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 FINDINGS 
 
 AND 
 
 RECOMMEND A TIONS 
 
 cf the 
 
 Survey of the 
 ALTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
 
 Made During the 
 
 School Year 1917-1918. 
 
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 To the Board of Education, 
 ^ City of Alton, 111. 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 In compliance with the resolution adopted by your body 
 at the regular June meeting (1917), we, your Special Com- 
 mittee on School Survey, submit the following report : 
 
 We selected Mr. John W. Withers, Superintendent of 
 Instruction, St. Louis, Mo., to make the survey of the Alton 
 Public Schools through a corps of special assistants working 
 under his supervision. Every man engaged in making the 
 survey is a public school man now actually employed in public 
 school work. Their professional standing is unimpeachable. 
 Your committee feels, as does Dr. Withers, that men of this 
 employment are in closer touch and sympathy with the prob- 
 lems that confront a Board of Education and School Admin- 
 istrative Department of a city the size of Alton. 
 
 The findings and recommendations of these surveyors 
 are embodied in this report. Your committee's recommenda- 
 tions based upon the entire survey will be furnished each 
 member prior to the meeting of your body at which this re- 
 port is to be received. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 E. B. SEITZ, Chairman, 
 DR. E. A. COOK, 
 R. E. WILKINSON, 
 Special Committee on School Survey. 
 
 April 22, 1918. * 
 
 1 U » |> 
 
 ■J J -ftJBtfl •'! I."«>J V 
 
BOARD OF EDUCAT/ON 
 
 =" THE 
 
 ST. lol;is 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CITY OF S- 
 
 Office of 
 
 THHSUPER.NTHNOENrOF.NSTRUCT.ON 
 
 June 10, 1918. 
 Mr. E. B. Seitz 
 
 Chai^an, Specie, eo,„™j.ee on Sehoo,Su.ve. 
 My dear Mr. Seitz : ' "'■ 
 
 to survey the public school system orAlton '"" ^""'^ of Education 
 
 I have been guided solely by the dTsIS , "'" Purvey Commission 
 
 be of real value in helping [he Board of ..'""''"' ' '"^'' "'''' «»"« 
 jmprove the work of the Alton public Jh?""" '" ^'^^^^'hen and 
 "•short, to render a report Itwou'dh '' ^^^^ 'he purpose, 
 
 Whatever of adverse criticism there mav t T."'""'™ 'hroughou, 
 meant to be constructive and is marn , u '^^ "''""' '' 'herefore' 
 'o justify it. Along with the hieftte mt f™ *' ''''' '^^^ ^'-^'^ 
 where defects were found, remedfes ,h,t ^"S«esting, in each case 
 
 avadable, there was also the desi ' to dlr'^'f "'^' ^"^ immediately 
 whtch could not insomeinstan esbeim f '"f''"''^«"P«'««dards 
 would serve to direct .hecour e^f p™g~h/^^^^^^^ 7^"-^ but which 
 I have carefully read th„ ' '"'"''""' ">""'■ 
 
 an. convinced that so Z fstZT-fr^" ""'"'>" "^ 'he staff and 
 have been carefully seen d cltrl"; t"" '''"''' '''' f^" 
 
 and that the conclusions drawn «nH ' ^"'^ """'=«'>' interpreted 
 
 ease fully justified by the facTs ^^^'"■"endations made are fn each 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 John W. Witheks. 
 
ORGANIZATION, ADMINISTRATION, AND SUPEfl</|SldN > ' '• ' 
 
 by 
 
 Gko. Platt Knox 
 Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, St. Louis 
 
 Organization 
 
 As long as the Board of Education of the City of Alton is composed of 
 the present high type of public spirited citizens, the existing comfortable 
 working relations between the various departments of the Board and between 
 the Board and its officers doubtless will continue, but the Charter and the 
 Rules of the Board guarantee no such continuance. 
 
 The published Rules of the Board fall far short of the actual practice 
 of the Board as regards the conduct of the Board's business. 
 
 As is too frequently the case in American cities, the rules of the Board 
 of Education fail to distinguish between the several functions of the 
 Board, and between the sphere of activity of the Board and that of its officers. 
 The Board of Education should be an eminent group selected, or elected by 
 the people, to represent them in the control of the function of public educa- 
 tion. The Board should be a deliberative, not an executive body directly; It 
 should reflect truly all the various phases of opinion and desire found in the 
 people which it represents: it should, by investigation and consideration and 
 discussion, weigh the various proposals in view of the necessities and the best 
 public policy and so determine what are the wise and feasible lines of 
 progress; it should, through the advice of experts, study the possible channels 
 and means and methods by which the determined aims shall be worked out 
 and decide on the lines of action; it should leave to its officials, who must be 
 experts in their respective lines, the execution of the policies and plans 
 decided upon. 
 
 A further function of the Board is to safeguard the excellence of the 
 accommodations and equipment and work of the schools and the health and 
 well being of the pupils. To this end the Board should constantly and con- 
 sistently receive reports from its officers showing actual conditions on all the 
 points deserving of care and attention; it should note and emphasize the 
 elements of strength and weakness so reported and spread its judgment 
 adequately before the people; it should direct its proper officers to proceed 
 along certain lines to strengthen and improve conditions where needed and 
 to develop strength beyond the excellence already noted. 
 
 The Board of Education should serve as a prophet to the people. 
 America is learning today as never before, she realizes today as never any 
 other people in all history, how absolutely vital to a nation is the adequate 
 education of its citizens. In all respects as regards public education as the 
 great foundation of the perpetuity of our institutions, the Board of Education 
 has a peculiar and paramount duty to perform in pointing the way to a clear 
 understanding and a limitless devotion on the part of the people to their 
 supreme educational duty. The Board should never invade or usurp the 
 functions of its executive officers, it has bigger work to do. 
 
 The Board of Education of the City of Alton carries on its business 
 through ten standing committees consisting of from three to five members 
 each, appointed by the President of the Board. This arrangement entails 
 on the part of several individuals a membership on four different committees. 
 It is not within the function of this report to discuss the advisability of this 
 plan, the question under discussion is the relation of the activity of the 
 Board to the functions of its officers. 
 
 The work of these ten committees, as indicated by their titles, comprises 
 the usual scope of work of a Board of Education in the furtherance of its 
 business of running the public schools. These committees are: Finance, 
 Teachers, Text Books, Library and Apparatus, Janitors, Buildings and 
 Repairs, Supplies and Incidentals, High School, Rules and Regulations, and 
 Hygiene and Safety. 
 
 The officers of the Board are stated in the published rules (Sec. I, p. 6) 
 to be, "A President, Secretary, Treasurer and an executive officer who is the 
 Superintendent." The Rules in another section provide for the election by 
 the Board of a Superintendent of Buildings and define his duties. It is 
 presumable that this Superintendent of Buildings is also "an officer of the 
 Board," although it is not so stated. Other officers are also referred to in 
 other sections, — "the Truant Officer," "a Supervisor of Hygiene with as many 
 assistants, inspectors or nurses as may be determined from time to time." 
 (Sec. Ill, p. 34.) It is stated (Sec. VIII, p. 35) that "The work of the 
 
r»ei,>^,r'Lrrjieiit of School Hygiene shall be conducted at all times under such 
 regulations as may be prescribed by the Board of Education, through the 
 proper committee," and in Sec. IX, p. 35, it is ordered that "The Superintendent 
 of Schools, principals, teachers, janitors, attendance officers and Supervisors 
 of Hygiene or School Nurses shall co-operate with the Department of School 
 Hygiene at all times." This section specifically directs that the Superintend- 
 ent of Schools and the Supervisor of Hygiene co-equally shall co-operate with 
 the Department of School Hygiene at all times, while this Department is 
 defined (Sec. I, p. 33) as " a division of work in the schools." It might be 
 expected, instead, that the rules would direct that the work of this Department 
 of School Hygiene and its Supervisor, assistants, inspectors and nurses shall 
 be under the responsible direction of the Superintendent of Schools. This, 
 lack of definition seems to lead to no friction at present but there is need 
 that the relations of the various officers of the Board be specified, with the 
 Superintendent of Schools as the chief responsible executive officer. Sec. I, 
 p. 9 states this broadly but seems to have been overlooked when other officers 
 and departments were added. 
 
 The several standing committees exercise not merely oversight and 
 discretionary powers, but are directed to perform extensive executive func- 
 tions which should be exercised only by responsible and trained experts. 
 No matter how devoted in public spirit, no matter how indefatigable in the 
 Board's service may be the Board members, they cannot be expected to have 
 the efficiency or to bear the responsibility of trained experts. While it is 
 not discernible in Alton it is widely the case the country over, that most of 
 the friction in school affairs, most of the low efficiency in actual teaching and 
 schoolroom work, rises directly from the mistake of giving into the hands 
 of untrained, however patriotic and estimable citizens, the executive handling 
 of the schools. The expert official should propose, the Board of Education 
 should dispose; the expert official should carry out what the Board of 
 Education should adopt; the expert official should be held responsible for 
 his recommendations, which should be unhampered by the personal feelings 
 or friendships of Board members, while the Board in its turn is responsible 
 to the people for the welfare of their public schools. 
 
 The Committee on Text Books and Course of Study has the serious 
 duty of investigating and recommending any necessary changes in text 
 books and course of study. This is an impossible task for the best private 
 citizen. It is the work and should be the responsibility of the expert official, — 
 the Superintendent of Schools, — the Board should receive his recommenda- 
 tions with the results of his study and pass upon them, favorably or otherwise. 
 No non-expert should be subjected to the rival claims and claimants in this 
 delicate school business. 
 
 The Committee on Teachers, composed of five members, must "investi- 
 gate the qualifications of applicants for positions as teacher. They shall pre- 
 pare annually and submit * * * a list of competent teachers * * *." The 
 present committee is in the habit of relying on the Superintendent of Schools 
 for this list, and wisely and considerately so, but the rules permit quite other 
 action. In this, as throughout the conduct of its business, the practice of the 
 present Board is quite in line with the latest and best school policy. This 
 practice should be guaranteed by the Rules and the responsibility placed 
 legally where it belongs, on the responsible recomlmendation of the executive, 
 an expert official, who is subject at all times and in all things to the judgment 
 of the Board. 
 
 The same unwise direction appears in the stated duty of the Committee 
 on Buildings and Repairs "to attend to the necessary repairs of all the build- 
 ings and grounds"; in the duty of the Committee on Library and Apparatus 
 "to make recommendations to the Board for the purchase of various books 
 and apparatus needed for the better ivorkin(j of the schools; in the duty of 
 the Committee on Supplies "to purchase and have placed when needed 
 necessary supplies", to make "during the summer months" "a list of supplies 
 needed in the public schools". The Committee on Janitors shall "recommend 
 suitable persons for employment as janitors of the various buildings", "shall 
 see that the janitors perform their various duties and discharge temporarily 
 * * * and appoint temporarily", a duty which should be laid to the 
 executive who can spend his whole time in the schools. 
 
 The above data are not exhaustive of the situation but serve to point 
 the recommendation that the respective officers of the Board be held legally 
 responsible for the conduct of their respective departments, including all 
 recommendations of teachers, janitors, supplies, repairs, texts, apparatus, 
 course of study and the general conduct of the physical and intellectual well 
 being and growth of the pupils. 
 
