.00 
 
 These figures reveal the following facts: Leavenworth stands seventh 
 in the number of pupils enrolled in the public schools, tenth in rate of 
 tax levy, fifth in taxable valuation, seventh in revenue from direct taxa- 
 tion per pupil enrolled, and seventh in amount invested in school prop- 
 erty per pupil enrolled. The average investment in school property per 
 pupil enrolled in these cities is $96. Leavenworth has $81 invested for 
 each pupil enrolled. 
 
 This means that, at the time these figures were taken, 1912, Leaven- 
 worth had the lowest tax levy for school purposes of the first-class cities 
 of Kansas, and by so doing was below the average in providing build- 
 ings and material equipment and in its support of its public schools. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 49 
 
 It is an indication of increasing community interest in the Leaven- 
 worth Public Schools to find that since these data were collected the tax 
 levy has been raised to S 1 /^ mills for current expenses and one-half mill 
 for interest and bonds. This is within one-half mill of the limit set by 
 law for the maintenance of public schools in cities of the first class. The 
 possible revenue from direct taxation is now approximately $38 for each 
 pupil enrolled. Comparative data are not at hand for the other cities, 
 but it is fairly certain that Leavenworth has increased its comparative 
 standing. 
 
 Although Leavenworth has not been supporting her schools as gen- 
 erously as most of the other first-class cities of Kansas, the tax rate in 
 Leavenworth is unusually high. The citizens of Leavenworth pay the 
 following taxes on each one hundred -dollars valuation : 
 
 School $0.60 
 
 City 89 
 
 County 64 
 
 State 12 
 
 Total $2.25 
 
 This means that out of each dollar paid in taxes 27 cents goes to the 
 schools, 39 cents to the city, 29 cents to the county, and 5 cents to the 
 state. 
 
 In Table XI the bonded indebtedness is given for the last twenty years. 
 
 TABLE XI. 
 Bonded Indebtedness of Leavenworth for School Purposes. 
 
 Remaining July 1, 1894 $95,374.13 
 
 1895 89,345.88 
 
 1896 83,120.26 
 
 1897 75,074.50 
 
 1898, 68,734.05 
 
 1899....' 62,393.61 
 
 1900 59,223.39 
 
 1901 97,155'.80 Issue $44,000 
 
 1902 89,945.48 
 
 1903 79,291.66 
 
 1904 129,437.76 Issue $60,000 
 
 1905 119,310.16 
 
 1906 .' 103,534.01 
 
 1907 93,010.49 
 
 1911 69,367.01 
 
 1912 65,307.78 
 
 1913 60,307.78 
 
 These figures show several things: 
 
 1. Bonds to the amount of only $104,000 have been voted within the 
 last twenty years. The money from these bonds was put into buildings 
 and equipment, and, with the exception of the $20,000 addition to the 
 High School building, represents the total amount put into the permanent 
 investment within that period. Thus only about half of the present 
 school plant represents investments made within the last twenty years. 
 
 2. Within the period considered, the bonded indebtedness has never 
 been less than that at the present year except for the single year 1900; 
 
50 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 and at the end of the present fiscal year the bonded indebtedness of 
 Leavenworth for school purposes will have reached the lowest mark 
 within over twenty years. 
 
 3. With the present bond levy of one-half of one mill the present 
 bonded indebtedness will be paid in less than twelve years. 
 
 4. As compared with other Kansas cities, Leavenworth has not been 
 generous in providing buildings and material equipment for her schools. 
 In 1910 Hutchinson, with a taxable valuation only slightly greater than 
 the present taxable valuation of Leavenworth, was carrying a bonded in- 
 debtedness of $147,000. The taxable valuation of Kansas City, Kan., in 
 1910 was $71,341,895, or only about four times the present valuation of 
 Leavenworth. The bonded indebtedness was $815,000, or thirteen times 
 the present indebtedness of Leavenworth. 
 
 5. Leavenworth's position of seventh among the ten first-class cities, 
 as judged with reference to value of buildings and equipment per pupil 
 enrolled, is due to the age of the city and its static population. If Leav- 
 enworth were as new and as rapidly growing as many other Kansas 
 cities, and if no more had been invested in public schools than has been, 
 Leavenworth would' doubtless stand at the bottom of the list. 
 
 Thus if Leavenworth should vote bonds -to the extent of $150,000 or 
 more within the next few years, the city would only be doing what other 
 Kansas towns have already done and others are now doing. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF SALARY EXPENDITURES. 
 
 The large item of school expenditures is salaries. In Leavenworth 
 it has been about three-fourths of the total regular expense, and in the 
 future should bear even a greater ratio to the total. For this reason, and 
 for others which will be made clear later, it is important to inquire what 
 the community of Leavenworth is buying with this money. 
 
 No teacher in the seventh and eighth grades receives less than $720, 
 and most of the teachers in these grades receive the maximum salary, 
 $810. From these upper grades the salaries decrease with the grade 
 until the first and second grades. The lowest salaries are paid in the 
 second, third and fourth grades. 
 
 The average salary for the elementary teachers of Leavenworth, in- 
 cluding principals, is $683. The average of 1102 elementary teachers in 
 30 cities near Chicago is $709. 
 
 TABLE XII. 
 
 The Distribution of the Teachers Accordiing to Salaries. 
 
 Number 
 
 of elementary-school* teachers, 
 with salaries. 
 
 Number of high-school teachers,! 
 with salaries. 
 
 Below $350 
 
 o 
 
 Below $500 
 
 
 
 $350 
 
 to 
 
 $400 
 
 o 
 
 $500 
 
 to 
 
 $600 
 
 1 
 
 400 
 
 to 
 
 450 
 
 61 600 
 
 to 
 
 700 
 
 
 
 450 
 
 to 
 
 500 
 
 4 ; 700 
 
 to 
 
 800 
 
 2 
 
 500 
 
 to 
 
 550 
 
 5 | 800 
 
 to 
 
 900 
 
 2 
 
 550 
 
 to 
 
 600 
 
 
 900 
 
 to 
 
 1,000 
 
 7 
 
 600 
 
 to 
 
 650 
 
 2 i 1,000 
 
 to 
 
 1,100 
 
 8 
 
 650 
 
 to 
 
 700 
 
 3 1,100 
 
 to 
 
 1,200 
 
 1 
 
 700 
 
 to 
 
 750 
 
 6 
 
 1,200 
 
 to 
 
 1,300 
 
 
 
 7- : 
 
 to 
 
 800 
 
 
 
 1,300 
 
 to 
 
 1,400 
 
 
 
 800 
 
 to 
 
 850 
 
 23 
 
 1,400 
 
 to 
 
 1,500 
 
 
 
 * Supervisors of music and arts and crafts included. 
 
 t Includes four teachers who give half time to the elementary school. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 51 
 
 Number of high-school teachers, t 
 with salaries. 
 
 $1,500 to $1,600 
 
 1,600 to 1,700 
 
 1,800 
 
 1,900 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,700 to 
 1,800 to 
 1,900 to 
 
 2,000 and above 
 
 Number of elementary-school* teachers, 
 with salaries. 
 
 $850 to $900 
 
 900 to 1,000 4 
 
 1,000 to 1,050 
 
 1,050 to 1,100 1 
 
 1,100 to 1,150 1 
 
 1,150 to 1,200 
 
 1,200 and above 3 
 
 If we exclude the principals and supervisors, the median salary of the 
 teachers in the elementary school is between $650 and $700. This group 
 includes only women. For a miscellaneous group of women teachers made 
 up very largely of elementary school teachers, Dr. L. D. CoffmanJ has 
 shown the median salary to be from 372 for one year of experience up to 
 $629 for twenty-five years' experience. In comparison with these data, 
 the salaries for teachers in the Leavenworth elementary school are 
 superior. 
 
 The median salary of principals of north central high schools in cities 
 from 15,001 to 50,000 population is given as $1800. The median maximum 
 salary of teachers is $1500 and the median minimum salary of teachers 
 is $500. The average salary is not given, but we may conclude that 
 Leavenworth compares favorably with other cities of its class in point of 
 salaries paid to high-school teachers. 
 
 TABLE XIII. 
 
 Cost of Instruction in High School. Leavenworth Compared with the 
 Median for 2U Cities. 
 
 Sl'tUECT. 
 
 Average 
 size 
 of 
 class. 
 
 Number 
 of hours 
 
 teacher. 
 
 Number of 
 students 
 per 
 teacher. 
 
 Teachers'** 
 salary 
 by 
 subject. 
 
 Number of 
 student 
 hours 
 for $1.00. 
 
 Cost per 
 student hour. 
 
 English 
 
 M 
 
 21.2 
 
 21.0 
 
 L 
 24.3 
 
 23.3 
 
 M 
 23.3 
 
 23.3 
 
 L 
 
 20.0 
 
 20.0 
 
 M 
 139 
 
 138 
 
 L 
 
 146 
 
 140 
 
 M 
 $405 
 
 475 
 
 L 
 
 $457 
 
 474 
 
 M 
 22.2 
 
 19.0 
 
 L 
 
 19.9 
 
 17.6 
 
 M 
 $0.044 
 
 .053 
 
 L 
 
 $0.052 
 
 .056 
 
 Mathematics 
 
 History 
 
 20.6 
 
 25.6 
 
 23.0 
 
 17.2 
 
 127 
 
 133 
 
 465 
 
 465 
 
 17.0 
 
 17.0 
 
 .052 
 
 .058 
 
 Science 
 
 20.2 
 
 24.3 
 
 22.5 
 
 20.0 
 
 109 
 
 85 
 
 480 
 
 477 
 
 17.9 
 
 18.3 
 
 .060 
 
 .054 
 
 Modern Latin 
 
 17.3 
 
 21.3 
 
 23.2 
 
 20.0 
 
 128 
 
 113 
 
 427 
 
 440 
 
 16.2 
 
 15.4 
 
 .061 
 
 .064 
 
 I^atin 
 
 17.3 
 
 19.1 
 
 23.3 
 
 20.0 
 
 113 
 
 115 
 
 440 
 
 520 
 
 15.4 
 
 13.2 
 
 .064 
 
 .075 
 
 Shop Work 
 
 14.5 
 
 12.3 
 
 23.1 
 
 31.0 
 
 77 
 
 69 
 
 570 
 
 378 
 
 13.0 
 
 18.2 
 
 .068 
 
 .054 
 
 H. Arts 
 
 16.5 
 
 22.5 
 
 24.3 
 
 29.2 
 
 98 
 
 198 
 
 388 
 
 413 
 
 20.7 
 
 28.6 
 
 .048 
 
 .035 
 
 Commercial 
 
 18.6 
 
 23.1 
 
 24.1 
 
 20.0 
 
 130 
 
 139 
 
 489 
 
 500 
 
 16.2 
 
 16.6 
 
 .064 
 
 .050 
 
 Normal Training . . . 
 
 15.0 
 
 20.5 
 
 23.6 
 
 16.6 
 
 72 
 
 103 
 
 503 
 
 427 
 
 10.8 
 
 14.3 
 
 .092 
 
 .069 
 
 An examination of the facts given in Table XIII shows that Leaven- 
 worth does not stand conspicuously above or below the median of this 
 group of cities. 
 
 * Supervisors of music and arts and crafts included. 
 
 t Includes four teachers who give half time to the elementary school. 
 
 J L. D. Coffmau. The Social Composition of the Teaching Population. 
 
 Ibid., p. 111. 
 
 **Salary per semester. 
 
52 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE TEACHING STAFF. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
 
 THE distribution of the teachers in the elementary school according to 
 total years of training beyond the elementary school is given below : 
 
 Number 
 
 
 Number 
 
 
 of years 
 
 
 of years 
 
 
 beyond 
 
 
 bevond 
 
 
 elementary 
 school. 
 
 Number of 
 teachers. 
 
 elementary 
 school. 
 
 Number of 
 teachers. 
 
 1 
 
 o 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 ... 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 9 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 11 
 
 10. 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 18 
 
 11 
 
 1 
 
 6.. 
 
 . 20 
 
 
 
 Nearly half of the teachers now employed in the elementary school 
 have six or. more years of academic and professional training beyond the 
 elementary school. The average number of years of training beyond the 
 elementary school is 5.4 for the teachers in the elementary schools of 
 Leavenworth, and the average for 1102 teachers is 5.2 years.* This 
 shows that in the past, with even a lower minimum standard than at 
 present, Leavenworth has secured many teachers with college training or 
 that the teachers have attended summer schools after their appointments. 
 Thus the showing of the teachers, when judged by their total years of 
 training beyond the elementary school, is relatively good. 
 
 In order to maintain this standing it will be necessary for the academic 
 and professional standards for teachers in the elementary school to be 
 strengthened in the near future. This can be done for those who enter 
 from the normal training class of the Leavenworth High School by adding 
 a year to that course. Such an addition is feasible and would make it 
 possible for students to take adequate courses in domestic science and 
 manual training. If music and drawing are introduced in the High 
 School, as the Survey Staff recommends, these courses would be valuable 
 for those preparing to teach. There would be opportunity for some 
 additional study in the field of education. An alternative plan would be 
 to -require one or more years of work in a normal school. This plan 
 possesses the advantage of bringing the prospective teachers in contact 
 with an institution outside of their own community and with a larger 
 number of teachers. 
 
 LENGTH OF SERVICE. 
 
 In Table XIV the number of years in the Leavenworth Public Schools 
 is given for the teachers of the elementary school, omitting the special 
 supervisors and the teachers of the industrial work. 
 
 * These and other comparative data which are used in this chapter were furnished by 
 Dr. J. F. Bobbitt unless other acknowledgment is made. In all cases the data are for <he 
 year 1913-' 14. The elementary teachers are all from school systems in cities averaging 
 about the size of Leavenworth. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 53 
 
 TABLE XIV. 
 Length of Service of Teachers in Elementary School. 
 
 Vt-itrs in 
 system. 
 
 o 
 
 Number of 
 teachers. 
 
 2 
 
 Years in 
 system. 
 
 17 
 
 Number of 
 teachers. 
 
 . . 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 18 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 
 19 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 21 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 22 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 23 
 
 2 
 
 
 4 
 
 24 
 
 
 
 g 
 
 2 
 
 25 
 
 1 
 
 9 
 
 3 
 
 26 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 1 
 
 28 
 
 1 
 
 12 
 
 2 
 
 29 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 3 
 
 30 
 
 1 
 
 14 
 
 1 
 
 31 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 o 
 
 32 
 
 o 
 
 16.. 
 
 1 
 
 33.. 
 
 1 
 
 Half of the teachers in the elementary school have been in the system 
 seven years or more and the average term of service is 9.2 years. The 
 average for 1102 elementary teachers is 6.9 years. This permanency of 
 service offers the opportunity for improvement and development which 
 would not be possible if the teachers remained in service only two or 
 three years, but this opportunity carries with it the responsibility for 
 providing facilities for the improvement of teachers in service. 
 
 IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHERS IN SERVICE. 
 
 Out of 62 teachers in the elementary schools only 14 have attended 
 summer school within the last three years. Seven of this number at- 
 tended six weeks or less, and only four teachers have attended 16 or 
 more weeks. Of these 14 teacher's who have attended summer school 
 within the last three years, three have come into the system within the 
 present year, and the terms of service of the others are as follows: 
 
 Years in 
 system. 
 
 1.. 
 
 2.. 
 3.. 
 
 4.. 
 7. . 
 9.. 
 
 Number of 
 teachers. 
 
 Among those attending summer school there is only one principal, and 
 that one attended only six weeks. 
 
 In the High School ten teachers out of eighteen have attended sum- 
 mer school within the last three years. Only four teachers of this group 
 (which includes the supervisors of music and arts and crafts) have 
 been in the system more than three years. 
 
 Only one teacher reported correspondence work. 
 
 Similar data from other cities are not at hand for comparison, but in 
 the absence of such data the writer believes that the teachers in the 
 
54 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 elementary schools should attend summer school more. These data were 
 submitted to several educators, and they all concurred in this opinion. 
 Half of the teachers have been in the system seven years or more, and 
 if we may assume that the percentage of attendance upon summer school 
 has been constant for the last seven years, probably less than one-third 
 of these teachers have attended school within that time. When we con- 
 sider the development in educational theory and practice which has taken 
 place within that time, the importance of an occasional term in school i? 
 easily recognized. 
 
 The responsibility for the present condition probably should not be 
 placed entirely upon the teachers. Without adequate salaries teachers 
 can not be expected to attend summer schools, but now that the com- 
 munity is paying better salaries, the community may reasonably expect 
 greater efforts toward self -improvement on the part of teachers. 
 
 TIME GIVEN TO SCHOOL WORK BY TEACHERS. 
 
 The total school time, including both the time spent at school and the 
 time away from school spent in preparation for school work, according* 
 to the teachers' reports, varies from 1800 to 3500 minutes per week, or 
 from 30 hours to nearly 60 hours per week. A summary of the reports is 
 given in Table XV. 
 
 TABLE XV. 
 
 Total Time Given to School Work by Teachers, Both Elementary 
 and Secondary. 
 
 Minutes Number of 
 
 per week. teacher-,. 
 
 2700 4 
 
 2800 3 
 
 2900 4 
 
 3000 6 
 
 3100 1 
 
 3200 2 
 
 3300 2 
 
 3400 3 
 
 3500 2 
 
 The most significant fact in this table is the great range of variation 
 in the total school time. The class time is approximately the same for all 
 teachers. Hence the difference in the total time is due primarily to the 
 difference in the amount of time given to school work outside of the 
 regular school hours. 
 
 The Survey Staff did not inquire into how the total school time was 
 spent, but a few instances were noted of teachers spending time preparing' 
 material for the pupils when it would have been much better if the pupils 
 had begun with the raw material. This suggests that perhaps the 
 teachers who are spending large amounts of time on school work are not 
 employing it as wisely as they might. 
 
 The system of records and reports used in Leavenworth Public Schools 
 is moderately elaborate, and a few teachers mentioned to the writer 
 that the keeping of the records made heavy demands upon their time. 
 
 Minutes 
 per week. 
 
 1800 
 
 Number of 
 teachers. 
 
 . . 1 
 
 1900 
 
 o 
 
 2000 
 
 
 
 2100 
 
 5 
 
 2200 
 
 5 
 
 2300 
 
 2 
 
 2400 
 
 5 
 
 2500 
 
 1 
 
 2600.. 
 
 4 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 55 
 
 Reports are now made quarterly, and in the elementary school they 
 should not be less frequent. Adequate records are essential, but teachers 
 should not be overburdened in this respect. The writer is not able to say 
 whether they are at present or not, but suggests the question of how much 
 time is required for the records and reports might be investigated. The 
 disposition of a teacher's time is just as important as the amount of time 
 given to school work. 
 
56 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY AND ITS ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe, assisted by the Staff. 
 
 THE course of study of the public schools of any community is an out- 
 line of the education which the public schools give to the boys and girls 
 of the community. This outline specifies how the boys and girls are ex- 
 pected to spend their time in school. So much time is given to reading, 
 to grammar, to arithmetic, to history, to algebra, to manual work, to 
 physics, etc. The outline also sets up standards of attainment in the 
 various subjects. 
 
 In the present chapter we shall discuss the general principles of edu- 
 cation and the educational needs of Leavenworth which must be con- 
 sidered in the making of an efficient course of study. In the following 
 chapters the details of the school subjects will be considered. 
 
 THE BASIS FOR MAKING A COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 What subjects should make up the course of study for the public 
 schools depends upon what the public schools are expected to do for that 
 community. The men and women of Leavenworth who are now carry- 
 ing on the adult activities of the community will in time be replaced by 
 another generation. If those who are now children are to undertake 
 these activities and perform them with the highest degree of efficiency 
 they must receive preparation. For discussing this preparation, we have 
 adopted a classification of the activities of adults. 
 
 1. Vocational activities, or those activities involved in providing the 
 necessities of life. Before those who are now boys and girls in the 
 schools take their place in the occupations of the community, three types 
 of preparation are required: First, they must have some concrete, prac- 
 tical experience in their respective occupations. Second, they must be 
 acquainted with such technical and scientific knowledge as is needed for 
 their occupations. Third, they must possess a body of general informa- 
 tion. 
 
 A few illustrations will make this clear. Take the young man who 
 becomes a clerk in a grocery store. Before he can render service to his 
 employer which justifies a living wage, he must have some practice in 
 wrapping up orders, making out sales slips, meeting customers, arrang- 
 ing goods, etc. In addition he must possess some technical knowledge of 
 arithmetic, of qualities of foodstuffs, of the art of salesmanship, etc. And 
 he will be still more valuable to his employer and will find more interest 
 in his work if he is acquainted with the places which produce the food- 
 stuffs he handles daily, with the problems of transportation, distribution, 
 etc. Again, the girl who enters an office as a stenographer must have had 
 practice in dictation and typewriting. In addition she must possess cer- 
 tain technical knowledge as to business forms. Her efficiency will be of a 
 very low type unless she also possesses a considerable fund of general 
 information. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 57 
 
 2. Avocational activities, or occupations of one's leisure time. Our 
 plan of living is providing more and more leisure time. This is not a mere 
 accident, for leisure time is necessary to the life and well-being of every 
 individual. But simply to have leisure time is not enough; it must be 
 spent in wholesome activities. There is a wide range of such activities 
 outdoor sports and games; the propagation and cultivation of plants, 
 particularly flowers; reading and study; producing and listening to 
 music; enjoyment of art in its several forms; conversation; special studies 
 in science (usually called a hobby) ; travel, etc. Two types of preparation 
 are required for these activities. First, people must be caused to prefer 
 them as occupations of their leisure time, Second, they must be trained 
 to participate in them with at least a moderate degree of skill ; for if skill 
 is absent the desire will not continue to exist, and the cultivation of skill 
 will tend to increase the desire. 
 
 3. Civic and moral activities, or those activities which have to do with 
 one's contact with his fellow men. No one lives entirely apart from other 
 members of the social group. Even on his own property the law does 
 not allow him to do anything which will harm his neighbor. If he has a 
 contagious disease he is placed under quarantine. If a property owner 
 carelessly fails to keep his property painted and in repair the law does 
 not interfere, but his neighbors may subject him to social ostracism ; and 
 they have a right to do so, because on account of his carelessness and 
 indifference the civic quality of the neighborhood is lowered, and thus 
 their enjoyment of living in the community as well as the value of their 
 property is lessened. 
 
 There are many occasions when a person's conduct should be gov- 
 erned by consideration of the rights of others. Our contacts with other 
 people are many. In such matters as health and sanitation and com- 
 munity pride they extend beyond our own family and social group to the 
 entire community. In many instances they extend beyond the com- 
 munity to the state and the nation. A delicate personal responsiveness 
 to the rights of others and to the social effect of our conduct is necessary 
 and can be obtained only by preparation. 
 
 4. Activities relating to personal health. To keep physically well re- 
 quires attention. One must have fresh air, sunlight, be clean, eat prop- 
 erly prepared and appropriate food, be clothed properly, and take exercise 
 and recreation. Men and women who are not healthy are not a com- 
 munity asset. If they are so ill that they can not pursue their vocations, 
 the community, some organization or some individual must support them. 
 Even if not incapacitated, they are less efficient than they would be if 
 they were in proper physical condition. Keeping one's self in good 
 physical condition depends largely upon appreciation of the need, knowl- 
 edge of the means, and habit of using the means. Training in childhood 
 which will result in these three things is valuable preparation for adult 
 life. 
 
 5. Activities of social intercourse. Society has adopted conventional 
 rules for the guidance of individuals in the activities of social inter- 
 course. These activities include letter-writing, conversation, meeting 
 
58 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 strangers, entertaining in one's home, formal receptions, and publ'c 
 meetings. Conformance with the recognized standards in these matters 
 depends upon, first, a knowledge of what are the accepted standards, and 
 second, sufficient practice. 
 
 6. Activities relating to home-building and parenthood. The activities 
 which are connected with a home are perhaps the most important re- 
 sponsibilities which come to a man or a woman. The social and economic 
 changes of the last quarter of a century have made home-making and 
 parenthood much more complex than a generation ago, and in addition 
 have raised the standards. Therefore increased preparation for these 
 activities is required and is justified by their importance. 
 
 7. Religious activities. Since the preparation for them is given by 
 the church and the home, they will net be discussed here. 
 
 EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. 
 
 Now that we have indicated the scope of the preparation which must 
 be given to the boys and girls of Leavenworth before they can be ex- 
 pected to engage with efficiency in the activities which will be demanded 
 of them vocational, avocational, civic and moral, health, social, home- 
 building and parenthood, and religious it is appropriate that we inquire 
 what agencies are available for giving this preparation. These are: 
 the home; the vocation; the church; the social groups to which each indi- 
 vidual belongs; institutions such as newspapers, theaters, Y. M. C. A., 
 libraries, etc.; and finally, the public schools. 
 
 There was a time even in Leavenworth when the home, the vocation 
 and the social group provided most of the preparation. But since that 
 time in the early history of the community, two changes have taken place. 
 The home, the vocation, the social group have decreased the preparation 
 which they give the child. At the same time the scope of adult activities 
 and the preparation required have increased. Thus a wide gap has been 
 created between the supply and the demand. The Leavenworth Public 
 Schools may well assume the responsibility of providing the needed prep- 
 aration which is not being provided by the other institutions of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 TIME ALLOTMENT. 
 
 Table XVI gives in the first column the average per cent of time given 
 in fifty cities to the subjects in the elementary school, and the second 
 column the per cent of time given to these subjects in Leavenworth. A 
 comparison of the two columns shows that in Leavenworth a smaller per 
 cent of the school time is given to opening exercises, reading, language, 
 history and civics, and recess (supervised play). A larger per cent of 
 the school time is given to spelling, penmanship, arithmetic, drawing, and 
 music. In Table XVII the distribution of the teaching time in the High 
 School is given. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 59 
 
 TABLE XVI. 
 
 Table showing distribution of time and salary, cost of instruction in the 
 elementary school, not including special supervisors except in domestic 
 science and manual training. 
 
 (The average for 50 cities is taken from the Fourteenth Year Book of the National Society 
 for the Study of Education.) 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 Per cent of time. 
 
 Cost of instruction. 
 
 Average 
 for 50 
 cities. 
 
 Leaven- 
 worth. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Per 
 cent. 
 
 Third 
 Avenue. 
 
 Oak 
 
 Street. 
 
 Morris. 
 
 Opening exercises 
 
 3.5 
 
 1.8 
 
 $803 
 
 1.8 
 
 1.6 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.2 
 
 Reading 
 
 17.0 
 
 16.0 
 
 6,884 
 
 15.2 
 
 15.7 
 
 16.0 
 
 14.3 
 
 language 
 
 11.0 
 
 10.3 
 
 4,476 
 
 9.9 
 
 11.0 
 
 14.8 
 
 11.8 
 
 Spelling 
 
 5.9 
 
 7.9 
 
 3,532 
 
 7.8 
 
 9.3 
 
 6.5 
 
 6.8 
 
 Penmanship 
 
 4.7 
 
 5.8 
 
 2,622 
 
 5.8 
 
 5.6 
 
 5.8 
 
 5.3 
 
 Arithmetic 
 
 12.7 
 
 15.4 
 
 7,290 
 
 16 
 
 17.3 
 
 15.4 
 
 18.0 
 
 Geography 
 
 6.1 
 
 6.6 
 
 3,014 
 
 6.7 
 
 7.9 
 
 7.8 
 
 ' 7.0 
 
 History* and civics 
 
 4.6 
 
 1.7 
 
 922 
 
 2.0 
 
 3.6 
 
 3.3 
 
 3.1 
 
 Physiology and hygiene 
 Nature study 
 
 H 
 
 2 2 
 2.2 
 
 990 
 
 886 
 
 2.2 
 2.0 
 
 2.0 
 1.5 
 
 2.5 
 0.9 
 
 2.8 
 1.0 
 
 Drawing 
 
 5.3 
 
 7.8 
 
 3,600 
 
 8.0 
 
 6.6 
 
 7.7 
 
 11.7 
 
 Music 
 
 47 
 
 6.5 
 
 3,048 
 
 6.7 
 
 6.7 
 
 3.3 
 
 8.8 
 
 Manual training 
 
 4.1 
 
 3.1 
 
 1,445 
 
 3.2 
 
 2.1 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.7 
 
 Physical training 
 
 4.4 
 
 3.7 
 
 M29 
 
 3.6 
 
 2.8 
 
 3.0 
 
 4.3 
 
 P.ecess (supervised play) 
 
 7.3 
 
 5.7 
 
 2,368 
 
 5.2 
 
 6.9 
 
 9.0 
 
 2.2 
 
 Domestic science 
 
 
 3.2 
 
 1,700 
 
 3.8 
 
 
 
 
 Miscellaneous 
 
 5.1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 TABLE XVII. 
 Table Showing Distribution of Teaching Time in the High School. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 Median for 
 24 cities. 
 
 Leavenworth 
 High School. 
 
 English 
 
 17.2 
 
 16.5 
 
 Mathematics 
 
 14.0 
 
 16.5 
 
 History 
 
 10.2 
 
 6.6 
 
 Science 
 
 13.7 
 
 13.2 
 
 Modern languages 
 
 8.8 
 
 6.6 
 
 Latin 
 
 8.8 
 
 9.9 
 
 Household occupations 
 
 6.9 
 
 8.8 
 
 Shop work 
 
 7.5 
 
 11.0 
 
 Commercial 
 
 12.7 
 
 6.6 
 
 Normal training 
 
 4.4 
 
 4.4 
 
 *No note taken of historical reading in the classes in literature and reading. 
 
60 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 THE VOCATIONAL NEEDS OF LEAVEN WORTH. 
 
 The occupations of Leavenworth, given on page 20, have been classi- 
 fied by Superintendent Moore, as given in Table XVIII : 
 
 TABLE XVIII. 
 
 Classification of the Occupations of Leavenworth. 
 
 I. PROFESSIONAL. Those who require as a basis for their college training such 
 courses as are offered by the standard traditional High School: 
 
 Undertakers 11 
 
 Pharmacists 15 
 
 Civil engineers 3 
 
 Doctors, dentists, specialists, lawyers, etc 83 
 
 Teachers 138 
 
 Ministers 33 
 
 Draftsmen and architects 3 
 
 Total 286 
 
 Per cent 2.9 
 
 II. ENTERPRENEURS. Managers of extensive business who require at least a 
 general high-school course as the basis of a wide experience or a technical col- 
 lege training: 
 
 Contractors (a) 5 
 
 Managers (c) 20 
 
 Dealers (a) 17 
 
 Manufacturers 45 
 
 Total ,. . 87 
 
 Per cent 0.9 
 
 III. COMMERCIAL SKILL. Those who require a commercial course of two, three or 
 four years, together with general training such as is offered in the Leaven- 
 worth High School: 
 
 Accountants 254 
 
 Salesmen and agents 175 
 
 Railroad employees (a) 41 
 
 Stenographers and reporters 93 
 
 Contractors (&) 
 Managers (a) 
 Clerks (a) and (&).' 
 
 54 
 249 
 664 
 
 328 
 
 Dealers (a) and (b) 
 
 Liverymen 8 
 
 Hotelkeepers (a) 7 
 
 Real estate and insurance 57 
 
 Publishers 15 
 
 Restauranteurs 18 
 
 Total 1,963 
 
 Per cent 20 
 
 IV. INDUSTRIAL SKILL. Those who require at least an elementary education as 
 it is offered in the departmental schools of Leavenworth, together with the 
 elements of industrial training. In Leavenworth these workers seem to 
 divide into two groups, as follows: 
 
 1. Industries for which the Leavenworth Public Schools provide or partially 
 provide industrial training: 
 
 Machine operators (&) 184 
 
 Woodworkers 475 
 
 Milliners 15 
 
 Seamstresses 185 
 
 Cooks (a) and (b) 47 
 
 Total 926 
 
 Per cent 9.4 
 
 2. Industries for which the Leavenworth Public Schools offer no industrial 
 training: 
 
 Chauffeurs 9 
 
 Bookbinders 8 
 
 Machine operators (a) 103 
 
 Painters and decorators 120 
 
 Photographers 12 
 
 Iron workers 125 
 
 Silver- and goldsmiths. . 10 
 
 Cement workers .- 93 
 
 Plasterers 92 
 
 Stone cutters 10 
 
 Bakers 12 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 61 
 
 2. Industries for which the Leaveirworth Public Schools offer no industrial 
 training: 
 
 Electricians ' 27 
 
 Engineers and firemen 134 
 
 Shoemakers 31 
 
 Plumbers and fitters 52 
 
 Nurses 44 
 
 Barbers 76 
 
 Farmers, gardeners, etc 139 
 
 Tailors 53 
 
 Butchers and meat cutters 34 
 
 Printers 44 
 
 Musicians 22 
 
 Managers (b) 28 
 
 Total 1,278 
 
 Per cent 13 
 
 V. SLIGHT SKILL. Those who require at least an elementary education of a 
 general nature, consisting of practical courses in (1) applied arithmetic, 
 (2) applied elementary English, (3) elementary science, both physical and 
 biological, (4) manual and industrial arts, (5) arts and crafts, both practical 
 and appreciative, (6) elementary social science, including history and citizen- 
 ship: 
 
 Telephone operators 91 
 
 Railroad employees 164 
 
 Soldiers 135 
 
 Laundresses 88 
 
 Confectioners and hucksters 34 
 
 Domestics 162 
 
 Messengers 22 
 
 Liverymen (b) 92 
 
 Rooming-house keepers 46 
 
 Housekeepers (hired) 10 
 
 Mail carriers 26 
 
 Laborers 1,833 
 
 Federal guards 93 
 
 Miners 623 
 
 Total 3,419 
 
 Per cent 35 
 
 VI. MISCELLANEOUS: 
 
 Unclassified 853 
 
 Apprentices 444 
 
 Widows 945 
 
 Students 24 
 
 Total 1,866 
 
 Per cent 19 
 
 GRAND TOTAL 9,825 
 
 PREPARATION FOR VOCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 
 
 Superintendent Moore has made the following observations concerning 
 the facts of Table XVIII: 
 
 The above investigation shows that the Leavenworth Public Schools are 
 prepared fully to accommodate only two of the great divisions, 
 namely: Number. Percent. 
 
 The professional division 286 2.9 
 
 The enterpreneurs 87 .9 
 
 With some enlargements, both in plant and faculty, our commercial 
 department in the High School would become an adequate prepara- 
 tion for the 
 
 Commercial division 1,963 20 
 
 Our courses in manual training, domestic arts and sciences, and arts 
 and crafts provide perhaps about 80 per cent of an adequate prep- 
 aration for 
 
 Division (1) industrial skill 926 9.4 
 
 With our new arrangement of the department buildings, our ele- 
 mentary schools will adequately provide, after some reorganization 
 of subject matter and the addition of some apparatus, for a basis 
 for all classes and perhaps a sufficient school education for 
 
 The slightly skilled division 3,419 35 
 
62 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 There remains a group of the unclassified, the widows, the students, 
 and a number listed in the directory as apprentices, making in all 
 
 A miscellaneous group 1,866 19 
 
 Excepting a basal elementary general training, our schools do not pro- 
 vide training for- 
 
 Division (2) industrial division 1,278 13 
 
 This appears to be a just general estimate of the preparation for 
 vocational activities which Leavenworth is providing at present. The 
 school can not conveniently supply concrete, practical experience in such 
 vocations as manufacturing stoves and ice, paperhanging, bricklaying, 
 etc., but the school can economically supply the technical and general 
 preparation even for these vocations. In the case of other vocations, such 
 as bookkeeping, stenography, teaching, carpentering (simple phases), 
 cabinetmaking, dressmaking, gardening, etc., the school can easily pro- 
 vide much of the necessary practical preparation as well as the technical 
 and general preparation. Much the same thing is true for the other 
 classes of activities. Some of the preparation can be given best by 
 other institutions, but for the giving of some the public school is the most 
 suitable agency. 
 
 In the elementary school courses in sewing are now given for girls in 
 the fifth, sixth and seventh grades, and cooking in the eighth grade, one 
 period of eighty minutes per week being devoted to this work. During 
 the same period the boys of the seventh and eighth grades have bench 
 work, and the fifth and sixth grades have preparatory courses in card- 
 board and wood. The provision which Leavenworth has made for these 
 subject^ probably compares favorably with that in other cities, but the 
 Survey Staff believe some extensions of this work could be made with 
 profit. For example, the boys in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades 
 might be encouraged to bring broken chairs and tables and be taught to 
 mend them. They should be taught to mend fences and hang gates, build 
 chicken coops and small sheds, reglaze broken windows, make and hang 
 screen doors, and to do the numerous other odd jobs which call for an 
 intelligent use of tools. 
 
 A similar plan could be carried out for the girls, providing instruc- 
 tion in plain cooking, sewing, and housekeeping, which would not only 
 lead to more efficient home-keeping, but also help those who wish to go 
 into domestic service. The sewing courses might lead in due time co 
 thorough preparation in millinery, dressmaking, and tailoring, the latter 
 open to boys as well as girls. In the Morris and Lincoln schools there is 
 now available building space for this work, and it would be particularly 
 valuable to the children attending those schools. 
 
 SCHOOL GARDENS. 
 
 Preparation for gardening, which is an important occupation in Leav- 
 enworth, will require school gardens. The work in nature study does 
 not now extend beyond the third grade. 
 
 School gardens are no longer an experiment, and besides providing 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 63 
 
 vocational preparation, they are very valuable in another way. The Com- 
 missioner of Education says in his recent report (1913) : 
 
 "There is need of suitable educative, purposeful, productive occupation 
 for millions of school children in our cities, towns, manufacturing villages 
 and suburban districts who now have not proper employment out of 
 school hours. . . . Home gardening done by the children under the 
 direction of the schools seems to offer what is needed. In all of the 
 manufacturing villages, suburban communities and smaller towns, and in 
 the outskirts of the larger towns and cities, there is much valuable land 
 in the back yards, vacant lots and elsewhere which might be used for this 
 purpose. In every school in a community of this kind there should be at 
 least one teacher who knows gardening both theoretically and prac- 
 tically. This teacher, who should, of course, be employed twelve months 
 in the year, should teach the elementary sciences in the schools during 
 school hours, and should out of school fcours direct the home gardening of 
 the children between the ages of 6 or 7 and 14 or 15." 
 
 The Survey Staff believes that there is need in Leavenworth for just 
 this type of work. 
 
 Geography and history contribute to the general information which 
 is needed for vocational activities. In comparison with the average for 
 other cities, the provision for history appears inadequate. A course in 
 elementary science would furnish valuable technical information. This 
 should include more than the school gardens which were mentioned 
 above. Such a course is being planned for next year. 
 
 But it must be remembered that the function of the public school in- 
 cludes much more than preparation for vocational activities. If it is to 
 fulfill its total function it must provide preparation for the other classes 
 of activities which we have enumerated. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR AVOCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 
 
 Preparation for avocational activities is provided for in part by read- 
 ing, music, drawing, and supervised plays and games. Other activities of 
 the school, such as the literary, dramatic and social, also contribute. The 
 extension of the course in nature study which has been recommended will 
 strengthen the preparation for this type of activities. It can be still 
 further strengthened by more adequate provision for plays and games 
 and their supervision, especially supervision of playgrounds during vaca- 
 tion. For other recommendations see the reports on literature, drawing 
 and physical training. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR CIVIC AND MORAL ACTIVITIES. 
 
 The Survey Staff believes that the most efficient preparation for moral 
 activities can be given incidentally. Morals and manners are listed in 
 the printed course of study as an incidental minor for all grades, but the 
 teachers reported no time given to the subject. This is as it should be. 
 There are three sources of moral training : first, the activities . of the 
 school; second, the methods of teaching; and third, the course of study. 
 
 The effectiveness of this incidental teaching in Leavenworth was 
 clearly evident. The pupils were exceptionally courteous to members of 
 the Survey Staff as well as to their teachers and playmates. The build- 
 ings, inside and outside, were exceptionally free from markings by pupils ; 
 and this freedom is an index of the moral tone of the school. 
 
64 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 School assemblies offer an opportunity for developing a social con- 
 sciousness. With the three auditoriums which are now planned for next I 
 year there will be increased opportunity for this valuable phase of school 
 work. The per cent of time given to opening exercises in Leavenworth 
 is less than half of the average for other cities. It is recommended that 
 the time for this purpose be increased. For additional recommendations 
 for school assemblies see page 65. 
 
 History and civics contribute directly to the preparation for civic and 
 moral activities. Their value in this connection is another reason for 
 recommending that additional time be given to these subjects. For the 
 recommendations concerning literature see page 147. 
 
 In addition to these facilities for moral training, the Leavenworth 
 public schools have a system of bank savings. This tends to cultivate 
 thrift and, more important, a sense of value and the recognition of prop- 
 erty rights. Bank savings have also a bearing on the preparation for 
 vocational activities. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR ACTIVITIES OF PERSONAL HEALTH. 
 
 Preparation for the activities relating to personal health is provided 
 for by physiology and hygiene, physical culture, and plays and games. 
 The Survey Staff believes that this work should be extended. Specific 
 recommendations are given in later chapters. See pages 113 and 141. 
 
 PREPARATION 'FOR ACTIVITIES OF SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 The group activities of the school, such as athletic clubs, literary and 
 dramatic societies, boy scouts and similar organizations, etc., furnish 
 preparation for these activities. Some preparation is given incidentally 
 in the activities of the classroom and playground. The auditoriums will 
 make the extension of these activities possible. See page 65 for recom- 
 mendations. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR ACTIVITIES OF HOME-BUILDING AND PARENTHOOD. 
 
 Partial preparation for these activities is given by the courses in 
 manual training and domestic art and science. The extensions recom- 
 mended for these courses will provide additional preparation. See pages 
 106 and 164. Courses in household accounting and hygiene (in the High 
 School) are also recommended. 
 
 BANK SAVINGS. 
 
 The system of bank savings in the Leavenworth Public Schools was be- 
 gun about three years ago. Briefly the plan is this : Any bank may send 
 a representative once every two weeks to each school building to receive 
 deposits, the schedule being approved by the superintendent, and the 
 representatives of no two banks appearing in any school on the same day. 
 The banker opens his bank in the hall or principal's office between the 
 hours of 8 and 8:30 a.m. Each child deposits at that time, if he so de- 
 sires, and receives a deposit slip. Two of the local banks have taken 
 advantage of the opportunity offered. Both signify their intention of 
 continuing the plan, although they agree that it is not self-supporting. 
 Incidentally it may be noted that this is typical of the spirit of cooperation 
 which should exist between business and the public schools. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 65 
 
 During the first three-quarters of the present school year 3384 de- 
 posits were made by the children in the elementary schools. The number 
 of depositors and the total amount of the deposits were not obtained 
 because it is believed that the number of acts of depositing is more 
 significant. 
 
 THE USE OF SCHOOL ASSEMBLY HALLS. 
 
 By September, 1914, assembly halls will have been provided at Morris, 
 Third Avenue and Oak Street schools. It is hoped, also, that these halls 
 will be used frequently in the evenings for parents' meetings and neigh- 
 borhood discussions and for social entertainments. Rightly used, such a 
 gathering place becomes the very center of the social and intellectual 
 activities of the school and the community. In addition, the entire 
 school should assemble every day for- a period not longer than thirty 
 minutes. Because of the necessities of the case, most of the day in the 
 modern school is spent in isolated groups, where the special needs of 
 children of varying ages can be properly ministered to; but it is also 
 essential for unity and growth into good social and civic consciousness 
 that these groups should get together at least once a day; that they 
 should have a time to cooperate for the pleasure and well-being of the 
 whole; a place to contribute and share their best and choicest experiences. 
 Here the child will learn that he is a member of a school community, and 
 that as such he has duties as well as rights and privileges. Here, without 
 exception, each child should take his turn and do his share in making 
 these daily assemblies the most useful and delightful periods of the day. 
 Here the children and teachers may learn to know every one in the school. 
 The little ones learn much from the older ones, and the older ones gain 
 real sympathy and appreciation for the little ones, and a spirit of help- 
 fulness and protection results that is in marked contrast to the attitude 
 which too often exists between the older and younger members of a school. 
 
 To establish such a practice in the school takes time and steady, per- 
 sistent effort, perhaps for more than a year, but the results more than 
 repay for the energy and effort expended. The older children gradually 
 realize the value, even to themselves, of the clear thinking and definite 
 preparation that is needed before they can be understood by an audience 
 ranging in age from children of kindergarten to the adults members of 
 the faculty. It is not a small thing for eighth-grade boys and girls to 
 succeed in making a current-events exercise, through the use of maps 
 and pictures, intelligible to younger children, and at the same time inter- 
 esting to the rest of the audience; or for a high-school group in a chem- 
 istry exercise, through carefully made models, to show the proportion of 
 the different gases that make up common air. In the latter example, 
 perhaps they may not succeed in making the little children understand 
 all about it, but certainly their expression succeeds in clarifying this 
 work in the minds of the pupils giving the exercise, and the little children 
 get out of it the spirit and influence of this serious social effort. 
 
 For the little children the good effect of the daily meeting is per- 
 fectly obvious. It is the greatest possible incentive to them for the best 
 expression; the greatest possible opportunity for drill under good mo- 
 tives; the greatest possible means of overcoming self-consciousness and 
 
 5 
 
66 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 contributing one's self to the community good. Miss Martha Fleming, of 
 Chicago, who has had wide experience with children in such daily meet- 
 ings, says that the conditions surrounding these exercises are ideal for 
 the cultivation of the powers of expression "an audience and a child with 
 something to tell" and that they are of untold educative value, since 
 they present an opportunity and make a natural demand for a great 
 variety of expression. The child plans, he speaks, he acts, for the 
 pleasure and enlightenment of other people. Children accustomed from 
 early childhood to an audience learn to think and speak upon their feet, 
 so that people may hear and understand them. It is the habit of meeting 
 an audience every day from the beginning that tells; that gives power 
 and skill and self-possession. Children trained in this way never ex- 
 perience the agony of self-consciousness that it means to those educated 
 in self-repression instead of self-expression. 
 
 It should be remembered that while pupils constantly gain useful in- 
 formation in these exercises, the gaining of knowledge is not its sole end. 
 Indeed, it is not even its chief purpose ; it is rather an attitude of appre- 
 ciation which is cultivated in the children through emotions which are 
 aroused, through ideals which are engendered, through the daily habit of 
 singing together beautiful songs and of hearing bits of inspiring litera- 
 ture, and, either as performer or as listener, of contributing each one his 
 best to the common good. In short, we believe that the morning exer- 
 cise, at its best, is a soul-expanding and heart-warming process which 
 contains the very essence of normal and natural social education, and that 
 it is the factor in school life which works most directly and effectively 
 toward the good citizenship which is the goal of all our schools. 
 
 THE METHOD OF THE SURVEY OF THE SCHOOL SUBJECTS. 
 
 The courses of study for particular subjects and the teaching of them 
 were examined in three ways: 
 
 First. Actual visitation of teachers in their classrooms. The teachers 
 were requested to proceed with their regular work, and the several mem- 
 bers of the Survey Staff entered classrooms unannounced. Every teacher 
 above the third grade was visited for at least a full class period, and a 
 number were visited more than once. The work in the first three grades 
 was surveyed in a soniewhat different manner, but every teacher was 
 considered. 
 
 Second. Numerous conferences were held with teachers to determine 
 their purpose and point of view as well as the course of study as actually 
 taught. These conferences were supplemented by a general request to all 
 teachers in the form of a "questionnaire to ascertain method of teaching," 
 which contained directions as follows: 
 
 Select a topic which you actually taught during the past quarter and 
 which you consider you taught effectively. 
 