 
As soon as the volume of business warrants, there should be another 
 officer of the Board created, — a Commissioner of Supplies, an officer under 
 bond, employed on all or part time, who shall conduct most economically 
 and efficiently the purchasing business of the Board. 
 
 Administration 
 The administration, as distinguished from the organization and the 
 supervision, has to do with the Cd-ccutivc function of the school system under 
 the form of organization provided, leading into the problem of supervision 
 as the pupil is reached in the teaching process. 
 
 Administration has to do with the relations of the official to the 
 members of his department in the efficient conduct of the work for which 
 he is responsible. This survey has to do only with the administration of the 
 Department of Instruction. 
 
 The Department of Instruction in the Alton school system comprises 
 a Superintendent of Schools, three subject Supervisors, fifteen principals of 
 respective schools, and the corps of teachers. The Truant Officer and the 
 officials in the Department of School Hygiene are not here included ag they 
 seem to be considered under the rules as separate and co-ordinating branches 
 of the service. The work of this Truant Officer is left to the consideration 
 of the survey report on attendance of pupils. The Department of Hygiene 
 was not specifically studied but every Indication points to efficient and 
 adequate service being rendered. 
 
 The classification of the schools, determination of the number of rooms 
 per school and of actual pupils per teacher are so largely dependent upon the 
 location and size of buildings, and these, in turn, upon the distribution of 
 school population, recently modified city and ward limits and school building 
 and finance, that we shall of necessity assume that the present classification, 
 size and location of schools is accepted. 
 
 For the most part the grade classification and assignment of pupils of 
 certain grades to certain schools seems a reasonable and satisfactory adjust- 
 ment of the educational needs to the opportunities afforded. 
 
 As soon as the City of Alton is in a position to modify and enlarge its 
 school accommodations by the erection of new buildings, the work should 
 be undertaken with a view to providing for the school children of this 
 community the latest and, best devices of educational classification. 
 
 Not alone new and better school buildings should be planned, but an 
 opportunity should be sought to place within the reach of the children the 
 superior educational opportunities found in new school units, such as Junior 
 High Schools, Manual and Household Arts Schools, Industrial, Commercial, 
 Technical Schools or courses, and similar recent educational administrative 
 schemes of accepted value. 
 
 We are, as a people, passing through a period of unparalleled strain, 
 turmoil and adjustment. What the end will be no man knows. But that the 
 whole educational policy of our nation will be profoundly affected is beyond 
 question; it remains for us who are engaged in public education, — Boards of 
 Education and their officers, — to make the very best educational adjustment 
 possible and to keep adequate pace with the development of public opinion. 
 
 Now is not the time to attempt to recommend just the form which 
 
 .school advance should take. Alton needs to apply itself to study of local and 
 
 national problems from its own standpoint, needs to realize deeply its own 
 
 necessities for educational enlargement and to be ready to embark upon a 
 
 solution of its problems at the earliest possible moment. 
 
 The schools as now organized seem well administered, the Superin- 
 tendent seems to be in the school rooms to a reasonable extent, being able 
 with the clerical help provided so to conduct the work of his office as to be 
 free- for school visitation. These two phases of the work of administration, 
 office duties and school visitation, and their relative demands upon time 
 and energy, always present to a superintendent one of his biggest problems. 
 To preserve an even and just balance between these two is to sail a safe course 
 between Scylla and Charybdis. 
 
 In making his choice, the Superintendent of the Alton Schools has 
 avoided both rocks while he has fortunately devoted the greater portion of 
 his time on the side of school visitation. This matter will be further com- 
 mented upon under the head of supervision. 
 
 The office of the Superintendent of Schools should provide adequate 
 and prompt attention to the needs and also the demands of the public. This 
 function seems to be fulfilled in Alton. Among other items, the Superin- 
 tendent gives his personal attention to cases of serious infraction of school 
 
discipline and to the applications for working papers. It is worth a great 
 deal to the City of Alton to have the children leaving school receive the 
 personal care of the Superintendent in each individual case, for thus the 
 law is upheld and the best interests of the children of the community safe- 
 guarded. 
 
 The office of the Superintendent should constitute a court of appeal 
 and a source of sympathy, justice and inspiration to all teachfers. No school 
 system can be healthy unless the members of the teaching corps find an open 
 door and a sure welcome in the Superintendent's office. Every such teacher 
 must leave his office feeling that she has had courteous sympathetic hearing, 
 real justice, and helpful advice, and so must bear with her a feeling that she 
 will come again and all the more easily next time. This function seems, 
 to be fulfilled in Alton. 
 
 The office of the Superintendent should secure a fair and permanent 
 record of the work of the system. As regards the children, a cumulative 
 record showing the individual pupil's attendance, attention and progress 
 should be an accomplished fact. This record should be in a form which 
 affords ready access and easy reading for reference purposes by the Superin- 
 tendent or other responsible officer or teacher. Such a record is, of course, 
 sacred and safe in the hands of the school authorities and must never be 
 exploited. Such record is not found immediately accessible in the Alton 
 office. Promotion lists of pupils are submitted for the Superintendent's 
 approval. 
 
 As regards teachers, the office of the Superintendent should afford a 
 permanent, careful, adequate record of the efficiency of each individual 
 teacher. This record should include items showing length of service, attend- 
 ance, punctuality, faithfulness in performance of routine duties, ability in 
 management of children and their right training for character building, 
 instruction and teaching skill, professional zeal. etc. Such a record should 
 be the basis for promotion or for dismissal and should be demanded by the 
 teachers as a reasonable safeguard of their own interests and a fair guide 
 to their efforts for professional improvement. No such record is had in the 
 Alton office. 
 
 The office of the Superintendent should gather vital statistics for the 
 schools covering data on enrollment, attendance, grade distribution, extra 
 promotion, non-promotion, retardation, tardiness, serious disciplinary cases, 
 etc., which are increasingly valuable in the art of good school keeping. Not 
 only should constant study be made of such data as a guide to wise adminis- 
 trative measures and for purposes of frank report to the public at large, but 
 such statistics afford the only basis for reliable reference in future years. A 
 monthly report is filed by each teacher in Alton showing some of these data 
 but the report is incomplete and it is not digested and assimilated sufficiently 
 to fulfill its fullest value. In short, the office of the Superintendent of the 
 Alton Schools is deficient in well chosen and adequate data on the work of 
 pupils and teachers and on vital school statistics. 
 
 Supervision 
 
 Supervision has to do with the direction and control of the teacher in 
 her work, exercised by the administrative officers of the Board of Education. . 
 School supervision is an art, not reducible completely to scientific factors 
 without an appreciable remainder. Some of the essential qualities of school 
 supervision may, however, be noted. There must be real information based 
 upon immediate personal knowledge of actual school-room conditions. There 
 must be deep sympathy born of an intimate fellowship between teacher and 
 supervisor, based- upon personal acquaintance and a common professional 
 experience. There must be wise evaluation of the powers and limitations 
 of the children under observation, resting on a far-reaching knowledge of 
 the social, historical and economic facts of home environment and influences. 
 There must be strong professional sagacity on the part of the supervisor 
 derived from training, reading, observation and study. 
 
 The Superintendent and his supervisory assistants must be well 
 trained for their particular work; they must do wide reading; they must 
 be constantly well informed, by visits to other school systems and conventions 
 and other gatherings of their co-workers in the profession; they must be 
 home born or else careful and extensive students of local conditions and 
 history; they must have been teachers themselves; they must be friends with 
 the teachers, "having a fellowship in (pedadogical) suffering"; they must 
 
liave an almost intuitive tact and alertness in getting an instant grasp on 
 school-room conditions unmodified by the entrance of the Supervisor; they 
 must be welcome in the school room. 
 
 The Superintendent and his supervisory assistants in Alton bear this 
 searching test of efficiency to a degree which is commendatory and beyond 
 the average. They have been "home grown," or have been long enough 
 resident to be thoroughly conversant with local civic conditions: they know 
 the children and know the homos from whence they come. They have been 
 long enough in the school system to know the teachers and to be known 
 by them: they seem to be welcome in the school room, appreciated by 
 teachers and gladly accepted by children. Their degree of .professional 
 training and of general and special preparation will be considered by other 
 surveyors. The Superintendent is a regular attendant at the great professional 
 gatherings of superintendents; I doubt if the Supervisors visit other systems 
 frequently and widely enough. The Board of Education could well afford 
 and should periodically grant Supervisors extended opportunity for visitation 
 and study in other systems. 
 
 In a school system the size of Alton the Superintendent of Instruction is 
 able to keep in close touch with conditions in his schools. In many cities 
 a "supervising principal" has assigned to him as many teachers as are com- 
 prised in the entire corps in Alton. The actual number of school rooms is 
 not an unreasonable charge upon the oversight of its Superintendent. The 
 considerable distances to be traversed in reaching the schools, many of 
 which contain only a few rooms, renders the supervisory work of the 
 Superintendent more difficult than the number of teachers to be supervised 
 would alone indicate. 
 
 By his personal visits to school rooms and by the professional meetings 
 with his corps of teachers as directed by the Rules, the Superintendent is 
 doubtless able to affect the work of the school rooms to a reasonable degree. 
 No Superintendent of Schools is ever satisfied in his effort to improve the 
 work in his school rooms, every superintendent must rely in the main on 
 the professional scholarship and zeal of his teachers for the improvement 
 of their work under his suggestion. The Superintendent of Schools in Alton 
 is no exception. 
 
 As regards supervision of teachers by principals the best educational 
 practice provides the services of an accomplished principal for every school 
 of five or more rooms. Good school keeping is concerned primarily and 
 vitally with the welfare of the pupils. They are entitled to all of their 
 teachers' time during school hours, — in class room, during filing, on the 
 playground. No teacher should be taken from the actual teaching of her 
 pupils by any parents, or other visitors desiring consultation, or by require- 
 ments of school records or any attention to the heat, ventilation, or lighting 
 of the room, or any belated preparation of material, texts, or supplies. For 
 all these demands there should be provided a principal, a janitor and a 
 sacrifice of time on the part of the teacher before or after school hours. The 
 schools of Alton are crippled by the lack of supervisory principals. The 
 pupils suffer directly from this lack. The time of the teachers is taken, 
 their attention is distracted by demands other than those of actual teaching. 
 Furthermore, every teacher, no matter how capable, wise and strong, needs 
 and deserves an "ever present help in time of trouble." Other teachers may do, 
 or may not. Teachers thrive on close, happy, sympathetic supervision. The 
 best school is one that is built together, close knit by consistent aim and 
 continuous effort, wisely planned and tactfully wrought by a supervisor close 
 at hand. Only a principal can thus serve. 
 
 Allowing 50 per cent of a principal's time for attention to details out 
 of the school room, — which is an extremely conservative estimate in actual 
 practice, — it comes nearer being 75 per cent, — half of the school time spent 
 in supervision of the work in the rooms in a school of five rooms will admit 
 of a half hour per room per day. In actual experience this will fall to an 
 average of a quarter-hour per day. Alton would profit immensely if it 
 would afford such an arrangement by an increase in the number of super- 
 vising principals free from teaching schedule. The present arrangement of 
 two teachers in the first primary room with one hour per day spent by one 
 of these in teaching classes of an advanced grade while the teacher-principal 
 attends to office work is possibly the best relief in sight, but it is only a 
 makeshift and is open to severe criticism from a pedagogical and adminis- 
 trative standpoint. 
 
 One supervisor devotes all of her time in supervision of the "regular" 
 subjects in grades below high school. She visits eighty-three teachers in 
 their rooms, affording twenty to twenty-five minutes each and reaching a 
 
certain room about once in two weeks. Her work admirably supplements 
 that of the Superintendent. The teaching is co-ordinated in content and 
 method, the teachers are assisted and encouraged, by helpful hints and 
 emphasis on right standards. But while the work of this supervisor serves 
 directly in the improvement of the teaching, it does not minister in the least, 
 it does not reach, the other essential functions of a school principal. Nor 
 can these functions be at all adequately performed by a regular teacher 
 released from her school-room duties one hour per day. The services of the 
 principal so vital to good school keeping are not provided in any adequate 
 degree in the Alton grade schools. 
 
 Supervision of Special Subjects 
 
 One special subject supervisor on full time is afforded to the schools 
 for supervision of the music work, and one supervisor forenoons only for 
 supervision of the drawing in grades below high school. 
 
 In this discussion of the supervision of special subjects careful distinc- 
 tion must be made between services rendered as teacher and service rendered 
 as supervisor. The teacher is in direct and immediate contact with the pupils 
 and is responsible to the principal for the control of the pupils and the 
 conduct of the work. The Supervisor watches over the work of the teachers 
 to guide and assist them in their teaching, bringing to bear on the problems 
 that expert information and skill which the regular teacher cannot be 
 expected to possess. The special Supervisor may teach the pupils directly 
 herself, but does so only to improve the work of the regular teacher. The 
 extent to which the Supervisor should teach and how and when and why are 
 problems of pedagogy, which need not be dealt with here. The point imme- 
 diately in question is the extent to which the Alton grade schools are pro- 
 vided with supervisors in special subjects free from responsibility of the 
 immediate and regular teaching of pupils on regular schedule. One indi- 
 vidual may- serve as teacher a part of her time, teaching regularly certain 
 classes and may serve as Supervisor a part of her time, assisting in the work 
 of other teachers. Such an arrangement affords special supervision only a 
 part of the time. Specially trained teachers, dealing with special subjects, 
 directly teaching their pupils, are not supervisors at all; they are teachers 
 of special subjects. 
 
 The Alton schools are afforded special subject supervision, or teaching, 
 approximately as follows: 
 
 Music: One teacher employed full time in supervision, excepting 
 thirty minutes once per week during school hours, directing high 
 school chorus. 
 
 Drawing: One teacher, employed forenoons only in supervision in 
 grades, devotes four afternoons per week teaching in high school, 
 one afternoon in office. 
 
 Manual Arts: No special supervision, two teachers are employed, one 
 teaching VII and VIII grade boys, one teaching high school 
 classes in manual training. No supervision by one teacher over 
 the work of the other is attempted. One of the two "does the 
 buying" of supplies while they work out the course of study 
 together. 
 
 Domestic Arts: No special supervision, — two teachers are employed, 
 one teaching all the sewing classes in VII and VIII grades, one 
 teaching all the cooking in grades and high school and the high 
 school sewing classes. No supervision by one teacher over the 
 work of the other is attempted. One teacher works out the 
 entire course and buys all the material. 
 
 Physical Exercise: No special supervision or teaching. The work in 
 simple calisthenics prescribed by state enactment is done by 
 the regular room teacher in grades, and by special subject teach- 
 ers in high school. 
 
 Penmanship: No special supervision or teaching. 
 Gardening: No special supervision or teaching. 
 Primary or Other Particular Grades: No special supervision. 
 Kindergarten: None provided in public schools. 
 
 The above seems a meagre amount of special supervision for a school 
 system of the standards of the Alton schools. As regards the quality of this 
 supervision there is good evidence, as in the case of the general grade super- 
 
 8 
 
visor as noted above, that the expert is welcomed in the school room by 
 teachers and pupils, and that the best effort is put forth to improve the work. 
 Some of the work observed reflects high credit on teachers and pupils an-l 
 speaks well for the ability and teaching skill of the Supervisor. Not enou2:h 
 special supervision is afforded, as will be discussed later. More gratifying 
 returns can be had by a closer knitting together both of efforts and results 
 looking towards the better standardization of the teaching. 
 
 Some improved means should be provided for gathering up the products 
 of supervision and their unification in the improvement of teaching. Regular 
 reports are advised dealing quite in detail with conditions as found in the 
 school rooms visited and noting measures of improvement undertaken or 
 advised. Such reports should be submitted constantly in writing to the 
 Superintendent and filed in his office for permanent keeping and ready refer- 
 ence. They should form the basis for consultation between Superintendent 
 and Supervisors. Oral report and occasional conference are not enough, — 
 they do not "reach." Permanent records give stability to the work while 
 definite reports assist greatly in clarifying the judgment and training the 
 skill in observation on the part of the Supervisor. 
 
 The work in supervision would be made easier and more satisfactory 
 if grade meetings were instituted for demonstration by classes, discussion 
 among teachers and exposition of methods by Supervisors. In music, grade 
 concerts by choruses made up of selected pupils from various schools never 
 fail to popularize the work with pupils and parents, while the enthusiasm 
 generated gives new impetus to the class-room work. In drawing, annual 
 exhibits of pupils' work, including that of manual and household arts as well, 
 selected, arranged and mounted in popular, non-technical style, displayed in 
 some central point down town, open days and evenings, possibly in some 
 vacant store right on the sidewalk level, easily accessible and pleasing, will 
 tell the story in a way that will reach the public and will greatly encourage 
 the pupils. Periodic display in the Superintendent's office or school corridor 
 of the work of the pupils, assembled by grades and discussed with teachers 
 by the Supervisor serves to standardize and unify the teaching. 
 
 The extent to which there should be expert supervision in any school 
 system is a relative matter. The best adjustment depends upon several 
 factors of excellence and the relative emphasis between them. No one 
 answer will fit every problem. The capability of the teachers to teach a given 
 subject, the degree of emphasis given this subject in their professional train- 
 ing, the inherent difficulty of the subject as an art and of its teaching- 
 technique, the demands, statutory and social, upon the schools for the 
 adequate treatment of the given subject, and the ultimate educative value 
 and educational importance of the subject, all must be weighed and con- 
 sidered in arriving at a fair adjustment of the problem of special subject 
 supervision. 
 
 Nor will such fair adjustment, once arrived at, "stay put." The needs 
 of society change; the demands of the state are modified; new conceptions 
 of the function of public education are born; new vocational opportunities 
 develop. The answer from the public schools must be at all times a fair 
 reply to the demand of the hour. 
 
 No survey based upon two days' observation of the schools should dare 
 to answer this question locally. The demand must be found in a painstaking 
 study of local industrial, economic, and social conditions; the answer must 
 be arrived at by a comprehensive view of the opportunities afforded in the 
 schools with a grasp of the real financial situation. 
 
 Three observations are, however, safe and pertinent. 
 
 1. Our whole people is being quickened to a sense of the absolutely 
 essential need of the conservation of the health of the youth of our land. 
 Public health education, public recreation under responsible supervision en 
 attractive grounds with desirable apparatus, consistent inspection of the 
 person and rigid regulation of the home sanitation of the individual child, 
 provision for proper feeding and decent clothing of the pupil. — all these are 
 on the way and they cannot come too fast. This work demands expert super- 
 vision, cost what it may. Such direction of school funds is an investment, 
 not an extravagance. 
 
 2. The men of business and of industry see more and more clearly the 
 great importance of training the child vocationally. We shall not contrast 
 and discuss "vocational vs. cultural," for they are not In apposition and there 
 need be no conflict. Vocational training most certainly demands more atten- 
 tion and better teaching along the lines of manual and household arts as a 
 foundation for trade courses and part time and continuation classes. The 
 teaching of manual and household arts necessitates expert supervision. 
 
3. The kindergarten was once considered a luxury. It is now admitted 
 to have its peculiar function in the right education of the child. No child 
 who is of teachable mentality passes through a real kindergarten experience 
 without living a richer life thereby. His senses are developed and sharpened, 
 his dormant capacities are quickened, his powers of expression are trained, 
 his social habits are standardized, the whole child is put to school in the 
 kindergarten. Alton deserves a kindergarten in every public school; it has 
 none. 
 
 Finally, of all means of making teachers better teachers, expert super- 
 vision is among the best. Its effects are immediate, its influences far reach- 
 ing. Expert supervision is expensive, but in the light of the best school 
 keeping it is the highest economy. To the layman, the non-school man,, 
 expert supervision always affords an opportunity for a challenge of unneces- 
 sary expense, — to the schoolmaster whose whole thought is that of real 
 effective teaching as a factor in the best public education, expert supervision 
 is never too expensive, never more than adequate. The Alton public schools 
 greatly need more supervision, — first, supervising principals, next, expert 
 supervision in special subjects. 
 
 I 
 
 10 
 
TEACHERS 
 
 by 
 
 Dr. E. Gkokuk Payxe 
 Principal, Harris Teachers College, St. Louis 
 
 The purpose of this study of the teachers in the Alton public schools 
 Is to determine, so far as possible, the educational standards required of new 
 candidates for the teaching positions in the Alton elementary and high 
 schools: to determine the qualifications and professional spirit of those 
 actually engaged in the teaching service; to ascertain the method of appoint- 
 ment, the tenure, the methods of promoting, and the salary both of the new 
 and old teachers; and finally to make recommendations upon these findings 
 as to means of improving the teaching service in the schools of Alton. 
 
 With the problem of this part of the survey in mind it will be well to 
 note here briefly the methods of gathering the data used. First, I resorted 
 to a questionnaire sent out to all the teachers in Alton. It was as follows: 
 
 Questionnaire for Teachers, Principals, and Supervisors 
 
 Grade teacher; High School; Principal; Supervisor; Age; Sex; Years 
 of teaching experience; Years in Alton: In Illinois; Elsewhere: Are you a 
 high school graduate? Where graduated? When? Normal graduate? Where? 
 If not a graduate, how long did you attend? Where? When? Did you attend 
 College? Number of years? Did you graduate? Where? When? Profes- 
 sional training (list courses in psychology, pedagogy, etc.) How many summer 
 schools attended in the past five years? Do you attend teachers' meetings? 
 How often? Do you belong to teachers' study clubs? Nature of clubs? Do 
 you participate in extension courses? How often? Have you taken correspon- 
 dence courses? How many? Kind? Have you taken a leave of absence for 
 study? When? How long? Mention Reading Circle or other activities. Do 
 you find your supervision helpful? What salary do you receive? How much 
 the first year in Alton? When did you receive a promotion? 
 