 Describe below your method of teaching the topic, including: 
 
 (a) The pages in the text. 
 
 (6) The assignments which you made. 
 
 (c) The order in which you took up the topic. 
 
 (d) Your method of presenting it. 
 
 (ej Why you consider your teaching of the topic effective. 
 This topic should cover at least one whole recitation and not more than 
 five. If you teach more than one subject, select a topic from each. Be 
 brief and specific. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 67 
 
 Third. Tests for which comparative data were secured were given in 
 arithmetic, handwriting, spelling, grammar, and algebra. 
 
 In observing the classroom work use was made of the following ob- 
 servation blank: 
 
 OBSERVATION BLANK. 
 
 Name of teacher Building 
 
 Grade Class in Time of day 
 
 Lesson on type of lesson ; 
 
 study, development, application, recitation, review, drill. 
 
 Approximate number in class ; boys ; girjs 
 
 Teacher's knowledge of 
 
 Subject matter: Excellent, good, fair, poor. 
 
 Organization: Excellent, good, fair, poor. 
 
 Function of subject matter: Excellent, good, fair, poor. 
 A brief narrative of what was done: .*i 
 
 Results as judged by the effects upon the pupils 
 
 1. Motive 
 
 2. Evaluation 
 
 3. Organization 
 
 4. Initiative 
 
 5. Acquisition (do pupils know the subject matter?) 
 
 Was the instruction on the lower plane, attempted higher, or higher? 
 
 Do the pupils appear to like the subject? Like, indifferent, dislike. 
 
 Per cent of pupils actively attending lesson Why active? 
 
 Who is doing the work teacher or pupils? Was the subject matter suitable to the ma- 
 turity and past experience of the pupils? 
 
 What use does the teacher make of the text? 
 
 Assignment, how made? 
 
 Discipline and classroom routine: Good, fair, poor. 
 
 Type of discipline: Military, personal, social. 
 
 Remarks: 
 
 For using the blank the following directions were prepared: 
 
 In judging the motive, the question is, What kinds of motives are moving the pupils to 
 action? Are'they artificial incentives; e. g., a reward, fear of punishment, respect for the 
 authority of the teacher or school, the competition of the social group, desire to make a 
 good showing, etc.? Or are they real motives; i. e., do the pupils appreciate the intrinsic 
 function of the subject matter and are they developing a liking for the subject because they 
 are coming to realize the usefulness of the subject? 
 
 In judging of the consideration of values by pupils, it should be noted whether the 
 teacher conducts the class period in such a way as to require the pupils to consider 
 relative values, as well as whether the pupils exhibit ability to evaluate. 
 
 The above paragraph also applies to the attention to organization by pupils. Whether 
 the pupils make an attempt to organize depends upon the type of questions which the 
 teacher asks. If the teacher asks only detailed questions there is no need for organization. 
 
 Under initiative, the questions are : Are the pupils planning for the things which they 
 do, or are they simply following the detailed directions of the teacher? Does the teacher 
 permit opportunity for the exercise of initiative, or does she make the exercise of initiative 
 impossible because of her detailed specifications both in assignments and in conducting the 
 recitations ? 
 
 In determining the "plane" of instruction, one should have in mind primarily what the 
 pupils are actually doing, and not what the teacher may do. 
 
 If the teacher is taking the lead, is in the foreground, if the pupils are moved by 
 artificial incentives, if the questions call simply for detailed facts, and if the class period 
 is spent by having the pupils recite to the teacher what they have read, the instruction is 
 on the lower plane. 
 
 On the other hand, if the pupils are taking the lead, if the teacher is in the background, 
 if lines of thought are pursued in which data are evaluated and organized, and if the 
 pupils are doing this because they appreciate the function of the subject matter, the in- 
 struction is on the higher plane. 
 
68 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE PRIMARY GRADES. 
 
 Flora J. Cooke. 
 THE METHOD OF SURVEY. 
 
 THE following report is based upon a week's observations in the pri- 
 mary grades of the Leavenworth Public Schools. The first three grades 
 in seven schools were visited, and twenty of the thirty primary teachers 
 were observed in not less than two and not more than three lessons. In 
 addition to this, these teachers also submitted programs of work, an- 
 alyses of lessons, and specimens of children's work for examination. 
 
 The principals all showed the deepest interest and concern in the wel- 
 fare of the teachers, and the teachers expressed enthusiastically their 
 appreciation of the help received from the principals and from the 
 superintendent. The relations between the children and the teachers were 
 also genuinely good in spirit. During the entire week I heard no harsh 
 word spoken, and saw no unruly child in any school, while marks of 
 interest even of affection existed in every part of the school system. 
 
 DISCIPLINE. 
 
 There are two types of school discipline. One may be described as 
 military. Under this type there is absolute obedience to authority with 
 very little exercise of initiative on the part of the pupils. The activities 
 of the schoolroom are performed in response to signals. For example, 
 all children stand when called upon, and remain standing until excused 
 by the teacher. There is a uniformity of response on the part of the 
 part of the children to the demands of the teacher which is depressing to 
 an observer used to great freedom in the activities of children. The other 
 type may be called "socialized" school discipline. There is less uniformity, 
 more initiative on the part of the children, sufficient freedom and oppor- 
 tunity to carry out simple projects, to make childish mistakes. More 
 emphasis is placed upon social motives. 
 
 Opinions differ as to which type of discipline is preferable, but the 
 writer believes that to the excellent results which are now obtained in 
 the primary grades in Leavenworth, others might be added by discarding 
 somewhat of the military system which prevails and by appealing more 
 to social motives and allowing opportunity for initiative in some activi- 
 ties.* 
 
 The superintendent and principals stated that much individual free- 
 dom was given to the teachers of experience and ability, and it should be 
 understood that the superintendent and many teachers are in hearty 
 accord with many of the changes which are recommended in this report. 
 In fact, several improvements here suggested have already been planned 
 for; among these are plans for larger and better-equipped playgrounds 
 for certain schools, and for several assembly halls. 
 
 * The Survey Staff indorses this recommendation and believes that it might be profit- 
 ably applied in all grades of the elementary school. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 69 
 
 Only the four so-called "major" subjects from the course of study will 
 be analyzed with any degree of fullness. 
 
 READING. 
 
 This is a "major" subject in all of the primary grades. In the first 
 grade the natural "look and say" method of teaching reading is em- 
 phasized. The teachers are warned against the too early analysis of 
 words into sounds, and also against permitting the mechanics of reading 
 to crowd out interpretation. The worst evil of the course of study in 
 reading is the required textbooks which are used. The children are con- 
 demand to Van Ambaugh's primer for the first three months, and to the 
 Wooster series of readers for the next three years. These books are 
 demanded by the state law, and tho\*gh they are not worse than many 
 others, they are of the usual scrappy, unrelated, uninspiring kind, the 
 sole use of which is to give the children the conventional vocabulary of 
 the first years in school. The impositions of such poor and meager 
 reading material should not be tolerated. The teachers should convince 
 the parents that this uneducative matter falls far below the ideal, and 
 both parents and teachers should put forth a united effort to have the 
 school-book law of Kansas repealed. The new law should be flexible 
 enough to allow, in a community the size of Leavenworth, a committee 
 of carefully chosen, experienced primary teachers to select the reading 
 books for the primary grades. This plan should include the supple- 
 mentary books as well as the readers. Their choice should, of course, be 
 approved by the superintendent of schools. If a uniform course is neces- 
 sary throughout the state, a joint committee of primary teachers and 
 superintendents should pass upon the series of books. 
 
 In addition to given textbooks, it is usual to plan for four or five sets 
 of readers for supplementary reading; but although it has been demon- 
 strated beyond the shadow of a doubt that children who have opportunity 
 for a wider range of reading learn to -read more quickly and that they 
 read more intelligently than those confined to one reader, Leavenworth 
 has not yet given its children this advantage, presumably because of the 
 restrictions made by the state law. Therefore, the Board of Education 
 of Leavenworth is urged to consider this plan, and also the reading 
 leaflet plan, which has been used with excellent results in the Francis W. 
 Parker School of Chicago, in the Ethical Culture and Horace Mann 
 schools of New York, in the De Kalb Normal Practice School, and in 
 many other places throughout the country. This plan was started in 
 the Cook County Normal School under Colonel Parker, and consists of 
 printed reading leaflets for use in the primary grades; these to be used 
 largely in place of supplementary reading books. In order to do this, a 
 good but not elaborate printing outfit should be purchased by the Board 
 of Education, and some teacher who has had experience in printing 
 should be employed to give certain hours each day to the work. Printed 
 supplementary reading leaflets and dictionary words can then be freely 
 used by the children in the primary grades. These are especially useful 
 in the first two grades, where good reading material is most scarce. (A 
 school paper or magazine, managed entirely by the upper-grade pupils, 
 
70 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 i 
 
 is also an educative possibility connected with the printing press.) 
 These leaflets should be set up in large-sized type and printed by the 
 pupils of the seventh and eighth grades in the public schools under the 
 direction of the teacher-printer. 
 
 Each school in Leavenworth is adjacent to some natural and educative 
 type of landscape, or to some industrial or manufacturing plant that is 
 worthy of study. The Franklin School is situated in a beautiful grove of 
 trees, is accessible to a most interesting ravine, and Pilot Knob is almost 
 in its front yard. There is also a large bridge works in the vicinity. 
 The Morris School is near the city waterworks and the river, and the 
 Sumner School has for its neighbor the excellent Parker Amusement 
 Company. What better work in reading, writing and spelling could the 
 children have than composing material for leaflets, expressing their own 
 observations, impressions and bits of acquired knowledge concerning the 
 natural phenomena and industrial activities which exist in Leavenworth, 
 and which consciously or unconsciously influence their lives? Through 
 the exchange of these leaflets between the schools the children could be 
 bound together by a common knowledge and interest in their civic and 
 natural environment. For instance, they would learn what flowers come 
 first in the north ravine, how many kinds there are, and how they differ 
 from those which grow on the slopes of Pilot Knob; or whether the 
 ravines in the north and south parts of town have been formed in the 
 same way, and where the raw materials come from which are used in the 
 bridge works. This live form of reading and composition appeals to every 
 child, as does the writing of a book giving the early local history ; in fact, 
 the plan is excellent from every point of view. In this piece of com- 
 munity service the older pupils get training in the correct use of English, 
 in the printing craft and in practical citizenship, and the younger 
 children gain economically, under the stimulus of interest, not only the 
 same formal results in vocabulary (which usually must be secured by 
 much drill in stupid unrelated lessons), but also the richness of ex- 
 perience which comes to children from the habit of daily expressing their 
 own ideas and emotions in the best possible form and under the super- 
 vision of a wise and interested director. Experience has proved that the 
 vocabulary which the children master in this kind of work does not differ 
 greatly in the number or kind of words from that gained through the 
 ordinary drill process with the textbook for a basis, but the educational 
 content of the work is vastly superior and well worth the effort involved. 
 
 This plan is as expensive as that of supplying supplementary readers, 
 but since scarcely any first reading books appeal to a child's interest or 
 intelligence except through pictures (the Free and Treadwell Primer is 
 a brilliant exception), and since Leavenworth has not yet spent money 
 upon such books, the writer recommends that this leaflet plan be given a 
 trial, believing that the plan will tend to place the schools of Leaven- 
 worth in the front rank with other schools that are struggling to get the 
 best things for children. 
 
 Some teachers in Leavenworth are already attempting to do this type 
 of work under great handicap, using large rubber type for printing, but 
 this takes too much time for frequent use, so that it can never be an 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 71 
 
 effective or flexible medium of expression, and the large charts which 
 result are not easy to exchange among the schools. Under the leaflet 
 plan, news can be exchanged between the schools, games explained, and 
 special school celebrations described; the form and vocabulary used 
 in the leaflets being limited both by the skill of the children composing 
 them and by the ability of corresponding classes of children in other 
 schools who will read them. 
 
 From a formal point of view, the reading in the Leavenworth schools is 
 good, but there is a deplorable waste of time on account of the poor 
 quality of the reading material used. The intelligence of the children 
 requires more exercise upon material which demands keen observation, 
 initiative, good taste, good judgment, and a genuine effort in self-ex- 
 pression. 
 
 WRITING. 
 
 Writing is the second "major" course in the Leavenworth schools. Of 
 the penmanship there is little to say beyond the fact that the results 
 are good. This would be expected from the habit of daily drill. 
 
 Writing as means of expression seems to receive little attention in the 
 primary grades and is not mentioned in the course of study. Almost no 
 original expression in composition was seen in the first grade, and very 
 little in the second or third except isolated sentences in connection with 
 the reading lessons, which were written upon the blackboards by the 
 teachers. The writer requested the teachers of the second and third 
 grades in all the schools to have the children hand in written sentences 
 in response to the question, "What do the children in Leavenworth like 
 to do to have fun?" The period to be given to this work was not to ex- 
 ceed thirty minutes. From the second grade 180 papers were received. 
 The work came from seven schools from the Third Avenue, Franklin, 
 Maplewood, Sumner, Morris, Oak Street and Jefferson schools. The 
 largest class represented had twenty-nine pupils and the smallest fifteen. 
 The uniform type of answer was remarkable. The following examples 
 taken at random from three schools are thoroughly typical of all the 
 papers from the second grade. 
 
 A typical paper from the Third Avenue School set: 
 
 I like to play hide-and-seek. 
 I like to play shadow tag. 
 I like to play bean bag. 
 
 A typical paper from the Morris School set: 
 
 I like to write. 
 I like to sing. 
 I like to eat. 
 
 A typical paper from the Jefferson School set : 
 
 I like to play tag. 
 
 I like to play with my doll. 
 
 I like to play house. 
 
 There were 166 papers which consisted of just three sentences of this 
 nature, and in eight others there were more sentences, but of the same 
 kind. In all of the papers the penmanship and spelling were good, and al- 
 most all of the sentences began with capitals and ended with periods. In 
 
72 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. i 
 
 the six papers showing more originality in the children's expression the 
 spelling was good, but not so perfect as in the other papers. Four of 
 the best papers were from one room in the Jefferson School. Three of 
 these are as follows: 
 
 HOW I LIKE TO HAVE FUN. 
 
 This summer we are going into the woods. 
 
 We will take our lunch with us. 
 
 We will wade out into the water and go boat riding. 
 
 We would pick lots of flowers. 
 
 HOW I LIKE TO HAVE FUN. 
 
 I like to have some little girl to come and play with me. 
 
 Some day I will have a party out in the grass. 
 
 I will be glad when papa comes home with a bag of candy. 
 
 HOW I LIKE TO HAVE FUN. 
 
 I like to have fun playing baseball. 
 
 I like to have a store of my own. 
 
 I would like to have fun guiding an auto. 
 
 I would like to have fun playing soldier and Indian. 
 
 The most original paper handed in was from the second grade, as 
 follows (it came from the Third Avenue School) : 
 
 I like to play cowboy best of all the games in the world. 
 
 I get on my rocking horse and I gallop away to get cows. 
 
 I play it in winter and summer both. 
 
 It is lots of fun. 
 
 I play it with Lewis. 
 
 From the third grade 141 papers were received from the seven, schools. 
 With the exception of one school, of 29 children, in which nearly all the 
 papers differed in form and were exceedingly good, there was no marked 
 improvement over the papers of the second grade in penmanship, spell- 
 ing, composition, or content. Of these papers 112 were almost identical 
 with those of the second grade; 104 of these had each but three sen- 
 tences, of which the following two from the Maplewood School are good 
 types : 
 
 I like to play baseball. 
 I like to play marbles. 
 I like to spin tops. 
 
 I like to go to school. 
 I like to play with dolls. 
 I like to read story books. 
 
 Eight other papers were very similar to these, but had more sentences. 
 From the Oak Street School, where the teacher seemed to have made a 
 different demand upon the children, and where I am sure the children 
 must have the habit of using greater freedom in written expression, I 
 have selected four papers. The spelling in this room was not quite so 
 good in all cases, but as several of the children were evidently foreign- 
 ers, that could be, in a measure, naturally accounted for, and the gain 
 seems to the writer greatly to overbalance the loss. From Oak Street 
 School : 
 
 FIRST PAPER: 
 
 I have fun playing tag with my dog. 
 
 I play that the swing is base, and I play that my dog is it. 
 
 I have fun playing school with my dolls. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 73 
 
 I play that I am teacher and whip ray dolls sometimes when they are bad in 
 
 school. 
 I have fun playing Santa Claus. I play that I am Santa Glaus and I drop a 
 
 few things behind me. 
 
 SECOND PAPER (from a little Italian boy who has been in this country only two 
 years) : 
 
 I have fun to the river, and I saw there three little frogs. 
 
 And they jump up and down, and when I was going to catch it he skip away. 
 
 And nother time I went to the "krik" and I saw a little babe snack, and he just 
 
 sing just like bird. 
 THIRD PAPER: 
 
 I have fun climbing hay stacks when I go to my grandmother's in the winter. 
 When my cousin and I climb the haystack we take a ladder, and then slide down 
 
 the other side, and cover each up in the hay all but their head, and have fun 
 
 that way. fc 
 
 Several other children of the twenty-nine mentioned explained games 
 in full, told how they acted out stories, and described many interesting 
 and amusing incidents. They showed spontaneity and joy in expression 
 which was worthy of the consideration of all the other primary teachers. 
 
 In summing up, it is just to say that the results from this one test 
 would indicate that the emphasis in writing has been placed too largely 
 upon the forms of expression in the schools, and that while the penman- 
 ship and spelling are good, the conclusion is that these good formal 
 habits should be utilized much more generally in the expression of 
 thought. Of course the fault in this case may have been partly because 
 of the way the writer's question was given, or the way the teachers 
 limited the children in their answers to the question, but in any case 
 there is not enough difference between the second- and third-grade 
 papers in normal development to be satisfactory. The papers in one 
 school showed that children in the third grade are capable of greater 
 freedom in expression, and the uniformity in all the other papers cer- 
 tainly gives the impression that mere formal results have been over- 
 emphasized in the schools. 
 
 SPELLING. 
 
 Spelling is the third "major" subject of study in the primary schools. 
 The writer asked for written papers showing the results of one day's 
 regular spelling lessons in the second and third grades. The record 
 from these grades in the seven schools is tabulated below. 
 
 Second-Grade Record. 
 
 SAMPLE LIST OF 25 WORDS. 
 
 glove among teacher over fourteen 
 
 match chair basket been which 
 
 papa busy these slow place 
 
 fence hole sugar mama button 
 
 bright pencil throw happy color 
 
 SAMPLE LIST OF 10 WORDS. 
 
 quick read shelf spoon teacher 
 
 window write play turn 
 
 All the other lists were similar to these, consisting of words from the 
 regular readers which were already in the children's speaking vocabulary. 
 
74 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 TABLE XIX. 
 Second-grade Spelling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 
 Papers 
 
 
 Number 
 
 Number 
 
 Papers- 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 with 
 more 
 
 NAME OP SCHOOL. 
 
 of 
 
 pupils 
 
 of 
 words 
 
 num- 
 ber 
 
 one 
 word 
 
 two 
 
 words 
 
 three 
 words 
 
 four 
 words 
 
 than 
 four 
 
 
 in grade. 
 
 in list. 
 
 correct. 
 
 mis- 
 
 mis- 
 
 mis- 
 
 mis- 
 
 words 
 
 
 
 
 
 spelled. 
 
 spelled. 
 
 spelled. 
 
 spelled. 
 
 mis- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 spelled. 
 
 Third Avenue 
 
 27 
 
 20 
 
 19 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1-6 
 
 Franklin 
 
 18 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 1-7 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 18 
 
 6 
 
 13 
 
 3 
 
 l 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 2 
 
 1-6 
 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 19 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 27 
 
 5 
 
 20 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 29 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Third Avenue, Second Group 
 
 13 
 
 25 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Third-grade Record. 
 
 SAMPLE LIST OF 25 WORDS. 
 
 chowder 
 oyster 
 February 
 preparation 
 pickle 
 
 banana grade 
 sneeze improvement 
 improve syrup 
 biscuit . veal 
 soup buffaloes 
 
 dismiss 
 basket 
 once 
 chimneys 
 dismissal 
 
 mutton 
 always 
 thieves 
 prepare 
 
 
 SAMPLE LIST OF 10 
 
 WORDS. 
 
 
 easy 
 touch 
 
 always smooth 
 sword shelf 
 
 against 
 bridge 
 
 toward 
 guess 
 
 TABLE XX. 
 Third-grade Spelling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Papers 
 
 
 Number 
 
 Number 
 
 Papers 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 Papers 
 with 
 
 with 
 more 
 
 NAME OP SCHOOL. 
 
 of 
 pupils 
 
 of 
 
 words 
 
 num- 
 ber 
 
 one 
 word 
 
 two 
 
 words 
 
 three 
 words 
 
 four 
 
 words 
 
 than 
 four 
 
 
 in grade. 
 
 in list. 
 
 correct. 
 
 mis- 
 
 mis- 
 
 Tnis- 
 
 mis- 
 
 words 
 
 
 
 
 
 spelled. 
 
 spelled. 
 
 spelled. 
 
 spelled. 
 
 mis- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 spelled. 
 
 Third Avenue 
 
 22 
 
 25 
 
 g 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 ( 1-5 
 \ 1-8 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ( 1-14 
 
 Franklin 
 
 27 
 
 10 
 
 14 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 21 
 
 25 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 3-5 
 
 Sumner 
 
 18 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 1 
 
 1-5 
 
 Morris 
 
 22 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 4 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1-6 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 28 
 
 6 
 
 20 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 
 1 
 
 1-8 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 75 
 
 These data are given for whatever value they may have. One may 
 not base conclusions concerning the spelling in the Leavenworth schools 
 upon this one test; the lists of words differed greatly in number (vary- 
 ing from 25 to 5 words daily) and the words were different in each list. 
 The classes having 20 and 25 new 'words seem to compare favorably with 
 the classes having only 5 or 6. These data, therefore, are inserted 
 chiefly because they came in response to the request for the written 
 results of one day's regular spelling lesson in the second and third grades, 
 and because they may be suggestive to the teachers in Leavenworth to 
 question the significance of such varying demands and results in a school 
 system of the size of Leavenworth. 
 
 NUMBER WORK. 
 
 Number work is the fourth "major" subject. 
 
 The following is a description of a number lesson which the writer 
 observed in a first grade in which the children were exceedingly alert 
 and accurate and the teacher full of interesting devices. The lesson 
 was described by the teacher herself upon the observation blank pro- 
 vided by the Survey Staff, and is inserted below in the teacher's own 
 words, but the description fails to give an idea of the spirit which ani- 
 mated the entire class. 
 
 Number Lesson First-grade Class. 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF 8 AND COMBINATIONS. 
 
 First, review work, previously given on 7's. Children have 7 objects. Child puts 
 1 more with them and sees 8. 
 
 Use a number of different objects, to show the same combination, that 7 and 1 are 8. 
 
 Have children give little number stories about these objects, after which teacher gives 
 the figure 8. 
 
 Children trace it in the air as teacher makes it on board. Then class makes it on 
 board and slates. 
 
 Each child has 8 objects. Begins with 1 ; sees that 7 more complete the 8. 
 
 Then we gain the following: 7 + 1 = 8. 
 
 Then look at objects again; take away 7, the 1 remains. Take away 1, 7 remain. 
 
 Begin with 3 objects, and see that 5 more make 8. Take away 5 and 3 remain; take 
 away 3 and 5 are left. 3 + 5 = 8; 8 3 = 5; 5 + 3 = 8; 8 5 = 3. 
 
 I play store with them, and they buy. (I have several objects to sell.) They have 
 8 cents to begin with. They must tell how much will be left after buying from me. 
 
 I also use children to illustrate the combinations of 8 and the taking away of different 
 numbers. 
 
 I also use a string of 8 apples. 
 
 It was effective, for the faces were alive with interest and enthusiasm, and they knew 
 the work next day and could give me the combinations belonging to the 8 family. I use 
 objects and pictures all the time. 
 
 Judging from the work which I observed, there is no doubt that the 
 number work outlined for the primary grades is most thoroughly and 
 excellently done. The children work accurately and rapidly and enjoy the 
 activity as thoroughly as they would an interesting game. The question 
 is whether they are not too well drilled for the present use they can 
 make of the number element in their actual living; whether the time 
 given for so much drill for rapidity in addition and subtraction could not 
 be better spent at this stage of development upon nature study and litera- 
 ture, allowing the children to see and to do things requiring the use of 
 
76 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 several senses. If more of the work in measuring with various standard 
 units of measurement, under the stimulus of some motive or purpose 
 which the children could appreciate and from which they would gain 
 experience in many directions, could be placed in the first grade, and 
 more of the rapid abstract work plaCed in the third, it would seem a 
 better arrangement and more adapted to the children's present needs. 
 The writer believes that the children in the primary grades should have 
 plenty of work in applied number, as it is needed in games, in nature 
 study, in manual training and in science experiments, and that the units 
 of measure thus used should be well fixed through use, but that most of 
 the drill . for rapid and accurate calculation should come beyond the 
 second grade. This is not because the work can not be done in the two 
 earlier grades (for as a matter of fact it is being well done in at least 
 four schools which were observed), but because other more useful and 
 necessary things are crowded out of this period of the child's life by so 
 much number drill; and also because, when so much is done in the first 
 and second grades, there is but little left to do in new mathematical 
 processes and in the fundamental operations between the third and fifth 
 grades; and still further, because much of the time so used is wasted, 
 since in order to keep fresh what they learn until they have use for it 
 the drill must be kept up, going over and over again the same facts and 
 combinations until, from very weariness and lack of interest, the 
 work is poorly done. Therefore, the Survey Staff urge that the drill 
 upon the number process and work for rapid calculation be placed some- 
 what later in the course, when the child can feel the need or purpose for 
 such work as he does in the third, fourth and fifth grades. This advice 
 may have more weight, since it has been found in Leavenworth, as in 
 other places* that pupils in the upper grades have not been made more 
 efficient or accurate in mathematics from any point of view by the great 
 emphasis placed upon the subject in the early grades. 
 
 COMMENTS UPON THE TELLING OF STORIES, WHICH IS A "MINOR" SUBJECT 
 OF STUDYING IN THE LEAVENWORTH PRIMARY GRADES. 
 
 In three schools in which story-telling was observed, the writer has 
 only commendation, for both the choice of stories used and the manner 
 of telling them by the teachers. In another school, however, the children 
 had apparently memorized the exact words of the stories they were telling, 
 and therefore the work was lacking in spontaneity, and at least one of 
 the chief values in story-telling was lost, in that the children were not 
 imaging and expressing their own conceptions while telling the tales. 
 
 COMMENTS UPON THE DRAMATIZATION OF STORIES, SCHEDULED AS A "MINOR" 
 IN THE LEAVENWORTH PRIMARY GRADES. 
 
 The writer saw the children acting out stories in three schools. In 
 one it was merely the perfunctory going over of set movements, which 
 had been repeated so many times that no thought was aroused. This was 
 in a second grade, where the teacher said to the writer, "Perhaps you 
 would like to see the children dramatize something," and out of a clear 
 blue sky she called upon the children to act out "Jack and Jill." The 
 children were willing, and it is true that "Jack fell down," but he kept 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 77 
 
 his "crown" carefully uplifted in the air so that it could not possibly have 
 been "broken." He got up smiling, put back the pail, and ran back with 
 Jill to his seat. No comment was made or expected. He probably had 
 done the same thing in the same way a great many times. 
 
 In another room (third grade) the children played being "The little 
 kind girl" and "The little cross girl." It was done in a self-conscious and 
 stilted way, using the books for guidance iji giving the exact words of the 
 story, though the ideas could have been assimilated in one reading of the 
 text. The choice of material here was not good, for though the story was 
 dramatic in form, the literature was not of sufficient value to be worthy of 
 the children's time, nor did the character of the self-righteous little good 
 girl warrant the deep impression which acting gives. 
 
 On the other hand, in the other two schools there were glimpses of 
 dramatic action which indicated real insight into and appreciation of the 
 function of dramatic expression in education and a most careful dis- 
 crimination in the choice of material. In the third grade of the Oak 
 Street School the children acted out their own na'ive interpretation of ' 
 "Philemon and Baucis," and in the first grade of the Morris School the 
 children delighted in the story of "^Eolus and the Winds," and their ex- 
 pression was charming, spontaneous and original. 
 
 One found teachers in Leavenworth well aware of the dangers involved 
 in giving school plays and dramatic presentations: such as, the over- 
 stimulation of children; the fostering of a tendency towards artificiality; 
 the cultivation of insincerity; and, by overelaboration, the systematic 
 blighting of the imagination, which may come to children if dramatiza- 
 tion is thoughtlessly used. And these teachers also recognize the great 
 value of dramatic presentation in education when it is rightly under- 
 Stood and directed. 
 
 Among the many possible values of the school play, a few might be 
 named: such as, the establishing of moral ideals; the cultivation of in- 
 itiative; the demand for the subordination of self to the group; the over- 
 coming of self -consciousness ; the training in good speech; the giving 
 of bodily control and freedom in expression; and the appreciation of 
 literary beauty. There is at least one teacher in the Leavenworth 
 primary grades who is able to help the other teachers to gain the right 
 point of view in dramatization, and the writer suggests that in the 
 weekly teachers' meetings those in the system who are especially gifted 
 or well trained in any one subject be asked to help those who are less 
 able or less experienced, but who are attempting to do the same kind 
 of work. 
 
 PHYSICAL TRAINING, SCHEDULED AS "SUPERVISED WORK" IN THE COURSE 
 
 OF STUDY. 
 
 The physical training in the Leavenworth schools ranges in quality 
 from the perfunctory carrying out of directions given by the supervisor 
 to the freer interpretation of these directions in a few schools by the 
 teachers who instinctively understand the needs of children and who work 
 from principle in their attempts to get the best results from the physical 
 exercise. The same conscientiousness was observed here as in the other 
 work. Each lesson for the entire year is carefully outlined by the super- 
 
78 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 visor and given to the class teacher in typewritten form, and she is ex- 
 pected to carry out these directions at least in spirit. Each lesson in- 
 cludes drill in correct standing position; facing; marching; arm, leg and 
 trunk exercises; ending in each case with a game. The lesson is never 
 twice alike, and plans for progression are provided for within the grade 
 as well as from a lower to a higher grade. 
 
 If all the teachers were required to hold rigidly to these outlines the 
 work might easily become perfunctory and mechanical, but this excuse 
 for poor work does not exist. However, there seems to be little or no de- 
 mand from the physical-training department for fresh-air activities, or 
 for corrective gymnastics adapted to the needs of particular children. It 
 is to be hoped that in the near future gymnasiums and swimming pools 
 will be made accessible, so that all the children may use them, and it is 
 urged that every school be provided with a well-equipped playground. 
 At present the schools with the poorest provision of space outdoors seem 
 to make the very best use of what they have, showing that they deserve 
 better conditions. It seems to the writer that the great benefits of out- 
 door play, under right conditions and supervision, have not yet been 
 recognized adequately in the community. It is well known that the play- 
 ground, rightly used, is quite as strong ethically as physically in making 
 for good citizenship. 
 
 CONSTRUCTION WORK OR ELEMENTARY MANUAL TRAINING. 
 
 In order to make clear what the writer considers to be a fundamental 
 principle, two observations are cited. The writer asked to see the 
 manual-training work in one of the schools. It was a week in which it 
 had been planned to make kites a very fitting plaything for the season- 
 but the wood had not come, and the teacher, with mistaken zeal, called 
 upon the other teachers and sat up all night preparing small cardboard 
 frames, with dots about an inch and a half apart (which any second- 
 grade child could easily have made) over which thirty-five children in 
 the third grade were to make string bags. In the construction hour the 
 children's work consisted in tying knots over each dot. There was little 
 opportunity for serious effort on the part of an intelligent child of that 
 age, since a mistake was scarcely possible, and the writer would have 
 much preferred seeing this class make original working drawings for 
 their kites, working from the teacher's dictation; or it would have been 
 more valuable if the teacher had discussed with the children the simplest 
 scientific principles involved in kite making. She could have given them 
 information which they might have tested out by their experiments in 
 the flying of kites; or she might have allowed them to draw original 
 plans to a scale, and they could have made the kites at home from news- 
 papers and waste pieces of wood. 
 
 On the same day, in a first-grade room of thirty children, each child 
 was given strips and paste and provided with cardboard, all beautifully 
 cut out by the teacher, to be used in making a play wren house. The 
 children then followed dictation, folding the house on the carefully drawn 
 lines, cutting out the circular door, pasting the ends of the house together, 
 and putting on the roof. It took about twenty minutes of each child's 
 time to finish thirty useless little bird houses, which looked very well, but 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 79 
 
 the teacher must have spent several hours in preparing the work. She 
 also had done the thinking and planning. Again, in the writer's opinion, 
 it would have been more educative work had several models of wren 
 houses been placed before the children, if they had been given pencil and 
 paste, and if each child had been asked to work out his own model of a 
 wren house. The results would have been exceedingly crude, but the next 
 day the teacher could have written directions on the blackboard which 
 the children could have followed and which would have resulted in better 
 houses. It is probable that even then there might not have been more 
 than three or four really good models, but every child should have been 
 exercising skill and judgment to the limit of his ability, which was not 
 the case when each child contentedly and successfully followed the direc- 
 tions which were so simple that only a small degree of mechanical dex- 
 terity was necessary. 
 
 In both of these cases the teacher directing the work showed energy 
 and good teaching ability, and accomplished the results which she planned 
 for in excellent spirit, but since a burden of useless work rested upon the 
 teachers, and since the Survey indicates that this fault in the manual- 
 training work extends beyond the primary grades (and particularly since 
 this seems to be a very common mistake in the handwork in schools all 
 over the country), it seems wise to emphasize the futility of such exer- 
 cises in a child's education. It will be perfectly obvious, upon reflection, 
 to these and other good teachers doing this kind of work, that the educa- 
 tional value will be much greater to the children when the energy and 
 industry which now goes into getting such quantities of quickly achieved 
 but useless results is turned into getting self-actuated effort and activity 
 into the children's work, and when the objects which are made are useful, 
 however crude they may be. 
 
 The Survey Staff believe in urging that attention be given to this 
 criticism; that it is in line with recognized expert opinion concerning 
 manual-training work. It is in harmony with the ideas of Mr. Edward 
 Worst, of the Chicago public school system, and Mr. Arthur W. Richards, 
 of the Ethical Culture School in New York City, and with those of many 
 other well-known directors of work in different parts of the country. The 
 trend of education is placing the demand for activity and effort upon the 
 child, and holding the teacher responsible for providing conditions which 
 shall arouse in him motives and purposes that develop power and initia- 
 tive. Social motives insure prolonged, sincere and cheerful effort, and 
 result in satisfactory achievement. 
 
 COMMENTS UPON THE APPLIED ARTS DRAWING COURSE, SCHEDULED AS 
 "SUPERVISED WORK" IN THE PRIMARY GRADES. 
 
 The report upon the applied arts drawing course appears as a whole in 
 another part of this Survey, but the writer wishes to express appreciation 
 of the spirit of the work in the primary grades. If at present the 
 technique is somewhat overemphasized, and the time given to freer ex- 
 pression in connection with nature, literature and handwork is thereby 
 curtailed, it is only a temporary phase of the work. The facts that the 
 supervisor of this department and the teachers doing the work are open- 
 minded and enthusiastic, desiring to be students of children as well as 
 
80 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 of subject matter, and the fact that already (though the work is only 
 two years old) some of the dangers of unrelated, isolated drill and of 
 using a set series of books as a guide have been recognized, make one 
 sure that this department will more and more use painting and drawing 
 for their true purpose in the expression of thought. Drill will be used 
 in helping children to overcome obstacles in technique which have arisen 
 in their own work. All the problems that the child needs to solve, 
 involving color and form, will arise naturally if he continually paints 
 and draws in his science, history, nature study and literature, illustrat- 
 ing and making clear his imagery in the subject he is studying. There 
 should, of course, be sequence in the work, but this should be determined 
 from the standpoint of the child and not from that of the subject matter; 
 and however good the textbook on art may be, it should be only the 
 assistant to the teacher the source of reference and advice. It should 
 follow, not lead, and since this principle seems to have been grasped by 
 the department, growth in art expression and appreciation are certain 
 to come to the children in the Leavenworth schools. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 81 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ARITHMETIC. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 SYSTEMATIC instruction in arithmetic extends throughout the eight 
 grades of the elementary school. 
 
 In the fourth grade Smith's Primary Arithmetic is completed, pages 
 165-308. By the end of this year the pupil is expected: (1) to have 
 mastered the four fundamental operations for integers; (2) to be able 
 to use the four fundamentals in easy common fractions and easy decimals; 
 (3) to apply the above, as fast as acquired, to 
 
 Extension in one direction : inch, foot, yard, decimeter and meter ; 
 Extension in two directions: square inch, square foot, square yard, 
 
 square decimeter and square meter; 
 
 Extension in three directions: cubic inch, cubic decimeter; 
 Weight: grain, ounce, pound, gram; 
 Dry capacity: quart, peck; 
 Liquid capacity: pint, quart, gallon. 
 
 In grades five to eight the course of study is based upon Smith's 
 Topical Advanced Arithmetic. The text is supplemented by problems 
 and material furnished by both the pupils and the teacher. 
 
 POINTS OF EXCELLENCE IN THE TEACHING OF ARITHMETIC. 
 
 Although the results of the test which was given do not consistently 
 indicate it, the writer believes the work in arithmetic is being placed 
 upon a better basis. Some topics of arithmetic are now being taught 
 so that the pupils understand the practical situations which produce the 
 problems, and hence better understand the problems.. This is well illus- 
 trated by the description of the first lesson on trade discount, which was 
 given by a teacher in response to the "questionnaire to ascertain the 
 methods of teaching": 
 
 "After teaching the simple cases of percentage, based on multiplication 
 and division, our next subject was trade discount. I asked the pupils 
 if they had ever noticed advertised sales of goods in the newspapers. 
 Of course all had. I asked them to tell me about some of them. Every 
 one could tell me about something that had been advertised at less than 
 the marked price; some told of articles their mother had bought for 
 them at sales, even telling what per cent off they got the goods for. 
 We had a very interesting lesson telling why and when merchants sell 
 goods for less than the marked price. They told me that goods were 
 often sold at less than the marked price when the season for such goods 
 was over; that some goods that were out of style were sold for less 
 than the original price; that sometimes a man was going out of business, 
 or was forced to sell out, etc. We got into such an interesting talk that 
 it was hard to close the lesson. I closed this lesson by asking all to cut 
 from a paper some advertised goods at discount. The next day we had 
 more problems than we had time to solve. I sent each to the board 
 
82 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 to figure up the discount on his goods advertised, and to find the price 
 paid. Each had his own separate work to do and all were very busy 
 about it." 
 
 In the beginning of the consideration of this topic the attention of the 
 pupils was centered upon conditions in actual life which demand trade 
 discount. As a result the pupils approached the problems with an 
 understanding of them and their points of contact with the world of 
 affairs. To these pupils the problems of trade discount were practical 
 because of the way in which they had been approached. 
 
 On the other hand, in the following description of teaching liquid 
 measure no reference is made to the connection of the subject matter 
 considered with activities outside of school: 
 
 "Liquid measure was taught by beginning with the pint measure and 
 building up to the gallon. First, the children were directed to fill the 
 pint measure with water, pouring the water from that into the quart 
 measure. The pint measure was filled and again poured into the quart 
 measure, teaching 2 pints = 1 quart. We then proceeded as before 
 using the quart measure to fill the gallon measure, teaching 4 quarts = 1 
 gallon. This plan was continued until the relations between the several 
 measures were found." 
 
 So far as this description shows, there was no effort to connect this 
 work of the schoolroom with anything which goes on in the world of 
 affairs. Unless the pupils of their own accord realized that the milkman 
 measures his milk in pints and quarts, and the groceryman sells vinegar 
 by the pint, quart and gallon, and that the groceryman and milkman 
 often must know how many of one measure make one of a larger measure, 
 the work can not have been practical for the pupils. To them the work 
 with the actual measures was abstract; that is, abstracted taken away 
 from even an imagined situation which would call for a knowledge of the 
 table of liquid measure. 
 
 It- might be pointed out that unless the pupil does understand the 
 practical situation back of the problem he can not possibly know what 
 arithmetical operation to perform upon the quantities which he is given. 
 He must do what he is told to do either by the teacher or by the book. 
 In the lesson on liquid measure the teacher told the pupils what to do at 
 each step, and this was necessary, for otherwise the pupils could not 
 possibly have known what to do. The "practical" problems in a text do 
 or do not become practical to the pupils according as the pupils do or do 
 not understand the practical situation which occasions the particular 
 "practical" problem and connect the problem with that situation. 
 
 ORAL ARITHMETIC. 
 
 Some very spirited oral work was observed. A problem was given 
 to the entire class. As soon as a pupil had solved it he rose, and when 
 most of the class had so indicated their readiness to give the solution a 
 pupil was called on. Another teacher conducted an oral drill upon the 
 number facts of addition and subtraction by having the combinations 
 written on the board and pointing to the combinations to be given. 
 
 Until the beginning of the administration of the present superin- 
 tendent the work in arithmetic was largely oral and a stereotyped form 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 83 
 
 of oral analysis was insisted upon. Traces of this extreme emphasis 
 upon oral arithmetic are still evident. The writer was told that pupils 
 asked if they might solve the examples of Courtis Test No. 7 mentally, 
 and, judging from the papers, some pupils did so. 
 
 CLASSROOM TECHNIQUE. 
 
 There is considerable work at the blackboard. The writer commends 
 this practice and urges that there be even more in the upper grades. In 
 the handling of work at the board greater efficiency would be obtained 
 by improved classroom technique. For instance, a class was observed 
 which was being drilled upon addition. One example was dictated; this 
 was solved, and then another dictated, and so on. Some pupils finished 
 and were compelled to wait until others finished. A few did not finish. 
 Now much time could be saved if three or four examples were dictated at 
 a time, and the work were stopped as soon as a pupil had finished all the 
 examples. Even the slower pupils would then have some completed 
 work. A record of the number of examples solved and the number cor- 
 rect would represent each pupil's score for the day. 
 
 One wasteful method was observed. Pupils were solving purely drill 
 exercises on their slates. After all had finished, a group were selected 
 to place their work on the board. The work was then explained in detail. 
 In fact, it seemed that there was too much explaining of purely abstract 
 work. Much of our understanding of things grows out of their use or 
 manipulation. For the fundamental operations of arithmetic, drill is re- 
 quireol upon the operations rather than upon repeated explanations of 
 them. 
 
 Much of the work on practical problems was desultory. This was 
 probably due in part to the assigning of the same problems to all or a 
 group of students. 
 
 In the case of practical problems, when the purpose is study rather 
 than drill, the work can be improved by making each pupil responsible 
 for a group of problems either in the text or from lists supplied by the 
 teacher. When a pupil has finished one problem let him immediately pro- 
 ceed to another, but save his work until the teacher can look it over. This 
 plan will give each pupil something to do every minute of the class period. 
 A few teachers in Leavenworth are now following approximately this 
 plan. The teacher may spend her time, as some teachers were observed 
 to do, in passing from pupil to pupil giving assistance to an individual 
 or a group when it is wise to do so. In this way the teacher's help is 
 given in response to a specific difficulty which the pupil has met. 
 
 MOTIVE. 
 
 It has been stated that "such statistical information as we have shows 
 that arithmetic has always been looked upon by children as one of the 
 most interesting subjects in the course."* 
 
 * D. E. Smith. The Teaching of Arithmetic. 
 
84 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 TABLE XXI. 
 
 Tabulation of the replies to the question, "What school subject do you 
 
 like best?" 
 
 Subject Grade 6. Grade 7. Grade 8. 
 
 Arithmetic 67 78 70 
 
 Drawing 1 
 
 Geography 59 
 
 Grammar 19 27 20 
 
 History 1 10 30 
 
 Manual training 1 
 
 Music 5 2 1 
 
 Reading 38 41 24 
 
 Spelling 9 6 
 
 Physiology 1 1 
 
 The question, "What school subject do you like best?" was asked of 
 the pupils in grades six, seven and eight. Table XXI shows arithmetic 
 to be the most popular subject in Leaven worth in these grades. This 
 immediate interest in arithmetic furnishes a partial motive for its study. 
 An additional motive is secured by causing the pupils to understand the 
 relation of the problems to the practical situations which produce them, 
 as was done in the teaching of trade discount. The pupils then see the 
 use of the problem. 
 
 Another teacher was found who in teaching insurance was spending 
 two or three days in studying the insurance business and insurance com- 
 panies. The pupils and teacher were contributing to a common fund of 
 knowledge about the practical situation which occasioned the arith- 
 metical problems of insurance. 
 
 Some attempts to motivate, however, were not so successful. Much 
 of the success in securing motive must result from the assignment. The 
 lack of good assignments no doubt contributes to the passivity and 
 desultoriness of some of the work observed. 
 
 Classroom technique is also a factor in securing motive. This is par- 
 ticularly true in the case of drill upon the operations of addition, sub- 
 traction, multiplication and division. A plan of procedure which insures 
 rapid and continued work will create enthusiasm. Such a plan has 
 already been mentioned under the head of classroom technique. 
 
 ARITHMETICAL ABILITIES. 
 
 The Courtis Standard Test No. 7 was given to the pupils in the fourth, 
 fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades in all of the buildings except 
 Wilson and Cleveland. These two schools present essentially rural con- 
 ditions, and the number of pupils in these grades was so small that it 
 was decided not to give the test. 
 
 The test was given by the building principals of the three large ele- 
 mentary schools, Oak Street, Third Avenue, and Morris. The directions 
 supplied by Mr. Courtis were followed carefully. A copy of the test was 
 supplied to each pupil and twelve minutes were allowed for the work. 
 The papers were scored by the teachers and were checked by the writer 
 and a clerk working under his supervision. All calculations were made 
 in accordance with the directions. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 85 
 
 TABLE XXII. 
 
 Courtis Standard Test No. 7. Class Averages. 
 
 ATTEMPTS. 
 
 
 
 
 Grades. 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 5B 5A 
 
 6B 6A 
 
 7B 7A 
 
 8B 8A 
 
 Standard score 
 
 7.0 
 
 9.0 
 
 11.0 
 
 12.5 
 
 144 
 
 Third Avenue 
 
 6.5 
 
 6.3 8.2 
 
 8.8 
 
 7.7 6.8 
 
 9.2 8.2 
 
 Morris 
 
 4.6 
 
 5.4 
 
 8.6 8.0 
 
 8.6 9.8 
 
 10.8 12.2 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 5.8 
 
 .- 6.7 
 
 8.2 
 
 7.7 9.7 
 
 10.4 9.5 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 7.7 
 
 6.6 5.9 
 
 7.5 8.0 
 
 
 
 Sumner 
 
 6.8 
 
 8.7 
 
 9.3 
 
 9.4 
 
 9.8 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 3.6 
 
 5.4 
 
 8.2 
 
 10.4 
 
 9.1 
 
 Franklin 
 
 5.5 
 
 9.1 
 
 9.1 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 7.0 
 
 
 
 
 
 TABLE XXIII. 
 
 Courtis Standard Test No. 7. Class Averages. 
 
 RIGHTS. 
 
 Grades. 
 
 SCHOOLS. 
 
 4 
 
 5B 5A 
 
 6B 6A 
 
 7B 7A 
 
 8B 8A 
 
 Standard score 
 Third Avenue 
 Morris 
 
 3.5 
 1.5 
 2 2 
 
 5.2 
 4.9 6.5 
 3 1 
 
 6.7 
 4.7 
 42 40 
 
 8.2 
 4.4 3.9 
 58 66 
 
 94 
 5.6 5.7 
 80 83 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 1 7 
 
 3 4 
 
 5 2 
 
 47 52 
 
 70 65 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 1 3 
 
 07 22 
 
 38 44 
 
 
 
 Sumner 
 
 2 6 
 
 4 4 
 
 5 2 
 
 6 4 
 
 6 3 
 
 Lincoln .... 
 