 The teachers filled out the answers, sealed the paper in an envelope, 
 and handed them to the principal or superintendent and they were mailed 
 by the superintendent to me, so that no one could know the names of the 
 individual teachers answering. The result was that every teacher filled out 
 the blanks and most of the questions were answered. The answers of the 
 teachers gathered in this manner afford the data for the main part of my 
 report. In addition to this, however, I have been able to get some data from 
 the rules and regulations of the Board of Education and from the printed 
 high school course of study, and from the superintendent, who explained 
 fully the practices of the Board. Finally, I visited one of the cadets, some 
 of the classes in the high school, and many of the grade teachers during 
 their instruction. Besides this I have attempted, so far as possible, to make 
 comparisons with other cities in the Alton class. 
 
 In this survey I have grouped all teachers, principals, and supervisors 
 in the elementary schools together for purposes of study and analysis. I 
 have also made a like grouping of high school teachers and principal. I 
 have grouped the principals and supervisors together for purposes of examin- 
 ing the amount and kind of training gained under supervision. 
 
 The whole body of teachers of Alton responded to the questionnaire 
 as follows: 
 
 Elementary school principals 11 
 
 Supervisors 4 
 
 Elementary school teachers 77 
 
 Total 92 
 
 High school principals 1 
 
 High school teachers 21 
 
 Total 22 
 
 GRAND TOTAL 114 
 
 There are actually thirteen grade principals in Alton but as all grade 
 principals, in addition to their principal's function, are teachers, two evidently 
 reported themselves as teachers. Also, the domestic science teacher is both 
 a teacher and supervisor, but reported as teacher, leaving only four super- 
 visors, as follows: drawing, music, manual training, and general supervisor 
 of the grades, 
 
 11 
 
Qualifications of Teachers. 
 
 The rules and regulations of the Board of Education of Alton have the 
 following to say concerning the qualifications of teachers who may be em- 
 ployed in the Alton public schools: 
 
 "The Committee on Teachers is instructed to recommend for positions 
 in our grade schools the following: 
 
 "a. Those who have satisfactorily completed the Teachers' Training 
 Course of the Alton public schools (or an equivalent), and only those who 
 are known to be very strong in the work of teaching as shown by successful 
 experience.* 
 
 "b. Those who have completed at least two years in the State Normal 
 School or its equivalent and have shown marked ability to teach. 
 
 "*By 'successful experience' is meant the faithful compliance with 
 the Rules and Regulations of the Board, and successful experience shall be 
 based upon the following: 
 
 "A. Preparation for the work (scholarship). 
 
 "B. Ability as a disciplinarian. 
 
 "C. Non-absence from duties. 
 
 "D. Harmonious working with colleagues and those in authority." 
 
 We note then three groups of persons who may be employed in the 
 Alton elementary schools as follows: First, those who have had the "cadet 
 course" in Alton; second, those who have had successful experience as defined 
 in the rules quoted above; and third, those who are graduates of a two-year 
 normal course or its equivalent and have had successful experience. We wish 
 to note here in more detail the nature of the cadet course, and the number 
 of teachers coming under the different heads. 
 
 The cadet course of Alton presupposes the pedagogy course in the high 
 school, which is as follows: First year, Latin or German or Ancient History, 
 Drawing, Singing. Second year, Latin or German, Ancient History or Zoology, 
 (1), and Botany, (2), Civics, (1) and (2), Drawing, Singing. Third year, 
 Modern History, English History, (1) and (2), Commercial Arithmetic, 
 Drawing, Singing. Fourth year, American History, Psychology, (1), Pedagogy, 
 (2), and Commercial Geography: but this course is not required. In case 
 graduates of other courses wish to become teachers, they may do so. After 
 a teacher graduates from the Alton High School, preferably from the pedagogy 
 course, she enters the school as a cadet and spends the morning session for 
 two years in observation and practice teaching. She spends one hour in 
 teaching the first year and two hours in the second year. When the super- 
 intendent finds time from other duties, he meets these cadets for one hour 
 each week for the discussion of methods. Of the ninety-two teachers, includ- 
 ing elementary school principals and supervisors, twenty stated that they 
 had taken the cadet course, after completing the pedagogy course in the 
 high school, and fifty-five others had had no psychology nor pedagogy. They 
 graduated from the general or some other course in the Alton High School 
 or some other high school. These two groups comprise about seventy-nine 
 per cent of the whole teaching body in the elementary schools. 
 
 Of the nineteen teachers not included in the first group, sixteen fall 
 under the second class as those who have had successful experience, and the 
 three remaining are those of the third, or normal school graduates. The 
 point I want to call attention to here is the marked preponderance of teachers 
 who have been taken into the corps from the Alton training course. 
 
 An interesting comparison may be made with the data gathered from 
 1,311 cities ranging in population from 2.500 to 25,000, published in Bureau 
 of Education Bulletin No. 44, 1915, in which it is stated that cities employing 
 36 per cent of all the teachers require a normal diploma before employment. 
 The committee, created by the legislature of Wyoming and appointed by the 
 Governor of the State of Wyoming, recommended that all rural and city 
 teachers be required to have a normal school diploma by September, 1922. 
 The statement is as follows: 
 
 "The legislature should fix an early date after which no teacher 
 should be engaged who has not an education equivalent to graduation from 
 a four-year high school and a minimum of professional work in some approved 
 school. The requirement for the professional preparation should be in- 
 creased, so that on and after the 1st of September, 1922, it will include 
 graduation from a two-year course in a standard normal school whose 
 entrance requirements presuppose four years of standard high school work 
 or its equivalent." 
 
 12 
 
The same report has the following to say about the professional train- 
 ing of teachers (Bulletin Bureau of Education Nq. 29, 1916): 
 
 "The amount of general education and professional training required 
 for teaching is being raised rapidly throughout the country as more and more 
 trained persons become available. Very few cities in the United States 
 employ teachers who have not had the equivalent of a standard high school 
 course and two years of normal school work. Those with less training have 
 found employment in country schools. In order to force the employment of 
 better qualified teachers in rural districts, State laws have been passed in 
 several states prohibiting the employment of persons with less than a 
 specified amount of general and professional education after certain dates. 
 Ohio, for instance, in 1913, enacted the following law: 'Unless said applicant 
 is a graduate of a college or university of approved educational standing, 
 shall possess an amount of professional training consisting of class-room 
 instruction in a recognized institution for the training of teachers, not less 
 than the following: After January 1, 1916, such applicant shall possess not 
 less than six weeks of such instruction; after January 1, 1917, not less than 
 12 weeks of such instruction; after January 1. 1918, not less than 18. weeks 
 of such instruction; after January 1, 1919, not less than 24 weeks of such 
 instruction; after January 1, 1920, not less than 30 weeks of such instruction; 
 after January 1, 1921, not less than one year of such class-room instruction 
 in a recognized school for the training of teachers.' " 
 
 It must be kept in mind that this is a requirement for rural school 
 teachers. 
 
 Also an interesting comparison may be made with Owensboro, Ken- 
 tucky, a city about the size of Alton. The following is their salary schedule 
 based upon experience, education, and merit, which shows the qualifications 
 necessary for appointment and promotion: 
 
 Class C. To be eligible to Class C, a teacher must have the following 
 qualifications: 
 
 1. Graduation from an accredited high school or a recognized equiva- 
 lent. 
 
 2. A minimum of 20 weeks' study in some standard normal school or 
 college. The course must include some observation work or practice teaching. 
 
 3. A State or city certificate. 
 
 The salary of teachers of this class shall be $40 per month. 
 
 Class B. To be eligible to Class B, the teacher must have the following 
 qualifications: 
 
 1. Graduation from an accredited high school or recognized equivalent. 
 
 2. A minimum of 36 weeks' study in a standard normal school or 
 college. At least one-fourth of this work must be along professional lines and 
 must include both observation work and practice teaching. 
 
 3. Experience of 27 months or more in Owensboro city schools or 
 schools or equal standing. 
 
 4. A success grade of 85 or above. 
 
 5. A State or city certificate. 
 
 The salary of teachers of Class B shall be: for grades 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, $55 
 per month; for grades 2, 3, 4, $52.50 per month. 
 
 Class A. To be eligible to Class A, the teacher must have the following 
 qualifications: 
 
 1. Graduation from an accredited high school or recognized equivalent. 
 
 2. Graduation from an accredited normal school or college requiring at 
 least a two-year course above the accredited high school. One-fourth of this 
 work must be along professional lines and must include at least 20 weeks of 
 observation work and practice teaching. 
 
 3. Experience of 45 months or more in Owensboro schools, or schools 
 of equal standing. 
 
 4. A success grade of 95 or above. 
 
 5. A life State diploma or certificate. 
 
 The salary of teachers of this group shall be: For grades 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 
 $65 per month; for grades 2, 3, 4, $62.50. 
 
 High school teachers in Alton may not be appointed unless they are 
 college graduates, and all in the present corps are graduates except one. 
 
 13 
 
Analysis of Teaching Corps 
 
 Age Table. Grades. High School. 
 
 Under 20 years 1 
 
 20-24 „- 19 1 
 
 25-39 28 11 
 
 30-34 11 '3 
 
 35-39 7 2 
 
 40-44 4 1 
 
 45-49 2 2 
 
 50 and over 19 2 
 
 Age not given 10 
 
 TOTAL 92 22 
 
 The average age of those in the grades who a-re fifty or more is fifty-six 
 years. This is an unusual percentage of teachers of this age, which may not 
 be an objection in itself, but would be a serious matter where teachers have 
 not kept abreast of educational progress. The ages of the high school teachers 
 present no unusual features. 
 
 Teaching Experience 
 
 Of the ninety-four teachers in the grades, including principals and 
 supervisors, fifty-six have never taught outside of Alton. Of these fifty-six, 
 nine have taught twenty years or more, eight have taught from ten to nineteen 
 years, and thirty-nine have taught less than ten years. The average tenure 
 per teacher is about eleven years. The thirty-eight who have taught outside 
 of Alton have taught a total of 397 years or an average of eleven and one-half 
 years in Alton, a total of 244 years in Illinois, or an average of six and one- 
 half years, and a total of fifteen and one-half years outside of Illinois, or an 
 average of less than one-half year. For these thirty-eight teachers, the average 
 length of service is about eighteen and one-half years. The twenty-one high 
 school teachers, including principal, have taught ninety-eight years in Alton, 
 ninety-three years in Illinois, outside of Alton, and seventeen years outside 
 of the State. 
 
 Educational Status 
 
 We noted above the kinds of persons who may be employed in the 
 Alton Public Schools, but I wish to point out here somewhat more specifically, 
 the educational status of the teaching body. Eighty-two out of a total of 
 ninety-two engaged in elementary school work are high school graduates, 
 three are graduates from a normal school, and four are college graduates. 
 Fifteen out of the ninety-two have attended a normal school, one for two 
 and one-half years, two for one year each, and twelve attended from three to 
 eighteen weeks. Of the twenty-two who attended college, three attended three 
 years, one attended two and one-half years, five for two years, and thirteen 
 for one year or less. Seventy-seven of the eighty-two high school graduates 
 received their training in the Alton High School. As noted above, all except 
 one of the High School teachers are college graduates; however, nine of the 
 twenty-one teachers graduated from Shurtleff College in Alton. Nineteen 
 are graduates of a high school: and ten of these are from the Alton High 
 School. Shurtleff College is recognized by the State Department of Education 
 of Illinois for admission to the examination for state or county certificate, 
 but the certificate is recognized for only one year. It may, however, be given 
 recognition for two years if it continues to meet the requirements of the 
 State Department. 
 
 Professional Training 
 
 It is rather difficult to summarize the professional work of the Alton 
 teachers, but in general it might be said that the grade teachers have received 
 their professional training mainly in the Alton school in the "cadet course.^' 
 On the other hand, the high school teachers have taken some courses in 
 general psychology, ethics, logic, and the history of education as a regular 
 part of their college courses, which did not have a pedagogical aim. These 
 courses, moreover, have not generally been taken recently enough to familiar- 
 ize one with modern educational theory. No specific courses in theory or 
 practice are reported by high school teachers. 
 
 An interesting comparison of the Alton conditions may be made with 
 the requirements of the North Central Association for secondary teachers. 
 
 14 
 
The requirements are as follows: "All teachers teaching one or more 
 academic subjects must satisfy the following standards: 
 
 "A. The minimum attainment of teachers of any academic subject will 
 be equivalent to graduation from a college belonging to the North Central 
 Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools requiring the completion of 
 a four-year course of study, or 120 semester hours, in advance of a standard 
 four-year high 'school course. Such requirement shall not be construed as 
 retroactive. 
 
 "B. The minimum professional training of teachers of any academic 
 subject shall be at least eleven semester hours in education. This should 
 include special study of the subject-matter and pedagogy of the subject to be 
 taught. Such requirements shall not be construed as retroactive. (For the 
 succeeding year the Board will interpret courses in education as the same 
 courses are interpreted by the colleges or universities offering them.) 
 
 "C. If a teacher of one or more academic subjects new to a given 
 school does not fully meet the requirements of Standard 2, A and B, a state- 
 ment concerning the training, experience, and efficiency of the said teacher, 
 certified by the superintendent or principal, shall be presented by them to 
 the inspector along with the annual report of the school; and the Inspector 
 shall submit the same to the Board of Inspectors, together with his recom- 
 mendation. The Board shall, on each case so presented, make a decision." 
 
 In admitting graduates from Shurtleff College to the teaching corps of 
 Alton, the Board is not meeting the requirements of the North Central Asso- 
 ciation. Probably the school authorities have it in mind to make their new 
 teachers conform to the requirements of the North Central Association. 
 
 The grade teacliers report the following courses in theory and practice: 
 One course in primary methods, one in the teaching process, one term in 
 theory, one term in practice teaching, one year in the theory of teaching, 
 one graduate of the Harris Teachers' College, which includes in its course 
 such professional subjects as educational psychology, child psychology, theory 
 of education, primary methods, educational sociology, special method of the 
 various elementary school subjects, and one-half year in observation and 
 practice teaching, one course in general methods, and one in kindergarten 
 and primary. 
 
 It is probable that these courses do not represent all the professional 
 training, since those who have attended normal schools, while taking for the 
 most part content subjects, no doubt received incidentally some professional 
 training. 
 
 Perhaps there is no better clue to the extent to which teachers are 
 awake to modern educational theory and practice than the degree to which 
 they have participated in summer schools, extension courses, correspondence 
 courses, etc. For that reason I included in the questionnaire questions that 
 would elicit statements upon these points. The following table shows the 
 participation in summer schools in the past five years in the grades and 
 high school: 
 
 Summer School Attendance 
 
 Grades. High School. 
 
 Possible terms in the summer school in 
 the past five years (Principal and 
 
 teachers) 460 105 
 
 Actual participation (single times) 53 15 
 
 Actual participation (number of teach- 
 ers) 34 10 
 
 Number attending five summers 1 
 
 Number attending four summers 1 - 
 
 Number attending three summers 3 1 
 
 Number attending two summers 6 3 
 
 Number attending one summer 23 6 
 
 It should be noted that eleven of the grade teachers, or 12 per cent, 
 have attended a total of thirty single times or summers; twenty-three, or 24 
 per cent, have attended twenty-three single summers; and sixty teachers, or 
 64 per cent, have not attended a summer school in the past five years. On 
 the other hand, four high school teachers, or 18 per cent, have attended nine 
 summers; six, or 22 per cent, have attended six summers; and eleven, or 
 50 per cent, have not attended summer school at all in the past five years. 
 
 The three means of improvement in service, extension courses, corre- 
 spondence courses, leaves of absence for study, have hardly been taken 
 advantage of or perhaps thought of. There is no leave of absence for study 
 
 15 
 
reported. In fact there is no provision made by the Board of Education for 
 such means of improvement, and the only way to take a leave is to resign 
 /rom the service, and very likely after such leave, the teacher takes a more 
 remunerative position elsewhere and does not return to service in Alton. 
 This practice usually tends to drain the teaching body of the most progressive 
 teachers. Only two or three teachers mentioned extension courses, saying 
 that they took them when extension lecturers came to Alton. Seventy-four 
 of the grade teachers and nine of the high school teachers have taken corre- 
 spondence courses. All these seventy-two grade teachers took one course 
 each; namely. Palmer's Method in Penmanship, while the nine high school 
 teachers took courses as follows: Three English, one penmanship, one 
 playground, one economics, one shorthand, one German composition, and one 
 civil engineering. 
 
 Four other means of improvement in service may be mentioned: 
 Teachers' study clubs, reading circles, teachers' meetings, and improvement 
 through supervision. In two or three cases teachers' study clubs were 
 mentioned in the answers, but upon inquiry it was found that these clubs 
 were most likely composed of those teachers who get together at the noon 
 hour to read books, and therefore could not be regarded as clubs for pro- 
 fessional improvement in accordance with the aim of the questionnaire. 
 Moreover, work done in this manner could hardly have an appreciable effect 
 upon the teaching. Furthermore, the teachers' meetings do not concern 
 themselves with problems of supervision, but merely with questions of 
 administration. In fact, it was the feeling of the principals with whom I 
 discussed the matter that they had no time for supervision in the true sense. 
 The one or two hours, as the case may be, in which they are not teaching, are 
 necessary for dealing with problems of administrative detail. On the other 
 hand, all teachers reported -to have followed the reading circle course from 
 year to year, but there is no check upon the extent to which the teachers 
 have read or profited by the reading, and therefore this could not be regarded 
 as a very effective means for the improvement of the teacher in service. The 
 most important of these means of improvement is through effective supervi- 
 sion. 
 
 It is the practice in training schools throughout the country to put 
 less emphasis in training upon those subjects which are specially supervised 
 in the schools, such as music, art, etc., and where trained supervisors are 
 present, and a good foundation is given during the period of training, effective 
 training may be given in service. While the general and professional training 
 of the Alton special supervisors is meagre, the supervisors have made 
 an effort to remedy this defect by attendance at summer schools. Out of a 
 possible twenty participations in summer school work, the supervisors have 
 attended eleven. They took the following professional courses: the teaching 
 process, one; psychology, two; general method, one; philosophy of education, 
 one; school management, ope; pedagogy, two; public school music, one. 
 
 This is in distinct contrast with the grade principals, who have attended 
 six summers out of a possible fifty-five, who in general have very limited 
 education, and who have taken almost no professional courses. Where 
 professional courses have been taken, the work is not recent enough to be of 
 great value in helping the young teacher. The Alton grade principals have 
 an abundance of "experience." The total years taught by the Alton grade 
 principals is 352 years, or an average of thirty-two years; 232 years of this 
 total was taught in Alton, or an average of twenty-one years. In indicating 
 the small amount of professional work, I am stating a condition here and 
 am not attempting to locate the blame for this condition. No doubt the low 
 salary paid to the principals and the necessity of supplementing their earn- 
 ings by outside endeavors is partly responsible. However, the condition is 
 no less serious on this account. 
 
 Salaries 
 
 In order to determine the condition of the teaching profession, it will 
 be necessary to examine the salary schedule and the salaries actually paid 
 and, so far as possible, compare them with salaries paid in other cities of a 
 similar class. The salary schedule for grade and high school teachers is as 
 follows: 
 
 1st 2d 3d 4th 5th 
 
 Year. Year. Year. Year. Year. 
 
 First to Sixth Grades $450 $500 $550 $600 $ 650 
 
 Seventh and Eighth Grades 550 600 650 700 750 
 
 Supervisor of Music 750 850 900 950 1,050 
 
 Supervisor of Drawing 750 850 900 950 1,050 
 
 16 
 
Principals will receive $50 a year additional to their scheduled salaries 
 for each room under their supervision. 
 
 1st 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th 
 
 Year. Year. Year. Year. Year. Year. 
 
 High School Women $700 $750 $800 $850 $ 950 $1,050 
 
 High School Men 800 850 900 950 1,050 1,150 
 
 A comparison of Alton salaries actually paid with those paid in cities 
 under twenty-five thousand population shows the following result: 
 
 High Schools — 
 
 Minimum Maximum Average Alton 
 
 Principal $675 $?.,000 $1,673 $2,000 
 
 Vice-Principal 810 2,400 1,287 1,300 
 
 Teachers 100 2,250 897 1,100 
 
 Grade Schools — 
 
 Minimum Maximum Average Alton 
 
 Principal $270 $2,250 $ 905 $1,000-$!, 550 
 
 Teachers 38 1,500 602 550- 950 
 
 A further analysis shows that two of the high school teachers receive 
 $800; two, $850; three, $900; one, $1,000; two, $1,050; seven, $1,100; three, 
 $1,200; while the salaries of the grade teachers distribute themselves as 
 follows: One teacher receives $400; three, $450; five, $500; eight, $550; five, 
 $600; twenty-seven, $650; eleven, $700; twelve, $750; one, $800; five, $850; 
 one, $950. 
 
 Selecting Teachers 
 
 All teachers are selected by a "committee on teachers, composed of five 
 members, whose duty it shall be to investigate the qualifications of applicants 
 for positions as teacher. They shall prepare annually and submit at the 
 regular meeting of the Board in May, a list of competent teachers for 
 positions for the next school year, with recommendations as to their salaries," 
 The superintendents and principals have no official responsibility in the 
 appointment of teachers, but actually the superintendent is generally con- 
 sulted in making up the list for appointment. The Board, however, selects 
 all those completing the cadet course, and every one can complete it, and does 
 not select them according to any efficiency rating. Pull might sometimes put 
 the poorest cadet in the first place. The fact is, misuse of the appointing 
 power has almost universally resulted where all the responsibility lies in the 
 hands of the Board, and where teachers are expected to apply to members 
 of the Board for their places. Under the free interpretation of the instruc- 
 tions to the committee relating to the appointment of teachers, or under 
 selection without professional advice, highly incompetent persons might be 
 employed and continued from year to year in the service. For instance, the 
 committee may select persons who have had successful experieiice. "By 
 'successful experience' is meant the faithful compliance with the rules and 
 regulations of the Board and shall be based upon the following: a. Prepara- 
 tion for work (scholarship), b. Ability as a disciplinarian, c. Non-absence 
 from duties, d. Harmonious working with colleagues and those in authority." 
 These requirements may mean anything and oftentimes do mean, in other 
 cities, the desire of a Board member to have a person appointed to satisfy 
 political or other obligation. 
 