 9 
 
 2 6 
 
 6 1 
 
 7 2 
 
 4 9 
 
 Franklin . . 
 
 3 7 
 
 4 5 
 
 4 7 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 4.3 
 
 
 
 
 
 The classes were sufficiently large for the average scores to be reliable 
 in most cases. In considering Table XXII we find that the fourth grade 
 of the Maplewood School exceeds the standard average number of ex- 
 amples attempted, and the fourth grade of the Jefferson School just 
 equaled the standard average. The fifth grade in the Franklin School 
 exceeds the standard. But in no other case is the standard average 
 equaled or exceeded. Thus out of 42 classes only three equaled or ex- 
 ceeded the standard average for the number of examples attempted. 
 The average for most of the classes fall conspicuously below the standard; 
 for example, the third and fourth grades in the Lincoln School, the 
 seventh and eighth grades in the Sumner School, and practically all of 
 
86 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 the classes in the three larger schools, Third Avenue, Oak Street, and 
 Morris. It is interesting to note that the three cases of equaling or ex- 
 ceeding the standard average of examples attempted occur in the smaller 
 schools. 
 
 In Table XXIII we find that again three classes equal or exceed the 
 standard average for the number of examples worked correctly, but in 
 only one case do we have the same class, viz., the fourth grade in the 
 Jefferson School. The fourth grade in the Franklin School and the 
 fifth A grade of the Third Avenue School are the other two cases. The 
 fourth grade of the Maplewood School is one of the three lowest in 
 number right, although it stood highest in the number of examples at- 
 tempted. 
 
 TABLE XXIV. 
 Per Cent of Examples Right (Based upon Class Averages). 
 
 
 
 
 Grades. 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 5B 5A 
 
 6B 6A 
 
 7B 7A 
 
 8B 8A 
 
 Standard score 
 
 50 
 
 58 
 
 61 
 
 66 
 
 67 
 
 Third Avenue 
 
 23 
 
 78 79 
 
 53 
 
 57 57 
 
 61 69 
 
 Morris 
 
 48 
 
 57 
 
 49 50 
 
 67 67 
 
 74 68 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 29 
 
 50 
 
 63 
 
 61 53 
 
 67 68 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 17 
 
 11 37 
 
 50 55 
 
 
 
 Sumner 
 
 38 
 
 50 
 
 56 
 
 68 
 
 64 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 25 
 
 48 
 
 74 
 
 69 
 
 54 
 
 Franklin 
 
 67 
 
 50 
 
 52 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 61 
 
 
 
 
 
 It may be thought that the low class averages may be due to the pupils 
 working slowly but with unusual accuracy. In Table XXIV we give the 
 per cent of examples right as determined from the above class average. 
 This table shows that in a very few cases the per cent of examples worked 
 correctly is materially above the standard per cent right. For instance, 
 the classes in the Maplewood School are below the standard for both 
 number and the per cent of examples worked correctly. In the funda- 
 mental operations of arithmetic, with the exception of the fourth grade, 
 the pupils of the Maplewood School work more slowly and make relatively 
 more mistakes than the standard classes. 
 
 On the other hand, both fifth-grade classes of the Third Avenue School 
 work more slowly but with more accuracy than the standard fifth-grade 
 class. In fact, the fifth A class is so accurate that the average number 
 of examples worked correctly is conspicuously above the standard. The 
 fourth grade of the Jefferson School has the distinction of being above 
 standard from every point of view. 
 
 The observations of the writer tend to confirm the results of the tests. 
 The inaccuracy of pupils was conspicuous in a number of classes, and 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 87 
 
 teachers commented upon the fact. The necessity of drill is emphasized 
 by the superintendent in the course of study, but apparently it has been 
 neglected for very little rapid drill work was seen. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The results of the Courtis test show a need for written drill upon the 
 fundamental operations with integers. This drill should secure increased 
 speed and accuracy. 
 
 More attention should be given to the study of the practical situations 
 which produce the "practical" problems. In doing this it would be well 
 for a class to make a special study of some practical situations, such as 
 banking, insurance, building or construction work, etc. But the teacher 
 should avoid the monotony which wilt result if each succeeding class is 
 ground through the same plan. The topics for special study should vary 
 from class to class. Let each class have its own "hobby." After a practical 
 situation has been studied, a wide range of the typical problems from 
 that situation should be studied. If it is desirable to supplement the 
 text in this respect, lists of problems may be collected by the teacher and 
 pupils. It might be profitable to have such lists mimeographed and a 
 copy placed in the hands of each pupil. 
 
 It is believed that the work would be improved by exercising more dis- 
 crimination and evaluation in determining the subject matter which is to 
 be taught. The elimination of some obsolete or obsolescent material has 
 been accomplished. But it may be questioned whether such a topic as 
 "special per cents to be memorized" deserves to be taught and drilled 
 upon. Knowledge of these special per cents is useful only as a device 
 which saves time when one has many problems to solve which involve 
 these per cents. The 'devices will be acquired by the pupils if they are 
 really useful. 
 
 The results of arithmetic teaching should be measured by the best 
 instruments available. At present these are the Courtis Standard Tests. 
 The building principals should assume the responsibility for this work 
 as part of their work of supervision. The Courtis Standard Tests are 
 also valuable for purposes of detailed diagnosis. The weaknesses of 
 backward pupils may be determined and the appropriate remedy applied. 
 
 It is also not too much to expect that the principals and teachers at- 
 tempt the scientific determinations of the best methods and devices of 
 teaching arithmetic. 
 
88 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 DRAWING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
 
 Ella V. Dobbs. 
 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 DRAWING is taught in all grades of the elementary schools of Leaven- 
 worth and has been under the direction of a supervisor for two years. 
 The Applied Arts Drawing Books form the basis of the course, which is 
 planned with reference to the seasons of the year, and includes color 
 work with brush and crayon, pencil sketches, and designs to be applied 
 to 'handwork projects. The handwork includes paper cutting and fold- 
 ing, weaving and basketry, and construction in paper and cardboard. 
 
 The organization falls into three general types of work: First, appre- 
 ciation of the beauty of line, form and color is sought through the mak- 
 ing of sketches of landscapes, fruits, flowers, leaves, and through pose 
 work, object drawing, and all forms of representative art. Second, the 
 relation of art principles to common things is studied through the making 
 and decorating of articles for school and home use, such as booklets, 
 blotters, telephone pads, wastebaskets, table covers, etc. Third, acquain- 
 tance with and interest in good pictures is sought through a study of 
 some of the world's great masterpieces, and in making collections of 
 small prints. 
 
 A general outline for each grade is prepared for the year. This is 
 supplemented by a specific outline given to the teachers month by month, 
 in which definite projects are suggested and directions given for carry- 
 ing them out. For example, the outline for the first month for the first 
 grade makes the circle the basis of form study, and directs that the 
 pupils be given circular pieces of cardboard as guides in drawing circles. 
 After they draw around the cardboard, the circle is to be filled in with a 
 colored crayon in imitation of a balloon, an apple, or some other circular 
 object. The organization progresses month by month through the com- 
 mon geometrical figures, as square, triangle, etc., each being applied 
 later to familiar objects. 
 
 These monthly outlines also suggest definite projects in construction 
 which embody the art principles studied. One such outline for the 
 upper grades included complete directions and dimensions for making a 
 blotting pad, for which original border designs were to be drawn and 
 applied by the pupils. These monthly outlines aim to provide ample 
 work for classes that work rapidly, and provision is made for omissions 
 by classes which must work slowly. They also tend to keep the work 
 uniform throughout the city, and maintain a fair standard of excellence. 
 
 SPECIAL TEACHERS FOR DRAWING. 
 
 In each building arrangements are made for teachers who have special 
 talent or training in art, to teach this subject in several rooms. The 
 supervisor wisely allows ample freedom to all teachers who are able to 
 work independently. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 89 
 
 THE TEACHING OF DRAWING. 
 
 School art courses have been strongly influenced by the logical and 
 traditional methods used in art schools where the study is directed toward 
 picture making. The work in Leavenworth shows the effect of these 
 traditional methods, but it also shows a strong tendency to break away 
 from traditions which do not prove themselves well adapted to present 
 needs. The present work compares well with average school art work, 
 and that which is being done is being done well. Both teachers and su- 
 pervisor seem keenly alive to the importance of the subject, and conditions 
 are ripe for the forward step which will place Leavenworth among the 
 leaders in this field. 
 
 Judged from the standpoint of execution alone, the work, as observed 
 by the writer, rises to its highest point in nature sketches and object 
 drawing. Systematic work on the part of the teacher and painstaking 
 effort on the part of the pupil combine to produce results of remarkably 
 uniform excellence in neatness and quality of work. Judged from the 
 standpoint of practical value, the highest point is reached in the work in 
 applied design. Some excellent work was observed by the writer in the 
 Morris School, in which the pupils had designed borders for blotting pads 
 from a leaf motif. Each pupil made his own design and had cut a stencil 
 to aid in its application to the blotter. After the pupils had made some 
 unsuccessful attempts to mix appropriate colors, a specific lesson on color 
 combinations was given. Two color schemes were agreed upon as suit- 
 able to the paper from which the blotters were made. The class was 
 divided into two groups. Methods were discussed and definite instruc- 
 tions given for obtaining the desired tones in each color scheme. The 
 entire class gave attention to the instruction in both schemes, and con- 
 trasts between the two were noted. Following the theoretical instruction 
 each pupil worked individually upon one of the two schemes discussed. 
 The results promised to be very satisfactory. 
 
 Work of this type is to be commended in that it provides a strong 
 motive and scope for initiative through the individual interest of each 
 pupil in reaching a high standard of execution in making something 
 which Jie values. Answers to the question, "What that you have made 
 have you enjoyed most?" called forth a strong vote for blotter pads. 
 This lesson is to be commended also in that it gave definite help to the 
 children after they had tried to work alone and had discovered their own 
 needs. While sound pedagogy demands that children shall not be told 
 what they can readily discover for themselves, it does not require that 
 they shall be left to rediscover, unaided, all the short cuts known to 
 modern science. 
 
 Work of this type, if continued throughout the grades for a period of 
 years, would tend to develop initiative and resourcefulness and would 
 make possible a greater amount of individuality than that described. For 
 example, in classes accustomed to individual effort, a choice in motif 
 as well as design could be encouraged, together with a greater variety 
 in color schemes. 
 
90 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 SCHOOLROOM DECORATIONS. 
 
 Interest in the field of picture study is evidenced in an unusually 
 large number of well-chosen copies of good pictures which are to be 
 found on the walls of the Leavenworth schools. In some instances the 
 effect of really fine, large pictures is lowered by an excess of small 
 pictures filling up the background, or by an overdecoration of the black- 
 board. The blackboard in a schoolroom is designed primarily for the 
 practice work of pupils. Any decoration which takes up needed space is 
 ill advised. And further, blackboard crayons are apt to be strong and 
 crude in color. The decorations made from them are not apt to be of a 
 high grade of art, or calculated to aid in developing a high order of 
 appreciation in the pupils.* Those made from prepared stencils are apt 
 to be marked by fanciness rather than beauty. 
 
 BOOKS FOR REFERENCE. 
 
 It is suggested that instead of using any one drawing book all drawing 
 work be done on separate paper and that each room be supplied with 
 several good drawing books of suitable grade, and other reference ma- 
 terial. This reference material should include at least a good periodical 
 for each building (such as the School Arts Magazine). Pupils should be 
 encouraged to bring in additional helps as needed. Instead of following a 
 drawing-book course, the subject matter should grow out of the im- 
 mediate interests of the school and the home, that the children may feel 
 that beauty is an essential element in daily life not that art is a desir- 
 able but superfluous decoration of things. 
 
 APPLICATIONS. 
 
 Daily lesson papers in all school subjects shoul'd receive the same care 
 in matters of spacing and neatness that is given to a sketch in the 
 drawing lesson. Letter-writing calls for the exercise of taste and the 
 application of art principles in the choice of paper, the width of margin, 
 and the arrangement of the page. Art principles apply to the making 
 of book covers and illustrations for composition work, to poster illustra- 
 tions for geography and history, to the case and repair of schoolbooks, 
 and to taste and comfort in classroom conveniences, such as blotters, 
 pencil boxes, and book bags. Too frequently the beautiful things of this 
 type which are made by the pupils are put away in a drawer- to be saved 
 for the annual exhibit, while daily needs are supplied by any sort of 
 accessories which the child may happen to possess. The supervisor's in- 
 fluence may be legitimately extended to include these fields which our 
 present common practice tends to separate from the realm of art in the 
 minds of the children. 
 
 The art course may profitably include, also, definite study of costume 
 designing and house furnishing, which may be begun in the lower grades 
 in the dressing of dolls and the building of playhouses and lead up to 
 the making in the upper grades of things to be actually worn and used in 
 the home. 
 
 Through these and similar projects the art work should take on a 
 very practical turn, and mere drawing occupy a very subordinate place. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 91 
 
 School art should seek to make every child familiar with the distinctions 
 between good and bad in these common things. It should be the esthetic 
 element, the note of beauty which enters into and crowns every activity 
 of the day. It should make pupils live more beautifully. Whatever 
 needs to be done should be done in the most beautiful way possible. The 
 study of what constitutes the most beautiful way and how to secure the 
 desired result would suggest the topic for the drawing period. The super- 
 visor would then need to spend very little time on preparing the details 
 of a course of study, but a great deal of time studying what things 
 needed to be done, and would act as a general adviser in finding the best 
 and most beautiful way to do them. 
 
 The trend of modern school art is toward greater emphasis on this 
 practical application, but it can not be accomplished with any degree of 
 success unless art study is bound up, literally entangled in, the things 
 which mean most to the children. The making of kites, the dressing of 
 dolls and the building of a playhouse offer a better point of attack than 
 a logical arrangement of geometric figures or a formal study of primary 
 and secondary colors. The logical organization of these technical princi- 
 ples belongs in the upper grades after a sufficient accumulation of first- 
 hand experience to make them intelligible. 
 
92 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY is taught in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grades. 
 The state texts, King's Primary Geography and Tarr and McMurry's 
 Advanced Book, are used. In addition, a varying amount of supple- 
 mentary material is used. 
 
 The writer was told by some of the teachers in a general meeting that 
 some home geography was taught in the grades below the fourth, but it 
 is not mentioned in the course of study nor is it given in the teachers' 
 own reports on the disposition of their time. Hence it must be of a very 
 incidental type and not significant as to quantity. 
 
 The order of the course of study follows that of the texts, except that 
 Part IV of Tarr and McMurry's Advanced Book is made to follow 
 Part V. The aim and scope of the work of the fourth grade is described 
 in the printed course of study as follows: 
 
 AIM 1. To teach the child to observe by observing. 
 
 2. To teach the child to read maps and pictures. 
 
 1. Geography looked at from the teacher's point of view may be 
 divided into the following kinds: 
 
 (a) Observational Geography, relating to land forms, water 
 forms, atmospheric forms, life forms. 
 
 (6) Representative Geography, relating to maps, graphs, and 
 pictures. 
 
 (c) Rational Geography, relating to movements of the earth and 
 results, movements of water and results, movements of life and 
 results. 
 
 2. Geography in the fourth grade should, of course, be largely (a) 
 and (6). (a) should be taught almost entirely outdoors, with constant 
 reviews in class work indoors. 
 
 King's Primary Geography is the basis for the work of this grade. 
 Part 1, 10 pages, is called "Home Geography by Observation," but it pre- 
 sents a very inadequate treatment of the topic. Following this we find 
 the usual order of topics "The Earth as a Whole," "North America," 
 etc. There is nothing in the printed course of study to show that this 
 order is not followed in the teaching of geography. 
 
 An unusual number of geographical readers and other reference 
 books were reported by many teachers. A number of such books were in 
 evidence in a few classrooms and % some were observed in use. On the 
 other hand, a few teachers reported practically no books suitable for 
 children to read. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIAL. 
 
 The illustrative material in evidence likewise varied. In some rooms 
 a marvelous amount of material had been collected to illustrate topics. 
 In other rooms there was practically no illustrative material except the 
 usual maps. Much of this material was excellent, but some of it could 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 93 
 
 contribute but little to the work of the class if the supplementary books 
 were used intelligently. For example, a number of charts had been made 
 of pictures cut from old geography texts. These are very apt to be 
 inferior to the pictures of the present text. The principal value which 
 could come from such material would grow out of the actual work of col- 
 lecting the pictures; hence it will be of little value to any class but the 
 one which constructed it. 
 
 Much of the illustrative material has been planned and prepared by 
 the teacher with little assistance from the pupils. The finished character 
 of the material shows this to be true, and teachers said this was the case. 
 By such action the pupils have been deprived of the opportunity for 
 exhibiting initiative, for planning and doing something which has a 
 tangible material form. Teachers in-other schools have secured excellent 
 results by keeping in the background and allowing the pupils to do the 
 bulk of the planning and the work. It is true that they got a more crude 
 product, but it is believed that the educational value to the pupils was 
 much greater. 
 
 THE MODES OF TEACHING GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 1. Question and answer. In response to a question or request for 
 specific information, it is given by the pupil called upon. Some of the 
 teachers appear to use this mode of teaching almost exclusively, and a 
 few have become rather expert in doing it. 
 
 2. Semi-lecture. The teacher does most of the talking, interspersing 
 her talk with a few questions. Illustrative material is often used in this 
 type of teaching. 
 
 3. Extended recitations by pupils. A pupil, when called upon, talks 
 upon one or more phases of the general topic which has been assigned 
 for the day. The pupil chooses the particular topic upon which he or 
 she talks. One seventh-grade pupil was observed to talk for five minutes. 
 The teacher talks very little; in fact, is quite completely in the back- 
 ground. 
 
 At times these talks are illustrated by pictures brought from home 
 by the pupils. One teacher said, in describing a lesson on the Grand 
 Canyon of Colorado : "The children were asked to bring pictures of rock, 
 rivers, or scenes in Colorado near this river or of the canyon. The next 
 day each child had either received information from other persons at 
 home or had pictures of the canyon or surrounding places. As most of 
 the pictures were on postal cards, or even smaller, the class was taken 
 to another room and these pictures were shown to them by means of the 
 reflectoscope. Each picture was explained by either a pupil or myself." 
 
 Each of these modes of teaching has its particular function in the 
 process of teaching, and a number of characteristics of excellent teach- 
 ing were observed in the use of these modes by the teachers ; for example, 
 the successful relegation of the teacher to the background in the case of 
 "extended recitations by pupils," and the spirited and thorough testing of 
 the pupils by questions and answers. The most animated work observed 
 was furnished by a recitation of the latter type. But one gets the im- 
 pression that the teachers were not discriminating in their use of these 
 modes. A few appeared to be using one mode to almost a total exclusion 
 of the others. 
 
94 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 MOTIVE. 
 
 In the case of "extended recitations by pupils," one class was ob- 
 served in which approximately half of the number were plainly in- 
 attentive. This was caused in part by the fact that all had been given the 
 same general assignment, and thus the recitation of any pupil could not 
 have a deep, vital interest to the other members of the class. Also, this 
 condition probably was partly due to the monotony of this mode of teach- 
 ing when used exclusively. 
 
 In some cases the attention of the pupils to the subject matter of 
 geography is based upon real motives, but for the great majority of 
 recitations the appeal is made to artificial incentives, though usually of 
 the higher types. This motivation of the work in geography could be 
 improved by (1) a more discriminating use of the modes of teaching; 
 (2) more reports by pupils upon topics not assigned to other members 
 of the class. In so far as possible these should be of the pupil's own 
 choosing. 
 
 A class was observed in which a large per cent of the children were 
 of foreign descent, and the teacher said one was foreign-born. The class 
 was studying Europe, and the teacher could profitably make use of this 
 condition. It is probable that the pupils of foreign descent possessed 
 knowledge, or could obtain it in their homes, of certain of the countries 
 of Europe, and would have a real motive for contributing this to the 
 class. Certainly they would have a vital interest in reading about the 
 home of their ancestors. 
 
 THE PUPILS' KNOWLEDGE OF GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 The pupils' knowledge of geography could be judged only on the basis 
 of the classes observed. Some classes showed a good knowledge of 
 geographical facts, other classes only a fair knowledge. In general, the 
 best knowledge was exhibited by those classes which had been confined 
 to mere factual subject matter, such as location and bounding of states. 
 In some instances, where review questions were asked, a number of 
 pupils made a poor showing. This suggests that in these cases the sub- 
 ject matter had been learned only for the time being and that there were 
 not well-defined ideas back of the words. It seemed that adequate- pro- 
 vision was made for drill if the subject matter was properly understood 
 when it was gone over. 
 
 In conclusion it may be said that there are evident attempts to place 
 the instruction in geography on the higher plane. However, much of the 
 instruction is on the lower plane. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The course of study will be improved by the exercise of more discrim- 
 ination in the selection of the subject matter, and particularly in the 
 relative emphasis. The writer believes that the bounding of states, 
 rivers, lakes, capes, etc., has an important place in geography, but in 
 the past this has often been almost the whole of the subject. In some of 
 the classes visited the writer believes too much relative emphasis was 
 being given to this type of subject matter, and too little emphasis to the 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 95 
 
 human aspects of the country, the occupations, the child-life, the in- 
 dustries, etc. 
 
 Perhaps some incidental study of local and state geography is made 
 in the primary grades, but evidently it has not been given a place in the 
 printed course of study and is not considered a subject by the teachers. 
 It is recommended that more prominence be given to local and state 
 geography in the early part of the course. Leavenworth is particularly 
 rich in local geographical material, because of its geographical position 
 and its varied industries and cosmopolitan population. In view of this, 
 more than usual emphasis upon local geography might be justified. 
 
 Only a limited use appears to be made of type studies, and the work 
 would be improved by more of such studies. Such studies possess several 
 advantages. As a result of an intensive study the subject matter be- 
 comes more real to the pupils, thus increasing the interest in the work. 
 Because of the intensive study, the subject matter is remembered better. 
 
96 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HANDWRITING. 
 W. W. Charters. 
 
 THE TIME GIVEN TO HANDWRITING. 
 
 HANDWRITING is given as a major subject in the primary grades and is 
 continued as a minor subject in the following grades. It is begun in the 
 first week of school, and 5.8 per cent of the total time is given to it. If we 
 may judge from the table given on page 59, this is ample time provision. 
 There is no supervisor of handwriting. 
 
 THE QUALITY OF THE HANDWRITING. 
 
 Samples of the best handwriting on ruled paper with ink were collected 
 from all pupils in grades 2 to 8, inclusive. The teachers who collected 
 samples were instructed to say to the pupils: "You are to write your 
 very best. Take all the time you need to show me how well you can 
 write, for your specimens are to be collected and sent to the superin- 
 tendent and compared with the handwriting of other schools. Write as 
 I read." 
 
 The following sentences were then dictated: 
 
 Then the carelessly dressed gentleman stepped lightly into Warren's car- 
 riage and held out a small card. 
 
 John vanished behind the bushes and the carriage moved along down the 
 driveway. 
 
 The samples graded were taken on or about March 4, 1914, and repre- 
 sent midyear form. The Thorndike scale was used in determining the 
 quality. 
 
 TABLE XXV. 
 
 A condensed statement of the best handwriting in ink of the children in 
 grades 2 to 8 of the Leavenworth Public Schools, March 1, 1914. 
 
 GRADE II. 
 
 
 No. of 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 ualitj 
 
 r. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 cases. 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 
 A. D. 
 
 \ar. 
 
 Cleveland 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Franklin 
 Jefferson 
 Maplewood. . . 
 
 20 
 36 
 30 
 23 
 
 
 ] 
 
 3 
 1 
 ... . 
 
 8 
 20 
 14 
 12 
 
 6 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 6 
 2 
 
 
 
 ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 7.25 
 7.50 
 7.70 
 7 65 
 
 .75 
 .56 
 .75 
 
 75 
 
 10.3 
 7.5 
 9.4 
 
 9 7 
 
 
 34 
 
 
 
 
 q 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 15 
 
 68 
 
 8 3 
 
 Third Ave... 
 Wilson .. .. 
 
 19 
 6 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 5 
 
 5 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7.57 
 
 .58 
 
 7.9 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total.... 
 
 173 
 
 
 1 
 
 7 
 
 80 
 
 57 
 
 22 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 7.67 
 
 .77 
 
 10.0 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 
 
 GRADE III. 
 
 .97 
 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 No. of 
 cases. 
 
 Quality. 
 
 Av. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Var. 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 Cleveland.... 
 Franklin .... 
 Jefferson 
 Lincoln 
 Maple wood. . 
 Morris 
 OakSt 
 Sumner 
 Third Ave.... 
 
 Total.... 
 
 3 
 
 14 
 30 
 13 
 37 
 25 
 30 
 23 
 21 
 
 
 
 "2' 
 
 "2' 
 
 2 
 
 "& 
 
 .... 
 
 "f 
 
 8 
 10 
 13 
 10 
 11 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 4 
 11 
 1 
 13 
 6 
 6 
 5 
 6 
 
 1 
 5 
 9 
 
 6 
 5 
 5 
 6 
 6 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 "2" 
 3 
 
 "7' 
 
 "2 
 .... 
 
 1 
 
 "4' 
 1 
 
 .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8.23' 
 
 Y.89' 
 8.16 
 7.27 
 9.35 
 
 8.24 
 
 "'.77' 
 
 i.66 
 
 .96 
 .80 
 .86 
 1.00 
 
 '"VA 
 
 \2.7 
 11.8 
 11.0 
 10.3 
 12.1 
 
 
 
 196 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 61 
 
 53 
 
 43 
 
 l i 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 8.03 
 
 .98 
 
 12.2 
 
 GRADE IV. 
 
 
 
 Quality. 
 
 
 
 
 
 No. of 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 cases. 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 Cleveland 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Franklin .... 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 26 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9.19 
 
 .65 
 
 7.1 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 21 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8.67 
 
 .95 
 
 11.0 
 
 Maplewood. . 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 7.67 
 
 1.23 
 
 16.0 
 
 Morris 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 rt 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 7.65 
 
 .74 
 
 9.7 
 
 OakSt 
 
 34 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8.82 
 
 1.09 
 
 12.4 
 
 Sumner 
 
 28 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 10.32 
 
 1.25 
 
 12.1 
 
 Third Ave. 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 <> 
 
 10 
 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 78 
 
 1 22 
 
 13 8 
 
 Wilson .... 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 j 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total. . . . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14.78 
 
 205 
 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 30 
 
 49 
 
 62 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 8^93 
 
 1.32 
 
 GRADE V. 
 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 No. of 
 cases. 
 
 Quality. 
 
 Av. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Var. 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 .... 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 "3' 
 1 
 3 
 3 
 6 
 
 "4' 
 
 8 
 
 "3 
 5 
 9 
 15 
 10 
 4 
 10 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 14 
 15 
 14 
 
 7 
 14 
 
 10 
 
 "2 
 1 
 6 
 3 
 4 
 3 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 1 
 .... 
 
 ' i 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 i 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 Cleveland. .. 
 Franklin 
 Lincoln 
 Maplewood. . 
 Morris 
 Oak St 
 Sumner 
 Third Ave.... 
 
 Total.... 
 
 4 
 11 
 13 
 39 
 42 
 37 
 19 
 54 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 12 
 
 27 
 
 1 
 .... 
 
 3 
 3 
 .... 
 
 2 
 
 
 8.55 
 
 9^05 
 8.95 
 8.68 
 9.53 
 9.57 
 
 10.9 
 i!o3 
 
 1.12 
 1.00 
 .95 
 1.24 
 
 1L6 
 
 i6!s 
 
 12.5 
 12.4 
 9.9 
 13.6 
 
 219 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 20 
 
 56) 
 
 ,71 
 
 29 
 
 11 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 9.15 
 
 1.06 
 
 11.6 
 
 GRADE VI. 
 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 No. of 
 cases. 
 
 Quality. 
 
 Av. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Var. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9, 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 J2 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 Franklin 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 10.00 
 
 1.00 
 
 10.0 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Maplewood .. 
 
 40 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 16 
 
 8 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 10.18 
 
 1.28 
 
 12.2 
 
 Morris 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 31 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 9.42 
 
 .72 
 
 7.6 
 
 OakSt 
 
 35 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 8.97 
 
 1.23 
 
 13.7 
 
 Sumner . . . 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Third Ave. . . . 
 
 32 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 9.97 
 
 1.41 
 
 14.1 
 
 Total.... 
 
 208 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 23 
 
 86 
 
 37 
 
 37 
 
 14 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 1 i 1 
 
 9 69 
 
 1.03 
 
 10.6 
 
 7 
 
98 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 GRADE VII. 
 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 No. of 
 
 Quality. 
 
 Av. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Var. 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 Lincoln 
 Morris 
 OakSt 
 Sumner 
 Third Ave. . . . 
 
 Total. . . . 
 
 11 
 55 
 64 
 10 
 60 
 
 
 
 
 
 "2' 
 5 
 
 "4' 
 
 5 
 13 
 14 
 
 'l?' 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 24 
 3 
 14 
 
 4 
 10 
 12 
 6 
 15 
 
 1 
 13 
 
 7 
 1 
 6 
 
 "l 
 2 
 
 "4' 
 
 "2' 
 
 
 
 KL87' 
 10.13 
 
 HK23 
 
 1A9 
 
 .88 
 
 L07 
 
 '13^7 
 
 8.7 
 
 "w.5 
 
 
 
 200 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 49 
 
 50 
 
 47 
 
 28 
 
 13 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 10.40 
 
 1.11 
 
 10.7 
 
 GRADE VIII. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 ualit. 
 
 i- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 No. of 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 cases. 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10.40 
 
 1.11 
 
 10.7 
 
 OakSt 
 
 39 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 5 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 10.08 
 
 1.26 
 
 12.6 
 
 Morris 
 
 22 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 10.68 
 
 1.41 
 
 13.2 
 
 Sumner 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Third Ave.... 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 24 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 10.25 
 
 1.84 
 
 18.9 
 
 ,.. Total. . . . 
 
 148 
 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 31 
 
 36 
 
 43 
 
 18 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 10.34 
 
 1.08 
 
 10. 5 
 
 Table XXV is a condensed statement of the quality of the handwriting 
 of the system of grades and buildings. 
 
 For instance, the first item in Table XXV reads thus: In the second 
 grade in the Cleveland School five samples were collected. Two of these 
 are graded 7, one is graded 9, and two are graded 10, on the Thorndike 
 scale. The second item reads thus: In the second grade of the Franklin 
 School 20 samples were collected. Of these one is graded 5, three 6, eight 
 7, six 8, and two 9. The average for this grade is 7.25, the average 
 deviation .75, and the variability 10.3 per cent. 
 
 In computing the central tendencies and the variability the Courtis 
 Manual is followed. Where there were less than 15 samples presented from 
 one class the average is not calculated. The individual error in grading is 
 about 3 per cent. For instance, the Franklin second-grade average is 
 7.25. But when the graders grade these a second time they will vary 
 inside 3 per cent. They may be 1 Vz per cent above or 1 y s per cent below. 
 1% per cent of 7.25 is .11, so the average of the grade lies between 
 7.25 and .11 and 7.25, or between 7.36 and 7.14. This means that in 
 estimating the Maplewood and Morris second grades, one of which is 
 7.70 and the other 7.65, they should be judged as approximately equal in 
 quality because of the probability of individual error in grading. 
 
 Bearing this in mind, it will be noted that there is practically no 
 change in quality between the seventh and eighth grades. It will be ob- 
 served, also, that there are a few classes conspicuously above or below 
 the average. The Sumner fourth grade is the most conspicuous deviation, 
 since the children stand in quality almost at the seventh- and eighth- 
 grade averages. 
 
 There is a noticeable variation between the best and poorest classes in 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 
 
 99 
 
 each grade. For instance, in the Sumner third grade the average is 
 9.35, while in the Maplewood third grade the average is only 7.89, and 
 in the Sumner fourth grade the average is 10.32, while in the Morris 
 School the average for the fourth grade is 7.65. Similar extremes will 
 be found in each grade. 
 
 In selecting the kind of handwriting to judge, the simplest case was 
 taken that of best handwriting. No attention was paid to speed. The 
 object was to discover how well the children had learned to form the 
 letters. 
 
 TABLE XXVI. 
 A condensed statement of totals for the Leavenworth Schools by grades. 
 
 4fc- 
 
 GRADE. 
 
 Average. 
 
 Average 
 deviation. 
 
 Vari- 
 ability. 
 
 Number of 
 samples. 
 
 II 
 
 7.67 
 
 .77 
 
 10.0% 
 
 173 
 
 HI * 
 
 8.03 
 
 .98 
 
 12.2% 
 
 191 
 
 IV 
 
 8 93 
 
 1.32 
 
 14.7% 
 
 205 
 
 y 
 
 9.15 
 
 1.06 
 
 11.6% 
 
 219 
 
 VI 
 
 9.69 
 
 1.03 
 
 10.6% 
 
 208 
 
 VII 
 
 10.40 
 
 1.11 
 
 10.7% 
 
 200 
 
 VIII 
 
 10.34 
 
 1.09 
 
 10.5% 
 
 148 
 
 TABLE XXVII. 
 A condensed statement of totals for five Missouri cities of about 
 
 10,000 population. 
 (These are midyear samples collected between February 1 and February 15, 1914.) 
 
 GRADE. 
 
 Average. 
 
 Average 
 deviation. 
 
 Vari- 
 ability. 
 
 Number of 
 samples. 
 
 II.: ." 
 
 7.70 
 
 1.3 
 
 16% 
 
 387 
 
 Ill 
 
 8.43 
 
 1.5 
 
 17% 
 
 333 
 
 ' IV 
 
 9.22 
 
 1.6 
 
 17% 
 
 468 
 
 y 
 
 9.44 
 
 1.3 
 
 14% 
 
 337 
 
 VI 
 
 9.82 
 
 1.3 
 
 13% 
 
 306 
 
 VII 
 
 10.62 
 
 1.3 
 
 12% 
 
 328 
 
 VIII 
 
 10.72 
 
 1.1 
 
 9% 
 
 197 
 
 Table XXVII was not prepared by the same graders as were Tables 
 XXV and XXVI, and we do not know accurately how great individual 
 error may arise because of this. But our opinion is that we are justified 
 in saying that the handwriting of the Leavenworth school children is not 
 conspicuously better nor conspicuously worse than that of the children 
 in the Missouri systems studied. 
 
 It should be noted, again, however, that within the system the grading 
 was done by the same individuals, and that, as said above, the individual 
 error is not greater than 3 per cent. 
 
100 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. * 
 
 Only one recommendation is to be made. The supervisory force should 
 investigate classes conspicuous for good or for poor writing to ascertain 
 the cause of each. In all probability in the high-grade classes devices. are 
 used which should be made known to all the teachers in the system, and 
 particularly to those which have conspicuously low class averages. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, t-EAVENWoaTfi^KAN. 101 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HISTORY AND CIVICS. 
 
 Walter R. Smith. 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 THE study of history in the grades is begun with the reading of 
 Gordy's Beginnings of American History in Europe in the seventh grade. 
 The aim is to correlate it with literature and reading. In addition to the 
 above, there is outlined for the last two months of the seventh grade: 
 Geography, history and government of Kansas; books Tarr and 
 McMurry's Advanced Geography, Supplement on Kansas; Arnold's 
 Civics and Citizenship, Local and State Government, pages 1-153. About 
 fifty to ninety minutes per day for two months is divided between three 
 studies of Kansas geography, civics, and history which, if divided 
 equally, would mean about thirteen recitations on Kansas history based 
 upon the above outline. In the eighth grade history and citizenship is 
 made one of the four major studies. Foster's History of the United 
 States and Arnold's Civics and Citizenship are used as texts. 
 
 Unfortunately the grade teacher in Kansas is bound down to a state 
 text which she is expected to teach. This is not the fault of the Leav- 
 en worth teachers; it is their misfortune. The history is a fairly good 
 compilation, but is not discriminating and inspiring. Facts and events 
 are doled out with a measuring vessel rather than organized "around 
 great central facts bearing directly on the destiny of our country," as 
 demanded, rightfully, for seventh-grade work. 
 
 For this reason it is hard for the most earnest teacher to break away 
 from the traditional equivalence of historical facts. It is greatly to be 
 desired in fact it is necessary if history is to retain its importance in 
 the curriculum, that it be brought up to date. Ancient, irrelevant and 
 unimportant facts and events must be relegated to the junk pile along 
 with antiquated machinery, curio museums, and ornamental offices and 
 titles. The past must be linked to the present, and historical study must 
 be made to center about present problems. If colonial history is im- 
 portant, the history of the present Mexican imbroglio or the initiative 
 and referendum or the political advancement of woman is no less so, and 
 history must establish its right to remain in the curriculum by proving 
 its everyday connection with the life of the boy and the girl. 
 
 CLASSROOM WORK. 
 
 In regard to the actual teaching of history, it may be said that every 
 history teacher in the grades showed earnestness, careful preparation, 
 good control of the pupils, and a sufficient knowledge of the subject. 
 Three of them were principals and the others showed virile personalities. 
 All were trained and experienced teachers. Most of them were able to 
 get results the results aimed at. Any great improvement, there- 
 fore, must come from a revision in the point of view or aim of history 
 teaching. 
 
102 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Most of the pupils were interested. They were getting the facts that 
 would enable them to pass a good examination on the text. So far as 
 knowing the traditional amount of history is concerned, they would not 
 be found wanting. Not only that, but in addition they were getting good 
 training along certain lines. Every teacher asked topical questions. 
 Few of the categorical queries frequently propounded were heard. Pu- 
 pils were required to talk to a subject, and many of them did it well. 
 
 Also, every teacher showed some resourcefulness in getting together 
 supplementary materials. Maps, charts, pictures, etc., were plentiful. 
 Many pupils showed they were doing supplementary reading, and they 
 were allowed to use this material freely. Some teachers, however, did 
 not seem to stimulate this sort of work as much as good teaching de- 
 mands. Also, some teachers failed to show skill in using materials at 
 hand. For instance, one teacher showed a series of illustrative pictures 
 to a class of about fifteen pupils. They were well explained, and in- 
 teresting things said about them, but they were held before the class in 
 such a way that only about five of the fifteen could see them, and by the 
 time they were well started down the line for inspection a new explana- 
 tion was being given, and most of the pupils had lost both connection and 
 interest. Commendable preparation was thus lost in poor teaching tech- 
 nique, and the lesson thereby rendered perfunctory. There was likewise 
 in some cases a tendency to outline the subject to death. An outline is 
 a logical contrivance that may have good or bad effects upon youthful 
 students. It is especially valuable for review work; but too much 
 mechanism not only destroys interest, it blights thinking. One teacher 
 placed an elaborate outline of the text on the board, quite suggestive to 
 a mature person, and required it to be copied. Next day the pupils used 
 these outlines in their open notebooks before them, and were called upon 
 to recite upon topic 1, topic 2, and so on. The result was inevitable. A 
 study that ought to arouse interest and enthusiasm was dulled, and a 
 bright, conscientious and hard-working teacher was burying her subject 
 in mechanical routine. With the same ability, patience and effort di- 
 rected toward a better end, live problems treated historically, this 
 teacher would have a wide-awake class, getting an idea of the intense 
 human interest bound up with past life, and forming habits of his- 
 torical investigation that would later function repeatedly in citizenship. 
 
 LACK OF SOCIAL GROUP WORK. 
 
 One other point needs mention. Every teacher asked topical ques- 
 tions, and generally discriminating ones, but the pupils recited to the 
 teacher. And in most cases it was an individual recitation. Few teachers 
 showed enough effort to make the topic social; that is, to hold every 
 pupil responsible for thinking of the topic under discussion. This in- 
 dividual recitation was doubtless made necessary by the large number 
 of topics discussed. But that is the difficulty. The number ought to be 
 reduced by eliminating the minor ones. The best result of history teach- 
 ing lies in developing thinking ability, judgment. This can not be done 
 by moving rapidly over a succession of topics. The subject discussed 
 should be a class subject, with all pupils ready, and, if possible, anxious 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 103 
 
 to contribute. This calls for cross-questioning, too little of which was 
 observable. 
 
 Cultivation of thinking habits and evaluative judgment depends upon 
 concentrating all the force of the mind on a specific topic and holding it 
 there as long as possible. Instead of doing this some teachers were 
 observed to explain a pupil's difficulty as soon as it appeared, when the 
 class might well have worked it out together, thus conserving attention 
 and stimulating initiative. 
 
 Tested by the five points used by the Staff in judging the effects of 
 teaching upon the pupils, it may be stated that three and five, i. e., 
 organization and acquisition, were quite up to or above standard. Train- 
 ing in evaluation was 'made difficult by following too definitely an undis- 
 criminating text. Initiative was also stifled for that reason, but could be 
 developed by emphasizing more fully current events studied critically 
 not recited incidentally and a freer-use of supplementary topical study 
 and class discussions. Scientific effort at motivation was too generally 
 lacking, and strong personal leadership was necessary to maintain in- 
 terest in subject matter which too few of the pupils could connect with 
 everyday living. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 1. The curriculum needs revision with the idea of eliminating useless 
 materials and emphasizing dominating events. An interesting and im- 
 portant topic should be given plenty of time at the expense of omitting 
 much material now taught. 
 
 2. The amount of colonial history taught should be reduced one-half 
 at least, and the time thus gained be spent on the very recent past. 
 
 3. TJie textbook should be made merely a guide, and the teachers 
 should work with the pupils in studying history rather than in having 
 them recite history. 
 
 4. Current events should be studied as a part of history work, not 
 recited incidentally. Present-day problems should be introduced on the 
 most suggestive occasions, traced to their historical beginning, and 
 studied at the psychological time, regardless of the historical period 
 placed in the school program. 
 
 5. Whenever possible, a question should be made a class topic, and 
 a pupil's recitation should be not only to the teacher but to the class as 
 a social group. 
 
 6. The teachers should work out a better point of view by wider 
 historical reading and study, rather than put more specific effort and 
 mechanical preparation into their lessons. 
 
 CIVICS. 
 
 As before mentioned, the study of civics is begun during the last two 
 months of the seventh year. The first one hundred and fifty pages of 
 Miss Arnold's Civics and Citizenship are studied in connection with the 
 geography and history of Kansas. This is a study of local and state 
 government, and only one class was visited. This was a well-conducted 
 class by a superb drillmaster, and from the standpoint approached was 
 above criticism. There appeared to the writer, however, to be a little 
 
104 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 overstressing of pure memory work, and too little evidence of class re- 
 search and visitation to local institutions. The teacher was quite evi- 
 dently instructing the class rather than leading it in civics study. 
 
 In the eighth grade the national government is taken up when the 
 history class reaches the constitutional convention of 1787. The remain- 
 ing part of Arnold's Civics and Citizenship is used as a text. The date 
 of the Survey permitted the observation of only one class. This showed 
 the same excellent drill on subjects sometimes too far removed from the 
 interests of most of the pupils. Some of the old tendency to teach 
 constitutional law rather than actual government appeared, although 
 an effort to stimulate political reading was evident. The only suggestion 
 the writer can offer is that a constant effort be made to build upon 
 what the child is interested in and knows. This necessitates a concrete 
 study of local civic affairs, a careful study of current events in relation 
 to general governmental problems, and the placing of stress upon actual 
 government rather than constitutional interpretation. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVEN WORTH, KAN. 105 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD ARTS. 
 
 Ella V. Dobls. 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 BEGINNING with the fifth grade, handwork for girls in the Leavenworth 
 Public Schools deals with problems in household arts. Eighty minutes 
 per week are devoted to this subject. 
 
 In the fifth and sixth grades sewing is taught by the regular grade 
 teacher under the direction of the supervisor of household arts. The first 
 work consists in the making of conveniences for sewing, including needle- 
 case, pincushion, and bag to hold wort, on which the elementary stitches 
 are learned. These stitches are applied later to articles of wearing 
 apparel, each girl making a complete suit of underwear for herself. In 
 fifth grades working alone, the practice may be applied to the dressing 
 of dolls. 
 
 In the seventh and eighth grades the work is directly in charge of the 
 special teachers, and the classes are held in the High School. In the 
 seventh grade a cooking outfit consisting of apron, towels, holders, etc., is 
 made. This is followed by a princess slip or simple dress. Some study 
 and discussion of the textile materials and their values, cost and care 
 accompanies the lessons in sewing. The making of individual garments 
 and articles to be used later by the maker furnishes a motive usually 
 strong enough to hold the interest of the worker. There is considerable 
 scope for individuality in the choice of color, style and minor details of 
 the problem. 
 
 In the eighth grade cooking is begun. The aim of the course is to give 
 the students an insight into the broad underlying principles of house- 
 keeping, and an acquaintance with the preparation and food value of 
 some common food materials. The points to be emphasized include such 
 practical problems as the making of fires, a study of the mechanism of 
 the stove and the regulation of drafts, and the regulation of fuel gas. 
 Much emphasis is placed upon sanitation. Order and cleanliness in such 
 everyday problems as the washing of dishes and dish towels and the 
 care of kitchen sink and garbage can receive daily attention. 
 
 Lessons in cookery offer exceptional opportunity for training in 
 habits of promptness and system, since each lesson, with a few excep- 
 tions, is a complete unit. In the eighty minutes allowed to the lesson 
 each pupil must receive instruction in the lesson for the day, select her 
 materials, prepare and cook the dish assigned to her, wash her utensils 
 and return them to their proper places, and leave the laboratory in per- 
 fect order for the next class. Some pupils, undoubtedly, receive their 
 first suggestions of systematic housekeeping in the school laboratory. 
 
 The study of food materials and their values includes a study of the 
 chemical changes caused by cooking and a comparison of the relative 
 values of various ways of preparing common foods; as, for example, 
 
106 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 hard- and soft-boiled and fried eggs. The purpose is to give each worker 
 some definite principles upon which to work, that she may not guess at 
 methods and happen upon success or failure, but work with intelligence 
 and certainty. The time to be devoted to the subject in school is in- 
 sufficient to give the practice necessary to develop skill in any depart- 
 ment. All that can be expected of such a course is that it shall suggest 
 right methods of procedure which may be practiced in the home, and in 
 this the course, as given in Leavenworth, seems to be very successful. 
 To what extent this practice is carried on in the home, the teacher can 
 judge only by the general attitude of the pupil and by occasional re- 
 ports from parents. If some satisfactory plan of cooperation between 
 home and school could be worked out, it would, without doubt, greatly 
 increase the efficiency of both factors. In various parts of the country 
 this problem is receiving attention and helpful suggestions are coming 
 from many quarters. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The writer suggests, also, a closer correlation between the depart- 
 ments of drawing and domestic art. One of the most urgent needs of the 
 present times is definite instruction in costume design. Girls need to be 
 taught not only how to make their own clothes well, but also how to 
 select tasteful and becoming styles. They need some better basis for 
 selection than the whims and fads of fashion. If such instruction is to 
 be of general benefit, it must be given in the upper grades of the ele- 
 mentary school, since so many pupils drop out before they reach the 
 High School. 
 
 There is definite need of the same kind of instruction in the applica- 
 tion of art to house-furnishing, that the rising generation may appr,e- 
 ciate that the poor home need not be bare and ugly, nor the rich home 
 overcrowded with ostentatious display. The furnishing of a miniature 
 house offers a valuable problem for both art and handwork, and one in 
 which enthusiasm is sure to run high. Every opportunity for satisfying 
 real needs in a suitable and beautiful way should be turned to account. 
 For example, the furnishing of a rest room or a social room, the making 
 of draperies or of other needs for the school office, furnish real problems 
 of vital interest. 
 
 The writer finds little to criticize and much to commend in the work 
 in household arts, and the suggestions here offered point to extension 
 rather than modification of the work being done. The courses are well 
 organized in line with the approved practice of the day and are all well 
 carried out, so far as it is possible to judge from a brief observation. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 107 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HYGIENE AND MEDICAL INSPECTION. 
 
 Water K. Smith. 
 THE TEACHING OF HYGIENE. 
 
 PHYSIOLOGY, like the other sciences, had gradually to force its way 
 down through the school curriculum from the universities. The result 
 was, as in the case of the other sciences, that during its early public- 
 school stages it was burdened with technical details and a scientific 
 nomenclature that removed it from active influence in the thinking of the 
 boy and girl. 
 
 The early physiology was almost prely scientific. It came from the 
 universities and the preparatory studies of a medical course. First it 
 was concerned chiefly with the anatomy of the human body. Then it 
 dealt largely with the chemistry of organic action. Gradually hygiene 
 was introduced. It was a mere incident, however, in the study most of :is 
 were put through. We studied the bones and muscles and the circula- 
 tory and nervous systems for information. But recent changes have de- 
 manded that the hygiene of the human system be made the important part 
 of the study. The names of the bones and nerves and the nature of the 
 circulation and the digestive process are subordinated to the teaching of 
 what to do in case of an injury, how to prevent the spread of infection, 
 and how to eat and to live in order to preserve organic efficiency. Physi- 
 ology and anatomy are used only as a basis for teaching the art of pre- 
 serving health and building up strength. 
 
 In Leavenworth the transition is complete and the newer point of view 
 prevails. The primary aim is as it should be to teach health rather 
 than to instill scientific knowledge. But in making this transition, hy- 
 giene and physiology have been dropped from the list of real studies. 
 They have become merely "incidental minors" ; and while better results are 
 obtained than with the old scientific physiology, it is quite plain that this 
 subordination lowers the standard of work that might be done. The 
 writer believes that at some point in the grades room should be made in 
 the curriculum for hygiene as a "major" study. Its importance in the 
 scheme of life makes it worthy of special emphdsis. Without the inspira- 
 tion of medical examinations or of a nurse, however, it is evident that in 
 most cases, with all the other specific demands upon a teacher, hygiene 
 would receive very incidental attention. This is true not merely in 
 Leavenworth; it is true under similar circumstances everywhere, and 
 must so remain until the health work of the schools is put upon an or- 
 ganized basis. 
 
 CLASSROOM WORK. 
 
 The regular study of physiology and hygiene is taken up as science 
 reading at the middle of the seventh year. Krohn and Crumbine's 
 Graded Lessons in Physiology and Hygiene is used as a text, and supple- 
 mentary reading is added. Two twenty-five-minute periods per week 
 during the second half of the seventh year and all of the eighth year are 
 
108 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 given to the study. In the recitations visited the text was read aloud, 
 without preparation, paragraph by paragraph. After the reading some 
 pupil was asked to summarize the material of the paragraph. Then 
 followed questions and general discussion. The pupils came to the text, 
 which is an excellent one, with open and unsated minds, and were inter- 
 ested in the reading. Teachers were working with the pupils rather than 
 for them. By this free-and-easy method discussions of health and sani- 
 tary matters were stimulated. Occasional reviews are given, one of which 
 was observed. In this the pupils showed not only real interest in the 
 subject but knowledge of it. 
 
 This class and social study led the pupil and teacher to get together 
 in more effective team work than in the set recitation. In many ways the 
 best teaching the writer observed in the whole system was in these 
 classes. Shortened periods and lack of provision for outside preparation, 
 however, necessarily prevented problem study or extended laboratory 
 work. Yet as a whole it may be stated that the evil effect of subordinat- 
 ing the study of hygiene to less fundamentally important ones like formal 
 arithmetic and technical grammar was minimized, if not nullified, by the 
 excellence of the pupil-teacher team work and the generally effective 
 teaching found. 
 
 MEDICAL INSPECTION. 
 
 While the work in physiology and hygiene given was properly di- 
 rected towards a study of health and its requirements, there was a com- 
 plete omission of any effort at medical inspection.* This was not due to 
 any lack of vision on the part of the school authorities. Its need was 
 recognized by the superintendent and principals and its adoption recom- 
 mended. But as in many other cities, the board was slow to act and 
 the community indifferent or hostile. 
 
 This indifferent or hostile public attitude, which is not peculiar to 
 Leavenworth, makes it worth while to discuss briefly the general propo- 
 sition of medical work in the schools. 
 
 While medical inspection of school children is new in the United 
 States, it has passed beyond the experimental stage. It is "a movement 
 national in scope in England, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, 
 Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, Australia and Tasmania. It is 
 found in the more important cities in Denmark, Russia, Bulgaria, Egypt, 
 Canada, Mexico, the Argentine Republic and Chili. In the United States 
 regularly organized systems are in force [1911] in nearly one-half of the 
 cities [443], while a beginning has been made in nearly three-fourths of 
 them."i 
 
 Dental inspection is carried on in nearly 200 cities, and 102 cities 
 employ school nurses. Medical inspection laws have been passed in 
 twenty states. The movement in this country started in Boston just 
 twenty years ago, although it was then half a century old in European 
 
 * This statement should be qualified as follows : On entrance to the schools the parents 
 of the child are required to fill out a blank stating whether or not the child has defective 
 sight, hearing, throat and teeth. This information is filed, and when defects are remedied 
 a note is made of it. 
 
 1. Gulick and Ayers, Medical Inspection of Schools. Published by Russell Sage 
 Foundation, 1913. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 109 
 
 states. No other educational movement has ever spread so rapidly or 
 justified itself more fully. 
 
 The argument for medical inspection is definite and conclusive. The 
 case is summed up by Dr. A. H. Hogarth, an English specialist, from the 
 standpoint of the state, the school and the child: 2 
 
 ADVANTAGES TO THE STATE. 
 
 "The state requires a physical census of the children for the discovery 
 of unrecognized defects, partly with a view to the improvement of the 
 national physique, and partly with a view to the preparation of all 
 children for school life. It is also a national duty to arrange for the 
 classification of children according to their mental capacities, and to 
 adapt the educational system to the requirements of the several groups 
 of children, in order to diminish the present economic wastage of mis- 
 directed educational efforts." 
 
 Messrs. Gulick and Ayers present the following pertinent statements 
 regarding the case for the state : 
 
 "The jurisdiction of the state in assuming the function of education 
 and in making that education compulsory is to insure its own preserva- 
 tion and efficiency. . . . But the well-being of a state is as much 
 dependent upon the strength, health and productive capacity of its mem- 
 bers as it is upon their knowledge and intelligence. In order that it may 
 insure the efficiency of its citizens, the state through its compulsory educa- 
 tion enactments requires its youth to pursue certain studies which ex- 
 perience has proved necessary to secure efficiency. Individual efficiency, 
 however, rests not alone upon education or intelligence, but is equally 
 dependent on physical health and vigor. Hence if the state may make 
 mandatory training in intelligence, it may also command training to 
 secure physical soundness and capacity." 
 
 ADVANTAGES TO THE SCHOOL. 
 
 "It is the duty of the local authorities to protect the individual against 
 communicable diseases in school, to supervise school buildings, and to se- 
 cure healthy surroundings for the school child." 
 
 Gulick and Ayers state in addition: 
 
 "Teachers and parents are beginning to realize that the problem of 
 the pupil with defective eyesight may be quite as important to the com- 
 munity as that of the pupil who has some contagious disease. A child 
 who is unable to^see distinctly is placed in a school where physical defects 
 are unrecognized and disregarded; headaches, eyestrain and failure 
 follow all his efforts at study. . . . Neither he nor his teacher knows 
 what is the matter, but he soon finds it impossible to keep pace with his 
 companions, and becoming discouraged, he falls behind in the unequal 
 race. 
 
 "In no better plight is the child suffering from enlarged tonsils and 
 adenoids, which prevent proper nasal breathing and compel him to keep 
 his mouth open in order to breathe. Perhaps one of his troubles is deaf- 
 ness. . . . Public schools are a public trust. When a parent de- 
 livers his child to their care he has a right to insist that the child under 
 the supervision of the school authorities shall be safe from harm and shall 
 be handed back to him in at least as good condition as when it entered 
 school." 
 
 2. Medical Inspection of Schools, p. 78. 
 
110 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 ADVANTAGES TO THE CHILD. 
 
 "Owing to ignorance, neglect, or apathy on the part of parents, it be- 
 comes a requirement of the merest humanity to bring medical aid and 
 special educational methods within the reach of the individual child." 
 
 To which may be added from Gulick and Ayers : 
 
 "The child himself has a right to claim protection. The child has a 
 claim upon the state and the state a claim upon the child which demands 
 recognition. Education without health is useless. It would be better to 
 sacrifice the education if, in order to attain it, the child must lay down his 
 good health as the price. Education must comprehend the whole man, and 
 the whole man is built fundamentally on what he is physically." . 
 
 Also: 
 
 "Communities are seeing the whole matter in a new light. Gradually 
 they are beginning to ask, not whether they can afford to take steps to 
 safeguard in schools the welfare of their children, but whether they can 
 afford not to take such steps. The realization is dawning that it is un- 
 businesslike to count carefully the cost of the school physician, but to 
 disregard the cost of death and disease, of wrecked hopes and dependent 
 families." 
 
 Additional facts are brought out, to show the need of medical in- 
 spection, by Dr. Louis W. Rapeer in a conservative statement of national 
 and school health losses in the United States each year. According to his 
 analysis, based upon excellent authorities, 670,000 persons die each year 
 of reasonably preventable diseases, entailing an economic loss of over a 
 billion dollars. There are constantly about 3,000,000 persons seriously ill 
 in the United States, largely of preventable diseases, causing an economic 
 loss of another billion dollars. A very large number of other persons suf- 
 fer from minor ailments which lower their efficiency and cause absence 
 from work, which makes a further very large economic loss. 
 
 The school health losses are also shown to be appalling. Sixty-five 
 thousand school children die each year, at least 40,000 of reasonably pre- 
 ventable diseases. In addition, ill health and physical defects function 
 largely in causing about 15 per cent of the eliminations, 16 per cent of 
 nonpromotions and 17 per cent of retardations of the school children. 
 
 DISEASES AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN. 
 
 Another phase of the problem appears when we examine the figures 
 showing the actual presence of diseased conditions among school children. 
 The English inspectors report that 80 per cent are suffering from de- 
 fective teeth, 50 per cent are affected with vermin or other parasitic 
 conditions, 20 per cent have defective vision, and 10 per cent are retarded 
 in their educational progress by physical defects such as anemia, general 
 debility, and deafness resulting from adenoid growths or discharging ears. 
 Doctors Gulick and Ayers estimate that for the United States, in the 
 average city school system, about 65 per cent of the children have 
 physical defects serious enough to warrant treatment by a physician, 
 oculist or dentist. Nearly 85 per cent of all these defects are those of 
 teeth, throat, eyes and nose. 
 
 Taking the most serious of these defects that of sight the examina- 
 tion of hundreds of thousands of school children has shown that from one- 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. Ill 
 
 tenth to one-fourth suffer from defective vision serious enough to inter- 
 fere with efficient work and permanently to injure their eyes. Defects of 
 hearing are almost as serious. And "most important of all, only a small 
 minority of these defects of sight and hearing are discovered by teachers 
 or known to them, to the parents or to the children themselves." 
 
 Another fact to be borne in mind is that these defects are not con- 
 fined to the children of the poor. They are almost equally numerous 
 among children of well-to-do parents. And in medical inspection where 
 follow-up methods are used in addition to notification of parents, the 
 percentage of treatments obtained is as great among the poor as among 
 other classes. Mere notification secures treatment in 11 to 50 per cent 
 of the cases, while follow-up methods frequently secure treatment in 75 
 per cent of the cases. In England treatment is secured in 20 to 70 per 
 cent of the cases, averaging about 50 fc per cent. 
 
 THE SCHOOL NURSE. 
 
 The follow-up methods can be used effectively only where the board 
 employs a school nurse. Her duties do not end with the schoolroom; they 
 merely begin there. The case for the school nurse has been well summed 
 up as follows (Gulick and Ayers Medical Inspection of Schools) : 
 
 "She is the teacher of the parents, the pupils, the teachers and the 
 family in applied practical hygiene. Her work prevents loss of time on 
 the part of the pupils and vastly reduces the number of exclusions for 
 contagious diseases. She cures minor ailments in the school and clinic 
 and furnishes efficient aid in emergencies. She gives practical demon- 
 strations in the home of required treatments, often discovering there the 
 source of the trouble, which, if not discovered, would render useless the 
 work of the medical inspector in the school. The school nurse is the 
 most efficient possible link between the school and the home. Her work 
 is immensely important in its direct results and far-reaching in its in- 
 direct influences. Among foreign populations she is a very potent force 
 for Americanization." 
 
 It is not to be supposed that any sort of medical program can elimi- 
 nate all the needless losses from death and ill health; nor is it to be ex- 
 pected that any sort of medical inspection or hygienic development will 
 prevent all the illness and death losses among school children. The 
 enormity of the problem, however, should not deter us from making an 
 effort. Germany and Sweden have succeeded in decreasing these losses 
 much below our own. England has organized her efforts to build up the 
 general health scientifically. Every civilized nation is attacking the 
 problem. 
 
 In the United States three-fourths of our cities (722 in 1911) are 
 realizing the seriousness of the problem and the greatness of the oppor- 
 tunity for the schools, by making at least a beginning in medical inspec- 
 tion. Leavenworth can not afford to lag behind. The need is not less 
 than elsewhere, nor the poverty of resources greater. A beginning 
 should be made next year. 
 
 POSSIBILITIES IN LEAVENWORTH. 
 
 After canvassing the local situation, there appear to be four possible 
 methods of approach : free medical inspection, the employment of a part- 
 time or all-time physician, the nurse-alone plan, or a combination. 
 
112 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 In regard to the first it may be stated that a few years ago a proposi- 
 tion was made by the local medical society to examine all pupils free of 
 charge. It was not organized, however, and there was enough general 
 opposition to lead the Board of Education to neglect or refuse the offer. 
 Such an arrangement could probably still be made. Inquiries among 
 physicians indicated that they would gladly undertake it. 
 
 Free inspection, however, can never go far. Moreover, it has several 
 dangers that need to be carefully safeguarded. Inexperience and in- 
 efficiency in the particular sort of work required, professional jealousy 
 and selfishness, parental objections, and the question of free treatments, 
 have sometimes led to trouble. It may not be the best way to begin, but 
 it is one way; and once started it is not likely to stop. Most new school 
 enterprises have started in tentative and often charitable ways and were 
 so managed until public support could be obtained. If the work were 
 started with free inspection there is little doubt that results could be 
 obtained which would make the public glad to pay for more complete and 
 efficient examination than any free agency could give. 
 
 The second method would be to employ a specially trained physician 
 for all of his time, or two or more part-time physicians who could give 
 one to three hours a day each. ^A physician who is expert in this sort of 
 work is able to command a larger salary than the present situation 
 would warrant the board paying in Leavenworth. So regular physicians 
 would have to be employed on part time. This would be preferable to 
 free examinations, but would have definite limitations. Little remedial 
 or follow-up work could be attempted, though this is the most valuable 
 kind of service medical organization can render to the schools. 
 
 The nurse-alone plan would be superior to either of the first two 
 mentioned for Leavenworth. A competent and scientifically trained 
 nurse could be employed as cheaply as the part-time physicians. She 
 could go from building to building, making tentative examinations, treat- 
 ing incipient and simple cases, and recommending doubtful cases to the 
 family physician. Some contagious and infectious diseases could then be 
 headed off and certain epidemics prevented. She could train teachers to 
 more careful and expert observation and aid in more prompt action. 
 Cases could be followed up by visitation to the homes of some of the 
 children, where parents could be advised regarding methods of prevent- 
 ing the spread of disease and of treating simple maladies. 
 
 The fourth plan is the only complete and wholly satisfactory one. It 
 would consist in the appointment of the expert physician, to be aided by 
 a specially trained nurse. The physician could organize the inspection 
 and examination of school children, advise the school architect and Board 
 of Education regarding sanitary matters, direct the teaching of hygiene, 
 aid the physical director, and correlate all the health agencies of the 
 schools. The nurse could aid in the ways previously mentioned, and is 
 particularly useful in making effective the recommendations of the phy- 
 sician. This complete program would be more expensive to start, but 
 would more fully justify itself in the end. Whatever is done at present 
 should look forward to this plan as an ideal. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 113 
 
 PLAN RECOMMENDED. 
 
 After canvassing the local situation and discussing it fully with other 
 members of the Survey Staff, the writer is ready to recommend that for 
 next year the nurse-alone plan would probably be best for Leavenworth. 
 The work in hygiene needs to be organized fully and effectively. To 
 employ a physician with the requisite special and technical training for 
 this purpose would cost more than the financial situation would warrant 
 at present. A nurse could make a beginning of this organization and 
 enlist the aid of the medical fraternity. As the opportunity appears, 
 medical examinations could be added and the other phases of school 
 hygiene correlated. When experience has justified additional expendi- 
 ture and knowledge has opened the way for complete organization, a 
 trained supervising physician can be employed to coordinate all the 
 phases of school health work and administer them efficiently. Great 
 care, however, should be shown in employing a nurse, since her work 
 would be not only technical but administrative and constructive. It 
 would not be less important and responsible than that of one of the build- 
 ing principals, and the salary should be fixed accordingly. This program 
 may well be undertaken with the opening of the autumn term. 
 
 8 
 
114 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 LANGUAGE. 
 
 Minnie E. Porter. 
 
 TRAINING in the use of language means training in self-expression. 
 The teaching of language has taken on a new and wider significance with 
 the modern view of education the development of the individual child 
 through the expression of self in a social situation. A child is the one 
 who expresses himself to others through the medium of language and 
 the one to whom others give expression of their own impressions or 
 experiences. A child is both creator and interpreter. 
 
 As a reader or a listener the child adds to his life experience, with 
 its limitations of age and circumstances. But the experiences into which 
 he enters imaginatively through reading may be none the less vital than 
 those which he lives in reality. It is to these experiences, both real 
 and imaginary, that he desires to give expression. The simplest form of 
 social expression for a child is his own language. 
 
 In this report reading is considered in a separate chapter, but the 
 relation of reading to the life experience and the self-expression of the 
 child has been constantly kept in mind. 
 
 STANDARDS. 
 
 Motives for training in the use of language arise from the language 
 needs of boys and girls. These needs are real, not imaginary. The 
 ability to state his own case, to make himself understood, to share an 
 interesting experience with others, are real needs of any pupil. But all 
 of these needs imply social relations. The need of complying with ac- 
 cepted standards of good usage in the matter of language is as impera- 
 tive for a boy as are neckties and other matters of conventionality in 
 dress. No boy will wear a necktie tied in the back, because he must 
 conform to what is customary among his mates. In the matter of lan- 
 guage, the problem for the teacher is one of establishing common social 
 standards within a group of immature pupils. 
 
 With such motives as a basis of effort in the effective use of language, 
 the pupil necessarily acts upon his own initiative. The conditions of 
 effective expression demand that he decide upon what he wishes to 
 express. Whatever the case may be, the occasion must be a real one, the 
 audience or reader a real one, and the boy's idea must be his own, if he 
 would express himself clearly and forcibly. 
 
 If the pupil is in earnest he begins a process of evaluation. If his 
 idea, the statement of his own case, is to be made effective, he is forced 
 to decide what to say and what not to say. This process of evaluation 
 is not carried on successfully unless the reader or the audience is taken 
 into consideration. 
 
 The successful presentation of his own case, or the narration of a 
 story, is not possible without organization. The pupil must decide upon 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 115 
 
 what comes first, what is of greatest importance, and what shall be the 
 conclusion of the whole matter. The simplest writing or speaking, to 
 be effective, must show consideration of beginning, middle, and end. 
 
 THE TEACHING OF LANGUAGE. 
 
 With these standards set up for the teaching of language, what 
 is the teacher's place? What is her service? This teaching of lan- 
 guage is not concerned with drill upon facts about language, with 
 definitions in grammar and rhetoric, but it is concerned with actual 
 doing as contrasted with acquiring knowledge of facts about language. 
 Take, for example, the definition, "A sentence is a group of words ex- 
 pressing complete thought." This is a fact about language. Pupils of 
 Leavenworth are being drilled upon this definition in all grades, from 
 grade four to the second year in High School. Drill upon this definition 
 for six years has not aroused a consciousness of the meaning of the word 
 "complete" as it is applied to a sentence. With a class of first-year 
 pupils in High School a teacher was observed struggling with this diffi- 
 cult problem in oral composition. In the actual doing, the problem is 
 simple. We decide to say something about something, and when we 
 have done this thing there is a consciousness of completeness, of unity, 
 of a purpose fulfilled. The definition of a sentence, the statement of a 
 fact about language, has no value apart from its application the use 
 of a sentence as a unit in speech. The consciousness of a sentence as 
 complete arises from the use of sentences in the real expression of 
 the child. 
 
 If knowledge of the facts about language, including grammatical 
 structure and rhetorical principles, remains abstract cut off from ap- 
 plication to the pupil's own language, which is free and spontaneous 
 then the teaching of language will be termed in this report formal, as 
 distinguished from that which is real and vital. 
 
 The first essential, then, is the establishment of habits of correct and 
 of effective expression, for the child himself, as he is called upon to 
 meet the social demands of writing and speech. This standard is to-day 
 one which the teaching of language has as its goal in the elementary 
 school? This period of learning by doing reaches to the end of grade 
 six, which is now looked upon as the real transition between elementary 
 and secondary education. 
 
 In the program outlined for the teaching of language in Leavenworth 
 this purpose is emphasized in grades four, five and six. In addition, 
 the program provides for a systematic study of formal grammar and 
 for training in composition in grades seven and eight. There is in 
 Leavenworth, at present, a movement toward the study of the problem 
 of language teaching above grade six as one which presents problems 
 more closely related to those of the High School than to those of the 
 elementary school. This report on the teaching of language in Leaven- 
 worth is based upon the division at the end of grade six. 
 
116 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 THE TEACHING OF LANGUAGE IN GRADES FOUR, FIVE AND SIX. 
 
 This report involves (1) an examination of the program outlined for 
 these grades, (2) a study of the methods of teaching, and (3) an 
 estimate of the results obtained. The program has been examined for the 
 purpose of determining what provision has been made for training (1) in 
 the art of self-expression both orally and in writing, (2) in the use of 
 correct grammatical forms as habits of speech, and (3) in the knowledge 
 of the technique of the English sentence as "the structural unit in the 
 use of language." The methods of teaching have been studied in the 
 written reports of the teachers, in conferences with them, and in the 
 observation of actual work of teachers in the classrooms. The results 
 obtained have been estimated by means of a study of the oral expression 
 of the pupils during these observations, and by means of an examination 
 of one hundred fifty compositions written by all of the sixth-grade pupils 
 in Leavenworth in May, 1914. 
 
 The recommendations which are contained in this report are made 
 on the basis of the study of actual conditions and problems. Owing to 
 the limitations of time which have necessarily been placed upon these 
 observations, and to the lack of comparative data upon which conclusions 
 may be based, this report should be considered as suggestive rather than 
 conclusive. 
 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 The examination of the program outlined for the teaching of language 
 shows that the state textbooks, Scott-Southworth's Lessons in English, 
 have been made the basis of the work Book I in grades four and five, 
 and Book II, pp. 1-78, in grade six. The emphasis in the textbooks is 
 placed upon the training of children to talk and to write freely about 
 things which they know. The outline in the textbook for composition 
 work includes letter-writing, story-telling, and the recording of obser- 
 vations made in the study of plant and animal life. A recommendation 
 made in the program outlined for grade five reads as follows: 
 
 "Never allow the children to write upon a subject until they are full 
 of it. The way to get full of a subject is by personal, active and living 
 investigations. This will lead you out of the schoolhouse and into many 
 places in and around the city, but it is the only way to get the best for 
 the children. In such investigations, of course, you will proceed by some 
 previously outlined plan." 
 
 A provision has here been made for the communication of vital im- 
 pressions and experiences, which are characterized by a personal feeling 
 for the facts and the images to which the child desires to give expression. 
 
 The outline also provides for training in the conventional use of 
 language in grade four as follows: the proper oral and written use of 
 ordinary singulars and plurals, possessives, and case forms of personal 
 pronouns. In grade five this drill is continued, and additional training is 
 provided in the use of singular and plural verb forms and of the prin- 
 cipal parts of ordinary verbs. Training in the conventionalities of written 
 composition includes the use, by habit, of capitals, periods, question marks, 
 quotation marks, and the comma, of address, word series, and inverted 
 phrase. 
 
 In addition to this provision for training in the habitual use of correct 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 117 
 
 forms in oral and written speech, training in ' the knowledge of the 
 technique of the English sentence as the structural unit of composition 
 is outlined as follows: 
 
 For grade five: "To have the subject concept, the predicate concept, 
 the object, and in a general way the modifier concept." 
 
 For grade six: "To review sentences with respect to the four forms. 
 To fasten the subject and predicate concepts, both the simple and com- 
 plete. To study the phrase modifier and the clause modifier and build 
 them into sentences. After building the sentence, to analyze it into its 
 parts, and diagram. Use the pupil's own composition as illustrative 
 matter in classifications, building, analyzing and diagramming. But 
 such matter must be his own composition, not written for the purpose." 
 
 Provision has thus been made, before the end of grade six, for a study 
 of the technique of the English sentence, simple or complex, as it is 
 related to the pupil's own composition. The application of this knowl- 
 edge of the technique of the English*" sentence to the self-expression of 
 the pupil is fundamental in all training in the use of oral or written 
 language. 
 
 At the end of grade six, according to the program outlined, the pupils 
 in Leaven worth have been taught to classify words according to their 
 respective functions in the sentence; to recognize the case forms cf 
 personal and relative pronouns; to use the principal parts of ordinary 
 verbs with has and have ; to recognize the singular and plural forms cf 
 ordinary verbs; to recognize the subject, the predicate, the object; to 
 recognize phrase and clause modifiers; to analyze and diagram simple, 
 complex, and compound sentences. 
 
 EXAMPLES OF THE TEACHING OF LANGUAGE. 
 
 One teacher was observed in a class of fourth-grade boys and girls. 
 This teacher kept the interest alive and the pupils active in a review 
 lesson on nouns, adjectives, and verb forms. The lesson was marked out 
 from other lessons observed as being, not a memory drill and review of 
 these topics in formal grammar, but a lesson in application, in which 
 nouns and verb forms were discovered as necessary in the real language 
 of pupils. The boys and girls enjoyed a lively conversation about sub- 
 jects of interest in the classroom and in their activities outside. One 
 little girl who wore a bright pink dress heard the sentence, "Mary's 
 pink dress is pretty." The correct tense forms of verbs were made 
 necessary as pupils were busy telling of their activities. The writer 
 learned about a ball game: "Updegraff was playing ball last Saturday." 
 This training v/as not limited to the conversation. News items were, 
 likewise, written upon the blackboard. Of the lessons observed, this was 
 one of the best examples of the careful work of the teacher in building 
 habits of correct speech into the free, spontaneous language of children. 
 
 Such work may be contrasted in its effectiveness with the formalism in 
 teaching in which another followed with the pupils an outline of nouns 
 and adjectives on the blackboard : 
 
 "Mary may begin." (Mary rises.) 
 
 "You may give me a noun in the plural." 
 
 The noun is given correctly. 
 
 "A noun ending iu y." 
 
 The plural of a noun ending in y is given correctly. 
 
 "You may name some adjectives for me." 
 
118 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Could a boy or girl think that those adjectives would be useful to that 
 teacher? Such work remains purely formal and abstract. It is ac- 
 complished without any real motive behind it. 
 
 The writer observed a lesson upon the essentials of a sentence (Les- 
 sons in English, Book II, page 12). The class consisted of eight boys 
 and six girls in the sixth grade. The lesson began with a review: 
 
 TEACHER: What is a sentence? 
 
 PUPILS : A group of words making complete sense. 
 
 TEACHER: A large tree is a group of words. Is it a sentence? 
 
 PUPIL: No. 
 
 TEACHER: Make it a sentence. 
 
 Assertive, interrogative and imperative sentences, with examples of 
 each, were readily but uselessly given by the pupils. The new work for 
 the day's lessons was then undertaken. The teacher had prepared on the 
 blackboard a group of sentences. The pupils, in turn, were asked to go 
 to the blackboard and mark subject and predicate, simple subject and 
 predicate, and modifiers, as follows: 
 
 The leaves of the tree fall every autumn. 
 
 Sentences in the textbook were studied in the same manner. 
 
 The boys and girls in this class were interested for two reasons: 
 They enjoyed the mental and physical activity of going to the board 
 to mark the essentials of the sentences; they were pleased to be able 
 to correct the mistakes made by their mates. Yet the work showed no 
 opportunity of initiative on the part of the pupils in the use of lan- 
 guage. The teacher had made plans and was in the foreground during 
 the recitation. The teacher and pupils, however, were working together 
 in a happy personal relation. The pupils were willing to work, and 
 from the standpoint of formal instruction and the acquisition of formal 
 subject matter the results would be considered highly satisfactory. Yet 
 no application was made to the real needs of these pupils for training 
 in language, although the teacher explained to the writer that few of 
 these boys and girls would go to High School and some would not finish 
 the eighth grade. 
 
 In this group of fourteen it would have been quite possible for the 
 teacher to find in the compositions of these pupils examples of their 
 failure to recognize the essentials of a sentence. A teacher need not 
 look far to find, in the language of the sixth-grade pupils, two types 
 of failure in sentence structure: (1) a part of a sentence set off by a 
 period as if complete, and (2) a sentence which runs on and on because 
 the pupil does not feel the sense of completeness when he has said the 
 one thing which he intended to say about his subject. The difficulty 
 of applying to writing and speech the knowledge that a sentence is a 
 group of words making complete sense does not arise from an attempt 
 to write a single isolated sentence, nor is the difficulty to be found in 
 the recognition of the essentials of a sentence previously constructed 
 for the pupil. In order to teach the sentence as the structural unit in 
 the use of language, it is necessary that it be taught as a unit in com- 
 position in which the writer expresses himself with freedom and spon- 
 taneity. Thus the sentence becomes a unit in a discourse which moves 
 easily from one thought to another. It is a structural unit which 
 functions as a part of a larger unit of discourse, the whole composition. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 119 
 
 COMPOSITION IN GRADES FOUR, FIVE AND SIX. 
 
 As a means of determining the nature of results obtained from the 
 teaching of language in grades four, five and six, compositions of one 
 hundred and fifty pupils, representing the total number of pupils in 
 grade six, have been examined. The compositions were written for this 
 purpose, in May, 1914, upon subjects of interest to pupils in Leaven- 
 worth. The papers were submitted jvithout correction by the teachers. 
 
 The papers were read at first for the element of human interest, 
 which depends upon the individuality shown in the expression of the 
 pupils. While this element was not entirely absent in the work of any 
 group of pupils, yet the results from different groups showed so much 
 variation in the degree of self-expression that an attempt has been 
 made to rank the work of these groups according to the element of 
 human interest. In the tabulation this order is observed. The first 
 column shows the work of the pupiTs from Lincoln, one of the colored 
 schools, in which the element of human interest is strongest. 
 
 A second reading, from which notes were carefully made, was under- 
 . taken with a view of determining the fundamentals of technique which 
 showed the greatest variation in the work of the pupils of grade six. 
 An analysis of the results of this reading suggested that two points 
 would serve as guides in determining the nature of the results obtained 
 on the basis of the program outlined for the attainment in composition 
 at the end of the sixth grade. The two points determined upon as 
 those which would show the application of knowledge of the simple 
 technique of the sentence in the written composition of the pupils are 
 as follows: (1) the ability or failure to recognize a sentence as a 
 group of words expressing a complete thought; (2) the ability to use, 
 in connected discourse, a complex sentence. 
 
 The papers were read for the third time, and a count was made 
 as follows: (1) Each paper in which a single failure occurred in the 
 recognition of a complete sentence was counted a failure on that point. 
 The number of such failures in one paper was not considered. (2) 
 Each paper in which one or more than one complex sentence was used, 
 was credited for that point. The results of this study apply to Leaven- 
 worth alone. The lack of comparative data on these points makes it 
 impossible to reach any conclusion about the results of the effectiveness 
 of the teaching in Leavenworth as compared with that of other cities. 
 It is hoped that the results shown for the schools in Leavenworth will 
 suggest to the teachers the possibility of determining the reasons for the 
 variations. The test is simple, and covers but a few points in the 
 study of a problem so complex as that of English composition. The 
 results of this study are submitted in Table XXVIII: 
 
 TABLE XXVIII. 
 
 
 Total. 
 
 Lincoln. 
 
 Sumner . 
 
 Morris. 
 
 Oak 
 Street. 
 
 Third 
 Avenue. 
 
 Frank- 
 lin. 
 
 Maple- 
 wood. 
 
 Number of compositions examined . 
 
 150 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 23 
 
 28 
 
 ' 43 
 
 17 
 
 22 
 
 Per cent of pupils who had all sen- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 tences complete 
 
 63 
 
 
 50 
 
 74 
 
 46 
 
 84 
 
 46 
 
 73 
 
 Per cent of pupils who used one 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 complex sentence 
 
 80 
 
 43 
 
 100 
 
 83 
 
 82 
 
 95 
 
 94 
 
 36 
 
120 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 The results of this test may be interpreted by representative ex- 
 tracts from the pupils' compositions. For example, the result shown 
 in the column for the Lincoln School may be interpreted by the follow- 
 ing quotation from a boy's theme. The selection is marked by the joy 
 and power of self-expression and by the element of human interest. It 
 is lacking in the technique of the structure of the sentence. 
 
 A boy threw his line in the lake and fl snake, made him leave his line, he ran all 
 around the bank hunting for a stick to kill the snake with and he killed the snake and 
 laid it on the track and the train cut its head off. and when he pulled up his line he 
 had a crawdad and he took its tail for bait. 
 
 There is no doubt that this boy, with real, vital impressions and a story 
 which had stirred him, has taken delight in expressing himself sincerely. 
 By expressing himself with freedom and spontaneity he has made an ap- 
 peal which is true to human nature. His story shows a movement from 
 the beginning to the climax of the reader's interest. He has interwoven 
 two related incidents successfully. These qualities, which characterize 
 genuine literary expression, must be preserved in his work. The writing, 
 of course, is lacking in the technique of sentence structure. He has a 
 number of ideas to be expressed; each is complete in itself. But these 
 ideas are also related ideas, some of which are subordinate to others. 
 These are the problems in technique for the instruction of the teacher. 
 Any attempt to improve the technique of this work must be undertaken 
 by the teacher with a view of preserving the qualities of expression which 
 make a strong human appeal. 
 
 Contrasted with the example just quoted is one which is representative 
 of a column ranking high in the technique of the sentence but low in 
 human interest or in self-expression. Note the sperficial tone of children 
 who write of a trip to Pilot Knob after this fashion : 
 
 We had much benefit by the trip. 
 
 Our teachers were very anxious to have us get all the good out of it so we would be 
 able to write on it. 
 
 We were very tired but when we got our. lunch we felt much better. And started our 
 afternoon work. 
 
 We ate our dinner and then after a little rest we were ready for our afternoon work. 
 
 We went to the Knob for a grammar and geography lesson and to get specimens for 
 drawing. 
 
 These pupils show some mastery of technique, but their composition 
 work presents greater difficulty in the way of improvement than does that 
 of the boy who writes the snake story. Spontaneity has been lost. The 
 expression is insincere and artificial. 
 
 Another column shows (1) little expression of self; (2) a knowledge 
 of the sentence as a complete thought; (3) a high percentage of pupils 
 who did not use a single complex sentence. The following quotations will 
 serve to show the immaturity of the pupils in their use of the sentence. 
 The two quotations were selected because they show the level of uni- 
 formity which was characteristic of the work of more than twenty pupils. 
 
 (1) 
 
 We have an ice cream social the latter part of each year. Our ice cream social will be 
 May 26th this year. The Huffman Music Co. will come out to our school grounds. We 
 can have music. 
 
 We have it on the school grounds. We have a large yard. The north, side of our 
 school grounds has grass on it. We also have large shade trees. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 121 
 
 (2) 
 
 We have our Ice cream Social the latter part of every year. This year it will b< 
 26th, 1914. 
 
 \Ve have a lar^c y:n\l, and also very nice grass. We have several large shade trees. 
 We have our tables under our shade trees. 
 
 These quotations are additional evidence of the result of teaching 
 formal technique and the failure to apply the knowledge of the use of 
 phrases and clauses to the real language of the pupil. 
 
 One column, which represents work strong in technique, with some 
 element of human interest, shows the results from the compositions of 
 pupils who wrote upon the "Autobiography of a Penny." Such a subject 
 is artificial and of doubtful value. These pupils might have done better 
 with a subject which approached more nearly the demands for genuine 
 self-expression. In contrast with the simple undeveloped sentences just 
 mentioned, these quotations show soirie maturity in composition: 
 
 While I was lying under the window for almost two weeks, I was stepped on by a 
 man who put me into his pocket and said, "I think this will bring good luck to me." 
 
 The boy thanked the man for me and then took me into a bakery and bought a cake 
 for his dinner. 
 
 I am still in the bakery and am very tired looking at cake and pie. 
 
 I like best to travel around with little children from one store to another. 
 
 One class, that made almost the same record as the one writing about 
 the penny, wrote about the story hour in their school. Some of the pupils 
 said that they like stories because they rest the mind. Others who were 
 really interested told stories. The following extract shows the pupil's 
 ability to carry forward the movement in the story. It also shows that 
 this pupil is not always able to recognize a complete sentence as a 
 structural unit in his story. The composition reveals the points at which 
 he needs the help of the teacher to arouse in him a consciousness of the 
 sense of completeness in a sentence. 
 
 The Town Musician is a good story about a donkey that was going along the road 
 braying because his master thought he was too old to work so he chased him ayay. When 
 he thought of his good voice and said he would go to Brenan to be in the band. He then 
 met a dog, a cat, and a rooster. Then they were resting when the rooster saw a light. 
 They went over where the light was and the donkey looked in the window and saw some 
 robbers. So they made a plan that the donkey should bray, the dog should howl, and the 
 cat should mew, and the rooster should crow. 
 
 The reproduction of a story which gives room for a play of the creative 
 imagination of the pupil is one of the most effective means for the develop- 
 ment of the use of language in these grades. The onward movement of 
 the story in both oral and written composition tends to produce the 
 sentence which runs on and on. It is in this work that the teacher finds 
 it necessary to keep freedom of movement in the story, but to build into it 
 the sense of the unity or completeness of a sentence. It is a difficult 
 problem in these grades, but one which is fundamental. 
 
 For the columns which show a knowledge of technique both in the 
 unity of the sentence and in the subordination of one idea to another, the 
 writer has selected, from some compositions about Pilot Knob, the follow- 
 ing quotations. Each quotation shows that the application of knowledge 
 
122 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 of the technique of a sentence is necessary to self-expression the aim 
 of composition : 
 
 Some of the children went to gather violets and saw a snake which they thought was a 
 rattler. 
 
 There were four of us girls who went into the woods where we saw a rattle snake. 
 We caught some fish, shot some squirrels, and ate all the apples and peaches we could. 
 
 The following quotations from an account of the pupils' visit to the 
 Soldiers' Home show the same quality of self-expression combined with a 
 mastery of sentence structure: 
 
 There is a very large white flag pole on the highest hill from which the red, white, and 
 blue flag floats. It is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. 
 
 After the flag is down the men fold it up, but they are very careful not to let it drag. 
 
 THE ORAL USE OF LANGUAGE. 
 
 The oral use of language was judged by the following standards: (1) 
 Is the use of language free and spontaneous? (2) Does it make the 
 hearer acquainted with the individuality of the children as speakers? 
 (3) Does the program show a provision for training in the habits of 
 correct speech without inhibiting the real, vital use of spoken language? 
 In the textbook and in the printed outline for grades four, five and six, 
 oral composition is placed before written composition in the amount of 
 time devoted to it and in the order of presentation. 
 
 In grade four, one teacher used successfully language games which 
 provide for the repetition of correct grammatical forms. Such a device 
 may easily become mechanical. In this case, however, the attention of 
 the pupils was centered upon the thought, the expression of which was 
 demanded by the activity of the game. Repetition of the correct forms, 
 with the attention of the pupil centered upon the thought expressed, 
 furnished valuable training for the ear, which becomes a guide in the use 
 of correct forms in speech. 
 
 One form of oral composition which is being used in Leavenworth in 
 these grades is story-telling. This form of training is well adapted to the 
 child's interests during this period, and is a natural stimulus toward a 
 growing freedom in self-expression. But story-telling is a creative art. 
 The real story-teller will enlarge upon his story, will improvise and de- 
 velop parts of the story as a composition which grows with the telling 
 This real story-teller is able to adapt the story to the interests of hi& 
 audience. During the time spent in the classrooms the children were 
 asked to tell some of their best stories. The results obtained showed two 
 types of training in story-telling. In some cases the children told stories 
 in a manner which showed the art of a genuine story-teller, an art of 
 free and spontaneous expression which may be easily developed in children 
 under twelve years of age. In other cases the children recited, in a stiff, 
 stilted, artificial manner, stories which had been committed. In one case 
 the children recited, in order, parts of the story. In such cases the 
 language was correct but formal, while in the case of the real story-teller 
 the genuine language of the pupil revealed some of the same crudities of 
 speech that are found in the language used in the snake story, previously 
 quoted. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 123 
 
 In a class in grade five the pupils responded so readily with correct 
 sentences in a drill in grammar that an attempt was made to test the 
 effectiveness of this training in sentence structure in its application to 
 the real language of the pupils. Some of the pupils were encouraged to 
 tell stories of the early days in Leavenworth. One boy told a marvelous 
 tale, which his grandfather had told him, about a man "who jumped 
 clean across the creek." He became so much interested in his story that 
 he revealed his real use of language. The teacher apologized for the 
 boy's forgetting himself and consequently using such poor language. 
 
 LETTER-WRITING. 
 
 Letter-writing is a need felt by children from ten to twelve. The life 
 of each school community creates demands for the writing of business 
 letters. The principal of a building and the teachers attend to business 
 letters for the school, which would "provide motives for letter-writing 
 for their pupils. In one school, which purchased a victrola as a com- 
 munity enterprise, there must have been sufficient business to call for 
 a number of business letters in the raising of funds and in the purchase 
 of the victrola. The teacher must have investigated the subject of the 
 cost and the kinds of victrolas. This information might have been col- 
 lected by the older pupils and reported to the school, orally or in 
 writing. 
 
 The principals and teachers frequently telephone to the superintend- 
 ent's office for supplies or for necessary repairs. If the needs were 
 anticipated, requests might be sent to Mr. Morgan, the clerk of the 
 board, in the form of business letters written by pupils. These letters 
 would call for specific description and explanation of the supplies or 
 repairs needed. The request would be made effective by the statement 
 of the reason that these things are necessary or desirable. In one 
 school illustrative material for geography is collected. To do this it 
 is necessary for some one to write business letters to many firms. These 
 letters may be written by pupils. The replies from them will be studied 
 with more interest than the models given in a textbook. There are a 
 number of problems involved in the writing of these letters. The 
 teacher helps the pupils in meeting them successfully, but she does not 
 take the responsibility. 
 
 These problems which arise for the boy and girl in the organized life 
 of a school community, as well as in the world of affairs outside the 
 school, will challenge a natural desire to meet real conditions and to 
 achieve results. The subject matter of instruction in the use of lan- 
 guage may be brought into the form of problems arising for boys and 
 girls in many social situations found in the classroom, in the school 
 community, and in the world of affairs. Herein lies a test of the 
 teacher's skill. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GRADES FOUR, FIVE AND SIX. 
 
 We recommend the elimination of formal grammar in grades four, 
 five and six, but ample provision for training in habits of use of cor- 
 rect speech, together with the mastery of the simple technique of the 
 English sentence, as reasonable requirements in language study. In 
 
124 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Leavenworth this recommendation will result in economy of time and 
 effort which may be expended in more helpful pursuits. 
 
 Some of the teachers have not yet recognized the social conditions 
 in the school which provide motives and call forth the initiative of 
 pupils in self-expression. As a consequence of this failure to recognize 
 the influence, of the demands of the environment of the pupils, and on 
 account of the traditional ideas of the teaching of grammar as a 
 formal abstract subject, training in language falls below the standard: 
 the development of the child, through the expression of self in a social 
 situation. 
 
 The variations noted in the tabulations of the results obtained in 
 composition at the end of grade six suggest that they are not due 
 primarily to the home environment of the pupils, but to the point of 
 view of the teachers in regard to what constitutes effectiveness in lan- 
 guage teaching. With the same untiring industry which character- 
 izes the work of these teachers, but with a changed point of view, the 
 teachers of Leavenworth have within their possibilities of accomplish- 
 ment the achievement of a high standard in the teaching of language. 
 
 GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION IN GRADES SEVEN AND EIGHT. 
 
 Before the teaching of grammar had been observed, a simple test 
 on fourteen points was prepared and given, in March, 1914, to all 
 of the pupils in grade eight, numbering 137, and to 115 pupils who 
 entered High School in September, 1913. In order to obtain some basis 
 for comparison, the same test was given at approximately the same time 
 to the eighth-grade pupils in Kansas City, Kansas, and Wichita. A total 
 of 707 pupils of grade eight who use the same textbook were tested. 
 
 DIRECTIONS FOR GIVING GRAMMAR TEST. 
 
 This test is to be given by the regular teachers. 
 
 Give plenty of time for the test. 
 
 No explanation should be given to the pupil by the teacher for parts I and II. 
 
 In part III the teacher should say to the class, "This exercise calls for the writing 
 of one long sentence and no more. No certain number of words is called for, and the 
 sentence will not be judged by its length." 
 
 The answer to all questions are to be written upon the test sheet. 
 
 GRAMMAR TEST. 
 
 Name School City 
 
 Boy or girl Age Date 
 
 I. There is no man in Mexico whom the United States government now 
 recognizes as the ruler of that country. 
 
 (1) Name the verbs in this sentence. 
 
 (2) What is the case of whom? 
 
 (3) How is whom used in this sentence? 
 
 (4) Name the parts of speech for the words italicized: 
 
 1. in 
 
 2. noir 
 
 3. that 
 
 II. State the reasons which you have learned in the study of grammar 
 for saying: 
 
 "I have seen him" instead of "I have saw him." 
 "Will you go with him and me?" instead of "Will you go with 
 him and I?" 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWOHTH, KAN. 125 
 
 III. Write one sentence only. Let the subject of the sentence be your 
 favorite hero, and let the predicate, with its modifications, tell the 
 most wonderful thing this hero did. 
 
 The points considered in the first two questions are indicated. In the 
 third, five points were considered: (1) the use of the favorite hero as 
 subject; (2) what he did used as predicate; (3) period at end of sentence; 
 (4) beginning name of hero with a capital letter; (5) following directions 
 by writing only one sentence. 
 
 The test is simple. It does not cover many points in formal grammar 
 which have been taught to these pupils. All of the fourteen points se- 
 lected have been taught to pupils in Leavenworth at the end of grade six, 
 with the single exception of the "use of whom" which is taught in grade 
 seven. 
 