 Pro,motion 
 
 Promotion is made on the basis of experience, with this exception: 
 "The Board reserves the right to decrease for any irregularities or increase 
 for special merit or extraordinary success the above schedule for any teacher. 
 This must be done, however, at some special meeting of the Board, by a 
 unanimous vote." It will be seen from the schedule quoted on another page 
 that an advance of $50 a year is made for five years. After ten years of 
 service another $50 is added, if the teacher is continued in service. The 
 Bureau of Education, in its study of promotions (Bulletin No. 44, 1915) says: 
 "It is a well-known fact that promotion on experience alone does not always 
 reward the teachers who are making the most improvement, and that this 
 method does not tend to call forth the best effort on the part of the teachers." 
 
 The Alton plan of promotion is a vitally weak spot in the Alton school 
 system. Salary schedules should be based upon the four factors, experience, 
 education, professional training, and success or efficiency, and promotion 
 
 17 
 
should be made on the conditions laid down in the schedule. The Bureau 
 of Education in its report suggests two schedules, as follows: (This schedule 
 presupposes a four-year high school course and includes one year of profes- 
 sional training.) 
 
 Class D. To be eligible to this class, a candidate must have completed 
 a four-year high school course and have had 36 weeks' professional training. 
 Those eligible to this class will receive the minimum salary. 
 
 Class G. To be eligible to this class, a teacher must have had 48 weeks 
 of professional preparation and 2 years' experience, unless 72 weeks of 
 professional training had been secured before entering Class D, in which 
 case only one year's experience is required to enter Class C. A success grade 
 of 80 is required. 
 
 Class B. To be eligible to this class a teacher must have had 60 weeks 
 of professional training and 4 years' experience, unless 72 weeks of profes- 
 sional training had been secured before entering Class D or C, in which case 
 only 3 years' experience is required to enter Class B. A success grade of 
 85 is required. 
 
 Class A. To be eligible to this class a teacher must have had' 72 
 weeks of professional training and 6 years' experience, except for those who 
 have had 72 weeks' professional training before entering Class B or C, in 
 which c'ase only 5 years' experience is demanded. A success grade of 90 is 
 required. Those eligible to this class will receive the maximum salary. 
 
 The second schedule presupposes a four-year high school course and 
 requires two years of professional preparation. 
 
 Class D. To be eligible to this class, a candidate must have had 72 
 weeks' professional training in addition to a four-year high school course. 
 Those eligible to this class will receive the minimum salary. 
 
 Class C. To be eligible to this class, a teacher must have had one 
 year of experience and a success grade of 80. 
 
 Class B. To be eligible to this class, a teacher must have had three 
 years' experience and a success grade of 85. 
 
 Class A. To be eligible to this class, a teacher must have had 78 
 weeks' professional training, 5 years' experience, and a success grade of 90. 
 Those eligible to this class will receive the maximum salary. 
 
 The Owensboro schedule, as given above, is suggestive. Also the plan 
 of Beaver Falls, Pa., is worth giving here to bring the plan of other cities 
 such as Alton into contrast with Alton. 
 
 Class 1. Teachers holding a permanent State certificate. State normal 
 school diploma, or a permanent college certificate and showing evidence of 
 at least three years' successful experience in schools approved by the Board. 
 
 Class 2. Teachers holding a professional certificate. State normal 
 school certificate, or professional college certificate and showing evidence 
 of at least two years' successful experience in schools approved by the Board. 
 
 Class 3. Teachers holding a provisional certificate, without three 
 years' successful experience in schools approved by the Board. 
 
 Minimum and maximum salaries are fixed for Classes 2 and 3, and a 
 minimum and maximum automatic increase is fixed for Class 1. Teachers 
 belonging to Class 1 who possess special qualifications may receive a salary 
 beyond the maximum for automatic increase. Provision is made for an 
 automatic increase in salary according to a definite increment for a teacher 
 having a satisfactory efficiency record until she reaches the maximum salary 
 for the class to which she belongs or acquires the qualifications which place 
 her in another class. Each teacher is given her rating twice a year before 
 it is reported to the school board. 
 
 Tenure 
 
 "The tenure of office of all teachers shall be at the will and pleasure 
 of the Board. After four years of successful teaching in the Alton Public 
 Schools, a teacher is not required to make application for the position. 
 During the first four years of his service, however, annual application for 
 position will be required. Superior qualifications as to moral character, 
 literary attainments, industry, and practical skill shall be specially regarded 
 in their employment and continuance. They shall have the right to resign 
 only when two weeks' notice of such intention is given; and the Board 
 reserves the right, as provided by statute and ordinance, to dismiss or remove 
 
 18 
 
any teacher whenever in their opinion he or she is not qualified to teach, 
 or whenever from any cause the interest of the schools may, in their opinion, 
 require such action." 
 
 The general practice in making the continuance of the employment at 
 the pleasure of the Board is the common practice throughout the country, 
 but the practice in Alton, of having the teachers make formal application for 
 their first four years of service, is highly questionable. As long as a person 
 must make formal application each year and has a feeling of uncertainty, he 
 is not apt to do his best work. This practice grew out of the false premise 
 that a person will do better work if he is not too sure of his position. The 
 practice is based upon bad psychology and a wrong conception of human 
 nature. 
 
 Recommendation 
 
 1. The fact most striking to the surveyor is the extent of the inbreeding 
 in the Alton schools. It may practically be said that the children receive 
 their training in Alton schools; they are then trained to teach by observation 
 under teachers who have had nearly all of their training there; and these 
 teachers in turn train other teachers who are entering the service; simply 
 an endless circle. There should be an immediate change of policy. The 
 graduates of the Alton High School should be required to take their profes- 
 sional training elsewhere before entering the service in Alton. 
 
 2. The fact is, local training cannot be effective in a city the size of 
 Alton, because the funds are not available for securing a competent faculty. 
 It is much less expensive to a city of the size of Alton to pay for the whole 
 two years of training in a standard Normal than to employ a competent 
 faculty to train the needed teachers at home. Besides, the advantage of the 
 contact with other groups of educators and school people, something that 
 one cannot have in such a small local training school, is invaluable. As it 
 is, the training in Alton is wholly inadequate, even if it were given under the 
 most skilled of teachers. It is not as much as is now generally required of 
 teachers in rural schools, as, for instance, in the case of Ohio and Wyoming, 
 Missouri, Indiana, etc. The training does not compare at all favorably with 
 cities in the Alton class. Owensboro, for instance, pays much lower salaries 
 (a maximum of $650, as compared with $850), and yet the least amount of 
 training in Owensboro is twenty weeks beyond the four-year high school 
 course in a standard norma] school. In order to reach the maximum salary 
 there, the teacher must have a diploma from a standard normal. The 
 qualifications for entrance into the Alton schools is entirely too low. In 
 order to put Alton on the same plane as that of cities of her rank, she should 
 have requirements as follows: 
 
 a. Graduates of standard four-year high school, with no professional 
 work offered as a part of the sixteen units required for graduation. 
 
 b. A diploma from the two-years' course in a standard normal school. 
 
 3. Immediate steps should be taken for the improvement of the present 
 teaching corps. The most obvious ways for this to be done are for them to 
 participate in correspondence courses, extension courses which might be 
 provided by the Alton School Board, and courses in summer schools. It 
 would not be too much to expect each teacher to add six weeks of professional 
 training each year to her present training, until she has at least one year of 
 professional training in some standard school. 
 
 4. Requirements for new teachers in the high school should bp made 
 to conform to the recommendations of the North Central Association as out- 
 lined above. 
 
 5. The present high school corps should follow the methods suggested 
 in recommendations for grade teachers. Perhaps the best thing would be 
 for all of them to attend the Summer Sessions of the State Normal Schools 
 or the State University. 
 
 6. New supervisors and principals should be selected from persons who 
 have training in teachers' colleges, who have specialized in education, and 
 who have the equivalent of the B. A. degree in Education. The practice of 
 promoting those to the position of supervisors and principals with nothing 
 else to recommend them than length of service and "successful experience" 
 would demoralize any teaching body. 
 
 7. The present supervisors and principals should be encouraged to take 
 leaves of absence for study and improvement, and they should be expected 
 to attend Summer Schools for professional work. Principals of the larger 
 
 19 
 
schools should not teach, but should devote all their time to administration 
 and supervision. Several small schools might be grouped together and put 
 under one principal, if one school did not require all his time . 
 
 8. The method of selecting teachers should be changed. They should 
 be selected by the Board from the list prepared by the superintendent of 
 instruction, and if the Board supervises the preparation of its teachers, they 
 should be called into service automatically from a list arranged in order of 
 their qualifications. The superintendent, w^ho should seek the advice of his 
 principals and supervisors, should be responsible .for the selection of the 
 teaching corps. 
 
 9. The plan of promotion in Alton is undesirable and should be changed^ 
 at once. The basis of promotion should be experience, professional training, 
 education, and efficiency. The measurement of these qualities should be 
 made, so far as possible, by recognized standards or objective standards, and 
 should not be left to the individual standard of members of the Alton School 
 Board. It might be urged that these standards have been applied to the 
 Alton teachers, but when these teachers are measured by recognized standards 
 we see how much they fall below the requirements of other cities. I do not 
 mean in teaching capacity, as that is not my problem. 
 
 10. After a probationary period of one year, the teachers should be 
 placed on the permanent list and should be made to feel that they could be 
 discharged only for incompetency or improper conduct. This recommenda- 
 tion is in line with the practices of the best schools of the country. 
 
 11. Provision should be made for leave of absence for study, after 
 which a teacher should not lose her rank. Furthermore, provision should 
 be made for promotion of such teacher when she demonstrates that she has 
 profited by her leave, in developing superior teaching skill. 
 
 20 
 
SPIRIT, METHODS OF TEACHING, RELATIONS OF TEACHERS AND 
 OTHER SCHOOL OFFICERS, RELATIONS OF 
 TEACHERS AND CHILDREN 
 
 by 
 
 C. G. Rathmann 
 
 Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, St. Louis 
 
 I spent three days in Alton and visited five schools. I had several 
 conferences with the Superintendent and discussed with him the general 
 school situation. 
 
 I visited each room in the five schools and saw work in each grade and 
 each subject. I made my visits alone on the first day and was accompanied 
 by the grade supervisor on my next two visits. After hearing a lesson I had 
 a conference with the teacher to get a better understanding of her lesson 
 plan, her preparation for the work, of what she wanted to accomplish, of her 
 idea of the importance of the subject she had presented and the value of the 
 method pursued. I had conferences with the principals of the buildings and 
 the supervisors. I intended to study the annual reports of the Superintendent 
 to ascertain what progress had been made from year to year, but was in- 
 formed that no report had been issued since 1901. 
 
 I became very favorably impressed with the personnel of the teaching 
 corps. The teachers I met are a group of fine, intelligent, and enthusiastic 
 women, earnest, conscientious, devoted to their work, deeply interested in the 
 welfare of their charges and anxious to give them the very best opportunities. 
 Unfortunately, as Dr. Payne, who reports on the training of teachers, sets 
 forth, they have not had the advantages of a thorough modern preparation 
 and training. They realize this fact and deplore it. 
 
 The teachers with few exceptions have been educated in the Alton 
 schools. After graduating from the High School they go into the schools as 
 cadets and observe and study the work of the teachers who have had the 
 same training which they have received. Some of them take summer courses 
 in the Shurtleff College of Alton, or the University of Illinois, and thus add 
 to their totally inadequate preparation. 
 