 Five points test ability to classify^ words in the sentence as parts of 
 speech : verbs of two kinds, preposition, adverb, and adjective. 
 
 The adjective that was chosen because it is a word which may perform 
 other functions in the sentence. 
 
 The word whom was chosen because it is an inflected form a real case 
 distinction as the language. Its use in a sentence must be understood. 
 
 The tense form of the verb see and the case form of the personal pro- 
 noun were selected for the test in order that it might be determined, if 
 possible, how far these pupils are able to see some relation between their 
 knowledge of formal grammar and the use of correct forms of speech. 
 This test shows nothing of the knowledge of correct forms. This point 
 was eliminated from consideration by the statement of the correct forms. 
 
 The assignment of "Your favorite hero" was made in order to center 
 the attention of the pupil upon his own thought while writing a sentence. 
 Upon such a basis it was the aim to test his ability to apply knowledge of 
 the essentials of the sentence and to test his consciousness of a sense of 
 completeness in a sentence of his own composition. 
 
 The papers of the pupils in Leavenworth were all scored by the writer, 
 as were some of the papers in each of the other cities. The other papers 
 were scored by two advanced college students at the Kansas State Normal 
 School, under supervision. Each of these students has had experience in 
 the teaching of grammar. The test leaves opportunity for few questions 
 of judgment in grading. In the cases in which such questions arose they 
 were referred to the writer for decision. 
 
 THE RESULTS OF THE TEST. 
 
 The general average, which is taken as a basis of comparison in Table 
 XXIX, shows the per cent right on each point, in a total of 707 pupils in 
 grade eight in three cities, including Leavenworth. No pupils of high- 
 school grade were included in making up the average. The average, for 
 each city shows the per cent right in the total number tested in that city. 
 
 Although Leavenworth allows a greater amount of time for the teach- 
 ing of grammar than is allowed in either of the other cities, the tabulation 
 shows that it falls below the average in twelve points. In the column 
 marked "High School" it is to be noted that these pupils fall below the 
 pupils in grade eight in Leavenworth in eight points, but are above those 
 pupils in six points which require thought. 
 
126 
 
 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 TABLE XXIX. 
 
 Tabulation of Grammar Test. 
 
 
 Leav- 
 en- 
 worth. 
 
 Kan- 
 sas 
 City, 
 Kan. 
 
 Wich- 
 ita. 
 
 Aver- 
 age. 
 
 Oak 
 
 St. 
 
 Mor- 
 ris. 
 
 Third 
 Ave. 
 
 Sum- 
 ner. 
 
 Lin- 
 coln. 
 
 H. S. 
 115 
 
 Number of pupils tested in grade eight, 
 The verb is 
 
 137 
 
 329 
 
 241 
 
 707 
 
 26 
 
 23 
 
 . 74 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 97 
 
 97 
 
 100 
 
 98 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 94 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 95 
 
 The verb recognize 
 
 91 
 
 95 
 
 97 
 
 94 
 
 92 
 
 100 
 
 87 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 94 
 
 The case of whom 
 
 62 
 
 83 
 
 82 
 
 75 
 
 50 
 
 91 
 
 51 
 
 100 
 
 75 
 
 60 
 
 The construction of whom 
 
 17 
 
 55 
 
 48 
 
 40 
 
 
 56 
 
 23 
 
 17 
 
 
 19 
 
 To classify in 
 
 97 
 
 96 
 
 97 
 
 97 
 
 92 
 
 100 
 
 97 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 89 
 
 To classify now 
 
 92 
 
 97 
 
 94 
 
 94 
 
 85 
 
 100 
 
 82 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 68 
 
 To classify that 
 
 31 
 
 51 
 
 73 
 
 54 
 
 54 
 
 13 
 
 28 
 
 50 
 
 12 
 
 34 
 
 Tense form of verb see 
 
 39 
 
 65 
 
 39 
 
 48 
 
 38 
 
 27 
 
 37 
 
 100 
 
 25 
 
 32 
 
 Case of personal pronoun 
 
 41 
 
 72 
 
 73 
 
 62 
 
 23 
 
 43 
 
 47 
 
 83 
 
 12 
 
 49 
 
 Subject of sentence 
 
 95 
 
 98 
 
 96 
 
 96 
 
 96 
 
 91 
 
 94 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 96 
 
 Predicate of sentence 
 
 91 
 
 97 
 
 97 
 
 95 
 
 88 
 
 91 
 
 90 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 92 
 
 Period 
 
 89 
 
 90 
 
 96 
 
 92 
 
 85 
 
 91 
 
 89 
 
 83 
 
 100 
 
 83 
 
 Capital, .s 
 
 94 
 
 96 
 
 98 
 
 96 
 
 96 
 
 91 
 
 94 
 
 100 
 
 87 
 
 75 
 
 One sentence only 
 
 94 
 
 93 
 
 96 
 
 94 
 
 92 
 
 90 
 
 94 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 87 
 
 In the naming of the verbs in the sentence, the results throughout show 
 that is is named by more pupils than the verb recognize. This variation 
 suggests that is may be named as a result of memory drill, while the verb 
 recognize demands a knowledge of the use of the word. 
 
 The preposition in makes almost the same record as the verb is, and 
 helps to strengthen the suggestion that the pupils succeed here as the 
 result of drill in memory work. 
 
 The adverb now shows that this point is more difficult than those 
 mentioned. Oak Street, with a score of 85, and Third Avenue with 82, 
 show that this point is difficult. But the first-year pupils in the High 
 School make a score of 68, the lowest record. 
 
 The adjective that and the "use of whom" presented the greatest diffi- 
 culties of the points given in the test. These two points demand clear 
 thinking upon logical relations in the matter of language. 
 
 "That is an adjectivi 
 
 Wchita 
 
 Total average 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 Kansas City, Kan 
 
 High School 
 
 Sumner 
 
 Leavemvorth average 
 
 Third Avenue 
 
 Morris 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 TABLE XXX. 
 
 "Use of whom." 
 
 . . 73 Morris 56 
 
 51 Kansas City, Kan 55 
 
 54 Wichita 4g 
 
 51 Total average 40 
 
 51 Third Avenue 23 
 
 . . 50 High School 19 
 
 31 Leavemvorth average 17 
 
 28 Sumner 1.7 
 
 13 Oak Street 
 
 . . 12 Lincoln 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 127 
 
 The word that may perform other functions in a sentence. The average 
 of 707 pupils tested in these cities shows that only 54 out of 100, or ap- 
 proximately half of the number, were able to decide correctly upon the 
 function of the word that as an adjective in the sentence given. But the 
 wide distribution of the scores suggests that this variation may have re- 
 sulted from differences in teaching instead of differences in abilities of 
 pupils represented. 
 
 In contrast, however, to the use of the word that, the use of whom, 
 if it be understood, becomes a conscious standard for correct speech. The 
 average of 707 pupils tested shows that only 40 out of 100, or consider- 
 ably less than half, were able to give the use of whom. As in the case of 
 the word that, the scores show a wide variation. The average for Leaven- 
 worth is only 17 out of 100, although Morris made a score of 56, the 
 highest in the list. Sumner makes a score of but 17, while Oak Street and 
 Lincoln show zeros. The High School" pupils have a score of 19 out of 
 100. This tabulation indicates that the teaching of the use of whom is 
 difficult for all; but it is an essential which is taught in Leavenworth 
 with a variation in results from 56 to 0. 
 
 The verb form have seen presents greater difficulties than does the case 
 form of the pronoun. In the average for the verb form have seen, 48 
 out of 100 tested were able to give reasons; for the case form of the pro- 
 noun, 62 out of 100. 
 
 But here, as in the two points noted which require thought, there is 
 wide variation : 
 
 TABLE XXXI. 
 
 "Have seen." 
 
 Sumner 100 
 
 Kansas City, Kan 65 
 
 Total average 48 
 
 Leavenworth average 89 
 
 Wichita 39 
 
 Oak Street 38 
 
 Third Avenue 37 
 
 High School 32 
 
 Morris 27 
 
 Lincoln 25 
 
 "With him and me." 
 
 Sumner 88 
 
 Wichita 73 
 
 Kansas City, Kan 72 
 
 Total average 62 
 
 High School 49 
 
 Third Avenue 47 
 
 Morris 43 
 
 Leavenworth average 41 
 
 Oak 23 
 
 Lincoln 12 
 
 It will be seen from the foregoing tables that in the case of Kansas 
 City and Wichita, 72 and 73 out of 100 are able to explain the use of cor- 
 rect form by means of their knowledge of the case of the personal pro- 
 noun. In Leavenworth 41 out of 100 are able to use these facts of 
 language as standards for correct speech. But these cities show that 
 there is greater difficulty with the verb form. In them only 65 and 39 
 out of 100 are able to explain the correct form, and in Leavenworth 39 
 succeed. 
 
 THE WRITING OF ONE COMPLETE SENTENCE. 
 
 The last assignment in the test, to "tell the most wonderful thing your 
 hero did," did not serve to carry some pupils from the formal mechanical 
 sentences used in grammar drills. Such sentences as the following occur 
 frequently : 
 
 Columbus discovered Aim-rim. 
 Lincoln freed the slaves. 
 \Yashiriuton crossed the IVl;i\v;iiv. 
 
128 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 These sentences are all of one type, and it would be difficult for pupils 
 to make any mistakes who remembered that this was a test in grammar. 
 In the five points tested the average was between 92 and 96, with but 
 slight variation in either Leaven worth or in the cities A and B. Sumner 
 and Lincoln show four perfect scores in four out of five points here. 
 Sumner has 83 on period at the end of the sentence and Lincoln 87 on 
 capitals. It may here be noted that failure to recognize the end of a 
 sentence occurred more often in the work of pupils who expressed some- 
 thing which showed their real interest in their heroes. One sentence 
 written by an eighth-grade boy is as follows: 
 
 Jack Tompson was a scout during the out-break with the Apache Indians, he scouted 
 at night and day with an indian scout called, Mendez, killed four with his gun, and cut 
 two with his sword in one evening. 
 
 Two examples are chosen as representative of the work of pupils 
 who fail to show a sense of completeness in writing a sentence. In 
 each grade from the fourth to the second year in High School this 
 definition is recited: "A sentence is a group of words expressing a 
 complete thought." The first sentence was written by a boy, age 15, 
 in the first year in High School, his tenth year in school: 
 
 One day my faithful dog hero saw another boy kicking another small boy, and he ran 
 up and bit the big boy on the leg, and the big boy stoped kicking the small boy and went 
 away crying, much to the small boys satisfaction. 
 
 The second was written by a boy 14 years of age, first-year class in 
 High School, in his ninth year in school: 
 
 Mark the news boy was standing on a street car one morning when looking around, he 
 saw on the opposite car a frame house in flames, he heard a cry from a window and with 
 the aid of a box he climbed into the house, in a few seconds he came running out of the 
 house with a little child in his arms.* 
 
 This test suggests that the pupils succeed in those points which de- 
 pend upon formal drill and memory work. They are least successful 
 in the points which require thought about the function of a word, as 
 in the case of whom and that, and in those points which call for ability 
 to relate their knowledge of grammar to correct forms of speech. 
 
 If the habit of correct use of language be established by doing, 
 rather than by studying facts about language, at the end of grade six, 
 then grade seven may be considered the time to begin the really sys- 
 tematic ordering of the facts of language gained by experience into 
 knowledge of formal grammar. This is the view expressed in the 
 second preliminary report of the National Committee. At present a 
 review of grammar is given in the first year of High School or grade 
 nine. The plan of distributing the work in formal grammar through 
 grades seven, eight and nine, according to the increasing abilities of 
 pupils to master this knowledge, is a suggestion of one means of meet- 
 ing at present this problem of the intermediate school. 
 
 COMPOSITION. 
 
 When the amount of time and effort devoted to the teaching of gram- 
 mar is considered, the results obtained are disappointing to its most 
 hopeful advocates. But the amount of time devoted to the teaching of 
 composition in grades seven and eight yields results that are encourag- 
 
 * This sentence and the two preceding are given only as representative of types of 
 faulty sentence structure. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 
 
 ing. Compositions written in May, 1914, by the pupils in the eight A 
 classes have been examined. The compositions were written to give an 
 account of the field meet in Leavenworth. They were written to give in- 
 formation, and not as compositions or school exercises. They have been 
 submitted without correction. 
 
 The papers were first examined for the two points in the technique- 
 of the sentence which were studied in the writing of pupils of grade 
 six. The following tables, with a comparison of results obtained at the 
 end of grade six and the end of grade eight, show that in two years 
 pupils have acquired the use of the complex sentence. But one pupil, 
 failed to use a complex sentence. 
 
 Ability to Use a Complex Sentence. 
 
 Oak Third 
 
 Total. Lincoln. Simmer. Morris. Street. Avenue. 
 
 At the end of grade six. . . 80 *-43 100 83 82 95 
 
 At end of grade eight 99 100 100 100 97 100 
 
 The sentences showed a mastery of a variety of means of subordina- 
 tion. Relative clauses are used, but no pupil in grade eight made use 
 of the relative whom in his composition. As this proved to be the most 
 difficult point in the grammar test, there is a suggestion that the use 
 of whom requires a more mature grasp of sentence structure than is 
 found among pupils of this grade. 
 
 There is a marked gain in ability to recognize a sentence as complete* 
 Of the papers examined, one pupil made five errors on this point, one 
 made four, one made three, five made two, and all others who failed on 
 this point made but one error. 
 
 In the following table it will be noted that a comparison has been 
 made between the pupils of grade six and grade eight in their respective 
 abilities to recognize a sentence as complete. There is also a compari- 
 son of abilities of pupils of grade eight in recognizing a sentence as 
 complete when it is a unit in composition, and the abilities of the same 
 pupils when they are asked to write one, sentence only as in the gram- 
 mar test. 
 
 Percentages of Those who Recognize a Sentence as Complete. 
 
 Oak Third 
 
 Total. Lincoln. Sumner. Morris. Street. Avenue. 
 
 End of grade six 63 50 74 46 84 
 
 End of grade eight 74 33 50 100 70 86 
 
 In grammar test 94 100 100 90 92 94 
 
 These results show that on entering High School in September, 1915, 
 approximately one-fourth of these pupils must be trained to develop a 
 sense of completeness as applied to a sentence when it . is a unit in 
 composition. 
 
 Another feature of the compositions written about the field meet, 
 which show some maturity, is the development of the idea of a para- 
 graph. The paragraphs are crude, but show a consciousness that some 
 sentences should be grouped together because they tell about the same 
 things. The plan for grade eight includes a systematic study of the 
 paragraph. The textbook supplies the definition: "A group of sen- 
 tences that belong together because they are all about one idea is called 
 a paragraph." 
 
 9 
 
130 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 MANUAL TRAINING IN GRADES FIVE TO EIGHT. 
 
 Ella V. Dobbs. 
 
 HANDWORK in the elementary school serves two purposes. It may 
 be an orderly progress in learning how to use tools and materials by 
 accepted methods. In technical handwork chief emphasis is placed 
 upon execution, and the pupil accepts its methods upon the authority 
 of the teacher. 
 
 Handwork may also be used as an illustrative factor in teaching 
 other subjects, especially geography and history. Illustrative hand- 
 work places emphasis upon effect rather than technique, and the worker 
 is allowed free play for his ingenuity and imagination. 
 
 Both types of work are needed in a well-rounded course. In the 
 lower grades, while the undeveloped muscles of the children prevent 
 great precision of movement, a large use of illustrative work tends to 
 give a general acquaintance with materials, their properties and uses. 
 A few technical processes are within the powers of first-grade children. 
 The desire and need for definite control of tools increases year by year. 
 These conditions suggest a large use of free work in the lower grades, 
 with increasing emphasis upon execution until work of the technical 
 type predominates in the upper grades. 
 
 TECHNICAL HANDWORK. 
 
 Technical handwork includes definitely organized courses in various 
 materials, wood, paper, cardboard, metals, textiles, etc. Among these 
 the school must choose that type of work which is best suited to the 
 needs and ability of the children for whom it is planned, which will 
 appeal most strongly to their interests and furnish the strongest motive 
 for effort, and at the same time develop to the highest degree their 
 ability to think and act independently. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE HANDWORK. 
 
 Illustrative handwork has neither time nor subject matter of its 
 own, but is used by the regular teacher when it serves to present a 
 topic more clearly. Its value depends upon the opportunity it offers 
 for self-expression and self-directed activity. This value is lost unless 
 the children are allowed to work out their own problems with a mini- 
 mum amount of supervision and assistance. Illustrative handwork in- 
 cludes the making of posters and booklets and small representations 
 of interesting things described in the textbooks, such as the cotton gin, 
 the first steamboat, the Merrimac and the Monitor, canal locks, ancient 
 and foreign methods of transportation, tools and cooking utensils of 
 other lands and other times; also sand-table representations of inter- 
 esting scenes, industrial processes, and any topic which may be made 
 more interesting or more intelligible through the use of concrete ex- 
 pression. 
 
 Two important considerations enter into the evaluation of a course 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 131 
 
 in handwork, i. e., that illustrative work shall be appreciated for its 
 illustrative value and thought-provoking power without regard to its 
 technical imperfections; and that technical courses shall begin with 
 processes that the children understand and can perform with ease, and 
 shall keep pace with their development in power to execute. 
 
 HANDWORK IN THE LEAVENWORTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 Handwork is provided for all students in the elementary schools of 
 Leavenworth. In grades one to four simple exercises in paper and 
 cardboard, weaving and basketry, are planned for boys and girls, under 
 the direction of the supervisor of drawing. In grades five to eight the 
 boys and girls work separately. 
 
 Boys of the fifth grade have a series of exercises in cardboard. 
 Sixth-grade boys have a course of knife work in thin wood. Boys of 
 the seventh and eighth grades have*-bench work in the manual train- 
 ing shop at the High School. Eighty minutes per week are devoted 
 to these courses. In addition to these regular handwork courses, numer- 
 ous projects in handicraft and applied design are given to both boys 
 and girls in the four upper grades as a part of the work in drawing. 
 
 The type of work throughout the courses is that already described as 
 technical handwork. It bears the impress of both the sloyd and Rus- 
 sian systems, and consists in each case of a definite series of exercises 
 to be worked out by each pupil, the chief end in view being the mastery 
 of common tool processes with a fair degree of skill. Until these proc- 
 esses are mastered the pupils follow definite plans made by the teacher. 
 After the tool exercises are completed, some freedom is allowed in the 
 choice of projects to which these fundamental principles may be applied. 
 These projects include match boxes, necktie racks, coat hangers, bird 
 houses, book racks, taborets, and numerous other small articles which 
 may be used in the home. 
 
 A course in the reading and making of working drawings accom- 
 panies the work in wood. The first exercises are made from working 
 drawings made by the teacher on the blackboard. For the next group 
 of exercises each pupil makes a copy of a working drawing which has 
 been prepared by the teacher. For more advanced work each pupil 
 makes a sketch of the thing he proposes to make, and from this sketch 
 he makes a complete working drawing. 
 
 In making a broad, general comment upon the work of this depart- 
 ment, the writer would say that, with a few exceptions, all of the work 
 that is being done is being well done. It accomplishes with fair satis- 
 faction that at which it aims. And before any specific criticism of the 
 various phases of the work is made, it should be stated that the gen- 
 eral plan of work corresponds to and compares well with much, if not 
 most, of the accepted type of work throughout the country. It has 
 some features in which it is superior to the common practice. For ex- 
 ample, the seventh- and eighth-grade boys have access to the very 
 well equipped shop at the High School, where they work at the turning- 
 lathe as well as the carpenter's bench, and become familiar with other 
 machinery in use there. In a large percentage of manual-training sys- 
 tems the grade pupils handle the carpenter's tools only. 
 
132 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 GRADES FIVE AND SIX. 
 
 The course for the fifth-grade boys consists of a series of small 
 models in cardboard, such as a pinwheel, wall-pocket, calendar, blotter, 
 handkerchief case, etc. In making these models each pupil draws di- 
 rectly upon the cardboard the pattern which the teacher dictates. The 
 article is then cut out, folded, and pasted or tied into shape. 
 
 The course in knife work for the sixth-grade boys consists of nine 
 small articles made from thin pine, with the working drawings which 
 accompany them. The list of articles includes a thread or fish-line winder, 
 a key tag, a paper file (hexagonal base), paper knife, picture frame, key 
 rack, whisk-broom holder, match strike, and match box. For these defi- 
 nite plans are prepared. The pupils copy the teacher's plan, first on 
 paper and then on wood, adhering strictly to the dimensions of the 
 original plan. 
 
 The tools used in this course are a compass, knife, and tack hammer. 
 A very convenient kit, designed and made by the supervisor, holds both 
 tools and materials. One side of the kit serves as a drawing-board, and 
 the other side as a cutting-board, which protects the desk from injury, 
 the work being done in the regular schoolroom. 
 
 Judged from the standard of technical handwork, these courses are 
 open to question as to whether the subject matter chosen is of the form 
 best suited to the needs and ability of the children for whom it is in- 
 tended, and offers the strongest motive for their activity. The form of 
 work chosen should not only meet these needs, but meet them more ade- 
 quately than any other forms of work which might be used. It must not 
 only get results, but get the best results. 
 
 The use of a single tool in the sixth grade limits the possible opera- 
 tions to be performed and confines the work chiefly to flat projects. To 
 obtain variety in these some geometric forms are introduced involving 
 operations which are difficult to perform with a satisfactory degree of 
 technical accuracy. For example, the third model in knife work is a 
 hexagonal piece of wood with a beveled edge an exercise in whittling 
 which requires considerable skill if a high standard is maintained. The 
 range of projects in flat work is limited, and interest demands the intro- 
 duction of some models of the box type. It is difficult to make a well- 
 fitted box in quarter-inch wood, even with a full set of tools. It is more 
 difficult when the work must be done with a knife only. Two models of 
 the course require fitted joints. The unprotected blade of a sharp knife 
 is one of the most dangerous tools, and very unsafe for the use of unskilled 
 hands. If the knife is not sharp, accurate work with it is impossible. 
 
 The introduction of other tools would greatly increase the number of 
 possible operations and would permit a more interesting type of projects, 
 thereby strengthening the motive power of the work. The addition of 
 the coping saw to the tools to be used would greatly increase the possible 
 scope of the work. Coping-saw work offers opportunity for making 
 mechanical toys, three-ply animals, balancing figures, and a great variety 
 of projects which appeal strongly to the dominant interests of small boys 
 and at the same time involve serious problems in mechanics. Mechanical 
 toys offer a strong motive for good workmanship, since the toys must be 
 
SURVEY OP PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 133 
 
 well made or they will not work. Work of this type may be presented in 
 a way which will call into action the child's best thinking powers. Its 
 best values are lost when the pupils are provided with accurately pre- 
 pared plans exclusively. It is often better to exhibit a toy which they 
 will wish to make, and let them study its mechanics and work out plans 
 of their own. Variety in methods and dimensions is greatly to be desired, 
 and attention should be directed to the value of one solution over another 
 through a comparison and criticism of results. 
 
 These courses are also open to question through their lack of oppor- 
 tunity for initiative. If it is accepted that technical handwork shall de- 
 velop ability to think and act independently, the subject matter chosen 
 must in some measure require the worker to compare, choose and execute 
 upon his own responsibility. When a definite course is planned by the 
 teacher, and the pupil merely copies jnodels, opportunity for this sort of 
 development is very small. Granting that there is much to be gained 
 in intelligently hearing or reading directions and executing them with 
 faithfulness and accuracy, overemphasis on this point must tend to one- 
 sidedness. The well-rounded course must allow for both factors. Fre- 
 quently the same series of problems may be made more fruitful by pre- 
 senting a blank model which the pupil is required to modify. For example, 
 in the making of the paper knife which a questionnaire shows to be the 
 most popular model in the sixth grade instead of requiring each pupil 
 to copy one design, a variety of designs might be studied to find out which 
 was most convenient and most serviceable. Sample knives brought from 
 home would add to the general interest. After this study, each pupil 
 might design and make a knife. While there probably would not be any 
 very great variety in their designs, still each pupil would feel his product 
 to be his own, into which he had put himself. This would add, also, to the 
 motive power of the problem a point in which these two courses are 
 weak. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GRADES FIVE AND SIX. 
 
 The work of these two grades may profitably include work in paper 
 and cardboard, such as the making of boxes, portfolios, writing pads, etc. 
 Work of this sort offers abundant opportunity for applying and strength- 
 ening the pupil's knowledge of number and measurement. It also offers 
 a field for applied design. As far as possible, the pupils should be al- 
 lowed to plan the articles to meet their individual needs and tastes. This 
 does not mean that they should do as they please and be satisfied with 
 low attainment, but rather that the teacher shall watch for and en- 
 courage whatever fruitful ideas are expressed. 
 
 Basketry and bookbinding are also types of work well suited to these 
 grades. Some work in these fields is already being done in connection 
 with drawing, and is greatly enjoyed by the children, as shown by their 
 answers to the questions, "What things in handwork have you enjoyed 
 most?" and "What things would you like to make again?" 
 
 Pottery is another type of handwork which offers problems well suited 
 to the capacities of pupils of the intermediate and upper grades, and 
 which can be easily adjusted to the conditions of the regular classroom. 
 
134 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 It does, however, require a zinc-lined cabinet in which to keep unfinished 
 work, and access to a kiln for firing. 
 
 Work in the various materials used throughout the grades should be 
 organized with a view to steady progression from year to year. For ex- 
 ample, the making of simple booklets in the lower grades should develop 
 into well-bound books in the upper grades. The informal use of paper and 
 cardboard in the lower grades should develop, by easy stages into ac- 
 curately constructed cardboard work in the fifth, sixth and seventh 
 grades. 
 
 GRADES SEVEN AND EIGHT. 
 
 In the seventh grade shop work is begun. The course includes a 
 series of formal exercises in joinery, followed by practical application to 
 such projects as a nail box and knife tray. Definite plans are provided 
 for these, and each pupil works to the same dimensions, though each 
 makes a working drawing of his own. 
 
 The eighth-grade work includes a series of exercises in wood turning, 
 followed by a series of projects in elementary cabinetmaking, such as 
 footstools, taborets, book racks, etc. 
 
 The boys who work in the shop take turns in taking charge of the tool 
 room. This gives excellent practice in systematic care of the tools and a 
 broad acquaintance with a variety of tools and accessories. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GRADES SEVEN AND EIGHT. 
 
 The emphasis in these courses is placed on accuracy and skill in tool 
 practice, and some excellent pieces of work are turned out. The use of 
 formal exercises at the beginning of the course is open to question, be- 
 cause of their lack of motive power and opportunity for initiative. It is 
 easily possible to select a variety of projects which have a strong appeal 
 to boys of this age and which also embody the fundamental tool processes. 
 These processes may be more effectively taught in the making of such a 
 project than in an exercise which consists only in fitting two scraps of 
 wood together. It is possible to arrange a group of projects for each 
 problem in tool practice, and require that one project in each group be 
 made by each boy. This allows for choice in line with the worker's in- 
 terest. It also permits varying degrees of difficulty in execution, which 
 may be adjusted to the varying capacities of the members of the class, 
 while orderly and definite progress in the mastery of tools is still main- 
 tained. Among the possible projects may be noted jumping standards, 
 hurdles and other playground apparatus, kites, sleds, wagons, camp fur- 
 niture, bird houses, water wheels and windmills, boxes for specific uses, 
 and other things closely related to the daily needs of the boy. Many boys 
 of this age are anxious to do things which are big and "grown up." In 
 answer to the question, "What would you like to make?" there is a strong 
 vote for tables, bookcases and porch swings. It may often be worth while 
 to make large pieces which involve simple processes only, especially when 
 made for a specific purpose. The making of a pine table of simple con- 
 struction may be, in its place, as valuable a piece of construction as is the 
 mortised table of oak at a later period. 
 
 It is also well to seize upon the chance needs of the school, which offer 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 135 
 
 an incentive to service as well as practical experience in work which must 
 serve a definite purpose. Tables, shelves and other conveniences for the 
 classroom, looms for the younger children, and similar needs, offer oppor- 
 tunities which justify breaking into the regular course of work for a time. 
 The kits used by the sixth grade would have made an excellent problem, 
 for example, if the need could have been foreseen long ejiough ahead for 
 the classes to work upon them. Student work is necessarily slow, and the 
 long intervals between lessons increases the time that must be allowed 
 for the completion of a piece of work. A job of this sort, requiring dupli- 
 cate pieces and accurate workmanship, offers opportunity for acquainting 
 the boys with factory methods of division of labor and the time-saving 
 process of specialization. The aquarium in the Oak Street School, built 
 by the janitor, is another example. If built by the boys it might have 
 given valuable experience in cooperative planning. 
 
 A course in handwork should provide, also, for special needs, as in the 
 case of pupils who work more rapidly than the average student. One l|oy 
 was found working upon one of the beginning exercises, who explained 
 that he had made a table, but as he had completed the course, there 
 seemed to be nothing to do but start at the beginning and repeat it. 
 Ability and industry which enable a boy to complete a course in less than 
 average time should be rewarded and encouraged by advanced work of a 
 particularly interesting type. It is a good time, when his wants are 
 reasonable, to let him make what he "wants to make." 
 
 It is suggested that the course be enriched by occasional projects based 
 upon industrial problems of immediate interest, such as the building of 
 miniature machines and mechanical apparatus. Such work, while neces- 
 sarily crude and imperfect in its details, involves a serious study of 
 fundamental principles and a careful adjustment of parts. For example, 
 the beginners in shopwork in the sixth grade of the Horace Mann School 
 in New York City made water wheels, different boys making different 
 types of wheels. Later they set up a miniature factory with a number 
 of small machines, each made by a small group. When the belts and 
 shafting were all in place, a water wheel was attached and the power 
 turned on. Needless to say, many trials were made and much studying 
 of cause and effect was needed before the small factory was in good 
 running order. Many visits to real factories were made, and all helpful 
 literature studied with deep interest. Among other projects carried out 
 in the same school were the building of a freight station of reinforced 
 concrete, with tracks and cars, and the manufacturing of an electric 
 street car, which was made to travel around a six-foot circle of hand- 
 made track by power transmitted through a small handmade dynamo. 
 Work of this type tends to awaken an intelligent interest in the big 
 fundamental principles underlying mechanics and to stimulate a desire 
 to know more and become more skillful. In these points it offers a better 
 preparation for later study and practice in technical processes than much 
 of the more formal work common in school courses. In the one the pupils 
 are generally active, alert, thoughtful and resourceful. In the other they 
 are often passive, waiting for directions, and they lean heavily upon the 
 teacher instead of depending upon themselves. In this newer type of 
 
136 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 work the pupil has a problem to solve and must bear much of the respon- 
 sibility for its solution. It permits individual initiative and supplies a 
 strong motive for work, because the pupil is able to express his own ideas 
 freely and is interested in what he is doing. The older type of work is 
 often formal and mechanical. It is often weak in motive power, and 
 opportunity for individual initiative is almost wholly lacking, because the 
 pupil has only to follow plans and directions prepared by the teacher. 
 The teacher, rather than the pupil, does the thinking. 
 
 Whether handwork is to be taught as a means of general culture or 
 with a definite vocational aim, it will fail of its purpose if the thought 
 side is neglected. The mechanic who works with his head as well as 
 his hands is the man who succeeds. Unless the work is so planned that 
 the pupil must think his way through a process, much of its cultural 
 value will be lost. Mere ability to construct, under careful supervision, 
 a hammer handle which is worth only a few cents in the market may 
 be t a very empty accomplishment. On the other hand, a study of pat- 
 terns and materials, followed by a choice of the most suitable, and the 
 planning and shaping of the hammer handle to the needs of the person 
 who is to use it, may bring about a brain-stretching which parallels 
 the muscular development to be gained through the mastery of the 
 tools. Whether these more important values are to be secured depends 
 upon the method of teaching even more than upon the choice of sub- 
 ject matter. 
 
 It is further suggested that greater use be made of the type of work 
 described as illustrative handwork. Such work is largely the province 
 of the regular teacher, to be used by her when it offers the best means 
 of effectively presenting a topic. Its value depends chiefly upon the 
 extent to which the work becomes to each pupil a real problem in 
 which he feels personal responsibility for the solution. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 137 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PHYSICAL TRAINING IN THE GRADES. 
 
 Walter B. Smith. 
 
 THREE kinds of physical training are needed in the grades. The first 
 and most fundamental is play. The second is calisthenic or gymnastic 
 drill. The third is corrective and remedial work. Each of these has its 
 proper place and should be assigned that place in a well-regulated school 
 program. 
 
 In regard to the first of these, it may be said that play has always 
 been regarded as the central feature of child life. Our schools long 
 overlooked this primary fact. It was only recently, with the coming 
 of the kindergarten and its influence upon the grades, that the basic 
 principle of child development was given any proper place in the school 
 curriculum. Even yet it makes its way slowly up through the primary 
 grades, gradually losing its hold through the intermediate and advanced 
 grades. And as this fundamental basis of child growth is lost sight of, 
 the work of the school becomes less vital to the child's life, less effective 
 in securing the child's interest and intensive effort, and more irksome 
 to both child and teacher. No child wants to quit the kindergarten, few 
 care to quit the primary grades, but as the child is gradually lost sight 
 of in a logically arranged course of studies which we older people, from 
 our superior heights, try to force down upon him, he loses interest, 
 ceases to strive, and our national records show that at least seven out 
 of eight drop out of our educational mill before they leave the grades. 
 
 THEORIES CONCERNING PLAY. 
 
 The attitude toward play which leads to our present varied treat- 
 ment of it may be analyzed into three theories regarding it. The first 
 is that it is dangerous an unavoidable evil which should be restricted 
 as far as possible. The second is that it is natural, harmless and use- 
 less, and that the child does not need training for it. The third is 
 that it is a fundamental means of training for life, and hence it is 
 the proper point of departure for all education. The first is puritanism 
 and has been discarded; the second dominates the public mind and the 
 traditional school; and the third has made the kindergarten, now rules 
 the primary grades, and is rapidly revolutionizing the work of the 
 upper grades. 
 
 This broader view of play as the dominant characteristic of the 
 child calls for serious treatment of it in every phase of school work. 
 He takes play seriously, and if we take him seriously we must do the 
 same. Every movement in dealing with the child must be from his 
 central interest outwards. We must build upon what he is, not upon 
 what we hope he is to become. We have learned this in teaching him 
 the abstract subjects of reading, writing and numbers; but, strangely, 
 after discarding the purely disciplinary idea elsewhere, we have clung 
 to it in physical training, which is the most concrete and natural field 
 
138 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 for avoiding it. Play should" be made the solid foundation upon which 
 to build all physical education; but it is not generally so well founded 
 in our public schools, nor, as we shall see, is it in Leavenworth. 
 
 GYMNASTICS. 
 
 The second kind of physical training to be expected is calisthenic or 
 gymnastic drill. For this the body is divided up into sections and 
 scientifically analyzed. A logical series of exercises is prescribed, 
 which, if gone through with, guarantee the exercise of all parts of the 
 body. Coordinated movements are arranged for and enforced by drill. 
 These coordinations start in simple movements and grow complex as 
 the pupil progresses. They call for concentrated attention, obedience, 
 correct posture, and abundant and varied muscular and organic exer- 
 cise. Used in proper proportion, and well taught, calisthenics form a 
 valuable adjunct to play in physical culture. But there is constant dan- 
 ger of the drill becoming mere drudgery, in which case the educational 
 value largely disappears. Motives appealing to the child, and a moderate 
 amount o initiative, must be obtained to keep the set exercises edu- 
 cative. 
 
 CORRECTIVE PHYSICAL TRAINING. 
 
 The third type of physical training needed is remedial and cor- 
 rective. Physical defects and constitutional weaknesses are generally 
 enhanced by neglect. We prefer to exercise our strong muscles, organs 
 and aptitudes to the neglect of the weaker ones. This may intensify 
 the native weakness. To prevent such specialization, corrective work 
 should begin while the pupil is young. Calisthenics and gymnastics, by 
 exercising the whole human mechanism, are partly remedial, but they 
 are not sufficient. The full purpose and value of physical-training 
 work can not be realized until supervisors are able to give physical 
 examinations and prescribe corrective work. Such examinations and 
 prescriptions are frequently given in collegiate work. They are more 
 needed in earlier years, but probably it is too much to expect of public 
 schools that they do scientific corrective work at present. But physical 
 training should look ever toward it as an ideal. 
 
 We are now ready to apply these three tests play, calisthenics, and 
 corrective gymnastics to the physical-training work of the Leaven- 
 worth Public Schools. By them it is to be measured, not judged. 
 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 A careful analysis of the outline of work in physical training shows 
 much that is commendable, but to harmonize it with the ideas previously 
 advanced it needs revision at three points. Since these weaknesses, as 
 the writer considers them, are quite general over the country, and are 
 not eliminated in Leavenworth practice, they need to be pointed out. 
 
 The first one is in the idea embodied in the use of the term "physical 
 development." We have given up the term "intellectual development" as 
 synonymous with education. It expresses only one phase of the broad 
 significance now attached to the educational process. But physical train- 
 ing is new in our schools, and the old, narrow conception dominates the 
 public mind regarding it. "Physical development" indicates that a sound 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 139 
 
 body is all that is to be striven for in physical education. A strong and 
 healthy body is eminently worth while; but true physical education means 
 far more. It means the utilization of the youthful love of physical activity 
 for education in its broader aspects. If we are to build our school pro- 
 gram upon the child as he is and all our present educational theories 
 demand that we do then wide use must be made of his love of play and 
 exercise. Physical training reacts so intimately and powerfully upon 
 mental and moral training that mere physical development should be 
 only one feature of it. An adequate conception of the value of play is 
 shown in the statement of the course of study for the primary grades, but 
 this conception should be specifically dealt with when outlining physical 
 education. 
 
 The second feature of the outline needing revision is the "aims" of 
 physical education. In the six aims stated in the course of study there 
 is no hint of social or moral values to be obtained. They are previously 
 pointed out with reference to the primary grades, however. Health, 
 growth, order and exactness, alertness and quick reaction, endurance, are 
 to be developed. Nothing is said about cooperation and fellowship, which 
 can be more easily stimulated in team games than anywhere else in life. 
 No mention is made of the primary ideals of loyalty, love or fair play, 
 chivalry in victory and cheerfulness in defeat, which are the natural out- 
 growth of a properly used playground. Nor is there any mention of 
 obedience or self-control the largest educational returns from gym- 
 nastic drill. 
 
 The third revision needed is in the emphasis placed upon gymnastic 
 drill. This might seem to be justified by the lack of playgrounds about 
 the school buildings. But a closer analysis shows that to be one of the 
 very reasons for shifting the emphasis. Most of our national and in- 
 herited games call for a large amount of space. When this can not be 
 had there is all the more reason for teaching games that can be used on 
 small playgrounds and which call for the same coordinations, the same 
 ingenuity and dexterity, the same mental, moral and physical powers 
 demanded by the regulation games American children are in the habit of 
 playing. Baseball, football, basket ball, dare base, running, leaping and 
 throwing games, call for space. And, since this is not to be had in 
 Leavenworth at present, children should be taught other games which pro- 
 duce the same development that makes the above-mentioned games so 
 valuable. Indoor baseball, volley ball, tether ball, basket ball and a 
 large number of similar games now being taught in physical-training 
 schools meet these demands. 
 
 So the excuse generally offered by school authorities for placing most 
 of the stress on calisthenics can not justify it. Simple gymnastic drill ten 
 minutes a day is merely scratching the surface of a rich field of useful- 
 ness. The school yard is properly mentioned in the course of study as 
 the preferred place for these exercises, but the brevity of a ten-minute 
 period might easily lead to the use of study rooms or corridors in place 
 of the yard. The course of study might profitably be revised, much en- 
 larged in scope and suggestion, and means of correlation with other 
 phases of teaching work pointed out. This can easily be done without 
 
140 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 sacrificing any of the idea of health and physical development. In fact, 
 the effectiveness of physical training in promoting health and longevity 
 depends to a large extent upon its harmonious adjustment to other 
 phases of school work and the life that is to follow. 
 
 FACILITIES IN LEAVENWORTH. 
 
 Leavenworth has a well-trained and efficient part-time supervisor of 
 physical training. Each room is met at least every two weeks. Several 
 classes in calisthenics were observed. Some were directed by the regu- 
 lar teachers and some by the supervisor. Also a full list of the ex- 
 ercises prescribed for the current year from its beginning until April 1, 
 including all the grades from one to eight, were examined. A typical 
 one, to be practiced ten minutes a day for two weeks, follows : 
 
 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 GRADE 7. DUMB-BELLS. LESSON 6. 
 
 1. HOPPING: Hop 011 the ball of left foot 8 times while making a complete turn to the 
 
 left, quickly change on the right and turn right about, each in 8 counts. 
 
 2. Raise arms forward and lower (1-2). Same sideward and lower (3-4). 
 
 3. Raise heels and bells on shoulders and return (1-2). Dip left sideward and raise 
 
 arms to the left sideward and return (3-4). 
 
 4. March forward 4 steps (1-4). Face left in 4 steps (5-8). Bells on shoulders (9). 
 
 Straighten upward (10), on shoulders (11). Lower arms (12). Repeat arm 
 exercise (13-16). Do 4 times. 
 
 5. Bells on hips (place). Lower trunk forward and straighten arms sideward and 
 
 return (1-2). Elevate chest and straighten arms upward and return (3-4). 
 
 6. Point step and raise arms forward (1). Raise left knee and move arms sideward (2). 
 
 Return movement (3-4). Same right (1-4). 
 
 7. Stride left sideward and bells on hips (1). Bend left knee trunk left and straighten 
 
 arms upward (2). Return movement (3-4). Same to the right (1-4). 
 GAME. Toss Chase Ball. Form a large front circle, standing close together. Medicine 
 or basket ball may be used. A pupil stands in the center. Some one in the circle will 
 have a ball, who will toss it to some one else. While this is done the one in the center will 
 try and touch the ball ; if so, those two will change places, etc. 
 
 Many of the exercises prescribed were quite properly without appa- 
 ratus. Some were without the game at the end. The apparatus at hand 
 consisted mainly of dumb-bells, Indian clubs, and wands. The games 
 were generally very simple ones, not calling for thought or special inge- 
 nuity, and were evidently given to produce an exhilarating finish to the 
 less interesting drill. Simple games would be necessary if put at the end 
 of a brief ten-minute period. No suggestion of alternating the game and 
 calisthenics was observed, and the evidence indicated that the game was 
 not featured as educational; nor was it given at all with any degree of 
 regularity, as the writer found when he wanted to see one. 
 
 THE VALUE OF PHYSICAL DRILL. 
 
 The value of a certain amount of physical drill is not to be questioned, 
 however, if taken under educational conditions. It is intensity of effort 
 that develops. But it may well be doubted whether calisthenics as an end, 
 given to the count of 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, without any motive, can produce 
 intensity of effort, either mental, moral or physical. Yet drill, as a means 
 to an end, can be made intensive, as shown by the annual field meets. 
 They are given the last of April and provide an excellent temporary 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 141 
 
 motive. Competitive drills or public exhibitions have the same effect. 
 But the pupil's interest in the perfection of the coordinations called for 
 must be present to make the drill educative, and that is impossible while 
 using calisthenics as the sole means, or health or rounded development 
 as an end. The pupil, as pointed out by Dr. Frank A. McMurray, is not 
 bothering about his health ; "he would be in an unhealthy state of mind 
 if he were." He is not willing to put forth much effort for the purpose 
 of obtaining a sound mind in a sound body. Activity, life, struggle, he 
 loves. But the end must be in view, even as with an older person. Calis- 
 thenics are useful in proportion as they can be organized so that the 
 pupil may have a present motive or purpose, be allowed some decision and 
 initiative, and work at all times with some desirable end definitely in 
 view. This means that instead of being the foundation of physical edu- 
 cation, gymnastic drill should be merely one of the pillars supporting the 
 superstructure. 
 
 CHANGES NEEDED. 
 
 If the physical training offered in our schools and the Leavenworth 
 schools are typical in this respect is to fulfill its highest purpose, three 
 things need to be done. First, the periods should be lengthened. If time 
 is at such a premium the periods might be put farther apart. It is stated 
 in the course of study that this work is not to take the place of recesses, 
 and it can not. So enough time should be taken each period to teach 
 something worth while. Other recitation periods, even for the minor 
 studies, are at least double the length of the period of gymnastics. And 
 yet, if physical training is well done, who would maintain that it is of 
 less importance than other studies of the curriculum? Lengthening the 
 period, then, is the first essential of a more effective physical-education 
 program. 
 
 The second essential is that special rooms must be provided where the 
 extra noise of this work will not interfere with other rooms, and where 
 there is sufficient free space for marching, dancing and the more complex 
 games. Fortunately, this can be done in several of the buildings, and is 
 being planned for in the repairs to be made during the coming summer. 
 The Staff are united in the belief that this is one of the prime essentials 
 calling for the careful attention of the architect, the board, and the super- 
 vising force of the schools. Little of the work really needed can be done 
 with the present unsatisfactory provisions and equipment. 
 
 The third essential is a revision of the emphasis placed upon the rela- 
 tive values of the work offered as physical training. The play element 
 must receive much more attention. Routine drill is merely the a-b ab, 
 e-b eb of physical education. It has the same relation to physical culture 
 that spelling drill has to reading, number drill to arithmetic, and date 
 drill to history. Swinging an Indian club has little more educational 
 value than swinging an ax or a hoe. The whole set of light-apparatus 
 drill provides little more physical training than "doing the chores," and 
 much less moral value. What is needed is stimulus and heroic effort. 
 
 Compare them for a moment with the game of basket ball. Basket 
 ball calls for speed, agility, manual dexterity, endurance, deep breathing, 
 all sorts of coordinations and accuracy, and the exercise of every part of 
 
142 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 the body. On the mental side it demands initiative, quick thinking, judg- 
 ment, decision, and the varied technique of team work. On the moral 
 side it requires control of the temper, fairness to opponents, cooperation 
 with associates, and self-sacrifice for the good of the team. Every physi- 
 cal, mental, and moral power is exercised intensively, educatively, and 
 the pupil is trained in the sort of reactions called for in the social, politi- 
 cal and business world. 
 
 What is true of basket ball is true of other highly organized team 
 games. But it may be said that this is too strenuous for a large number 
 of pupils, especially the girls. Does not every teacher plead for intensive 
 work along his line? Do not all boys and girls love strenuous work? Is 
 not that the way they play on the playgrounds? Moreover, all do not 
 need to play all the games. One of the great purposes of a supervisor is 
 to see that they do not. Pupils may be graded in their games, as in other 
 parts of the curriculum, according to their needs and abilities. 
 
 Games, however, are not all. Folk dancing and other emotionally 
 expressive physical exercises have all the cultural value attributed above 
 to team games. They call for varied mental and moral as well as physical 
 exercises. Intensive effort is obtainable. Motive, organization, initiative 
 and physical self-control are all provided for. They are truly educative, 
 and gymnastic drill can be only when founded upon the same child in- 
 terest and calling for the same varied efforts present in the game and the 
 folk dance. 
 
 CORRELATION WITH OTHER STUDIES. 
 
 Still another feature, already developed to some extent in the Leaven- 
 worth schools, should be emphasized. Physical training should be corre- 
 lated with other phases of school work. A nature-study trip into the 
 country is excellent physical training. They are suggested in the course 
 of study for grades 1, 2 and 3, but are as valuable later in the course. 
 A walking trip to a track meet or baseball game or to the golf links, with 
 explanations to pupils, is likewise educative. These stimulate an interest 
 in physical training and health-giving exercises that will be carried into 
 real life. Above all, the physical-training work should be linked up with 
 playground supervision. What is taught in the classroom should function 
 on the playground at recess time. The games should there be practiced 
 under pupil initiative and control. Contests of various kinds, demanding 
 all sorts of qualities, and graded according to size and strength and in- 
 genuity, should be encouraged. School athletics and physical training 
 should also be linked with the summer playground work recommended 
 elsewhere. 
 
 One of the interesting observations in Leavenworth was that two 
 of the three large schools have almost no playgrounds. They are built 
 upon city lots with just a few feet of space to the sidewalks. In each 
 of these buildings the observer found a strong effort to cultivate the 
 recess period. The grounds were well supervised, the teachers played 
 with the children at times, and seemed to feel the same responsibility 
 for the educational use of this time as of the other school time. With 
 heavy handicaps, much was being done. The third of these larger 
 buildings has ample playgrounds, being built near the center of a 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 143 
 
 whole block. This school was having no recesses at all at the time the 
 survey was being made. This was doubtless temporary, but it indi- 
 cated too little attempt to make use of the play instinct of the child in 
 his education. 
 
 Moreover, the patronage of this school is mainly of the middle and 
 poorer classes, where the houses are small, lawns wanting, play space 
 cramped, and home conditions frequently unfavorable. All these to- 
 gether form a basis for the most effective use of play and other forms 
 of physical training. School spirit and loyalty could be built up around 
 the playground. The lack of brightness and cheer in many of the homes 
 could be partly counteracted in the school. Many a boy and girl could 
 thus be saved from dropping out of school and from going out into the 
 life of Leavenworth unprepared to spend his leisure time in clean 
 recreations or his work time in remunerative employment. Jacob A. 
 Riis has truly said that "the boy without a playground is father to the 
 man without a job." 
 
 FORMING THE HABIT OF PLAY. 
 
 While questioning the value of the emphasis placed upon drill in the 
 physical-training work in Leavenworth, the writer is glad to point out 
 that what is attempted is well done. The drills observed were more 
 than perfunctory. The pupils were developing some valuable coordina- 
 tions and couple movements. But it is a little hard to imagine them 
 following up these activities in after life. Gymnastic drill, if indulged 
 in in later years, remains a conscious effort, while games stimulate 
 an unfailing interest that brightens life, even though they be discarded 
 as a means of recreation. But they will not all be discarded if the 
 habit of play is developed during youth. The mad rush of American 
 life needs to be checked by wholesome recreation. Our athletic revival 
 during the past two decades has already done much to relieve the strain 
 and nervousness of our people. Its further extension into the ele- 
 mentary schools will do much to give to all of our public-school children 
 much of the valuable training now obtained by higher-class English- 
 men. Concerning their training Doctor Curtis says: 
 
 "One of the best things about the system of physical education in the 
 typical English preparatory and public school is that the students are 
 supposed to get out and play every afternoon, as soon as their lessons 
 are over. These exercises are practically required up to the sixth form 
 in the public school, and by that time the habit has been so well estab- 
 lished that the student continues to play during his university course 
 and probably during the rest of his life, from the force of this early 
 custom." 
 
 PLAY AS A PREVENTIVE OF DISORDER. 
 
 One other point remains to be mentioned. It was pointed out in 
 the analysis of Leavenworth that organized amusements were lacking. 
 The gaming spirit, which is perfectly natural and highly useful, must 
 be properly directed or it will find an outlet in illegitimate channels. 
 One's taste in games should be cultivated as carefully as his taste in 
 literature. One's recreations should be as clean as his business trans- 
 actions. McMurray well says: "Physical training should develop an 
 interest in play, a knowledge of games, and a skill in them, that will 
 
144 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 permanently identify one with healthy sport, just as literature should 
 develop a taste for reading and nature study a permanent enjoyment 
 of plants and animals." 
 
 If Leavenworth or any other city is to close up evil resorts of all 
 kinds there is no better way to go about it than to provide legitimate 
 amusements to undermine them. If they are to be eliminated in the 
 future, a generation of citizens must be trained up who know how to 
 amuse themselves in a better way. If proper athletic and play interest 
 are stimulated in the schools, the future city will not be without golf 
 links, baseball parks, public tennis courts, supervised playgrounds, and 
 the varied paraphernalia necessary to provide healthful physical rec- 
 reation as a preventive of disorder, vice, stagnation, and sentimental- 
 ism. No better moral and governmental and business investment can 
 be made by Leavenworth than that in additional play stimulus and 
 facilities. And the best place to begin, in order to get far-reaching 
 effects, is in the elementary schools. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 145 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 READING AND LITERATURE. 
 
 Minnie E. Porter. 
 
 No ATTEMPT was made in this Survey to determine the reading rate 
 of the pupils. The test which Mr. Courtis has recently offered would 
 be an interesting and valuable problem of study for the teachers. It 
 is recognized that the value of reading as a tool is largely dependent 
 upon the rate of reading as well as upon the ability to understand what 
 is read. 
 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 The program for the teaching of reading provides for the use of the 
 state textbooks, Studies in Reading, by Searson and Martin. The Fourth 
 Reader is used in grade four and the Fifth Reader in grade five. As no 
 textbook is prescribed for grades six, seven and eight, the superintendent 
 and teachers are free to select literature suitable for reading in these 
 grades. In their choice they have recognized the sources of interest in 
 the reading of pupils of this age. We find such selections as "The Pied 
 Piper of Hamelin" and "Rip Van Winkle" in grade six; "Miles Standish," 
 Cooper's "Tales" and the "Oregon Trail" in grade seven; "Evangeline," 
 "The Lady of the Lake" and "Julius Caesar" in grade eight. 
 
 The use of supplementary readers in the schools of Kansas is pro- 
 hibited by state law. As a result of what is assumed to be an effort to 
 safeguard the interests of the people of the state, a serious limitation has 
 been placed upon the education of boys and girls in Leavenworth. The 
 school authorities of Leavenworth have made a commendable effort to 
 overcome this limitation upon the reading of boys and girls by establish- 
 ing a circulating library, for which they are making liberal provisions. 
 They are in sets of thirty volumes, each set in a box. These acts are 
 kept at the office and sent out to teachers upon application. 
 
 GRADE IV. 
 
 Story of Holmes. Literature. 
 Story of La Salle. History. 
 Story of Longfellow. Literature. 
 De Soto. History. 
 Marquette. History. 
 Story of Boone. History. 
 Pioneers of the West. History. 
 Fremont and Carson. History. 
 
 Stories and Rhymes of Woodland. I. Literature and Science. 
 Stories and Rhymes of Woodland. II. Literature and Science. 
 Story of Coal. Science. 
 Story of Wheat. Science. 
 Story of Cotton. Science. 
 Story of Printing. Science. 
 
 American Inventors. (Whitney and Fulton.) Science. I. 
 American Inventors. (Morse and Edison.) Science. II. 
 Night Before Christinas, and Other Christmas Poems. Literature. 
 
 10 
 
146 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 GRADE V. 
 
 The Miraculous Pitcher. Literature. Hawthorne. 
 Audubon. Science. 
 Nathan Hale. History. 
 Story of Sugar. Science. 
 What We Drink. Science. 
 Story of Canada. History. 
 Story of Mexico. History. 
 Story of Steam. Science. 
 Story of the Flag. History. 
 Stories from Robin Hood. Literature. 
 
 GRADE VI. 
 
 King of the Golden River. Literature. 
 ' Rab and His Friends. Literature. 
 
 We are Seven, and Other Poems. Literature. 
 Lady of the Lake. Conto I. Literature. 
 Declaration of Independence. History. 
 Thanatopsis, and Other Poems. Literature. 
 Snow Image. Literature. 
 
 Gifts of the Forest. (Rubber, Chincona, Resin.) Science. 
 Great European Cities. (London and Paris.) Geography. 
 Great European Cities. (Rome and Berlin.) Geography. 
 
 Great European Cities. (St. Petersburg and Constantinople.) Geography. 
 Heroes of the Revolution. History- 
 Lewis and Clark Expedition. Histoi'y- 
 
 GRADE VII. 
 
 Story of Macbeth. Literature. 
 Philip of Pokanoket. Literature. Irving. 
 Lady of the Lake. Canto II. Literature. Scott. 
 Snow-bound. Literature. Whittier. 
 The Gray Champion. Literature. Hawthorne. 
 The Oregon Trail. History. Parkman. 
 
 GRADE VIII. 
 
 The Deserted Village. Literature. Goldsmith. 
 As You Like It. Literature. Shakespeare. 
 Lady of the Lake. Literature. Scott. 
 
 Canto III. 
 
 Canto IV. 
 
 Canto V. 
 
 Canto VI. 
 
 The Cotter's Saturday Night. Literature. Burns. 
 Lay of the Last Minstrel. Literature. Scott. 
 Building of the Ship, and Other Poems. Literature. Longfellow. 
 
 THE TEACHING OF READING. 
 
 For constructive recommendations for the teaching of reading in 
 Leavenworth, illustrations have been found for each point in exceptionally 
 good work seen during observation in the classrooms. It is recommended 
 that in the organization of departmental meetings the significant points 
 of merit in the work of teachers may be made helpful to all in this line of 
 work. 
 
 There are two points of commendation for the teachers of reading in 
 Leavenworth. The teachers have done their work carefully and thoroughly 
 in teaching the mechanics of reading. By means of an articulation chart, 
 careful drill is given in enunciation. The pupils read clearly and dis- 
 tinctly. The second point of commendation is that the pupils read with 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 147 
 
 understanding. The teachers are careful to make sure that reading for 
 information yields the desired result. The library reading provided 
 furnishes opportunity to use the reading hour for this purpose. 
 
 But in a third point so necessary to the interpretation of real litera- 
 ture, imaginative or creative reading, the teachers are not generally so 
 successful. In some cases they fail to distinguish between reading for 
 information and reading for the sake of entering through imagination 
 the delights of literature. As a consequence, questions asked by the 
 teacher call for information rather than the result of creative imagina- 
 tion. For example, in the reading of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," if 
 the teacher asks such a question as, "What did the Prper do next?" she 
 would receive the answer, "He led the children down to the sea." This is 
 information plainly given in the poem and has nothing to do with in- 
 terpretation. On the other hand, if the-teacher asks such a question as, 
 "What did the children do under the hill?" this would call for the results 
 of creative imagination, and the children would be only too happy if the 
 imagination were given free play. The writer observed a lesson on "The 
 Pied Piper of Hamelin" in which the children had entered wholly into the 
 experience of those German children who followed the Piper. The writer 
 felt this so strongly in her observation that she put in quickly the ques- 
 tion, "How many of you would have followed the Piper?" and received 
 an affirmative response at once from all the boys and girls in the class 
 except three sedate little girls, upon whom the others in the class looked 
 with some pity. 
 
 A lesson was observed in grade five in which the teacher had followed 
 the suggestion, "Getting into the atmosphere of the piece." The lesson 
 was the preparation for and the reading of the poem, "The Use of 
 Flowers," in Lessons in English, by Scott-Southworth, page 144. In the 
 word study the teacher did not deal with the dictionary definitions. She 
 talked with the children freely about luxuries until they brought out of 
 their experience those things which were luxuries to them. They trans- 
 lated the word comfort in terms of actual life. The teacher talked with 
 them about the things necessary for their outward life, and brought these 
 into contrast with those things which delight and comfort people, as 
 flowers do. When the children opened their books to read the poem for 
 the first time, they brought to that poem a fresh understanding of those 
 things within their own experience which made the reading of the poem 
 creative. After reading silently the poem, which contained these lines : 
 
 "To comfort man, to whisper hope, 
 Whene'er his faith is dim" ; 
 
 the teacher asked if any one could tell what flowers do for the inner life. 
 She was rewarded by the shining eyes of a little fellow who replied, 
 "Flowers hope up man." This lesson had succeeded. 
 
 THE OUTSIDE READING OF PUPILS. 
 
 The schools, in teaching pupils to read, have given to boys and girls in 
 their early teens a power to extend their life experience, which at this 
 age is demanding a wider field of adventure. Through the identification 
 of self with the hero or heroine of fiction, these young people are growing 
 
148 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 rapidly in their ideals of manhood and womanhood. Later life furnishes 
 the opportunity to give expression to these ideals in a world of action. 
 Just what influences are most powerful in the early teens may be dis- 
 covered in books which are most widely read. It is this world of the 
 imagination that is making a marked contribution to the moral develop- 
 ment. Franklin K. Mathiews. Chief Scout Librarian of the Boy Scouts 
 of America, writes of "Your Boy and His Books" as follows : 
 
 Find the stories in which the heroes have the characteristics the boy so much admires 
 men of unquenchable courage, immense resourcefulness, absolute fidelity, conspicuous 
 greatness; the men Avho do things, big things, wonderful things; the men Avho conquer 
 and overcome in the face of the heaviest odds, who "never turn their backs, but march 
 breast forward, to do or die. !> For the boy, that spirit is the stuff of which great man- 
 hood is made; and if with books we would profoundly influence him, we must constantly 
 challenge him with stories of astonishing accomplishments, biographies that hold him spell- 
 bound, wonder tales of almost unattainable undertakings achieved. 
 
 As an attempt to study this problem in Leavenworth, one question, 
 "What books have you read during the past year?" was placed in the 
 pupil questionnaire used in the Survey. The data collected and classified 
 for this report, with the assistance of the school department librarian at 
 the Kansas State Normal, will be suggestive. 
 
 In the tabulation the books have been arranged in the order of the 
 number who expressed preferences for them. In another column appears 
 a classification of the quality of each book, ranking A, B, C, or D. Books 
 marked A are of first quality in the list, for one of two reasons literary 
 merit or high grade of subject matter. Those marked B are ranked lower 
 in literary merit, but are considered good reading. Books marked C are 
 those which serve to bridge over the reading of pupils who have not de- 
 veloped a taste for reading which is satisfied by those in A and B. Books 
 marked D are books which are recognized as being harmful, although 
 often very popular. Their success depends upon the elements of adven- 
 ture which appeal to boys, and to a weak, self -centered heroine who some- 
 times appeals to girls of this age. The Rover Boys, Motor Boys, Alger 
 Books, and Elsie Books are the conspicuous examples of this type of 
 juvenile fiction. 
 
 The tabulation of data collected is submitted as follows: 
 No. Title. Rank. 
 
 59 Rover Boys D 
 
 55 Alger Books D 
 
 39 Motor Boys D 
 
 29 Alcott Books A. 
 
 29 Dorothy Dainty D 
 
 26 Shakespeare's Plays A 
 
 22 Dave Porter Books D 
 
 21 Little Colonel Books C 
 
 20 Lang's Fairy Tales B 
 
 16 Boy Scout Books D 
 
 16 Uncle Tom's Cabin A 
 
 15 Snow-bound A 
 
 10 Five Little Pepper Books B 
 
 9 Black Beauty B 
 
 9 Evangeline A 
 
 9 Helen Grant Books D 
 
 9 Lady of the Lake A 
 
 9 Robinson Crusoe A 
 
 No. Title. Rank. 
 
 8 Ben Hur A 
 
 8 Jack Books B 
 
 8 Patty Fairfield Books C 
 
 7 Lake Port Series D 
 
 7 Pollyanna B 
 
 7 Rip Van Winkle A 
 
 7 Treasure Island A 
 
 6 Beautiful Joe B 
 
 6 Courtship of Miles Standish A 
 
 6 Prudy Books D 
 
 5 Betty Wales Books. : C 
 
 5 Life of William Cody. 
 
 5 Oregon Trail A 
 
 5 Story of Lincoln .' B 
 
 5 Tom Sawyer A 
 
 4 Bible A 
 
 4 David Copperfield A 
 
 4 Dotty Dimple Books D 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 149 
 
 No. Ti>!>'. Rank. 
 
 4 Girl of the Limberlost C 
 
 4 Last of the Mohicans 'A 
 
 4 Legend of Sleepy Hollow A 
 
 4 Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come. . A 
 
 4 Only an Irish Boy D 
 
 4 Perfect Tribute A 
 
 4 Quest of the Four B 
 
 3 Andrew's Great Pluck D 
 
 3 Custer on the Plains C 
 
 3 Dutch Twins 
 
 3 Freckles 
 
 3 Gifts of the Forest 
 
 3 Helen's Babies 
 
 3 Hoosier School Boy 
 
 3 Ivanhoe 
 
 3 Kit Carson Books 
 
 3 Nathan Hale 
 
 3 Pilgrim's Progress 
 
 3 Poe's Poems 
 
 3 Rondy Books D 
 
 3 Sinking of the Titanic 
 
 3 Story of Canada A 
 
 3 Stratemever Series D 
 
 3 We are Seven A 
 
 3 Wild West 
 
 3 With Washington Out West 
 
 3 Young Trailers B 
 
 2 American Boys' Handy Book A 
 
 2 Anne Green Gables A 
 
 2 Aunt Jane's Nieces. . . D 
 
 Title. Rank. 
 
 Battling Nelson's Career D 
 
 Billy Whiskers .' D 
 
 Boat Club Boys D 
 
 Boy Fortune Hunters D 
 
 Carpenter's Readers \. 
 
 Christmas Carol \ 
 
 Dickens' Works A 
 
 Elsie Dinsmore Books D 
 
 Flying Girls D 
 
 No. 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 
 Girls of the Forest D 
 
 Gray's Elegy A 
 
 Great Stone Face V 
 
 Hard Working Girls D 
 
 John Halifax, Gentleman \ 
 
 Juan and Juanita B 
 
 King of the Golden River A 
 
 Life of Washington A 
 
 Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. . A 
 
 Old Rose and Silver D 
 
 On the School Team B 
 
 Peck's Bad Boy D 
 
 Peggy Owen Series D 
 
 Rab and His Friends A 
 
 Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm A 
 
 Story of Carson and Fremont A 
 
 Story of Mexico A 
 
 Sweet Girl Graduate D 
 
 Swiss Family Robinson A 
 
 Trail of the Lonesome Pine. . . A 
 
 In this tabulation only those books that were mentioned more than 
 once were considered. A study of the number of times each book is 
 named in the list shows that 44 per cent, or .nearly half, of the reading 
 done by the pupils in grades six, seven and eight is of the class marked 
 D. In this class are found the Rover Boys, Alger Books, Motor Boys, 
 and Boy Scout Books, widely read in Leavenworth. No comparative 
 data are at hand to show the results in other cities, because these 
 books are not included in library reports. But since book dealers find 
 them commercially profitable when offered for sale, without considera- 
 tion of the welfare of the boys of the city, we may be led to believe 
 that in cities and towns where these books are sold the records would 
 be similar. 
 
 The libraries of the city, both public and Sunday-school libraries, 
 share with the schools and the homes the responsibility for intelligent 
 direction in the matter of reading. As stated before, the public library 
 is doing active work in cooperation with the schools. On their shelves 
 are some books of class D which the librarian has retained temporarily 
 that boys and girls may find the books they ask for, and thus give him 
 an opportunity to bridge them over to something better later on. In 
 one large Sunday-school library are found the Rover Boys, Motor Boys, 
 Alger, and Elsie Books, which are being supplied to the children. They 
 have, no doubt, been selected on the recommendation that they are the 
 books which boys and girls like best, without consideration of the in- 
 fluence which they have upon character formation. 
 
150 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Since it is believed that the books which boys and girls are reading- 
 are influencing them, and since almost one-half of the reading done by 
 the boys and girls in Leavenworth in grades six, seven and eight is of 
 a character which identifies the youthful reader with ideals that are 
 false to the best in American manhood and womanhood, the home read- 
 ing of boys and girls must be a matter of serious consideration to all 
 who are interested in the welfare of the young people of the city. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 151 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SPELLING. 
 
 Walter S. 3Ionro<>. 
 THE TEACHING OF SPELLING. 
 
 SPELLING is taught systematically in all grades, and 7.9 per cent of 
 the total time of the teachers if given to the subject. See page 59. 
 The work in grades five to eight is based primarily upon a printed list 
 which has been prepared by the superintendent and the teachers. In this 
 list they have attempted to place the words which make up the speaking 
 and writing vocabulary of pupils in the respective grades. In addition, 
 the teachers are urged to keep, and do keep, lists of misspelled words, 
 which are used for occasional lessons. 
 
 THE SPELLING ABILITY. 
 
 The spelling ability of the pupils was measured by giving a test to 
 all pupils in grades three to eight, inclusive. This test was given in 
 Leavenworth simply as an exercise in dictation, the pupils not knowing 
 that they were to be marked for spelling. The directions and test are 
 given below.* 
 
 DIRECTIONS FOR GIVING SPELLING TEST. 
 
 Please read these instructions through before beginning to dictate 
 the sentences: 
 
 1. See that each sheet is headed with (a) the pupil's name; (&) his age; (c) number 
 of years he has been in school; (d) the grade; (e) the date; (/) the name of the school. 
 
 2. Dictate all the sentences to all the grades, beginning Avith the third, during one 
 session; i. e., all either in the morning or the afternoon of the same day. 
 
 3. In third and fourth grades dictate in two periods, separated by a day. 
 
 4. Each sentence may be dictated, either in whole or in part, as many times as may 
 seem necessary to secure its complete understanding. This exercise is purely a test in 
 spelling; it is not intended that pupils should be subjected to the added difficulty of an 
 effort to recall the words dictated. 
 
 5. Offer no explanation of words or sentences. If the meaning is not clear, repeat 
 the sentence in whole or in part. 
 
 6. Do not ask the children to underline words, or otherwise call their attention to the 
 significant words of the sentences. Where possible so to conduct the matter, the pupils 
 are not to know that it is a spelling test. To them it is but a dictation exercise. 
 
 7. After the children have written the sentences, read them all through again and 
 allow pupils to insert words or make other corrections. 
 
 8. Don't hurry; but keep things going fast enough so that pupils will not have time 
 1o examine into what their neighbors are doing, or to give help to each other. 
 
 9. When third and fourth grades have written half the list, take up the papers and 
 hold them until the second dictation. Then give them out again for the pupils to finish. 
 
 10. Collect the papers as soon as the work is finished. 
 
 SPELLING TEST. 
 
 If the janitor sweeps, he will risi> a dust. Wait until the hour for recess to touch the 
 button. TF//OAV anxn-er is nln"i>i? Smoke was coming out of their chimney. Every after- 
 noon the biitcJ/fr gave the dog a piece of meat. One evening a carriage was stopping in 
 front of my kttcli<-n. I wear a number thirteen collar. Guess what made me sneeze. Send 
 me a pair of leather shoes. I do not know, but I ;im almost sure they are mine. My 
 uncle bought my cii.f!n a nrt-tt/i /<v//c/< for forty dollars. The soldier dropped his sword. 
 
 The directions, test, and comparative data were furnished by Dr. J. F. Bobbin. 
 
152 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Jack had a whistle and also twelve nails. The ocean does not often freeze. You should 
 speak to people whom you meet. It takes only a minute to pass through 'the gate and 
 across the road. Did you ever hear a fairy laugh? The American Indian had a saucer 
 without a cup. Neither a pear nor a peach was at the grocery store to-day. Cut up a 
 whole onion with a handful of beans. My piano lesson was easy. The animal ran iiiio 
 the road and straight against a tree. I believe true friends like to be together instead of 
 apart. Telephone me on Tuesday if the tobacco comes. The tailor sent a saucy telegram. 
 Already the circus was beginning. Pigeons seem too beautiful to quarrel. I am trying 
 to choose a toweZ. The chicken was fried in grease. 
 
 (Adapted from Buckingham: Spelling Ability.') 
 
 In marking the papers, only the one hundred words in italics were 
 considered. Mistakes in the spelling of other words were not counted 
 or noticed in any way. 
 
 TABLE XXXII. 
 
 The Median Spelling Scores by Grades. 
 
 Grade ///. , IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. 
 
 Average for 40 schools 36 58 72 82 88 92 
 
 General average for Leavenworth. . 37.5 59 69.4 77.1 81 85.6 
 
 Morris 38 51 65 72 79 85 
 
 Oak Street 18 65 59 77 83 89 
 
 Third Avenue 54 55 70 76 81 83 
 
 Lincoln 28 33 64 82 78 76 
 
 Sumner 57 63 76 80 84 95 
 
 Franklin 24 64 70 73 . . 
 
 Maplewood 36 60 52 65 
 
 Wilson . . : 38 61 93 92 
 
 Jefferson 36 72 
 
 Cleveland 46 65 76 . . . . 
 
 Dr. W. Franklin Jones* has given us the writing vocabularies of 3050 
 children classified by grades. Of the hundred words which make up this 
 test, 74 appear in the writing vocabulary of the second grade, 13 in that 
 of the third grade, 7 in that of the fourth, 1 in that of the sixth, and only 4 
 words (janitor, stopping, American, and lessson) are not included in the 
 writing vocabulary of any grade. 
 
 A comparison of the scores for the schools of Leavenworth with the 
 average shows that Leavenworth is below the average in most cases. 
 The median score of 18 for the third grade in the Oak Street School 
 is no doubt due to the fact that they took only half of the test. 
 
 These scores indicated that spelling is rather exceptionally well taught 
 in the Sumner School and in certain grades in other schools, as, for ex- 
 ample, the fourth grade in the Oak Street School, the third grade in the 
 Third Avenue School. The upper grades make a relatively poorer show- 
 ing. This probably is because sufficient drill is not given upon spelling 
 in these grades. In fact, in the work observed by the writer, little at- 
 tention was given to drill, and the emphasis was placed upon the meaning 
 of the words and the ability to use them in sentences. 
 
 In view of the generous time provision for the teaching of spelling and 
 the instructions of the superintendent, together with the nature of the 
 spelling lists which are used, one would expect to find the children of 
 Leavenworth exhibiting superior spelling ability. But the results of this 
 test indicate that sufficient drill upon spelling is not provided. 
 
 * W. Franklin Jones, Concrete Investigation of the Material of English Spelling, 
 University of South Dakota. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 153 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe, assisted by the Staff. 
 THE NEW FUNCTION OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 THERE are certain facts which show that the public high school is 
 coming to fulfill a new function in our social order. The following state- 
 ment is quoted from Bulletin No. 29 (1913), United States Bureau of 
 Education: "From 1890-'91 to 1900-1901 the number of secondary schools, 
 both private and public, rose from 4,885 schools, with 309,996 students, to 
 8,210 schools, with 649,951 students; by 1910-11 these figures had in- 
 creased to 12,213 schools, with 1,246,827 students. The schools belong to 
 many types, ranging from those with only the strictly classical curriculum 
 to those which are essentially vocational high schools organized with little 
 or no reference to higher education." The fact that within the period 
 from 1890 to 1910 the population of the United States increased only 41 
 per cent, and that within the same period the number of secondary schools 
 increased 150 per cent and the number of students 260 per cent, is very 
 significant. It indicates that the public high school, which is the dominant 
 type of secondary school, is coming to fulfill a much larger function in 
 our plan of education. 
 
 A study of the enrollment of the Leavenworth High School points to 
 the same conclusion for the city of Leavenworth. (See page 42.) From 
 1881, when the enrollment reached 200, until 1905-'06 it did not pass the 
 300 mark; but within ten years the enrollment has doubled, and the in- 
 dications are for a continued increase. Within this same period the 
 population of Leavenworth has remained practically stationary. This 
 means that the Leavenworth High School is assuming new relations to the 
 community. 
 
 THE REORGANIZATION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION. 
 
 There are two distinct lines along which the reorganization of second- 
 ary education is taking place. First, new subjects are being added to 
 the program of studies. For example, domestic science and agriculture 
 are being introduced in many schools. In the program of studies of the 
 Colebrook Academy we find such subjects as political economy, history of 
 commerce, advanced physiology and hygiene and the elements of nursing, 
 horticulture, agronomy, and farm mechanics and carpentry. Second, 
 there is a reconstruction of the subject matter within the present high- 
 school subjects. Such subjects as algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry 
 and botany had their beginnings in some practical needs, and have been 
 elaborated by men who became interested in the subject matter for its 
 own sake and who thus lost sight of its relation with practical life. This 
 elaboration and the subsequent organization have resulted in structures 
 which are marvelous when judged with respect to completeness and logical 
 order, but which are composed of the subject matter far removed from the 
 
154 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 realities of life and organized according to the working of the minds of 
 mature philosophers and logicians rather than the minds of children. 
 
 The point of view which is being adopted in the reconstruction of our 
 present high-school subjects is to ask regarding each topic, each problem,, 
 each process, each fact, the question, "What is this used for in the world 
 outside of the schoolroom?" If subject matter will not assist in the 
 preparation which the boys and girls need for the varied activities in 
 which they will participate as adults, it is being eliminated from the sub- 
 ject. To what is left of the present high-school subjects after this elimi- 
 nation other subject matter is added which is useful in preparing boys 
 and girls for the activities which they must undertake. After this is done, 
 the whole is being organized in accord with the working of the child's 
 mind rather than that of the adult. 
 
 This general point of view is being accepted by many of our foremost 
 educators, and it seems quite certain that a number of our present high- 
 school subjects will be reconstructed according to this plan. In the fol- 
 lowing sections of this Survey some detailed suggestions are given for the 
 reconstruction of certain subjects in the Leavenworth High School. It 
 should, perhaps, be stated here that these suggestions are not mere 
 theories held by the members of the Survey Staff, but are ideas which have 
 been given sufficient trial to warrant recommending them to the principal 
 and teachers of the Leavenworth High School. 
 
 The Leavenworth High School is rapidly coming to occupy a different 
 place in the community, and in order that it may efficiently fulfill this 
 changed function, the principal and teachers of the High School face and 
 will continue to face the problem of working out a reconstructed cur- 
 riculum. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The regular faculty meetings can be very effective if they are utilized 
 for the serious study and consideration of vital educational problems. The 
 working out of plans for correlation of the work of two or more depart- 
 ments returns rich profits in the effect upon the teachers. A small amount 
 of this is now being done. It will be profitable to do more. In meeting 
 the problems of reconstruction, more effective work can be done if those 
 working within a field, such as history, science, English or mathematics, 
 are organized into a committee. Such an organization and the work 
 which is done will be effective in producing a broader concept of the work 
 of the school. 
 
 It is but fair to mention here that, according to their own estimate, 
 six of the High School teachers are now devoting from 50 to 60 hours 
 per week to school work. If this estimate was carefully made, the matter 
 should be investigated. Such totals are too large. It may be that some 
 of this time is spent in ways which are only slightly valuable. If so, the 
 teacher should be aided in employing his time to a better advantage. If 
 not, the work assigned to these teachers should be lessened. In either 
 case time should be provided for the types of activities just suggested. 
 
 At present no drawing or fine art is taught in the Leavenworth High 
 School beyond a brief course for normal-training students. This is a serious 
 lack, since art enters so largely into everyday affairs, and has industrial 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 155 
 
 as well as aesthetic value. These facts apply with even more force in the 
 High School than in the grades. It is suggested that the work of the art 
 department be extended to the High School, and that the courses in the 
 High School be closely related to the courses in domestic art and manual 
 arts. The work given should include the designing of furniture, the 
 planning and decoration of houses, and costume designs, including milli- 
 nery. A general course in applied design, which includes the designing 
 and making of projects in a variety of matrials and processes useful in 
 home decoration, such as stenciling, block printing, and embroidery, would 
 be a profitable course for all students as a means of developing apprecia- 
 tion of the relation of art to everyday affairs. 
 
 Music also is not taught at present in the High School, except a brief 
 course for the normal-training students. We pointed out in the section 
 on the educational needs of Leavenworth that it was vitally necessary 
 that boys and girls acquire ideals of and capacity for wholesome leisure 
 activities. Listening to music and producing it are recognized the world 
 over as among the most wholesome of recreations. It is recommended 
 that the course in music be extended into the High School. Chorus sing- 
 ing, music appreciation and orchestra are some courses which would be 
 very profitable. The High School is already giving credit for music taken 
 under properly qualified private teachers. This plan may be combined 
 with such a music course as just suggested. 
 
156 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 
 ONE of the five parallel courses in the High School is the commercial 
 course. This course includes three years of English, two or two and a 
 half years of mathematics, one year of science, two years of bookkeeping, 
 two years of stenography and typewriting, and a year of commercial law 
 and commercial geography. The remainder of the fifteen units required 
 for graduation are elective. At the time of the Survey a total of 65 were 
 enrolled in bookkeeping and 42 in stenography and typewriting. This 
 means that practically one student out of every four is taking commercial 
 work, and presumably the commercial course. Since the course is elec- 
 tive, this speaks well for the appreciation of the work by the students. 
 
 Among the changes contemplated for the future is a course on pen- 
 manship and letter-writing. As the commercial course was outlined to 
 the writer, no provision appears for handwriting or business letter- 
 writing. By all means the course should include such work. Other con- 
 templated additions are commercial arithmetic, economics, and what the 
 instructor has called, "The World's Work." 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The first two of these subjects are quite generally recognized as 
 belonging in the commercial course. The last is seldom found, but if 
 commercial work is to be connected properly with the activities of the 
 business world these activities must be studied. If not studied inci- 
 dentally in connection with bookkeeping, commercial arithmetic, com- 
 mercial law, etc., they should be given a place as a separate subject. 
 
 The writer did not learn of any provision for household accounting. 
 Such a course is very valuable for both boys and girls, and will find an 
 application in the lives of many more than will commercial accounting or 
 typewriting. For a beginning in this direction, the present course in 
 bookkeeping might be supplemented by a few weeks devoted to household 
 accounts at the end of the course, similar to the way in which the regular 
 course in chemistry is supplemented by six weeks on household chemistry. 
 
 No provision is made for a young man or young woman who is work- 
 ing and wishes to study one or two commercial subjects, say bookkeeping 
 or stenography and typewriting. 
 
 Neither is provision made for mature boys and girls who wish to pre- 
 pare themselves for a commercial position within one or two years. In 
 the past, young people of Leavenworth have had to go to private business 
 colleges. 
 
 The Commissioner of Education, in his 1912 report, says: 
 
 "School administrators have learned that more pupils will be reached 
 if short, practical courses are offered in the high school than if adherence 
 to the rigid four-year course is insisted upon. Some children, because of 
 home conditions, age and other considerations, know that they never will 
 be able to complete the traditional high-school course, so drop out of 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 157 
 
 school altogether at the end of the eighth grade. In a number of cities 
 two-year and other shorter courses have been provided for such pupils. 
 Preparation for commercial and industrial pursuits and other vocational 
 training are usually given in these abridged forms of the high-school 
 curriculum. From reports received by the Bureau of Education, these 
 shorter periods of secondary school work are proving popular without 
 affecting attendance in four-year courses." 
 
158 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ENGLISH IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 Minnie E. Porter. 
 LITERATURE. 
 
 THE choice of classics for study, throughout three years of the high- 
 school course, has been limited to the college-entrance requirements which 
 have been accepted by the University of Kansas and embodied in the state 
 course of study for high schools. These requirements are divided into 
 five groups, representing these literary types: epic poetry and story, 
 fiction, lyric and narrative poetry, drama, and general prose. Two 
 classics must be chosen from each group. In addition, the following 
 classics are required for careful study: Macbeth, Milton's Minor Poems, 
 either Burke's Speech on Conciliation or both Washington's Farewell 
 Address and Webster's First Bunker Hill Oration, either Macaulay's Life 
 of Johnson or Carlyle's Essay on Burns. The English course at Leaven- 
 worth shows few variations from these requirements. Of the last-named 
 requirements, the course does not include either the argumentative speech 
 or the essay. The initiative of the teachers has not substituted anything 
 in place of these. Twelfth Night has been substituted for the Merchant 
 of Venice in the second year, and Treasure Island is used in the first term 
 of the first year instead of the second term. 
 
 The lists of books for home reading submitted by the teachers show 
 evidence of a desire on their part to meet real needs. The lists show that 
 the teachers have made five selections from the collateral reading recom- 
 mended by the state course of study, eleven selections from the college- 
 entrance requirements, and twenty-eight selections of 'their own. In one 
 list nine books are modern fiction. With the exception of three plays of 
 Shakespeare selected for the third year, all the books for home reading 
 are prose fiction. These recommendations show an effort to meet the need 
 of shaping the voluntary reading of the pupils, but the field of effort so 
 far is limited. While it is difficult to find entertaining reading for pupils 
 of high-school age in the fields of biography and travel, the teachers 
 should study such a list as given in the Report of the Committee on Home 
 Reading of the National Council of English Teachers (1912). 
 
 In the arrangement of this home reading for the three years, we note 
 and commend the effort to adjust the recommendations to the reading in- 
 terest of high-school pupils of different ages. We are pleased to find 
 in a first-year list, Tom Sawyer, The Deerslayer, and Poe's Prose Tales. 
 Of forty-two eighth-grade boys who answered the question, "What books 
 have you read this year?" nine preferred the Alger Books, ten the Motor 
 Boys, and twenty-three the Rover Boys. These pupils will enter High 
 School in September, 1914. The teacher who prepares a list of books for 
 home reading for these boys must not only satisfy their desire for read- 
 ing, but must shape and direct it. In the second year there is offered a 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 159 
 
 list of classic fiction. This is supplemented by a list of current fiction 
 for easier reading: 
 
 .s 1 ii i>i>l<>tn rittari/ Lint. Siihxtitnt'' List. 
 
 David Copperfleld. Dickens. Richard Carvel. 
 
 Old Curiosity Shop. Dickens. The Crisis. 
 
 Dombey and Son. Dickens. The Crossing. 
 
 Kenilworth. Scott. The Price of the Prairie. 
 
 Ivanhoe. Scott. The Winning of Barbara Worth. 
 
 Talisman. Scott. The Shepherd of the Hills. 
 
 The Last Days of Pompeii. Lytton. Bob Son of Battle. 
 
 Cranford. Gaskell. Ramona. 
 
 Scottish Chiefs. Porter. The Light that Failed. 
 Thaddeus of Warsa v. Porter. 
 John Halifax. Craik. 
 Ben Hur. Wallace. 
 /lane Eyre. Bronte. 
 
 The Mill on the Floss. Georye Elliot. .. 
 Lorna Doone. Blackinore. 
 
 In the list for the third year the reading interests of the pupils have 
 been considered, but the selections include three of Shakespeare's plays 
 and a list of representative English novels which supplement the history 
 of English literature. On the whole, this repoiT on home reading shows 
 the initiative of the teacher is exercised to meet the real needs of the pupils 
 as determined by their reading interests through- the three-year course. 
 
 COMPOSITION. 
 
 The general recommendations from the college-entrance require- 
 ments, that practice in composition, oral as well as written, should 
 extend throughout the secondary school period, are embodied in the 
 course in Leavenworth. The state textbook, Stebbins' Progressive Course 
 in English for Secondary Schools, has determined the choice and ar- 
 rangement of the work in composition. 
 
 In the use of the textbook the teachers have followed the line of 
 least resistance. They have accepted the spiral arrangement as inevi- 
 table, and have taught Stebbins Part I in the first year, Stebbins Part 
 II in the second year. This is a result of lack of cooperation in plan- 
 ning the course to avoid the unsatisfactory spiral arrangement. The 
 state course of study presents some valuable suggestions in the ar- 
 rangement of a course of composition using Stebbins' textbook, but the 
 teachers have not been influenced by these helpful suggestions. In 
 fact, the lack of initiative is shown in the description of the course in 
 composition for the first year, which follows exactly the order of the 
 textbook. 
 
 The subjects for the work in composition have been taken from a 
 wide range. It is in this matter of subjects for composition work that 
 the teachers have shown their originality and initiative. Two methods 
 have been used with the pupils in helping them find subjects for com- 
 positions. In one case the teacher had prepared on the blackboard a 
 list of suggestive subjects, from which each pupil would choose one for 
 oral composition. The subjects were of the nature of those which 
 pupils of the first year would choose, but these boys and girls were 
 deprived of the pleasure and the training in discovering subjects for 
 
160 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 themselves. In another case current news articles were chosen from 
 the point of view of interest for the class. 
 
 Another venture, which promises more in real training than either 
 of the two mentioned, is the search for subjects dealing with local 
 material. This search for material is a process of awakening a live 
 interest in the world of affairs in the city of Leavenworth and in the 
 high school community. The search for concrete material also pro- 
 vides a real desire for expression. The best among these compositions 
 are printed in the Leavenworth Times. The city of Leavenworth is 
 listed as a textbook. That the life of the community will furnish 
 abundance of material for composition there is no doubt. The helpful 
 cooperation of the newspapers of the town in giving publication to the 
 writing of high-school pupils is strongly recommended. In the absence 
 of a school paper or magazine, or a school print shop, the newspapers 
 furnish the only assurance of publication. 
 
 The initiative of the teachers is not limited, however, to the choice 
 of subjects for composition. The course shows the result of the exer- 
 cise of this initiative in planning a fourth year of composition as an 
 elective. The University of Kansas now provides for accrediting a 
 fourth year of English, provided that the work is approved by the 
 University, which has made no attempt to mark out the content or the 
 scope of the course. Any high school in Kansas is free to plan a year 
 of elective work in English, provided that it is of high grade and 
 serious in purpose. With this opportunity, Leavenworth has reached 
 out this year in a course in journalism and short-story writing. 
 
 ALTERNATION OF COMPOSITION AND LITERATURE. 
 
 In the report of teachers of first-year English we find this state- 
 ment: "Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are devoted each week to the 
 regular course as it progresses. Wednesday is known as theme day. 
 Friday is oral-composition day." The teachers of first-year English 
 observe this program throughout the year. 
 
 An examination of the actual results of such a program shows the 
 disadvantages of the arrangement. The writer observed a class on 
 Tuesday enjoying the first chapters of Treasure Island. The story 
 made its appeal at once. With the interest thus aroused, the boys and 
 girls were ready to read on with the story, and would naturally look 
 forward to the enjoyment of the story on the following day. But this 
 could not be, for Wednesday was theme day. The next assignment was 
 made as follows: "Read the next three chapters twice for Thursday." 
 Thursday the class met to enjoy more of the story, although we are 
 quite sure each boy did not read the next three chapters twice. He 
 must have read as far ahead as time would permit. But this pleasure 
 in a most thrilling part of the story must be broken again, for Friday 
 was oral composition day, and they would not talk about Treasure 
 Island. Further consideration must be postponed until Tuesday. When 
 a boy's interest is once aroused in Treasure Island he sits up at night 
 to finish it; he does not wait for any program outlined by a university 
 for accredited schools. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 161 
 
 But if there is an element of loss in the study of a classic, we must 
 consider the effect of this arrangement upon training in composition. 
 In the reports of teachers for the second-year English we find that 
 Wednesday is theme day each alternate week, and that every Friday 
 is oral composition day. The study of the classics named is the prin- 
 cipal work of the course. One day each alternate week would allow 
 eighteen class periods for written composition in a course which is out- 
 lined to include the advanced work in narration, description, exposition 
 and argumentation. In oral composition thirty-six periods are allowed 
 of thirty-five minutes each. If in a class of twenty-five pupils the 
 teacher used a maximum of ten minutes for instruction and suggestive 
 criticism, and if the pupil spoke in the class hour, one pupil could be 
 allowed but one minute of the remaining twenty-five. And even with 
 this unsatisfactory arrangement each pupil could speak but once a 
 week. Training in composition, in writing or in speech is training in 
 an art in which skill is developed oy frequent practice. Under the- 
 conditions just set forth a teacher can not develop skill in untrained 
 and immature pupils. 
 
 The result of this arbitrary division of time has been to throw the 
 emphasis upon the teaching of the literature as the regular or major 
 part of the course, and to make the teaching of composition, both oral 
 and written, less effective. Under these circumstances, the lessons in 
 composition appear to the pupil to be an unnecessary interruption to 
 the regular course in the reading of English classics. 
 
 While the subjects of literature and composition are carried on side 
 by side, as has been indicated, there is little relation between the two. 
 In the first-year English there are two independent courses offered. 
 The state course of study suggests that the relation be "not so much 
 in subject matter as in character of appeal." This relation is not 
 marked in Leavenworth except in the course in short-story writing, 
 which is a course in composition. The stories used serve as models for 
 the study of the technique of the short story. In the third year, which 
 has as its basis the survey of the history of English literature, the 
 literature and composition are related in subject matter. The study 
 of Macbeth was followed by a debate in the Shakespeare and the Bacon 
 theory. This was given as an illustration by the teacher as a means 
 of bringing argumentation into the third year. Another report reads 
 as follows: "Each pupil chooses a different subject. Reading is done 
 in the library upon works referred to in the textbook on the history 
 of English literature. The reports are read in class so that each pupil 
 may derive benefit from the work of the others." The writer examined 
 the compositions of two classes in the assignment of the subject, "The 
 application of the poem, The Crisis, to the French Revolution." This 
 subject grew out of the reading of The Tale of Two Cities in the second 
 year. As a problem in literary study it has some value, but as for 
 training in composition, the real motive for composition the desire to 
 express one's self for a real audience was absent. Here it will be 
 seen that the emphasis is upon the study of literature. Composition is 
 used as an aid to this study, as it may be an aid to the study of history 
 
 11 
 
162 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 and geography. In the main, then, we conlude that while literature and 
 composition are taught side by side throughout three years of the high- 
 school course, they are treated as two unrelated courses. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The attempts to adapt the teaching of English to local needs place 
 the teachers of English in Leavenworth in the line of definite progress. 
 We recommend that steps be taken toward making definite plans in 
 the coming year for the study of the problem of the reorganization of 
 the English work in the High School. The initiative shown thus far 
 in the adaptation of the teaching of English to the needs of Leaven- 
 worth has been the result of each teacher working independently. 
 
 An organization of the department for next year should be made 
 by the appointment of one of the four teachers of English as chairman 
 of a committee on reorganization of the course of study in English. 
 The teachers of English and the principal should constitute this com- 
 mittee for serious study during the coming year. The principal can 
 not be expected to take the place of a specialist in English or of the 
 head of the department. He must bring to the work of the committee 
 the view of the school as a whole and of the function of English teach- 
 ing in relation to the other work of the school. 
 
 This committee of high-school teachers of English should become a 
 part of a larger committee, composed of the superintendent, the prin- 
 cipals of the buildings containing seventh and eighth grades, and the 
 teachers of English in these grades. The teachers of first-year Latin 
 and German should identify themselves with the work of this committee 
 so far as it concerns itself with the question of the teaching of gram- 
 mar. The problem of the seventh, eighth and ninth grades is recognized 
 by the National Committee as one problem the problem of the inter- 
 mediate school. The unfortunate gap, in the method and subject matter, 
 between the eighth grade and the High School should be lessened. 
 Then, too, the teachers of departmental work in English need the 
 point of view of the teacher in the High School in dealing with the 
 older pupils in the grade schools. But more than that, the teachers of 
 English in the High School need the help of the experience and sym- 
 pathetic understanding of the eighth-grade teacher and the principal. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVEN WORTH, KAN. 163 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD ARTS. 
 
 Ella T. Dobbs. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD ARTS in the Leavenworth High School is an elective subject 
 in the general and industrial courses. Two periods or eighty minutes 
 daily are devoted to the subject, and two years' work is given at present. 
 Plans are in contemplation for its extension to four full years as soon as 
 circumstances will warrant. When the courses were first organized the 
 time was divided between domestic science and domestic art, lessons be- 
 ing given in each subject on alternate days. Later the present plan of 
 devoting alternate quarters to each phase of the work was adopted and 
 found to be much more satisfactory. The further extension of the term of 
 consecutive study in one field to one-half year is now under consideration. 
 This plan has much to commend it, giving greater opportunity for con- 
 centrated effort. 
 
 SEWING. 
 