 They receive little guidance or inspiration from such as could and 
 should give it. The principal is in charge of a room and his time is, with 
 the exception of two hours during which the cadet is placed in his room, 
 taken up in teaching. The two hours must be given to problems of admin- 
 istration and management and no time remains for the supervision of the 
 work and the training of teachers. 
 
 The rules of the Board of Education prescribe that "monthly meetings 
 of the various grade teachers shall be held for the purpose of conferring as 
 to the best methods of instruction and discipline." As I learned, such meet- 
 ings were held under the direction of the Superintendent up to a year ago, 
 but no discussions were had. Prominent educators were invited to give 
 lectures on educational topics. These meetings have been discontinued 
 altogether. The reason given was that the teachers could not be induced to 
 take part in the discussions. 
 
 The Superintendent visits all the schools once a week. Such visit, of 
 course, can be brief only and gives him no opportunity to help and guide 
 the teachers. 
 
 Under the rules of the Board of Education the teachers may on two 
 days of the year go to St. Louis or other cities in the neighborhood to study 
 the work in the schools and compare it with their own. The teachers, as 1 
 understand, make good use of this opportunity. 
 
 Provisions should be made for well planned extension work for the 
 teachers after school hours. 
 
 A step in the right direction was the appointment of a supervisor of 
 grade work which was made at the beginning of the present year. The new 
 supervisor gives all her time to the study of the conditions in the schools, to 
 careful supervision, and to guiding and training the teachers. What I saw 
 of her work promises gratifying results. 
 
 The course of study should make the teachers acquainted with the 
 alms of their work, the meaning and relative importance of the work in each 
 subject and suggestions as to best ways of presenting the work. No such help 
 Is given. At the beginning of each quarter the teachers receive a typewritten 
 slip containing the number of pages in the text book for each subject which 
 are to be covered during the quarter. This is the only guidance that is given 
 the teacher. 
 
 21 
 
There is little to help the teacher in the conduct of the work besides 
 the text book. There are maps, but not in sufficient number. There Is a 
 totally inadequate supply of supplementary reading matter, of reference 
 books, of material for constructive work or for seat work in the primary 
 grades. There is no illustrative material save what the teachers who do not 
 wish to depend upon the text book altogether encourage the pupils to bring. 
 
 Except in the higher rooms, there are too many classes in the rooms 
 and the classes are, in many cases, too large. The teachers can not give 
 individual attention to those that need it. There are no provisions for special 
 care of mentally defective children. Such conditions, of course, are unavoid- 
 able in a smaller school system. 
 
 Twice a year, classes are promoted. The promotions are determined 
 by examinations and the standing in the d'aily recitations in the ratio' of 
 one-third for the former and two-thirds for the latter. If a child has done 
 unsatisfactory work, he remains in his class for another semester, but he 
 must be promoted at the close of the next half year. 
 
 Individual promotions are rare. Under the rules they can not be 
 made without the approval of the Superintendent. It seems to me that the 
 principal and the teacher who know the child and what he can do should 
 determine individual promotions. 
 
 No searching tests or measurements are made to determine whether 
 the work as conducted is productive of the best results. 
 
 Thus we see that the teachers are greatly handicapped, and, in view 
 of these unfavorable conditions, one might infer that there is little growth 
 or progress and that the work throughout the schools is not what it should 
 be. This, however, is a wrong impression. I saw superior work done in a 
 number of rooms by teachers who, possessing much native ability, initiative 
 and resourcefulness, and the desire to forge ahead, carried out their own 
 ideas with great success. If, in my study of the work in the different subjects, 
 my criticisms seem rather severe in some cases, I want it understood that 
 the fault is not with the teachers as much as with the unfavorable conditions 
 in the system. If the teachers in the Alton schools had had and now had the 
 advantages and opportunities that are offered in other school systems, they 
 would compare very favorably with any group of teachers. 
 
 Relations Between Teachers and Pupils — Discipline 
 
 The relations between pupils and teachers are cordial and based upon 
 mutual respect for each other. The teachers have the good will, the confi- 
 dence, and the friendship of their pupils. This was quite evident in their 
 intercourse before and after school and during the recess periods. 
 
 In all the class rooms I visited there was perfect order and decorum, — 
 rather too much order I thought, secured at the expense of buoyancy, deep, 
 vivacious interest, and live desire to take active part in the work. The 
 children were too quiet, the hum of busy, earnest work was lacking. I 
 observed a number of children who, becoming interested in the work, felt 
 like getting out of their seats in closer touch with their teacher, but they 
 seemed to be kept back by the feeling that they would be "out of order." 
 The strict discipline had a depressing effect upon spontaneity, initiative, 
 desire to go more deeply into the work, the ready and hearty co-operation 
 with the teacher. My impression was that the question of order was over- 
 emphasized. 
 
 The influence of the teachers on the moral conduct of the children 
 seems to be strong and for good. I talked to many children, individuals and 
 in groups, and all were pleasant in their manner, courteous, and showed 
 ladylike and gentlemanly conduct. In coming to and leaving the school 
 no boisterous or unruly behavior was seen. 
 
 Language 
 
 In language the text book plays a very prominent part. Fortunately 
 technical grammar in this book, Robinson and Roe, is not considered below 
 the seventh grade, — the text for the middle grades is devoted to the study 
 of language. 
 
 In this subject, more than in any other, the text book should be in the 
 background, but the teachers whom I saw use the material in the book for 
 all their language work. Instead of taking all the topics for compositions 
 treated here, some of which are far-fetched and uninteresting and furnish 
 no motive, narration of incidents actually experienced by the children, re- 
 production of stories, character sketches, explanations of conditions and 
 
 22 
 
events, topics taken from history, geography, and nature study, should be 
 used in the oral and written compositions. Instead of closely adhering to 
 the outlines given in the text book there should be encouragement of freedom, 
 naturalness and spontaneity. 
 
 There must be a great deal more opportunity given for practice in 
 the use of correct English than is done in the Alton schools. In the lessons 
 on all the different subjects in the curriculum the pupils must do more of 
 the talking and the teachers less. In many of the lessons I heard the work 
 consisted in questions asked by the teacher and answers given by the pupils, 
 and the answers were often given in one or two words. Statements in whole 
 sentences should at least be insisted upon. The teachers should encourage 
 the children to give all they know and can say regarding a topic under 
 discussion and to give it in good English and in coherent statements. Dis- 
 cussing what is presented in a lesson with each other and the teacher is one 
 of the best exercises in learning to speak correctly. More attention should 
 be given to letter writing. 
 
 Systematic and persistent efforts should be made by the teachers to 
 eradicate common errors in oral language, such as verb and adverb errors, 
 double negatives, misuse of pronouns, mispronunciations, colloquialisnis, etc. 
 
 Reading 
 
 In almost all of the rooms I visited I heard fluent, smooth reading. A 
 good foundation for the mastery of the mechanics of reading is laid in the 
 lower grades. The pupils read the text in arithmetic, geography and history 
 readily, — there was no halting because of difficult words, except in one or two 
 rooms. The same was true as to the reading lessons. 
 
 But in almost all cases the reading was too rapid, without expression, 
 and gave no evidence that the pupils fully understood what they read. In 
 some cases it seemed a mere recitation of words. 
 
 There was no discussion of the contents of the lesson preceding the 
 reading. The proper pronunciation, the mastery of difficult words, v/as 
 given the principal attention. A number of questions were asked after a 
 paragraph had been read, but these questions were not such as to make the 
 child think. The answers were merely reproductions of part of the text. 
 
 The teacher did nothing to make the pupils see the beauty and force 
 of the author's language, his ability to picture to the reader scenes and con- 
 ditions and to describe the persons in the story with all their characteristics 
 so that he can see them before him. There was no appeal to the imagination. 
 The teachers did nothing to transport the children into the situation de- 
 scribed in the lesson and to make them live the events about which they read. 
 
 The trend of the children's thought was too much interrupted by 
 questions on the pronunciation of the words. The children were encouraged 
 to watch each other and to report at the close of a paragraph what words 
 had not been read correctly. The result of such a procedure is that the 
 pupils will give all their attention to the words, and the real purpose of the 
 lesson is defeated. 
 
 There was no effort on the part of any teacher to socialize the work, 
 i. e., to have the pupils discuss with each other and with her the contents 
 of the lesson. The children read to the teacher, not to each other. It would 
 be desirable to give, from time to time, the reader an audience by calling him 
 to the front and letting him read to the other members of the class, who' 
 should close their books. The reader would know that the whole class has 
 to depend upon his reading for the proper understanding of what he pre- 
 sents and that therefore he must give his best efforts to the work, and the 
 pupils in the class will know that they must give their entire attention to 
 the reader. Such exercises would be productive of more effective reading 
 and more effective listening. 
 
 In no room did I see any dramatization of the reading lesson. Drama- 
 tization of the reading lesson lends life and reality to it. Representing the 
 "dramatis personae," acting the events, living them, as it were, enables the 
 child to enter into the spirit of what is presented. Doing the things instead 
 of merely reading about them, develops their power of imagination and 
 expression and gives them self-confidence and genuine pleasure in the work. 
 
 In listening to the reading lessons I asked myself if there was any 
 evidence that the. teacher had given any thought to the lesson before she 
 presented it, that she was thoroughly acquainted with the contents, that she 
 fully realized the opportunities the lesson, if properly handled, would give 
 her pupils to become better readers and better thinkers. There was no such 
 evidence in most cases. 
 
 23 
 
In one room I visited the teacher made the pupils read a paragraph 
 and then give an oral reproduction of it so that, as she said, she could 
 ascertain what words the children had not understood. Reading and repro- 
 ducing and giving the meaning of difficult words, — but no thought getting. 
 There was no time for the latter, I was informed. 
 
 Deplorable is the dearth of supplementary reading matter. Each gra^ie 
 is entitled to only one set of supplementary reading. There is no co-opera- 
 tion with the public library. Upon inquiry in several rooms I found that 
 some pupils had cards and were using books of the library. No encourage- 
 ment to extend this use is made by the schools. 
 
 As long as supplementary reading material is so limited, I would 
 suggest that the pupils be encouraged to procure books from the library, to 
 read chapters to the class, that the teacher control the children's reading ami 
 ascertain from time to time what the children are reading and have them 
 give an abstract of the book read. 
 
 Spelling 
 
 In spelling, as in all other subjects, the text book is the principal factor. 
 All wbrds in all the lessons are taught and learned in the order in which they 
 appear. The words which are not now in the child's vocabulary, nor will be 
 for some time, are given the same or more time than the words which the 
 child ought to learn at the present time. 
 
 In the primary grades the words are taken from the reading lesson, 
 are well selected and, as I saw in the primary rooms I visited, well taught. 
 
 In the middle and higher grades a number of words, from five to ten, 
 are assigned to the pupils for study in preparation for the spelling lesson. 
 These words are studied by the children but in the rooms which I visited 
 nothing was done to teach the pupils how to study the words. The meaning 
 of the words to be learned Is found by the pupils in the dictionary, but no 
 help or guidance in the use of the dictionary is given. Only in one room 
 I saw the words of the lesson used in sentences. In one of the rooms in the 
 higher grades the words were read, correctly pronounced, and spelled. They 
 were mostly unfamiliar words, but the meaning was neither given nor 
 found. The teacher said that this was the regular daily procedure, that she 
 simply required the children to learn to spell the words. 
 