 The work in domestic art includes the cutting and making of plain 
 garments, such as the more complicated undergarments and a wash dress. 
 In the second year a wool skirt, a tailored shirt waist and a lingerie dress 
 are made. The course includes the drafting of patterns to measure as 
 well as the use of prepared paper patterns. The study deals with the 
 theory as well as the practice of the necessary processes, with the quality 
 of cloth and the control of its tendency to fade and shrink, with the suit- 
 ability of material to specific garments, and with suitable styles of cloth- 
 ing for specific occasions. In many instances the members of the class 
 are wearing the garments they have made, and in several instances a 
 very marked improvement in the neatness of dress and in the care of the 
 person is noted as a direct outgrowth of the study. 
 
 COOKING. 
 
 The course in cooking includes the care and sanitation of the kitchen, 
 the cooking and serving of simple meals, a study of food values and their 
 relation to health, and a brief study of home planning and furnishing. 
 In addition to the ordinary lesson, in which a specific dish is prepared and 
 for which materials are specially provided, emergency lessons are given as 
 occasion offers, in which the class is expected to make use of the left- 
 overs in a scant larder and evolve something appetizing, very much as 
 the housewife must often do for the unexpected guest. 
 
 Each student must also prepare a test menu of properly balanced food 
 values, cook and serve the meal. In these meals a definite cost limit is 
 set. In actual practice the cost ranges from ten to twenty-five cents per 
 person served, the latter being the cost of a luncheon served to the school 
 board. 
 
 In selecting subject matter for class work, emphasis is placed upon 
 methods of preparing appetizing dishes from the less expensive materials, 
 such as the cheaper cuts of meat and the less popular vegetables, in order 
 
164 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 to impress upon the girls the idea that good cooking is not necessarily 
 expensive cooking, and that economy is an essential in good housekeeping. 
 The course also emphasizes the more substantial elements in cookery 
 rather than what are sometimes termed "frills." For example, only, one 
 lesson in the year is given to salads. 
 
 In the conduct of the classes, each girl is provided with a set of the 
 essential cooking utensils, which must be kept in orderly fashion in the 
 cabinet assigned to her. Each lesson, with a few exceptions, is a complete 
 unit. For example, in a lesson on the cooking of cereals, the chemical and 
 biological principles involved and the relative merits of different methods 
 of cooking are discussed. The pupils then individually test these methods 
 by cooking the cereals in accordance with the principles discussed and 
 noting the effect of different processes. 
 
 Such a lesson also calls for prompt and systematic work on the part 
 of each student, since the work must be completed, the dishes washed and 
 returned to their places, and the laboratory left in perfect order for the 
 next class, which will assemble within five minutes after the first is dis- 
 missed. 
 
 In the study of house planning, attention is called to the points to be 
 noted in the selection of a rented house and the choice of the site for a 
 house which is to be built, such as drainage of the lot, relation of the 
 house to the direction of sunlight and prevailing winds, provision for 
 proper sanitation within the house, provision for convenience in working 
 and guarding against waste of time and energy in useless steps and 
 movements. It also touches upon the selection of furniture'and the choice 
 of wall decorations and draperies. The time to be devoted to house 
 planning is inadequate for more than a few suggestions concerning the 
 chief problems involved. 
 
 The organization of the courses in home economics in the High School 
 follows approved lines and gives evidence of efficient execution. The sug- 
 gestions to be offered in this field are chiefly in the line of extension, and 
 many of these suggestions are already in contemplation by the super- 
 visor and superintendent. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The next step should be a course in millinery. This could be introduced 
 without extra equipment of any importance, and would add materially 
 to the value of the department. It is suggested further that definite 
 study in fine art be made a part of the required work of the course in 
 domestic art. Such a study should deal with problems of costume design, 
 house furnishing, and decoration. In costume design, the fundamental 
 principles may be tested and applied in color sketches and in the dressing 
 of dolls and small models, as well as in specific application to such prob- 
 lems as are presented in the actual garments and hats to be made by the 
 individual students. The study of house planning may include the mak- 
 ing, comparing and criticizing of various house plans, a study of the cost 
 and durability of various materials, and a study of desirable color schemes 
 and suitable furniture. Such study may be illustrated by water-color 
 sketches and by miniature models of rooms done in thin wood and card- 
 board, which bring out many points not touched by the flat sketch. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 165 
 
 It is the common practice in the teaching of domestic science to use 
 individual recipes calling for small quantities of material, and allow 
 each pupil to perform all the steps in each process. While this plan is 
 generally satisfactory, it gives the student little or no practice in 
 handling the larger quantities needed in the average family. To meet 
 this need, two general plans are being tried with considerable success 
 in various places. The first is that of giving school credit for definite 
 home work, such as preparing for the family a recipe which has been 
 tried at school. This plan may be arranged in any school without 
 material increase in expense. The second plan is that of providing a 
 house or a suite of rooms which are to be lived in and cared for by the 
 students, each member of the class being responsible for certain work 
 for a given length of time. This plan has much to recommend it, but 
 involves considerable expense and careful supervision. The problem 
 of the school lunch offers another metins of bringing real problems into 
 the classroom by the preparation of a simple lunch for those who re- 
 main during the noon hour. This plan is open to the criticism that it 
 is apt to narrow the work of the class by requiring too much time for 
 the preparation of a few dishes, especially if large numbers are to be 
 served. The immediate needs in the Leavenworth High School seem 
 best met by the first plan outlined. 
 
 It is further suggested that a close correlation be maintained be- 
 tween science and cooking courses. The present educational tendencies 
 suggest that science courses, particularly chemistry and biology, be 
 planned to parallel the work of the cooking classes, in order that as 
 questions arise in the manipulation of food materials it may be pos- 
 sible to find answers to them through experimentation in the science 
 laboratory. Such parallel courses should be taken simultaneously. This 
 plan would go far to forestall the distaste many girls profess for 
 science when taught by formal methods and logical organization. By 
 the present arrangement of courses in Leavenworth, many girls do not 
 receive any instruction in chemistry other than that given in the cook- 
 ing laboratory. 
 
 One of the common criticisms of a school course in household arts, 
 especially in the early days of its history, was that too much time is 
 devoted to the preparing of dainty dishes and too little to the common 
 tasks of fire-building, dish-washing, and the plain cooking of meats and 
 vegetables. Such critics are reminded that skill in the preparation of 
 food, as in any other mechanical process, is a matter of long-continued 
 repetition; that ability to carry on several processes at once, such as 
 is required in preparing even a simple meal, and to bring those processes 
 to a successful issue at an exact moment, is also the result of long 
 experience. The school can not give this experience; at best, it can 
 only lay a foundation for it and direct the course it shall take. These 
 critics would doubtless be even louder in their criticisms if the school 
 were to confine its work to the repetition of a few fundamental proc- 
 . esses. It should also be remembered that the preparation of a dainty 
 article of food or the making of an attractive garment may often 
 awaken an interest leading to greater effort, whereas the more prosaic 
 task may have the opposite effect. 
 
166 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 MANUAL TRAINING. 
 
 Ella V. Dofcbs. 
 THE FUNCTION OF MANUAL TRAINING. 
 
 COMMON PRACTICE in public schools has developed two general types of 
 handwork, growing out of two conceptions of the value of the manual 
 arts. In the one, handwork is regarded as a cultural subject, having 
 equal if not greater value than the accepted book subjects as a means of 
 mental development. The other regards handwork as a vocational sub- 
 ject, having subject matter of intrinsic value. The former seeks a broad 
 acquaintance with tools and materials for the sake of developing an ap- 
 preciation of material things. The latter emphasizes technical skill with 
 a view to later training in a trade. 
 
 Until recently, public-school courses in handwork have strongly em- 
 phasized the cultural values, with the result that often after spending 
 considerable time upon handwork the high-school graduate has a smat- 
 tering of many processes but no marketable skill. Present interest is 
 directed strongly toward the value and importance of the vocational aim 
 in handwork. 
 
 The public is becoming more and more alive to the fact that the public 
 school must be a school for all the people, and that the high school should 
 not only serve those who expect to attend college and prepare for pro- 
 fessional work, but should serve equally well those who choose mechanical 
 pursuits. The old apprentice system which guaranteed full training in a 
 given trade has disappeared with the small shop. The modern factory 
 system has no place for the apprentice. Many factories are recognizing 
 this need and establishing training schools in connection with their shops. 
 These schools, in many instances, are doing excellent work. The public, 
 however, can not afford to allow the training of its workmen to become a 
 matter of private enterprise. The factory is interested chiefly in the 
 product, and only secondarily in the boy. The temptation to narrow the 
 training given, in the interests of the factory, would in many instances 
 be too strong to resist. The public must see to it that a broad, general 
 education parallels the technical training. This throws upon the school 
 the obligation of providing opportunity for a reasonable amount of spe- 
 cialization in handwork, at least equal to the opportunity offered for 
 preparation for professional work. This special study would of necessity 
 be in addition to the handwork offered to all students for the sake of its 
 cultural value. The problems arising from these obligations are all so 
 new that there is as yet no well-defined consensus of opinion as to the 
 extent to which any single course may be at once cultural and vocational. 
 Nor has any one plan for vocational training as yet met with universal 
 approval, though several plans are in satisfactory operation. 
 
 The chief point to be heeded is that the two values exist, and each 
 community must meet both needs as fully as possible. The Russell Sage 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 167 
 
 Foundation, through Dr. L. P. Ayres, is making some interesting studies 
 concerning the extent to which children enter local industries, and also 
 what industries are to be found in all communities, with the proportionate 
 number of jobs they furnish. These studies will help solve the problem 
 of selecting the fields in which it will be profitable to offer specialized 
 study in the high school. 
 
 HANDWORK IN THE LEAVENWORTH HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 The course in manual training in the Leavenworth High School con- 
 sists in advanced cabinetmaking in the first year and pattern making the 
 second year, with a comprehensive course in mechanical drawing open to 
 all students, whether they have taken bench work or not. The course in 
 pattern making includes some study of foundry practice. 
 
 The cabinetmaking course includes the making of taborets, tables, 
 chairs, bookcases, and other pieces <pf home furniture. The course is 
 organized on free lines, each student selecting the project upon which he 
 wishes to work and the design for it, subject to the approval of the super- 
 visor. A sketch and working drawings are first made. From these the 
 student works out a mill bill (i. e., a list of the pieces of material needed 
 and the dimensions of each), and a lumber bill (L e., the amount and kind 
 of rough lumber needed). Sometimes he takes his bill to the lumber mill 
 and buys his own lumber; in most cases he purchases his material 
 through the school. He then proceeds to build and finish his piece of 
 work. The number of pieces to be completed by one student in the year 
 depends entirely upon the amount of work involved in each, and varies 
 according to the projects chosen. Each pupil pays for his own material 
 and owns the finished product. In a few cases in which a boy can not 
 afford to buy material, he is given work to do for the school, or is helped 
 to earn his material. The projects all being of their own choosing, each 
 worker usually has a definite purpose in his work. He therefore wants 
 what he makes, and is willing to make some sacrifice, if necessary, to 
 obtain it. This definite purpose also furnishes a strong motive for good 
 workmanship, and many excellent pieces of work are turned out. 
 
 The course in pattern making includes the making of six common 
 founders' patterns. These patterns require great accuracy and call 
 into play the pupil's knowledge of both turning and bench work. The 
 making of the patterns is accompanied by a study of foundry problems. 
 The present equipment does not permit actual work beyond the making 
 of the patterns. The equipment needed for the founding of small pieces 
 of brass and white metal could be installed at a comparatively small 
 cost and would greatly increase the efficiency of the course in pattern 
 making. It could be further supplemented by visits to local foundries, 
 such as the stove works. 
 
 MECHANICAL DRAWING. 
 
 The course in mechanical drawing includes geometric problems, work- 
 ing drawings, machine and architectural drawing. The geometric 
 problems make a concrete application of geometric principles, and 
 form an excellent parallel to the study of geometry. The work- 
 ing drawings deal with various projects in cabinetmaking and machine 
 
168 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 building. The architectural drawing includes house plans and eleva- 
 tions. The climax of this year's work is a plan for remodeling the 
 High School building in a way to increase greatly its usable space. 
 The pupils taking this course have not all had bench work. The prac- 
 tical knowledge gained in handling materials and the use of working 
 drawings in bench work is of great advantage to the student of me- 
 chanical drawing, and is evident in a comparison of the work of those 
 who have and those who have not had bench work. Occasional excur- 
 sions are made to furniture factories, which give the students an 
 insight into actual factory problems and conditions and a better 
 appreciation of the function of the draughtsman's work. A readjust- 
 ment of required and elective work in the High School which would 
 allow the student of mechanical drawing more time at the bench would 
 undoubtedly be of advantage in the study of that subject. 
 
 In addition to the work above outlined, advantage is taken of oppor- 
 tunities for gaining practical experience in repairing and remodeling 
 the classroom. For example, the present class is fitting the tool room 
 with shelves and cabinets for a systematic care of the tools and small 
 stock, such as nails, screws, etc. Another group is at work enclosing 
 the open stairway leading to the hall on the first floor. The enclosing 
 of this stairway will shut out much of the noise of the workshop and 
 add greatly to the comfort of the classes on the first floor. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 The writer finds little to criticize and much to commend in the 
 organization and conduct of the manual-training department of the High 
 School. The work given is practical and the standards of workmanship 
 are high. The suggestions to be offered are chiefly along the line of 
 extension and progress. 
 
 A closer correlation between handwork and book subjects, such as 
 geometry, physics, chemistry and industrial history, would add to. the 
 interest in each field. The advantage of practical experience in real 
 problems, such as the two cited, is not apt to be overestimated. There 
 are usually some members of every class who are much happier and 
 more successful in work of this type, and the work need not be confined 
 to the workshop, but may be extended to include any problems which 
 are within the ability of the students. 
 
 The fact that Leavenworth has a large variety of manufacturing 
 interests with which some of her high-school pupils will probably be 
 connected in the future suggests a close correlation between them and 
 the work of the High School. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 169 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 MATHEMATICS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE COURSE OF STUDY IN ALGEBRA. 
 
 THE mathematics in the Leavenworth High School consists of one and 
 one-half years devoted to the study of algebra, one year to plane geom- 
 etry, one-half year to solid geometry, and a year to trigonometry. It will 
 be illuminating to take an inventory of the course in algebra to determine 
 what occupies one-fourth of the time which the boys and girls of Leaven- 
 wor+h spend in high school for a year and a half. What is said with 
 reference to Leavenworth is equally true for many if not most cities in 
 Kansas, because of text which is prescribed by law. In the first place, 
 they solve the grand total of sixty-nine problems, which might possibly 
 be practical. They have learned how to operate with negative expo- 
 nents, although they will not have a real need for them before they study 
 calculus in college. They have solved intricate fractional and radical 
 equations, which are far more complicated than they will ever meet in life 
 outside of the schoolroom unless they perchance choose engineering as a 
 profession. They have spent several weeks studying factoring, although 
 only the very simplest cases of factoring are useful in solving practical 
 problems, and these very seldom. An elaborate study has been made 
 of fractions with binomial and larger polynomial denominators, although 
 such fractions seldom if ever occur in practical problems. Division has 
 been studied, although the only use which is made of it (beyond the most 
 simple cases) is to find the highest common divisor by the Euclidean proc- 
 ess, which is itself an obsolete topic. 
 
 A careful examination of the course of study fails to reveal anywhere 
 even a passing consideration of the situations in practical life in which 
 the algebraic symbols and operations are used. Thus the subject matter 
 of the course is abstracted taken away from practical situations in life 
 in which it may be used. 
 
 A survey of this abstracted subject matter reveals the further fact 
 that only a small per cent of it will ever be used in practical life by any 
 one except those few who pursue certain technical professions. 
 
 The order in which the several topics are taken up is also significant. 
 The several operations of algebra the four fundamental operations, fac- 
 toring, the work of fractions, etc. have scarcely any use except as they 
 occur in solving equations. Thus it seems that if this abstracted subject 
 matter must be taught, it would be so arranged that the pupil would find 
 a use for the operation at the time or before he Ftudied it. However, an 
 examination of the text shows that the order is such that the pupil must 
 study a process and be drilled upon it before he is given any suggestion 
 of its use or allowed to use it in solving even an abstract equation. 
 
 It was found that the teachers were altering the order of the text in a 
 number of instances. This is commendable, and greater initiative will be 
 
170 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 profitable if the several processes of algebra are brought closer to their 
 application. One case of initiative on the part of a teacher was found 
 which produced just the opposite result, and while the exercise of initia- 
 tive is to be commended, the result which was produced is to be criticized. 
 The examination of the text also reveals the fact that the boys and 
 girls who began algebra last September (1913) had met with only twenty- 
 three equations and a few problems by the middle of March (1914). This 
 means two things : First, the boys and girls of Leavenworth, after study- 
 ing algebra for approximately seven months, could not solve equations 
 which in a great many high schools the pupils can solve after two to four 
 months. Second, the boys and girls of Leavenworth have been kept work- 
 ing for seven months with algebraic processes which they have had no 
 opportunity to apply even in an abstract way. 
 
 THE TEACHING OF GEOMETRY. 
 
 In geometry the teacher is exercising initiative to the extent of pre- 
 paring mimeographed lists of the theorems and exercises which are given 
 to the pupils by way of assignment. These exercises and theorems are 
 selected by the teacher from a number of texts and are organized "accord- 
 ing to the recommendations of the Committee of Fifteen." The teacher 
 reports that "the main object is to make the pupil work out his own proof 
 instead of memorizing proofs in the text." Such great exercise of initia- 
 tive is to be especially commended, and the fact that the course is based 
 upon the Report of the Committee of Fifteen shows that the teacher has 
 kept in touch with recent movements. But it should be pointed out that 
 the Committee of Fifteen were primarily concerned with determining a 
 list of theorems essential to the field of geometry, and only secondarily 
 with applications which are made of geometry in actual life. 
 
 Thus the subject matter of geometry as it is taught in Leavenworth is 
 essentially abstract. As such it is well taught, and the teacher is to be 
 commended for her initiative and the energy which she is putting into 
 the course. But if some of this initiative and energy were directed 
 towards relating the theorems of geometry to practical life, a much 
 superior course might be worked out. 
 
 The course in trigonometry is elective and follows closely Wentworth's 
 text. A full year is given to the subject. That this is too much time is 
 indicated by the fact that the course is valued at one-half unit, or half of 
 a year's work. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 To begin with, the teachers of mathematics in the Leavenworth High 
 School should collect problems in which high-school boys and girls may 
 be caused to become interested. Some such problems can be obtained 
 from other algebra texts. Others can be found in the fields of physics, 
 manual training, mechanics, surveying and calculus. A study of the 
 adult activities of Leavenworth will yield a number of suitable problems. 
 
 The list of problems thus collected should be graded, and the problems 
 which are too difficult or which come from too highly specialized situa- 
 tions should be eliminated. At first these problems may be used simply 
 as applications for the processes of algebra and the theorems of geometry 
 which are now taught. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 171 
 
 This list of problems can be mimeographed and placed in the hands of 
 the pupils. Their present text can serve as a reference for obtaining the 
 necessary algebraic and geometric tools for solving these problems and as 
 a source of drill exercises. To provide time for these problems of ap- 
 plication, eliminations can be made from the subject matter of the 
 present courses in algebra and geometry. For example, long division, 
 factoring beyond simple cases, negative exponents, much of radicals, 
 complicated fractional equations, literal equations, etc., can well be 
 omitted. But this should be only the beginning. It should be the aim 
 to work toward a course in mathematics whose core will be these problems 
 together with the practical situations from which they are taken. Along 
 with the problems the pupils should be given the algebraic symbols and 
 operations, the geometric and trigonometric facts, and even the opera- 
 tions from analytics and the calculus which they need to solve the prob- 
 lems. Sufficient exercises should be provided for the drill which is nec- 
 essary in order to secure facility in performing mathematical operations. 
 
 Along with the problems, the practical situations from which the 
 problems come must be studied. For example, if a problem is taken from 
 physics, the situation in physics which produced the problem must be 
 understood by the pupils before they can be expected to solve the prob- 
 lem; or if a problem is given from one of the local industries, the 
 practical situation which produced the problem must be studied. Practi- 
 cal situations which produce mathematical problems are legitimate sub- 
 ject matter for the class in mathematics which is solving the problems. 
 In fact, the practical situation must be clearly understood by the pupils 
 before they can possibly work the problems intelligently. 
 
 Such a course as we have indicated should not cover more than two 
 years' work. In one school where such a course has been given it is 
 followed by a year's work on algebra and geometry of the usual type. 
 This year should be elective. The practical part of trigonometry will be 
 absorbed in the reconstructed course we have outlined, and when that is 
 accomplished a separate course in trigonometry should not be given in 
 the high school. 
 
 ALGEBRAICAL ABILITIES. 
 
 To test the results in the case of algebra, a series of six tests* was 
 planned for those students who began the study of algebra last September. 
 The tests called for the following algebraic operations: 
 TEST A. 4(3a? 4) =. 
 
 Ix 2 05 + 1 
 
 TEST B. + :=. (Simply reduce to a common denominator.) 
 
 6 8 
 
 TEST C. 35x 41. (Result to be left in fractional form.) 
 TEST D. 4x + *> 3x 5. (Only to transpose terms.) 
 TEST E. 7x 3x 6 + 4. (Terms to be collected.) 
 
 3x 2 x + 2 
 
 TEST F. = . (To be solved completely.) 
 
 4 6 
 
 * Owing to a misunderstanding, test B was not given in the Leavenworth High School. 
 
172 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 This series of tests was selected because of the fundamental im- 
 portance of the equation. In solving problems the conditions of the 
 problem are expressed in equation form and then the equation is solved. 
 And besides, the work of the first year is centered about the equation. 
 The pupils use the algebraic operations in a practical way only as tney 
 occur in equations. 
 
 In giving a test, a copy was given to each pupil and printed directions 
 were followed. The pupils were asked to write their names and the 
 date and to read the directions at the top of the page. When they had 
 signified that they understood what they were to do, the signal to begin 
 work was given. 
 
 The time allowed was: Test A, 2 minutes; test B, 3 minutes; test C, 
 1 minute ; test D, 2 minutes ; test E, 3 minutes ; test F, 12 minutes. 
 
 To provide data for comparison the same tests were given to all of 
 the corresponding classes in the Oklahoma City High School. The 
 same instructions were followed, and only three persons were employed 
 in scoring all of the tests. With the exception of test F, in the Leaven- 
 worth High School, the tests were given in March. Test F was given 
 in the Leavenworth High School in May. The average number of 
 examples attempted, number right, and the per cent right for each 
 school, are given in the following tables : 
 
 TABLE XXXIII. 
 
 Leavenworth High School 79 pupils. 
 
 Test A. B. C. D. E. F. 
 
 Attempted 18.0 8.8 6.9 8.8 6.2 
 
 Right 15.3 .... 5.0 3.8 5.6 1.4 
 
 Per cent right 85 57 56 63 23 
 
 Oklahoma City High School 197 pupils. 
 
 Test A. B. C. D. E. F. 
 
 Attempted 17.0 4.8 7.9 9.3 10.2 5.7 
 
 Right 14.6 1.5 6.8 7.6 6.8 1.9 
 
 Per cent right 86 30 86 82 66 32 
 
 An analysis of the mistakes made by the pupils in Leavenworth in 
 test F gives the following data: 
 
 Total number of mistakes in sign 400 
 
 Mistakes in sign in transposition 77 
 
 Mistakes of using sign wrong in addition 28 
 
 Mistakes in sign in division 5 
 
 Mistakes in copying 59 
 
 Mistakes in arithmetic, any sort 87 
 
 Using denominator wrongly in two-term equation 158 
 
 Using denominator wrongly in three-term equation 10 
 
 Using common denominator wrongly on monomial term 35 
 
 One term of binomial not multiplied 14 
 
 Term omitted ! 10 
 
 x omitted 8 
 
 Incomplete as .T = 5 2 
 
 Of the 400 mistakes in sign, 110 occur in addition (and subtraction), 
 division, and transposition. The remaining 290 occur in multiplication 
 and in the removal of signs of aggregation. All of these operations are 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 173 
 
 given in the first chapters of the text and were probably studied in the 
 first month of school and used frequently in the following months. When 
 this test was given in the seventh month of school, 400 mistakes in sign 
 were made in solving 437 examples. 
 
 The mistakes due to omitting a term or x, failing to multiply one term 
 of a binomial, and to copying, total ninety-one. These are purely matters 
 of carelessness. The eighty-seven mistakes, in arithmetic should probably 
 receive the same classification. The mistakes is using the denominator 
 wrongly total 203. 
 
 Upon the basis of the results of these tests and of the observations of 
 the writer which corroborate these results, three recommendations are / 
 made with reference to the teaching of algebraic processes. First, the 
 instructors should evaluate the several algebraic processes which are 
 given in the text and select those which are fundamental to the solution 
 of equations. These, together with the equation, should be given first 
 rank in importance. Second, sufficient drill should be given to insure a 
 higher degree of accuracy. To make this drill most effective, there must 
 be concentration and a feeling that it is good for something. This leads 
 to the third recommendation : The algebraic processes involved in solving 
 equations should be taught so that the pupils will realize their use, and 
 the equation itself should be taught so that the pupils will appreciate its 
 value as a tool in solving problems. 
 
174 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 NORMAL-TRAINING COURSE. 
 
 W. W. Charters. 
 THE FUNCTION OF THE COURSE. 
 
 THIS normal department belongs to the type of normal department 
 found in the high schools of Kansas as provided by the state laws and sup- 
 ported in part from state funds. In it are taught the subjects prescribed 
 by law. 
 
 It has a further duty to perform in Leavenworth, however, since 
 vacancies in the first four grades of the schools are filled from the 
 graduates of this department after they have taught one year or have 
 substituted, as occasion requires, for one year. 
 
 This means that Leavenworth, a city of over 20,000 people, paying a 
 median salary of more than $650 to its teachers, is supplied almost en- 
 tirely in the first four grades and in part in the upper grades by teachers 
 who have only a high-school education (partly professional) and have had 
 one year's experience in teaching when selected. 
 
 Moreover, it is not required that prospective teachers take manual 
 arts, sewing, nature study or physical training during their high-school 
 course, although they are required to teach these subjects in the grades. 
 Drawing is studied two periods a week for a year an inadequate amount 
 of time. Music is taught for one period a week, which may be inadequate. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 I recommend the following changes : 
 
 (1) That preference should not be given in a city of 20,000 people to 
 graduates of its own training class. The training so secured can not be 
 the equal of that received by a normal-school graduate in either quantity 
 or quality. The city can not maintain the equal of a normal-school 
 faculty. Moreover, there is a great tendency to inbreeding. There are 
 undoubtedly cases in which the graduates of the training department in a 
 small city are superior to applicants trained elsewhere, but that is the 
 exception and not a rule. Consequently, when teachers are to be selected, 
 the greatest care should be taken to select the best teachers available, 
 whether trained in the home training classes or not. 
 
 (2) The normal department in the High School should have, as. at 
 present, one course conforming to the state requirements, and should aim 
 to train teachers under state regulations primarily for rural and small 
 graded schools. But if it attempts to train teachers for the Leavenworth 
 schools there should be a three-year course, including the senior year in 
 the High School and two postgraduate years. During their high-school 
 course those members of this department who expect to teach in the 
 Leavenworth schools should be required to take full courses in cooking, 
 sewing, nature study, manual arts, music, drawing and physical educa- 
 tion with other high-school students, but preferably in classes containing 
 only teachers in training, so that attention may be given both to subject 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 175 
 
 matter and to methods of teaching and organization. If these prospective 
 candidates are taught with other high-school students, then in a course (or 
 courses) in special methods the problems of teaching in these subjects 
 should be discussed. 
 
 (3) The teacher of the normal department should be paid a salary at 
 least the equal of the high-school principal in order that as efficient a 
 director of teaching as possible may be obtained. Such a teacher could 
 be utilized to take direction of the technique of classroom instruction in 
 the grades of the whole system. He could help in spreading the latest in- 
 formation, in directing experiments, and in stimulating the teachers to 
 investigate more efficient methods <of teaching. 
 
 (4) The course of study for the normal department should be worked 
 out with extreme care, so that all high-school courses already offered may 
 be utilized to get the full use of expert* in each line. Department teachers 
 in the upper grades may offer courses in special methods of teaching the 
 special subjects of each, and the department teachers should be selected 
 with this possibility in mind. 
 
 (5) The board should immediately lay down the requirement that no 
 teacher will be employed who has had no experience as a teacher, and 
 none who has not had at least one year of professional study beyond the 
 High School. This should be increased to two years if the salaries paid 
 will command such training; and if not at present, the demand should be 
 made as soon as possible. 
 
176 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR BOYS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 Walter R. Smith. 
 
 THE HIGH SCHOOL is built upon a block with two churches, a parsonage, 
 and the public library. The building covers practically the whole of the 
 ground owned, so that the ordinary needs of a growing High School will 
 be met with difficulty and great expense even without considering play- 
 grounds or a gymnasium. 
 
 With the possibilities of expanding the grounds about the building 
 removed, and no other plans devised, physical training has been neglected. 
 Athletic teams worthy of the city have not been developed. A cadet 
 corps is maintained without drill grounds at hand. Gymnastics have re- 
 ceived no attention. School loyalty and esprit de corps should not be de- 
 pendent upon athletics; but many high schools have found that regular 
 teams aid greatly in maintaining local spirit and holding boys and young 
 men in school. They aid greatly in discipline of the higher sort. Failing 
 to develop the athletic spirit in this age frequently means a failure in 
 the development of the organizing ability and united effort needed in 
 school enterprises. A large organization, almost wholly of high-school 
 boys, was maintained through the city Y. M. C. A. This organization 
 was a worthy one, doing efficient work, and the high-school principal was 
 one of the three sponsors for it. But how much better for the school 
 would it have been to have this organization within the school, working 
 for the school, centering its loyalty and spirit about the school! Had 
 there been a good spirit, grounded upon athletic prowess, with the good 
 name of the school and her wider interests at heart, this might well have 
 been a purely high-school organization. 
 
 NEED OF AN ATHLETIC FIELD. 
 
 The situation at present is a very difficult one. This was felt by the 
 Board of Education, superintendent, principal, and the boys themselves. 
 A new athletic spirit is awakening, however. The writer witnessed the 
 celebration of the winning of a district basket-ball championship. Loyalty 
 was -not wanting. But winning seemed to be too new for Leavenworth, 
 the largest city playing in the district. This might well be expected 
 without a gymnasium, a regular field or a permanent place for practice. 
 These handicaps produced discouragement past, present, and for the 
 future. 
 
 No land is near the High School to be purchased for an athletic field 
 without considerable expense. But lack of better planning in the past 
 should not prevent action in the future. Every block in the neighbor- 
 hood is built upon. Some land, however, can be purchased at much less 
 expense than many other cities have paid under similar conditions. 
 Within a short walk of the High School is at least one block which, con- 
 sidering its possibilities, Leavenworth could well afford to buy. This 
 block is not only near the High School, but is only a short distance from 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 177 
 
 two of the larger grade schools Oak Street and Third Avenue. A gym- 
 nasium could be built in one corner of it and a stadium easily planned. It 
 would not only provide for the urgent needs of the High School, but could 
 be freely used by the two grade schools now almost wholly without play- 
 grounds, and might serve as a clearing-house for all the grade-school 
 contests in the city. It would also provide a summer playground in the 
 heart of the best residence district in the city, where no sign of one exists 
 at present. All of these purposes combined should make it worth while, 
 and it would be less expensive than the neglect to provide any of these 
 things in the past would warrant the city in expecting. 
 
 PLAN SUGGESTED. 
 
 Probably half of this block could be purchased and a good practice 
 field graded up for five thousand dollars. This might be done to start 
 matters, and larger extensions be planned for the future. The writer, 
 however, believes that Leavenworth is about ready for a larger plan. A 
 canvass of the situation reveals the fact that the present tax levy will 
 provide only for. the running expenses of the schools and a small surplus 
 that will be needed for the next few years in repairing, equipping and 
 modernizing the grade-school buildings and adding to their playgrounds. 
 If the urgent needs of the High School for physical training are to be 
 met a small bond levy is indispensable. 
 
 Nor will that issue be a hardship upon the people. Leavenworth has 
 been heavily in debt, and that debt has been reduced only by taxing her 
 citizens heroically. It has not only been largely reduced, however, but 
 it never was a school debt to any large extent. The bonded debt of the 
 school board is now less than sixty thousand dollars. This is less than 
 the school debt of any other first-class city in Kansas. The comparative 
 debt of the schools of the first-class cities of Kansas in 1912 is shown in 
 Table XXXIV:* 
 
 TABLE XXXIV. 
 
 Total. Per capita. 
 
 Wichita $531,500.00 $10.13 
 
 Topeka 529,161.00 12.11 
 
 Hutchinson 261,500 .00 15 . 98 
 
 Atchison 142,000.00 8.65 
 
 Fort Scott 135.000 .00 12 . 90 
 
 Coffeyville 115,000.00 9.06 
 
 Pittsburg 90,000 .00 6.09 
 
 Parsons 86,000 .00 6 . 90 
 
 Leavenworth 65,307 .78 3.37 
 
 The school tax and school debt have been comparatively light, and 
 are so to-day. Progressive and effective schools cost money, but they 
 return it many-fold. And the Leavenworth of the future will suffer in 
 the competitive struggle for existence and progress unless a more liberal 
 policy is adopted. 
 
 If Leavenworth can rise to the emergency and meet the demands of 
 progressive schools, the first line of expansion is clear. All seem to 
 be agreed. The citizens, Board of Education, superintendent and teach- 
 
 * The writer has been unable to obtain the figures for Kansas City, Kan., for 1912, but 
 reports for other years indicate a large actual and average per capita debt. 
 
 12 
 
178 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 . 
 
 ers, together with every member of the Survey Staff, are of the opinion 
 that the thing most needed is extra space for playgrounds. A compre- 
 hensive plan should be devised to provide adequate play space for each 
 school in the system. The budget necessary to carry out such a plan 
 should be carefully made out, and a campaign of education of the public 
 up to the necessary liberality to carry out these plans should be in- 
 augurated at the earliest possible date. Leavenworth faces a critical 
 period in her history, and the public school is a good point of departure 
 for a civic renaissance. The reception of such a plan, if properly 
 elaborated, would be a test of her future possibilities. 
 
 In the meantime something might be done to meet urgent needs. 
 The high-school boys are started and are developing school spirit. This 
 should be cultivated. Temporary grounds can be obtained and public 
 patronage for all sorts of athletic events built up by judicious cam- 
 paigning. The physical director should give some time to high-school 
 boys, and some form of physical training should be given regular 
 high-school credit. Supineness on the part of the school authorities, 
 including the Board of Education, at this stage would not only be a 
 serious mistake, but would amount to inexcusable negligence.' 
 
 It has been shown in another place that the tax rate for schools has 
 been uniformly lower in Leavenworth up to 1912 than in any other 
 first-class city in Kansas, and that while Leavenworth has increased 
 her annual rate to six mills on the dollar, it is still beneath the average 
 for those cities. All these tests show that Leavenworth, judged by the 
 Kansas standard, has long been and still is failing to support her 
 schools liberally. If the bonded debt of the city be considered large, it 
 must be remembered that only a little more than one-twelfth of it is 
 school debt, and there is no reason for charging it up to the school 
 board and the public schools. 
 
 NOTE. The omission of physical training for girls in the report does not signify that 
 it is considered unimportant by the Survey Staff. It is just as important that provision 
 be made for the girls as for boys. DIRECTOR OF SURVEY. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENVVORTH, KAN. 179 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 SCIENCE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 Walter S. Monroe. 
 THE courses offered are in botany, chemistry and physics. 
 
 BOTANY. 
 
 Owing to lack of the necessary equipment, botany is taught pri- 
 marily from books. Instead of commenting upon the subject as now 
 taught, we shall call attention to certain community needs and suggest 
 some features of a course which would contribute to those needs. 
 
 There is a vital demand for a high-school course in which boys and 
 girls may learn of the propagation and cultivation of plants. How to 
 produce and care for plants should form the core of the course, and the 
 form, structure, activity, morphology, evolution and classification of 
 plants and their parts should be studied only so far as they contribute 
 to that end. The laboratory work should include actual work with plants. 
 In one school the writer has observed students setting out shrubs to 
 beautify the lawns of the residents of the city. The work was done under 
 the direction of the teacher. Valuable service was rendered to the 
 owners of the lawns, and the students received excellent laboratory 
 training. 
 
 Often the students' own homes will furnish an excellent laboratory. 
 Flower beds, cold frames, the garden, the lawn, and plants for the house, 
 offer excellent opportunities for the best kind of laboratory work. In 
 Massachusetts a home project plan very similar to this is being tried for 
 teaching agriculture. (See Bulletin No. 8 [1914], United States Bureau 
 of Education.) In addition there should be a school laboratory, and if 
 possible a school garden. The Colebrook Academy in a town of only 
 3000 is equipped with a small greenhouse, and such is not beyond the 
 future possibilities of Leavenworth. 
 
 CHEMISTRY. 
 
 For the teaching of chemistry there is a well-equipped laboratory and 
 a recitation room which is used in common with the classes in physics. 
 Except for the last six weeks, the course follows the state texts, Hessler 
 and Smith, and White's Laboratory Manual. The last six weeks are 
 devoted (a) in the laboratory to food and qualitative analysis, (6) in the 
 lecture room to household, food, and practical chemistry. 
 
 A parallel course in practical chemistry is given by lectures, illustrated 
 in most cases by lantern slides, and dealing with such subjects as natural 
 waters, impurities and purification, nitrogen and its compounds, the 
 making of ice and liquid air, the manufacture of sulphuric acid, and 
 ionization. Visits were made to plants employing chemical processes, as: 
 water softening, continuous and intermittent systems; laundry processes, 
 flour bleaching, purification of city water, foundry processes, etc. Also 
 a visit was made to Kansas City, to the soap factory of Peet Bros., Griffin 
 Wheel Works, glass works, brass foundry, and government assay and 
 testing laboratories. 
 
180 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 PHYSICS. 
 
 For physics there is a separate laboratory which is only moderately 
 well equipped for work by the pupils. The total value of the apparatus 
 is large, but many expensive instruments are valuable primarily only 
 for lecture and demonstration purposes. For some of the student work 
 there is equipment for only two or three groups, which requires that a 
 large number of students work together. On one visit to the laboratory 
 the writer found the entire class working with a single set of apparatus. 
 Thus students' work in the laboratory is handicapped; but this is bal- 
 anced in part by the varied equipment. 
 
 The classes in physics average 2% recitation periods and 2% double 
 periods of laboratory work per week. The text this year is Millikan and 
 Gale, A First Course in Physics. The Laboratory Manual by the same 
 authors is used, and from this twenty-five of the most valuable experi- 
 ments are selected, together with about ten others chosen from various 
 standard texts, or made up to fit the apparatus at hand, and presented 
 by mimeograph copy to the pupils. 
 
 Before an experiment is begun in the laboratory the principles in- 
 volved are developed before the class. The pupil then does the assigned 
 work and hands in at the close of the period a pencil copy of the data 
 obtained in the experiment. This is handed back to him corrected and 
 graded. If his conclusions are wrong they are rechecked in the after- 
 noon or at the next laboratory period. Within a week after the data are 
 collected the pupil hands in a write-up of his experiment, which includes 
 (a) description of the apparatus used and method of obtaining the data; 
 (6) drawing of essential apparatus; (c) answers to questions asked in 
 the text, and a summary of general discussion of 50 to 500 words (giving 
 references) of the subject of the experiment. For much of the work the 
 pupils work in groups of two, more frequently in groups of four, and 
 sometimes in larger groups, depending on the experiment and equipment. 
 
 Accompanying both recitation and laboratory work, and paralleling 
 them as closely as possible, is a course of practical physics, which con- 
 sists of: 
 
 (a) Lectures by the instructor and others upon such subjects as (1) 
 production, measurement and use of extreme temperatures, (2) radio- 
 active substances, (3) wireless telegraphy, (4) the X-ray and its use in 
 medicine, (5) the gas engine and automobile, (6) artificial ice, (7) 
 steam power-plant engineering, (8) use of electricity in the home. 
 Part of these are illustrated by lantern slides, and they are reported 
 by the class in an extensive theme. 
 
 (6) Visits to various industrial plants, such as (1) electric-light plant, 
 (2) telephone exchange, (3) X-ray machine of physician, (4) wireless 
 telegraph and laboratory at Fort Leavenworth, (5) furniture factory, (6) 
 Great Western Manufacturing Company, (7) stove works, (8) Soldiers' 
 Home power and heating plant, (9) bridge works, (10) roller mills, 
 (11) state prison mine, (12) federal prison, (13) power-transforming 
 station, (14) Fisher machine shops, etc. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 181 
 
 During the spring one day is spent in Kansas City visiting the 
 Armour packing plant, the Loose-Wiles candy and cracker plant, the 
 Ridenour-Baker Wholesale Company. 
 
 These visits are gone over carefully with the class and a mimeograph 
 copy of directions for a theme is given. These themes include from 
 1000 to 4000 words, and must show an extensive knowledge of the plant 
 or industry visited. 
 
 A state text in physics is not prescribed by law, and last year a 
 different text was used. Next year it is planned to use a text which 
 has appeared within the last few months, or mimeographed copies of a 
 text which the instructor is writing. This shows initiative on the part 
 of the instructor, and the class can not fail to catch some of his 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 As indicated in the outlines of the.courses in the case of both physics 
 and chemistry, there is a very evident attempt to connect the work of 
 the classroom with activities of the community. This is in accord with 
 present tendencies, and the writer believes that continued progress 
 should be made in this direction. 
 
 It has been mentioned that the reports of visits to industrial plants 
 "must show an extensive knowledge of the plant or industry visited." 
 This is particularly important. The historical, economical and com- 
 mercial aspects of the industry may be studied with much profit. 
 
 The outlines of the courses do not indicate that the pupils are al- 
 lowed freedom for initiative in choosing laboratory experiments. Com- 
 plete freedom can not be given, but if the size of the classes and the 
 equipment permit, good results are often obtained by permitting some 
 opportunity for initiative both in choice of experiments and in the 
 method of working them out. Problems brought from home or from 
 the community are excellent, if not too difficult, even though they are 
 not found in any laboratory manual. Boys often become interested in 
 constructing a steam, engine, an electric motor, a wireless telegraph, 
 etc. Such enterprises represent the best type of laboratory work if 
 initiated by the pupil. However, they should not replace all of the set 
 experiments, but may properly be accepted in lieu of certain experi- 
 ments. 
 
182 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 Walter R. Smith. 
 HISTORY. 
 
 THREE units in history are taught. One is in ancient history during 
 the first year. This is followed by a unit of mediaeval and modern 
 history, which in turn is followed by a unit of American history. One 
 unit is required of all students; the others are elective. The required 
 unit may be any one of the three, except that students in the normal 
 training course must take American history. 
 
 Myers' Ancient History and Myers' Mediaeval and Modern History 
 are used as texts for the first two units, and Muzzey's American His- 
 tory for the third. 
 
 This course is the usual one. The texts are also not unusual, except 
 that Muzzey is a much better history than is generally found in Kansas 
 high schools. The regular topical questions and answers are in evi- 
 dence in the teaching, and some supplementary reading and reference 
 work is required. Maps are used in all rooms, and a reference library, 
 rather full and fairly well selected, is at the students' command. One 
 difficulty with the library is that older books and standard sets, both of 
 which tend to frighten young students, are better represented than 
 single volumes and newer books. 
 
 CURRENT EVENTS. 
 
 Many of the recitations were opened with current events. A student 
 was called upon to give his current event. He rose and did so. Some 
 were well selected and showed discrimination. Others were indiffer- 
 ently selected and poorly given. Most were passed by without criticism 
 or comment. From five to ten minutes were thus used. 
 
 The whole of this part of the recitation was treated incidentally. No 
 effort was made to correlate it with the subjects under study. One of the 
 topics for the regular lesson was the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1857. 
 What a golden opportunity to direct the current events topics to a study 
 of the Panama canal at present! Also to a comparison with the Hay- 
 Pauncefote Treaty and its possible violation by the canal-tolls bill which 
 President Wilson is now trying heroically to get repealed. Two or three 
 days spent with the class studying this whole canal subject, from its be- 
 ginning with the above treaty to the present hour, would do more to show 
 students the value of history and give them historical-mindedness and 
 historical training than several times the amount spent in isolated topical 
 recitation. 
 
 Again, the value of current events depends in a large measure upon 
 teaching the students to read newspapers discriminatingly. This can 
 not be done without criticism from the teacher and making of each topic 
 a matter for possible class discussion and estimate. One student did re- 
 cite on an event in the Mexican situation which aroused discussion. But 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 183 
 
 the teacher gave the facts instead of holding the matter over for class 
 investigation. There was no effort to get the class to follow the Mexican 
 situation, which was by all odds the most important on the political 
 horizon. It will thus be seen that the current-events work was deliber- 
 ately made a side issue, and hence perfunctory, when it might have been 
 made, especially in the senior American history class, the vitalizing 
 feature of the whole study. It was an innovation to deal with current 
 events at all; but one more step ought to be taken in dealing with them 
 seriously and studiously. Current events are historical events, the most 
 important of all historical events the hardest to teach well, but when 
 traced to their historical origins, the most remunerative of all history 
 teaching. 
 
 THE TEACHING OF HISTORY. 
 
 .The questions asked on the text were topical and well put. Most 
 often they were put to individuals rather than to the class, and the 
 individuals recited to the teacher. In general it may be said that there 
 seemed too little recognition of the class as a body, as distinguished from 
 a collection of individual students. There was one exception to this 
 rule, in which the teacher had some pupils face the class when reciting, 
 and the whole class were asked certain questions, showing a slight 
 recognition of the class as a social group. In general there was little 
 cross-questioning of students to train originality and independence of 
 judgment. Nor was there sufficient perceptible effort in any class 
 visited to connect historical events with present-day problems in order 
 to furnish practical motives for work. History was taught as a static 
 subject dealing with fixed facts, rather than as a study of causes and 
 effects actively molding institutions and advancing civilization. Past 
 society was divided vertically by chronological periods in the old way. 
 Little special effort to vary this order by horizontal divisions, tracing 
 institutions back to their origin or extending topical discussions for- 
 ward and backward, was visible. 
 
 An illustration of possibilities along this line was presented in an 
 ancient-history class observed. The class were studying Persian history. 
 They had under discussion the Persian religion. Ormazd and Ahriman 
 were pointed out as the struggling gods of good and evil. The simplest 
 method of approach to drive home the facts would have been a compari- 
 son with the Hebrew religion. This would have been a lesson in com- 
 parative religion that might have aroused brain-stretching thought 
 in addition to fixing the historical facts in mind. And the final element 
 in motivation would have been to ask the pupils to point out the re- 
 semblances and differences between the Persian religion and their own. 
 
 Another illustration from the same class came with the analysis of 
 the Hindu caste system. The differences between ancfent social classes 
 and the Indian castes was brought out; but there was ' apparently no 
 effort to compare them with present-day social classes in Europe and 
 America. Such a comparison would have brought it into the ordinary 
 thinking field of the pupils and stimulated evaluative judgment and 
 initiative. 
 
184 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Such possibilities of tying up history with present-day thought are 
 more frequent in the study of later periods of history and should not be 
 overlooked. History must be made to live. It must stimulate the pupil 
 to original questions and thoughtful comparisons if in after life it is 
 expected to lead him to ground his social thinking upon a sound historical 
 basis. 
 
 There were some exceptions to this lack of motivation and application. 
 For example, in one class there was an animated discussion whether or 
 not Peter the Great was a great man. Comparisons were used, and the 
 fact was elicited that Peter could not be judged by present-day standards. 
 Even in this case there appeared to be some anxiety lest the amount of 
 time consumed in really constructive training should cause the class to 
 lose a paragraph giving unimportant facts about the reign of Ivan the 
 Terrible. 
 
 Taken as a whole, it may be said that the teaching of the conventional 
 things is excellent. The kind needs some revision, however. All the 
 teachers are college graduates and quite above the average in teaching 
 skill. But some of them are not historically trained and their efforts 
 need better direction. They need a more social point of view a clearer 
 conception of the practical results that should be accomplished in his- 
 tory teaching. None seemed to have thought out fully and few history 
 teachers have the most important purpose of teaching history, or to 
 have realized that the most important history happened yesterday; or, 
 again, that history is a kaleidoscopic procession of unfolding events, not 
 a series of fixed panoramas. As in the grades, a knowledge of the end 
 to be gained, and more independence in teaching the boys and girls what 
 the teacher feels is best for them, rather than a textbook, is the great 
 desideratum. Quality of training rather than quantity of knowledge 
 should be sought, and it can be attained without any loss in quantity of 
 information imparted. 
 
 CIVICS. 
 
 Civics is taught as a half unit in the second semester of the third 
 year to students in the normal-training course, and may be elected by 
 seniors in other courses. Gitteau's Government and Politics in the 
 United States is used as a text. Observations and conferences indicated 
 that considerable reference work was done. The text seemed a little 
 formidable for a half-year's work, if any initiative was to be left to 
 teacher and pupil. 
 
 Yet some initiative was taken, as the writer observed when he came 
 into a class actively interested in a debate to take the place of the fol- 
 lowing recitation. This debate was asked for by the students, and they 
 were working eagerly on it a thing not quite so visible in their ordinary 
 work. The question was a good one for debate prohibition against 
 high license and arose out of a classroom discussion. Here was motive, a 
 basis in belief, a real situation growing out of environment ; consequently 
 energy was lavished, the intensity of effort that educates was being 
 put forth, and the writer is compelled to believe that more civics that is 
 worth while grew out of that debate than from a week of the sort of 
 recitations often found in high schools. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN- 185 
 
 The recitation observed was well planned. There was a distinct effort 
 to make civics vital. Questions were asked calling for knowledge of 
 what is going on in local, state and national government. If knowledge 
 of this kind seemed a little too scarce, it might well be due to past en- 
 vironment rather than recent training. More definite effort to stimulate 
 newspaper and magazine reading would aid in remedying this weakness, 
 and should be applied. Other debates calling for such reading would be 
 helpful, and class visitation to civic institutions should be more frequent. 
 
 As in many places, the evil effect of an impending formal examination 
 was visible. An inquiry as to the reason for going two months without 
 a debate, when it seemed so effective, led to the reply that the students 
 had shortly to take the state examination for a certificate: also, that 
 the tests called only for dead information and constitutional facts which 
 useful current information would not provide, and consequently it was 
 necessary, in order to meet the formal test demanded by the state, to 
 conserve time by robbing the students of the privilege of doing both the 
 interesting thing and the one that is a direct preparation for citizenship. 
 
 While this handicap is recognized, the writer wishes to urge that as 
 rapidly as possible the course in civics outlined by the Committee on 
 Social Studies of the National Education Association be adopted. This 
 outline is as follows: 
 
 T. GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WELFARE. 
 
 Fully two-thirds of the time should be devoted to this topic. Here the pupil 
 studies those activities of the government which influence his life more frequently 
 than those ordinarily classified under the next topic government machinery. Here 
 he learns how broad is the work of the government and how intimately it influences 
 the life of the individual. The real meaning of government dawns upon the pupil 
 when he learns of the roads, of the weather, of mineral resources, of labor and com- 
 mercial conditions, and of many other things too numerous to mention. Non- 
 governmental organizations engaged in work for social- improvement should be dis- 
 cussed in connection with the governmental functions to which their efforts are 
 most closely related. 
 
 The following topics are suggested: (1) Health and sanitation: Housing, pure 
 food and milk, sewerage, waste disposal* contagious diseases, statistics, medical in- 
 spection of school children, health crusades. (2) Education. (3) Recreation. 
 (4) Charities. (5) Correction: Juvenile courts, reform schools, etc. (6) Public 
 utilities: Transportation, light, telephone, telegraph, postal system, water, etc. 
 (7) City planning: Sanitation and beauty. 
 II. GOVERNMENT MACHINERY. 
 
 Local, state, national; legislative, executive, judicial; courts and legal processes; 
 election and political activities, including such topics as initiative and referendum. 
 III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Social psychology, democracy, the family, and other social organizations. 
 
 This plan of study ought to call for more initiative than an over- 
 worked high-school teacher can be expected to show. But texts based 
 upon this outline will shortly be published, and in the meantime all 
 topics here mentioned should be stressed. And even the persons making 
 out the examination questions will be influenced by the new trend. So 
 a forward movement and a community view are necessary to keep this 
 department in line with progressive education. 
 
186 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 ECONOMICS. 
 
 No attempt is being made to give economics at present. A course 
 has been given at times in the past, however, and one is being planned 
 in the commercial course for next year. This course should without 
 doubt be given. The teacher of commercial subjects rightfully pointed 
 out that a good practical course in economics could be made more in- 
 teresting and helpful than the commercial geography the students were 
 then reciting. It should be required in the commercial and industrial 
 courses and be elective in the others. 
 
 There are two possibilities of handling economics in the High School. 
 One is to join the work to the history course as an additional social 
 study. This is generally done, and the plan is recommended by the 
 Commission of the National Education Association. But all too fre- 
 quently it leads to purely industrial history, which should occupy a 
 large share of the time of the American history class, or to an undue 
 emphasis upon abstract theory. The other possibility is to make it a 
 commercial study. This in reality is where it belongs, and the writer 
 believes that the recommendation of the Commission should be revised 
 to that extent. Economics is merely a study of business. There is 
 some danger in having it coupled to the commercial course, because of 
 a tendency there to emphasize accountancy and routine rather than 
 the larger principles and relations of the business world. But economics 
 must be made an applied study to fulfill its proper function. The text- 
 books of the past have been too theoretical and scientific. Like other 
 studies working their way down through the curriculum from the uni- 
 versity, economics still has the academic flavor. But many efforts are 
 now being made to write texts for students rather than for the sake 
 of the science, and better adaptation to high-school needs may be ex- 
 pected. Economics should be and some day will be made the most 
 valuable study in the commercial course, and a practical help in citizen 
 training for all others who elect it. 
 
 RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 In conclusion the writer wishes to endorse most heartily the pre- 
 liminary recommendations of the National Education Association rela- 
 tive to the reorganization of the high-school course in history, civics, 
 and economics. This committee is made up of eighteen educators in- 
 terested in this particular work, and they have agreed something 
 teachers do not always do. They are putting in definite form what 
 progressive teachers along these lines have been thinking and striving 
 for. They represent the vanguard of thought and enlightened planning, 
 and it can be stated with confidence that where they are leading the 
 Leavenworth High School will ultimately follow. The writer wishes 
 to urge with all the vehemence in his power that the course of study 
 be headed that way at once. 
 
 This committee proposes to outline the five following units of social 
 studies : 
 
 1. Community civics and survey of occupations. 
 
 2. European history to 1600 or 1700 (including English and colonial 
 American history) . 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 187 
 
 3. European history since 1600 or 1700 (including contemporary 
 civilization). 
 
 4. United States history since 1760 (including current events). 
 
 5. Economics and civic theory and practice. 
 
 Probably the best reasons for this reorganization of the course will 
 appear in the statement under the heading "The Point of View," which 
 we are quoting entire: 
 
 "It is probable that the high-school teachers of social .studies have 
 the best opportunity ever offered to any social group to improve the 
 citizenship of the land. This sweeping claim is based upon the fact that 
 the million and a third high-school pupils are probably the largest group 
 of persons in the world who can be directed to a serious and systematic 
 effort, through both study and practice, to acquire the social spirit. 
 
 "Good citizenship should be the aim of social studies in the High 
 School. While the administration and instruction throughout the school 
 should contribute to the social welfare of the community, it is main- 
 tained that social studies have direct responsibility in this field. Facts, 
 conditions, theories and activities that do not contribute rather directly 
 to the appreciation of methods of human betterment have no claim. 
 Under this test the old civics, almost exclusively a study of government 
 machinery, must give way to the new civics, a study of all manner of 
 social efforts to improve mankind. It is not so important that the pupil 
 know how the President is elected as that he shall understand the 
 duties of the health officer in his community. The time formerly spent 
 in the effort to understand the process of passing a law over the Pres- 
 ident's veto is now to be more profitably used in the observation of the 
 vocational resources of the community. In line with this emphasis the 
 committee recommends that social studies in the High School shall in- 
 clude such topics as the following: Community health, housing and 
 homes, public recreation, good roads, community education, poverty and 
 the care of the poor, crime and reform, family income, savings banks 
 and life insurance, human rights versus property rights, impulsive 
 action of mobs, the selfish conservatism of tradition, and public utilities. 
 
 "Long as the foregoing list is, it is quite apparent that many more 
 vital topics could be added. It is therefore important to understand 
 that it is not the purpose to give the pupil an exhaustive knowledge of 
 any one subject, but rather to give him a clue to the significance of 
 these matters to him and to his community, and to arouse in him a 
 desire to know more about his environment. It is to help him to think 
 'civically' and, if possible, to live 'civically.' Teacher and. pupil must 
 realize that they are studying living things. They must not be content 
 with the printed page. Everything and everybody in the community 
 must be drafted into the service of the boy and girl striving to become 
 an effective part of the 'body politic' and a constructive member of the 
 social group. Companions in the schoolroom and on the playgrounds, 
 workers in philanthropy and reform, government officials and business 
 leaders, voters and laborers of every class, are all material for the 
 classroom and laboratory in the social studies. 
 
 "History, too, must answer the test of good citizenship. The old 
 chronicler who recorded the deeds of kings and warriors and neglected 
 the labors of the common man is dead. The great palaces and cathedrals 
 and pyramids are often but the empty shells of a parasitic growth on 
 the working group. The elaborate descriptions of these old tombs are 
 but sounding brass and tinkling cymbals compared to the record of the 
 joys and sorrows, the hopes and disappointments of the masses, who 
 are infinitely more important than any arrangement of wood and stone 
 and iron. In this spirit recent history is more important than that of 
 ancient times; the history of our own country than that of foreign 
 lands; the record of our own institutions and activities than that of 
 strangers ; the labors and plans of the multitudes than the pleasures and 
 dreams of the few." 
 
188 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE RELATIONS OF THE SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY. 
 
 Walter R. Smith. 
 THE FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 THE democratic developments of the nineteenth and early twentieth 
 centuries have undermined the idea that the school is an aristocratic in- 
 stitution. Whether or not the common people embody as large a per cent 
 of talent and genius as the upper classes need not here be discussed be- 
 cause it is no longer doubted that they embody a large enough per cent to 
 justify their education. This would be true even if the training of the 
 exceptional man were admitted to be the highest aim of an educational 
 system. 
 
 Present educational theory, however, does not admit that it is. nor is 
 our American educational system based upon that theory. Free,, public, 
 compulsory education is domocratic education. It is mass education and 
 must be administered for all classes. An analysis of educational history 
 shows three fundamental lines of development: The first is from the 
 select classes to the masses. The abolition of slavery, the elimination 
 of serfdom and the rise of the laboring classes have made this develop- 
 ment necessary. The second is a transition from private and elective to 
 public and compulsory education. The extension of the province of gov- 
 ernment and of universal suffrage has made this essential. The third is 
 a change from ornamental and leisure-time to useful and work-time 
 education. The struggle for a higher plane of living for all the people 
 has made this development fundamental to our civilization. 
 
 The state of advancement of any educational system may be measured 
 by its relation to these three standards, but the test must be specifically 
 applied. An educational system may be open to all and yet not be takers 
 advantage of by all. It may be nominally compulsory and yet not 
 reach all. It may offer useful studies and still not prepare all to elevate 
 their plane of living. And that is exactly the condition of our public 
 schools. They are open to all, yet all do not enter. The law tries to 
 compel all to gain the rudiments of an education, yet 8.4 per cent of our 
 voters are illiterate. Our schools try to be useful, but many students 
 drop out to get a more practical training for advance in the business 
 world. 
 
 Other parts of this Survey have dealt with other phases; but this 
 part will be confined to a discussion of the wider outreaches of the schools 
 the intimacy between the school as at present organized and other 
 community interests. Along no other line do the above-mentioned tests 
 offer less basis for local pride than h^re; and in no place are there more 
 things remaining to be done. It is the judgment of the whole Staff that 
 there is a wider gap between the Leavenworth Public Schools and the 
 public than in most progressive cities. Certainly it is wider than it need 
 be or than is for the best interests of both the schools and the city. If 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 189 
 
 the schools are to reach all and to train all for citizenship, and to enable 
 all to earn an honest living, it is necessary for all to get together in- 
 closer educational relationships. 
 
 In order to deal definitely with the subject it may be well to consider 
 these relations under five heads: 
 
 1. School extension work. 
 
 2. Public use of the school plant. 
 
 3. Relations of school and patrons. 
 
 4. The school, the home, and the church. 
 
 5. The school and business. 
 
 SCHOOL EXTENSION WORK. 
 
 Three lines of extension work are being done in many cities. There 
 is need for all of them in Leavenworth. The first one is the offering of 
 graduate electives. This may be done" in either of tw9 ways. If facilities 
 were adequate a regular year of graduate work might be organized. It 
 would be too much to expect at present that if the high-school cur- 
 riculum is reorganized a year be added to each of the various courses. 
 But there are always students who might be willing to take another year 
 of work in order to get certain studies they were unable to elect during the 
 regular course if definite announcement could be made that they would be 
 provided for. This is being done already in the normal-training course, 
 and might be extended with very little cost. The other plan is to allow 
 part-time attendance for special work like domestic science or art, manual 
 training, music, bookkeeping, etc. This has already been done to a 
 limited extent in domestic science, and has been helpful not only directly 
 but indirectly in fostering the parent-teacher associations. One or both of 
 these plans could be expanded and definite provision for extension work 
 could easily be made, thus serving and cultivating a wider public. 
 
 NIGHT SCHOOLS. 
 
 The second phase of extension work is the establishment of night 
 schools. Night-school work has passed definitely beyond the period of 
 experiment. It has become real. The field was first cultivated by cor- 
 respondence, business, trade and professional schools. But their success 
 led to a demand for publicly supported courses supplementing school 
 work. In almost every city where such opportunities have been offered 
 the response has been astonishing. Leavenworth's near neighbor, Kansas 
 City, Kan., has a total night enrollment of 2300, and Kansas City, Mo., 
 about 8000. 
 
 Night-school work is peculiarly inexpensive because the equipment is 
 already at hand. The buildings and apparatus have been acquired for 
 the day schools. They are also heated, and almost the whole expense is 
 for lighting and teaching. Many teachers are willing to give extra 
 service for very little extra pay. Moreover, night-school work is especially 
 rewardful from the fact that students are in earnest and many of them 
 are struggling with poverty. They have found the need of additional 
 education. Hence the discipline feature is eliminated and the teacher's 
 burden lightened. 
 
190 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Night schools also have a valuable reactionary effect upon day schools. 
 Since the students are in earnest, and since they are more mature, their 
 actual needs are looked after. They have found by experience what 
 is most valuable in education, and by pleading are able to influence the 
 pedantic pedagogue to eliminate the impractical and unnecessary. Leav- 
 enworth can afford them for their pedagogical effect upon the day school. 
 
 But that is not their most valuable contribution. The schools are 
 paid for by the public, and the public wants to be served. The fact that a 
 boy has to leave day school and go to work is no proof that he is unworthy 
 of a public education. Nor because he makes a mistake and voluntarily 
 quits should he be deprived of advantages if he later desires them. There 
 is nothing sacred in the usual hours for obtaining an education; and if 
 they can be extended at small cost it is abundantly worth while. 
 
 Leavenworth is in more need of night schools than most cities of its 
 size. It is a factory town, and the employment the factories offer lures 
 young people to leave school earlier than would the work in less highly 
 organized and mechanized industries. The laboring population is large, 
 and the sons and daughters of laborers drop out of school to add their 
 earnings to the family exchequer. And since the employment they secure 
 is highly differentiated work and may not call for all the kinds of energy 
 youth provides, some can pursue work in a night school without ap- 
 preciably lowering vitality and still earn their wages. 
 
 But the need of night schools is not all theory. Investigations pur- 
 sued by the High School Boys' Club present facts. A Kansas law pro- 
 vides that a board of education must establish a night school when it 
 is petitioned for by the parents of ten children who desire to take ad- 
 vantage of it. Practically double that number of signatures have been 
 secured, and the night school will doubtless be started next year. If 
 properly organized and advertised, it is sure to be an instantaneous and 
 continuous success. 
 
 THE VACATION SCHOOL. 
 
 The third line of extension work needed is the vacation school. 
 During three months of the year Leavenworth has over four thousand 
 school children with practically nothing to do. They are not vagrants 
 because society expects little of them. But they have no occupation. In 
 the old days of gardens and elaborate household duties and a home that 
 provided manual training and occupational duties, this was not such a 
 serious thing. * But now the father is in the store or office or shop and 
 the mother is busy. The child is free and generally idle. 
 
 Several citizens were asked what these four thousand children did. 
 There were two answers: "I don't know"; "They are on the streets." 
 This was evident, even in winter time, because diligent search failed to 
 reveal adequate play spaces. Public parks were absent for the reasons 
 previously stated. As shown elsewhere, the school grounds are mostly 
 small and cramped. Private charity has provided two playgrounds. 
 One man bought the apparatus. A few charitably inclined women 
 raised the money for running expenses. Last season's budget of ex- 
 penses for these two playgrounds totaled $180. One was adequate in 
 size and equipment but was located in a sparsely settled district; the 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 191 
 
 other was microscopic. The result was an average daily attendance of 
 about fifty-five children. Where were the remainder of the four thou- 
 sand? 
 
 This showing indicates the vast field open to the Leavenworth 
 schools. Those four thousand children should not be objects of charity. 
 The public not only owes them an opportunity for health-giving play., 
 but it owes them the same opportunities for proper development during 
 vacations that they get at other seasons of the year. It need not, and 
 probably ought not, generally to be the same sort of training; but it 
 ought to be as definitely supervised as during the school year. Wherever 
 this summer work has been undertaken it has at first been tentative, 
 then real; first charitable, then public. Supervised play develops into 
 supervised work that is educational. 
 
 This work in Leavenworth should doubtless follow the usual line of 
 evolution. The charitable stage has been useful, but it can not go far. 
 It is to be hoped that this charitable spirit will take the direction of 
 educating the public to the possibility and need of civic control. And 
 the best means of reaching the problem is through the schools. Some 
 of the school grounds are adequate for a beginning. The Morris School 
 ground is large enough and is well located for the purpose. The Maple- 
 wood and Sumner grounds are also large enough to be useful, if the 
 "keep off the grass" idea can be eliminated from the latter. No possi- 
 bilities are in sight in the most "respectable" district, but doubtless a 
 centrally located playground could be obtained. Land for school gar- 
 dening could be rented cheaply. 
 
 One trained supervisor might be obtained by the school board. As- 
 sistants ought easily to be obtained for the present from primary 
 teachers located in Leavenworth who would be glad of the training 
 provided by an expert. Plays and games of a competitive and educa- 
 tional sort should be used, but generally the most interesting features 
 come in such things as clay modeling, manual-training work of an 
 ingenious kind, folk dancing, swimming where possible, nature-study 
 trips, and actual gardening for profit. Apparatus and supplies are 
 useful, but wholly secondary to trained supervision. Once undertaken, 
 this work is never abandoned, and year by year becomes more efficient 
 and helpful to the general education of the child. 
 
 A less worthy but frequently more appealing motive comes in the 
 effect of vacation work upon delinquency. Wherever supervised play 
 has been tried, it is found that the work of the juvenile court is greatly 
 reduced. Tests in Chicago, Buffalo, Rochester, Washington, New York 
 and many other cities show that the saving in the handling of juvenile 
 delinquency goes a long way toward paying the costs of this supervised 
 play. And properly handled it is only slightly less educative than 
 regular school work. 
 
 PUBLIC USE OF THE SCHOOL PLANT. 
 
 The second phase of community-school relations is shown in the use 
 made of school property. School buildings are paid for and owned by 
 the public. They are in general centrally located for community pur- 
 poses. They must be kept heated, and generally are lighted. Extra 
 
192 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 expense for janitors' services and incidentals is slight. The school 
 building thus becomes the best place for a community social center. 
 
 One looks in vain for any organized social centers in Leavenworth. 
 Not that they are not needed, for the conditions are peculiarly favorable 
 to the accomplishment of a real mission through them. Organized rec- 
 reations in some parts of town are few. Temptations are numerous. 
 Unsupervised amusements are always dangerous. And every oppor- 
 tunity that can be offered by the home, the church and the school to 
 direct leisure time will not be too many. These are the three organized 
 institutions best fitted to cope with evil influences, and no one of them 
 should be recreant to duty. Every evening spent in the schoolhouse 
 under proper surveillance is a disqualification for pleasure in the under- 
 world. 
 
 A variety of things can be done to make these evenings worth while. 
 A reading room can be established with books and old magazines that 
 will be gladly donated. Picture shows, talks, civic discussions and de- 
 bates, literary societies and social evenings can be organized. Parents 
 and young people as well as the children need elevating entertainment 
 and educational stimulus. All these things will tie the public to the 
 schools. They will make discipline easier, and can be used to foster a 
 higher type of local pride and civic responsibility much needed in 
 Leavenworth. The two schools for colored children and some of the 
 others in the more remote and poorer districts really need these addi- 
 tional advantages for social, cultural and recreational purposes. These 
 things are being done in many places, and the Survey Staff wish to 
 urge that some of these centers be organized in Leavenworth without 
 delay. 
 
 RELATIONS OF SCHOOL AND PATRONS. 
 
 Four parent-teacher associations, representing six of the schools, have 
 been established during the last year, and others are in prospect. Those 
 in existence are doing good work. Better relations are being established 
 between parents and teachers. Misunderstandings are being ironed out 
 -and the home and school are realizing more fully their dependence upon 
 each other. The local associations have their regular monthly meetings, 
 and in addition come together for occasional joint meetings. 
 
 Three members of the Staff attended one of these local meetings. Each 
 of the members spoke for a time and then listened to an hour of lively 
 discussion. It was presided over by a member of the Board of Education. 
 Questions of safety from fire, building improvement, closer sympathy and 
 better cooperation between parents and teachers were discussed freely. A 
 specific result of this meeting may be mentioned to illustrate the possible 
 value. A commendable effort is being made through the monthly report 
 card to get parents to grade their children on home conduct. On the back 
 of this card grades on the following points are requested: (1) home 
 study; (2) home duties; (3) obedience. 
 
 One parent misunderstood and was incensed with the query, and wrote 
 on the card, "This is my business." But after hearing the discussions and 
 getting the point of view of others, he offered his complete cooperation 
 with the teacher and principal in the future. Such things make the 
 work of both teacher and parent easier and more effective. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 193 
 
 This cooperative work also has more remote effects. School equipment 
 and buildings depend upon the citizens' willingness to vote taxes. This 
 willingness in turn depends upon knowledge, and every successful parent- 
 teacher organization brings more fully home to the citizen the needs of 
 the schools. A needed bond issue was voted down half a dozen years ago, 
 although the school's bonded indebtedness was small, because of a lack of 
 this public sympathy and knowledge now being fostered. In the con- 
 structive program necessary to put the Leavenworth schools to the front, 
 complete cooperation between citizen and teacher is fundamental and 
 must not be neglected. 
 
 THE SCHOOL, THE HOME, AND THE CHURCH. 
 
 Another phase of school and community relations is the more vital 
 connection between the school and tjie home. This relation should not 
 only be sympathetic; it should be organic. Many schools have experi- 
 mented along this line until a definite cooperative basis has been estab- 
 lished. All skillfully directed and eagerly pursued work is educative. 
 Scientific cooking or artistic housekeeping in the home is as valuable as it 
 5 in the school even more valuable in educating the girl for her future 
 duties in life. The same is true of accounting, bookkeeping, manual 
 training or other careful and expert work. There is no reason why they 
 should not be -given credit toward graduation in school if cautiously 
 estimated and properly correlated with the school course. Wherever 
 such a practice has been properly carried out it has had the quadruple 
 effect of making the school work more interesting and effective, holding 
 the boy or girl longer in school, elevating the standard of home life, and 
 tying the home more fully to the school. 
 
 What is true of this correlation of school and home work is equally 
 true of other institutions, especially the church. It would scarcely be 
 less valuable to the school than it would be to the church to have the 
 Sunday school, Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. and the young people's 
 societies of the church linked with the public-school work. It would put 
 more seriousness and effort into the church work; it would put more true 
 Christianity and fellowship into the school work, each benefiting by the 
 influence of the other; and the student would get broader ideas of the 
 oneness of all life and higher ideals of complete living and community 
 responsibility. This cooperation is being carefully worked out at the 
 Emporia State Normal by giving school credit to effectively done work 
 in these institutions. Similar work is already done in several progressive 
 cities. The Leavenworth social atmosphere, as pointed out in the opening 
 chapter of this Survey, is in need of the civic spirit and cooperative 
 effort that might be fostered by cultivating the democracy and fellow- 
 ship and mutual aid of the school, the home and the church. 
 
 THE SCHOOL AND BUSINESS. 
 
 The school and the business world have been far too contemptuous of 
 each other. The school has wrapped its mantle of superiority about itself 
 and looked disdainfully upon business as a materialistic affair. The 
 business world has scorned the scholar, pitied his self-abnegation, laughed 
 
 13 
 
194 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 at his pedantry, and condemned the impractical schools. Each has gone 
 his way and neglected the other, and both have suffered thereby. 
 
 As business becomes more complex it demands young employees of 
 greater training and adaptability. The schools should supply these. 
 Bur they can not be supplied without the cooperation of the business 
 world with the schools. On the other hand, the schools have suffered 
 from this lack of cooperation because they have been unable to practicalize 
 their work enough to hold the students. The great dropping off between 
 the first and second years of the High School, amounting to 37 per cent 
 in Leavenworth, is largely due to the lack of association of first-year 
 studies with real life. Miss Jean M. Gordon states truly that the cause 
 of the large percentage of students leaving the schools before they have 
 finished the twelve years of work offered, amounting to over 90 per cent, 
 is the schools themselves. Boys and girls, young men and young women, 
 must not only be interested in their studies, but they must be able to see 
 wherein these studies will be useful in life, before they will take them. 
 We older persons, in our supposed larger wisdom, may decide that it 
 would be best for them to pursue a certain course of studies arranged 
 logically and given in a drill-perfect way. But we have found that 
 nearly nineteen out of twenty in the cities of the United States will not 
 do this. In Leavenworth about nine out of every ten are not doing it. 
 
 What, then, you may ask, is to be done? Two things at least must 
 be done before any large decrease can be made in this enormous school 
 mortality. The school studies must be brought into closer relations 
 with the office and shop, and the office and shop must be linked with 
 the schools in the actual teaching of the various branches of study. 
 
 This is being done by our most progressive school systems in various 
 ways. Credit is given in the schools for outside work done either in 
 business or in other institutions. The commercial course should be ar- 
 ranged so that credit may be given for practical work done in book- 
 keeping, typewriting, stenography, and clerical work of various kinds. 
 Arrangements may be made with business firms to use advanced stu- 
 dents part of the day or week or month while they are in school the 
 remainder. This will give the student some practical apprenticeship 
 experience that will enable him to earn a respectable salary immediately 
 on leaving school. 
 
 The industrial course likewise offers large opportunities along this 
 line. Tradesmen, after they have had the experience, are glad to get 
 part-time helpers at little cost. The factories in Leavenworth offer an 
 unusual opportunity for this sort of development. A plan similar to the 
 ones so successfully used in Cincinnati, Boise; Beverly and Fitchburg, 
 Mass.; Lewis Institute, Chicago, and a large number of other schools, 
 might be worked out. The process of tying the school work to the shop 
 should proceed slowly and cautiously, but should none the less be started 
 and developed as rapidly as possible. 
 
 For the student who is planning a complete college education and 
 wishes to pursue the old cultural high-school course in preparation for 
 a professional career less needs to be done. In the past the high school has 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 195 
 
 been arranged largely for him and he has used it. But even Leaven- 
 worth has plenty of professional men who failed to take all of the 
 high-school work offered, but would have taken it if it had seemed more 
 practical to them at the time they dropped out. English, mathematics, 
 history and civics, economics, physics, and chemistry all the old-line 
 studies should be worked over, are being worked over, to make them 
 applied studies. The civic and industrial and institutional life of Leav- 
 enworth is rich in laboratory materials for making these studies real and 
 vital and practical for the student; and the reciprocal effect upon those 
 institutions of turning out large bodies of trained young people who 
 understand the needs and problems of the city would aid in building up a 
 greater and better Leavenworth of the future. 
 
 NEED OF AN EMPLOYMENT BUREAU. 
 
 One other practical phase of this subject must be mentioned in clos- 
 ing. The High School has as yet no definite organization for aiding its 
 graduates in securing positions. Seventy-nine per cent of them do not 
 go to college. Most of this seventy-nine per cent go to work. An em- 
 ployment bureau can be run from the High School principal's office 
 with little expense. Business firms of the city ought to be, and doubt- 
 less would be, glad to favor local talent in securing employees. A 
 record of each graduate's qualifications and the opinions of his teachers 
 regarding his character and industry could be on file. Such an em- 
 ployment agency would be useful to both the graduate and the public, 
 and would secure some of that greater intimacy between the schools and 
 the business world which is so much needed in these days of strenuous 
 competition. 
 
 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 1. That every effort be made to close the wide gap which is quite 
 conspicuous in Leavenworth between the schools and the public. 
 
 2. That other students besides those taking the normal-training 
 course be urged to return for a year of graduate work in the High 
 School, to be taken from studies not elected during their undergraduate 
 career. 
 
 3. That home-makers and other overage men and women be invited 
 to elect specific work that will aid them to become more efficient citizens. 
 
 4. That night schools be organized and adequately provided for, to 
 begin work at the opening of next school year. 
 
 5. That in connection with the juvenile court and the cultural and 
 civic clubs of the city, a trained supervisor of playgrounds be employed 
 for the coming summer to organize the people and facilities already at 
 hand, and thus make a real beginning in the use of the summer season 
 as an aid rather than a hiatus in educational work. 
 
 6. That social centers be established at the Morris School, the Maple- 
 wood School, and such others as can be used. Also that social and 
 industrial centers be established at the Lincoln and the Sumner schools. 
 
 7. That every effort be made to maintain permanently the present 
 enthusiastic parent-teachers' associations, and that their work and in- 
 terest be widely extended. 
 
196 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 8. That arrangements be made with business men to use part-time 
 students in the commercial work and with factories and tradesmen to 
 do the same for students in the industrial course. 
 
 9. That girls be given school credit for work properly done in the 
 home. That the same privilege be extended to boys where the work 
 may be considered constructively educative. Also that arrangements 
 be made with the churches to establish actual study classes, effectively 
 taught, for which school credit shall be given. 
 
 10. That an employment bureau be run from the High School prin- 
 cipal's office to secure work for graduates and to enlist the cooperation 
 of the business men of the community in giving the graduates a proper 
 start in the business world. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVEN WORTH, KAN. 197 
 
 SOME RESULTS OF THE SURVEY. 
 
 I. PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPROVING THE SCHOOL PLANT OF LEAVENWORTH. 
 
 The probability of rebuilding in Leavenworth has been rather remote 
 until within the last year. The parent-teacher associations very generally 
 discussed the question during the school term of last year, 1914-1915. 
 These discussions led to the formation of a central committee composed 
 of two delegates from each school building, which made an estimate of 
 the expenditure considered necessary to remodel every public-school build- 
 ing in the city. This estimate was carried before the school board in the 
 form of a petition. The committee was asked by the board to ascertain 
 the state of public opinion and was assured that the board stood ready 
 to cooperate by calling a bond election whenever public opinion justified 
 such action. The central committee then concluded its labors by calling 
 a mass meeting, the large attendance at which showed the unmistakable 
 interest of the public. This meeting referred the matter of making a full 
 and complete investigation of the school-improvement problem to a care- 
 fully selected committee of fifteen citizens. This committee is expected 
 to report in full in the fall of 1915. 
 
 From all this it is plain to see that Leavenworth is safely on the road 
 to more modern school buildings. It is readily admitted by the school 
 authorities of the city that, next to the parent-teacher associations of the 
 city, the Survey has been a leading factor in bringing about what change 
 of public opinion exists, and this change is considerable. 
 
 II. THE REMODELING OF OUR PRESENT SCHOOL BUILDINGS. 
 
 In order to meet the fast growing demands for socialized education, 
 and also the demands for some means for socializing patrons as well 
 as pupils, the Board of Education, a year ago, constructed audi- 
 toriums in the larger grade buildings of the city. These auditoriums 
 are in constant use in many group endeavors in school, and are also in 
 use by parents in their local meetings connected with the schools. 
 
 Most of the dark rooms of the old-fashioned grade buildings have 
 been rendered tenable by additional windows. The Survey assisted 
 materially here. 
 
 The Board of Education is carrying out a plan begun some four years 
 ago of installing one new heating plant each summer until all defective 
 plants have been removed. Three new plants have been installed and 
 only two defective plants remain. 
 
 * This account of some of the results of the Survey is appended to the report of the 
 Survey at the suggestion of Superintendent Moore, and was prepared by him in October, 
 1915. A first draft of the report of the Survey was placed in his hands about July 1, 1914, 
 and later a summary of the report was made accessible to the teachers, the board of educa- 
 tion, and, in some degree, to the public of Leavenworth. When comparing the statistical 
 tables given here with the tables contained in the report certain facts should be noted. The 
 test in arithmetic is not the same as the one used in making the Survey; the conditions 
 under which the samples of handwriting were collected are not given; and a different 
 spelling test has been used. DIRECTOR OK THE SURVEY. 
 
198 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 III. PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS. 
 
 Leavenworth has several parent-teacher associations, all of which 
 show signs of healthy growth and endeavor. Four of these associations 
 were organized in 1913 and the remaining three in the following year. 
 They have without question been the most prominent factor in awakening 
 interest in the schools and in education in Leavenworth. In nearly every 
 instance, the programs and discussions have been practical and helpfuL 
 The parents who attend these associations are coming to understand the 
 purposes and plans of the schools, and they show a desire to cooperate in 
 realizing these purposes and plans. The benefits of these associations 
 are measured only in their growth, for the more people the associations 
 contain the more good they will accomplish and do accomplish in bring- 
 ing the people and the schools together. 
 
 Enrollment in the Associations. 
 
 Third Avenue 124 
 
 Oak Street 115 
 
 Morris 108 
 
 Maplewood 130 
 
 Franklin 74 
 
 Sumner 145 
 
 Lincoln 95 
 
 The Leavenworth parent-teacher associations at present furnish three 
 of the officers of the state organization, the president, corresponding sec- 
 retary, and one director. 
 
 IV. HIGHER STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS. 
 
 (a) The City Training Class. 
 
 As a direct result of the Survey, the requirements for teaching in the 
 Leavenworth elementary schools have been raised to a higher standard. 
 For years Leavenworth has prepared most of its grade teachers at home, 
 in what has long been known as the city training class. Some four years 
 ago the normal-training course provided for by state law was taken as 
 the nucleus around which to reorganize the training class for the city. In 
 addition to the regular course required by the state for the normal-train- 
 ing certificate, those members of the normal-training class who desired 
 to become members of the city training class were required to take public 
 school music and a course in arts and crafts. To this was added later 
 a course in physical education. After graduation from this course the 
 pupil-teacher was required to do one year of substituting on constant 
 duty (with regular pay) before becoming eligible for a position as a 
 regular teacher. But this plan allowed the prospective teacher to take 
 the state required junior and senior work in high school, thus permitting 
 her to become eligible for a regular position with really only one year 
 of preparation beyond the high school, namely, the year as a substitute. 
 Since the Survey the board has been able to raise the standard, until 
 now the prospective teacher, before becoming a regular teacher, must 
 meet the following requirements: 
 
 1. She must be a graduate of an accredited high school before entering 
 the city training class. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 199 
 
 2. She must spend two years in the city training class or in a normal 
 
 school or college equivalent thereto. 
 
 3. She must have a state normal-training certificate or its equivalent. 
 
 4. She must possess a city certificate determined upon the following 
 
 elements : 
 
 (a) State certificate multiplied by 40. 
 
 (6) Average of daily grades in normal-training class X 20. 
 
 (c) Public-school music X 10. 
 
 (d) Arts and crafts X 10. 
 
 (e) Physical education X 10. 
 (/) Practice teaching X 10. 
 
 5. She must serve one year as a substitute on daily duty, assisting (1) 
 
 as a teacher when so needed; (2) as office help in the principal's 
 office; (3) as an assistant in making out records, grades, tabula- 
 tions of school statistics, and in the clerical work connected with 
 tests and measurements; and (4)* any other work incidental to teach- 
 ing which she may be requested to do by the principal or superin- 
 tendent. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that the standard has been raised to a point where 
 three years' preparation beyond high-school graduation is required. 
 Since four years' preparation beyond the high school is all that is re- 
 quired by the North Central Association of Colleges for teaching in 
 accredited high schools, it appears that the present Leavenworth min- 
 imum for grade teachers is now as high as one could reasonably expect. 
 It may also be remarked that two years beyond the high school is all that 
 is required for the life certificate by our state normal schools. Measured 
 by this standard, it is again seen that the Leavenworth requirements are 
 above the average. 
 
 (6) Improvement of Teachers in Service. 
 
 The teachers of Leavenworth have always carried forward some 
 character of improvement in service work. Being located in easy reach 
 of the State University, the work for some years has consisted of series 
 of lectures from that institution, sometimes academic and sometimes pro- 
 fessional in nature. For the last four years the work has been entirely 
 professional in character. Since the Survey the entire corps of grade 
 teachers has been doing extension credit work for the Kansas State 
 Normal School of Emporia, and the results have been used as the basis 
 for advance in salary. This work consists of fifteen lectures or reci- 
 tations of not less than fifty minutes each, for one hour of credit, pro- 
 vided a satisfactory examination is passed. The lectures are given under 
 rules and regulations prescribed by the Kansas State Normal School and 
 the final examinations are passed upon by that institution, 
 (c) Attendance of Teachers at Summer Schools. 
 
 The comparative data furnished by the Survey revealed that the grade 
 teachers of Leavenworth were about on the average as to the number 
 of teachers attending summer schools ; but from the rapid growth of such 
 schools it is evident that this average is ever increasing, and if the local 
 average did not increase correspondingly the city would soon fall behind 
 in this respect. However well teachers may be trained in the home train- 
 ing classes, it is a matter of supreme importance that each teacher bring 
 
200 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 to the schools of the city the breadth of outlook on life and education 
 that teachers in service can obtain nowhere else except in the great edu- 
 cational centers in summer sessions, or, if the means can be afforded, in 
 whole years on leave of absence. Since the Survey and to a great extent 
 as the result of the Survey there has been a considerable increase in 
 the number of teachers attending summer schools. In addition, the 
 board of education has been asked in a few cases to grant a year's leave 
 of absence in order that the applicant might pursue special courses in 
 professional schools. 
 
 V. THE USE OF TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS. 
 
 With the Survey the school authorities of Leavenworth began the use 
 of standard tests for measuring products of instruction in the common 
 branches. The Leavenworth Public Schools are now provided with an 
 expert for making these tests and directing the use of the tabulated re- 
 sults. The results are reported to teachers, principals, and the superin- 
 tendent. As previously indicated, the Survey has been of material help 
 in initiating this work in the school system. For results of tests in 
 1914-'15, and up to the present time in the term of 1915-'16. see page 201. 
 
 VI. REVISION OF THE COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 Within the last four years the course of study in the Leavenworth 
 Public Schools has been thoroughly revised and modernized, as has also 
 the method of its administration by the principals and teachers. The 
 teachers are at present engaged in rewriting the course and bringing it 
 into complete correlation and harmony. The results of this serious at- 
 tempt to adapt subject matter to life as we live it (not as our fathers 
 lived it) has been to increase the school population nearly 8 per cent in 
 a city whose aggregate population is at a standstill. Wherever pos- 
 sible and that means in nearly every condition and situation subject 
 matter has been filled with human interest and hitched onto life with 
 actualities instead of supposed cases. For illustration, the children of 
 the city are no longer asked to write compositions with the scrutiny and 
 correction of the teacher as the only motive, but they are offered the 
 same motive that induces the grown-up to write publication and finan- 
 cial reward. To accomplish this the grade schools maintain a twenty- 
 four-page quarterly publication, folio size, which contains the meritori- 
 ous compositions of the children (no others accepted). This composition 
 is paid for at so much per word, and every child in the city has a chance 
 to earn money writing for this paper. The writings to be accepted must 
 conform to a certain standard lately set up for measuring composition. 
 
SURVEY OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 201 
 
 The Use of Tests in the Leavenworth Public Schools.* 
 
 COURTIS STANDARD RESEARCH TESTS IN ARITHMETIC, SERIES B, MAY, 1915. 
 
 Class Medians. 
 
 Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 kJ.r jc 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 St/i 
 
 XXASJ. 
 
 Grade. 
 
 /m\jm 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 8th 
 
 Standard 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 Morris 
 
 50 
 
 70 
 
 55 
 
 50 
 
 70 
 
 Morris 
 
 .. . 5 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 Third Ave. . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 60 
 
 55 
 
 80 
 
 70 
 
 Third Ave. 
 
 . . . 5 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 Oak Street . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 60 
 
 55 
 
 60 
 
 70 
 
 Oak Str66t 
 
 4 
 
 A 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 Sumnert 
 
 30 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 60 
 
 50 
 
 Su.mn.6r1" 
 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 16 
 
 13 
 
 Maplewood . 
 
 . . 80 
 
 80 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 . . . 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 Franklin . . . 
 
 . .100 
 
 80 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 Franklin 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 g 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 70 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 A 
 
 fi 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 S UBTRACTION SPEED. 
 
 SUBTRACTION ACCURACY. 
 
 Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 8th * Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 8th 
 
 Standard . . 
 
 .. . 6 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 Morris 
 
 . . 50 
 
 65 
 
 75 
 
 70 
 
 70 
 
 Morris 
 
 . . . 5 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 Third Ave. . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 50 
 
 55 
 
 75 
 
 80 
 
 Third Ave. 
 
 . . . 3 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 9 
 
 Oak Street . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 70 
 
 60 
 
 65 
 
 60 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 . . . 4 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 Sumnert . . . 
 
 . . 30 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 80 
 
 Sumnert . . 
 
 . . . 8 
 
 9 
 
 13 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 Maplewood . 
 
 . . 80 
 
 80 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 . . . 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 Franklin . . . 
 
 . .100 
 
 80 
 
 70 
 
 
 
 Franklin 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 Jefferson . . . 
 
 . . 80 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 
 Jefferson . . 
 
 . . . 7 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 MULTIPLICATION SPEED. 
 
 MULTIPLICATION ACCURACY. 
 
 Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7t/i 
 
 8th 
 
 Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 8th 
 
 Standard . 
 
 ... 5 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 Morris 
 
 . . 60 
 
 70 
 
 65 
 
 60 
 
 70 
 
 JMorris 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 Third Ave. . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 70 
 
 70 
 
 Third Ave. 
 
 . . . 4 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 Oak Street . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 60 
 
 60 
 
 70 
 
 70 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 9 
 
 Sumnert . . . 
 
 . . 30 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 70 
 
 Sumnert . 
 
 ... 3 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 11 
 
 Maplewood . 
 
 . . 80 
 
 80 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 ... 4 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 Franklin . . . 
 
 . . 80 
 
 80 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 Franklin . 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 Jefferson . . . 
 
 . . 80 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 
 Jefferson . 
 
 ... 5 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DIVISION SPEED. 
 
 DIVISION ACCURACY. 
 
 Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7<ft 
 
 8th 
 
 Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 8th 
 
 Standard 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 Morris 
 
 40 
 
 60 
 
 70 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 Morris . . . 
 
 ... 5 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 Third Ave. . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 70 
 
 80 
 
 90 
 
 80 
 
 Third Ave. 
 
 ... 3 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 Oak Street . 
 
 . . 50 
 
 70 
 
 60 
 
 75 
 
 75 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 ... 4 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 Sumnert . . 
 
 . . 30 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 70 
 
 80 
 
 Sumnert . 
 
 ... 3 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 11 
 
 18 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 . . 70 
 
 70 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 ... 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 Franklin . . 
 
 . .100 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 Franklin . 
 
 ... 3 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 Jefferson . . 
 
 . . 80 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 
 Jefferson . 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 STARCH'S READING TEST, 1914-'15. 
 Measurement of Speed. 
 
 The rate is given in words per second. 
 
 School. 3d grade. 5th grade. 7th grade. 
 
 Standard 2.1 2.8 3.6 
 
 Morris 1.5 2.9 3.5 
 
 Third Avenue 3.0 3.9 4.3 
 
 Oak Street 2.3 4.0 3.5 
 
 * These tabulations were made by Ira J. Bright, efficiency expert for the Leavenworth 
 Public Schools. 
 
 t Colored school. 
 14 
 
202 KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Measurement of Comprehension. 
 
 The rate is given in words per 30-second period. 
 
 School. 3d grade. 5th grade. 7th grade. 
 
 Standard 24 33 45 
 
 Morris 21.5 37.5 51.5 
 
 Third Avenue 21 43 44 
 
 Oak Street 35 41 55 
 
 HANDWRITING MEASURED BY THE THORNDIKE SCALE,- 1914-'15. 
 
 The numbers represent the average score for each grade in terms of Thorndike's 
 Handwriting Scale as determined by sixteen judges. 
 
 Grade. 1 2 3 4 o 6 7 8 
 
 Morris 7.7 10.5 11.7 11.2 12.4 12.5 14.5 14.3 
 
 Third Avenue 9.5 10.2 10.0 9.3 11.3 10.9 14.7 15.3 
 
 Oak Street 9.5 9.2 11.3 11.5 12.5 12.0 13.4 13.5 
 
 HANDWRITING MEASURED BY THE THORNDIKE SCALE, 1915-'16. 
 Class Medians. 
 
 Grade. 
 
 4th 
 
 Sth 
 
 61 h 
 
 7th 
 
 Sth 
 
 Morris 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 Third Avenue 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 13 
 
 Oak Street 
 
 8 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 11 
 
 Sumner (Colored) 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 15 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 10 
 
 13 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 Franklin 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lincoln (Colored) 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 AYRES SPELLING SCALE, 1915-'16. 
 Class Medians. 
 
 Grade. 
 
 3d 
 
 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 Standard 
 
 58 
 
 79 
 
 88 
 
 94 
 
 98 
 
 IVIorris . . 
 
 60 
 
 85 
 
 94 
 
 93 
 
 99 
 
 Third .A-vsnuc 
 
 80 
 
 89 
 
 98 
 
 96 
 
 99 
 
 Oak Street . . 
 
 65 
 
 84 
 
 87 
 
 93 
 
 99 
 
 Maplewood 
 
 51 
 
 83 
 
 93 
 
 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 
 
 Franklin 
 
 64 
 
 85 
 
 90 
 
 
 
 Sumner (Colored) 
 
 70 
 
 85 
 
 91 
 
 95 
 
 98 
 
 Lincoln (Colored) 
 
 53 
 
 62 
 
 78 
 
 95 
 
 93 
 
 D 
 
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