 More attention should be given to written spelling. 
 
 The words which are in the child's present vocabulary or in that of the 
 near future should have more time and attention than the unfamiliar words. 
 The former are more often misspelled than the latter. "There exist," as 
 Dr. Gregory says, "subconsciously in the child's mind visual percepts of the 
 words he uses and used before he came to school which are his translations 
 of his aural percepts, but these visual representations are often entirely 
 different from the correct forms. These wrong impressions must be extirpated 
 before the correct forms can be learned. Of the unfamiliar words he gets 
 the correct forms at once, hence they are more easily learned." Teachers 
 would find it profitable to make lists of words frequently misspelled and 
 make these lists the subject of special spelling lessons as often as seems 
 desirable. 
 
 Arithmetic 
 
 In the middle and higher grades the work in arithmetic is too formal 
 and mechanical. There is no effort to bring the subject into close touch 
 with the actual conditions of life. The text book is followed too slavishly. 
 
 A new subject is not discussed and explained on the blackboard or with 
 concrete examples or. making use of the child's experience. The text book is 
 opened at once and what it says forms the basis of the teacher's presenta- 
 tion. The new lesson is assigned the day before without any guidance or 
 help on the part of the teacher. The pupils study the text for preparation. 
 In this way the text book, not the teacher, becomes the real instructor. 
 
 In one room I saw good thorough oral work preceding the book lesson. 
 There was even a strong effort to socialize the work. Pupils would give each 
 other oral problems. Great interest and much skill were shown. 
 
 The blackboard is used extensively everywhere. I was glad to see this. 
 In one room all the pupils were at the blackboard, writing the solutions of 
 problems. Tire teacher went from problem to problem examining, correcting 
 and marking, speaking to the individual child only. Not a word was said by 
 the pupils. There was no interest, no pleasure in the work, no united effort, 
 no co-operation. There was a lull of depression and I thought I heard a sigh 
 of relief when the recess bell rang. 
 
 24 
 
There is no oral interpretation of the problem. The child reads either 
 aloud or for himself the problem and then begins to work. The teacher 
 does not ascertain before the problem is attacked if the child fully under- 
 stands what he has read, knows what he is to find or how to find it. There 
 should be no stereotyped form of analysis, but in new work the child should 
 receive some definite training in interpreting the problem. He should have 
 a clear picture of the conditions of the problem before he attempts to solve 
 it. This training should begin with the simplest problems in the second grade, 
 but I saw no evidence of it. In one room only the teacher asked a pupil to 
 analyze a problem. I asked why no more of this was done. The reply of tho 
 teacher was that the pupils forget the form of analysis given them and then 
 she has "to go all over it again." 
 
 The result of this method is that the children have to depend too much 
 upon the teacher. Entirely too much help is given. There is little initiative, 
 little self activity on the part of the children. 
 
 The teachers should emancipate themselves from the text book. There 
 should be some motivated, socialized work, work in which all of the children 
 could take part, which has application to real life. 
 
 In the lower grades practical work consisting in weighing and measur- 
 ing, buying and selling real things with paper coin might well constitute 
 part of the program. Imaginary marketing trips on which the children buy 
 all kinds of things for the family or the household, involving numbers within 
 their grasp, might be undertaken to advantage. 
 
 In the middle and higher grades such problems as finding the cost 
 of a dinner, a trip, computing the average percent of the tests in various 
 subjects and their percent of progress in each test, and similar problems, 
 would be welcomed by the pupils. Finding the cost of furnishing a house, 
 the interest on money borrowed to pay for part of the equipment, computing 
 the insurance and taxes and letting the children secure the information they 
 need in the stores and offices where it can be had, strongly appeal to the 
 child, because he uoes all the work himself under the guidance of the teacher 
 and sees the practical use of it. 
 
 The number work in the primary grades, of counting, combining and 
 measuring and solving easy problems, is done fairly well despite the very 
 limited supply of objective material. 
 
 Geography 
 
 Geography begins in the third grade. In this grade it is Intended to 
 be home geography, but it does not treat, as is done in most schools at the 
 present time, the life and activities of man and his physical environment in 
 and around his home. The course of study prescribes the following syllabus: 
 Madison County, — boundary, area, townships, railroads, productions, etc. 
 Illinois, — boundary, settlement, chief cities and railroads, length, breadth, 
 rivers, natural productions, pursuits of people, etc. Much of this might be 
 presented and discussed to great advantage, but unfortunately the boundaries, 
 area, rivers and chief cities receive almost all the attention. For the study 
 of human environment, man and his wants, his industrial and commercial 
 pursuits, shops, factories and foundaries, quarries, houses in the process of 
 construction should be visited and the actual work and conditions should be 
 observed. Materials for food, clothing and fuel such as wheat, corn, cotton, 
 wool, silk, coal, iron, etc., if possible in different stages of development, should 
 be brought into the school room and placed before the children. For the 
 study of the physical environment in this grade the children should be taken 
 outdoors to observe roadbeds, slopes, hills, brooks and ponds, the careful 
 study of which will enable the pupils to picture to themselves the features 
 of land and water on the earth. Alton offers most valuable opportunities 
 for such concrete lessons. The children should be brought into personal 
 contact with their human and physical environment, instead of merely 
 hearing or reading about them. 
 
 In other grades I found in two rooms more ©mancipation from the 
 text book than in other subjects and. consequently, better teaching. In these 
 rooms I observed that the children found their own information from other 
 texts, from books on travels, industries and from cyclopedias. In these rooms 
 the pupils discussed with each other the facts and conditions, made their 
 own discoveries and drew their own conclusions. Pictures and clippings 
 from papers were brought in by the pupils. I found great interest and ready 
 response. 
 
 Still better work could be done if the teachers were given what they 
 need to vitalize the work, arouse interest and create vivid and permanent 
 
 25 
 
impressions of what is taught. There are not enough maps so that the teacher 
 can get one when she needs it, — there are no collateral geographical readers, — 
 there is not a trace of illustrative material. 
 
 In other rooms the text book reigned supreme. The children learn 
 little beyond the facts which they gather from it. 
 
 In the first part of the fifth grade excursions should be made to the 
 river bank, to the bluffs, the hills and slopes surrounding Alton because the 
 study of the geography in the higher grades requires some knowledge of 
 physiographic influences. The lessons in the remaining part of the fifth, 
 and the sixth and seventh grades geography should be a social study, a 
 discussion of man's response to his envii'onment and his influence upon and 
 control of it, the inter-dependence of man's various activities upon each other, 
 his occupations, his industrial, commercial and cultural pursuits. 
 
 There should be much less than I found of purely statistical informa- 
 tion, of the memorizing of boundaries, area, number of inhabitants, length 
 of rivers, height of mountains, and more of the study of "Man as the creator 
 as well as the creature of his world." There should be far less memory work 
 and more solving of geographical problems suggested by the topics and their 
 discussion. 
 
 History 
 
 History is taught in the seventh and eighth grades only. There is no 
 preliminary training in the lower grades for the better understanding of the 
 subject through supplementary reading. 
 
 In two rooms in which I saw work in history I was pleased to note 
 that the text book was not the sole medium between teacher and pupil. 
 Other texts and reference books were accessible, and the pupils were encour- 
 aged to find additional information and more light on the topics under 
 discussion. As a result, the children took a more active part in the work, 
 did their own comparing and thinking, secured broader views and a better 
 understanding of the conditions and events and their relations and showed 
 great interest and desire to learn. 
 
 In one room the teacher had just begun to socialize the work. A topic 
 had been presented by a pupil and his classmates entered into an animated 
 discussion of it, asking him such questions as would make the subject more 
 intelligible while 4;he teacher gave such help as was needed and kept the dis- 
 cussion in the proper channels. 
 
 In another room the old method of reciting the text and answering the 
 teacher's questions prevailed. 
 
 More of the work in history and geography should be in the hands 
 of the pupils. They should do their own thinking and discovering under 
 the guidance of the teacher. They should secure from otuer historical texts, 
 from reference books in the school and from books taken from the public 
 library their own information in addition to what the prescribed text book 
 offers. They should discuss with the teacher and each other conditions and 
 events, causes and effects. Giving the children the initiative, the teachei 
 should step more and more into the background, should guide, direct, and 
 inspire. Lessons in history and geography conducted in this way are also 
 excellent language lessons. They give the- children valuable practice in 
 expressing their views before others and the ability, no less valuable, to find 
 their own knowledge after they have left school. 
 
 Nature Study 
 
 Nature study has no place in the curriculum of the Alton schools. The 
 principals and teachers say that this subject is to be taught incidentally, in 
 connection with the other subjects. There was no evidence, however, that 
 the opportunities offered by the school life and the school activities for 
 awakening in the child a sympathetic interest in nature around him were 
 used. 
 
 The surroundings of every schoolhouse I visited offer excellent oppor- 
 tunities for practical nature study. It is to be deplored that no use is made 
 of them. 
 
 Ethics 
 
 Ethics, like nature study, is not provided for in the school curriculum. 
 It is not totally neglected, however, in that one feature of it, the Humane 
 Treatment of Dumb Animals, has a place on the weekly program. Thirty 
 minutes per week for every grade for this subject are required by the state 
 school law. The Alton schools give ten minutes daily to it, in most cases 
 
 26 
 
just before the close of the morning session. There is no evidence that, 
 under this arrangement, the Humane Treatment of Dumb Animals receives 
 the attention which the State Board expects. The teachers do not look with 
 favor upon this law and think that other features of moral teaching should 
 have some of the time assigned to this subject. 
 
 Departmental Teaching 
 
 Departmental teaching in the seventh and eighth grades is done in two 
 of the Alton schools. I visited one of these schools and found the depart- 
 mental work well planned and, on the whole, productive of good results. 
 The teachers instruct in the subjects in which they are specially interested 
 and for the teaching of which they are best fitted. Being relieved of the 
 exacting requirements necessary to teach well the many subjects in their 
 advanced complexities as found in the higher grades and confining their 
 efforts to a limited number of branches of the curriculum for which they 
 are more gifted and better prepared, they do more efficient work. I saw better 
 teaching and better results here than in the schools in which the single 
 teacher plan is followed. 
 
 Summary of Recommendations 
 
 1. Better training of teachers. Diploma from any State Normal School 
 should be required from new applicants. 
 
 2. Provisions for extension courses for teachers in the Alton Schools. 
 
 3. Principals should have more time for supervision. 
 
 4. A more complete and modern course of study should be prepared and 
 placed in the hands of the teachers. 
 
 5. A special school and a few ungraded rooms should be opened for 
 feebleminded and backward children. 
 
 6. There should be more outdoor and excursion work to vitalize the 
 work in geography and nature study. The latter subject should be given a 
 place in the curriculum. 
 
 7. More teaching material, as up-to-date maps, supplementary reading, 
 reference books, material for constructive and seat work. 
 
 8. Efficient co-operation with the Public Library. 
 
 9. There should be from time to time tests and measurements of the 
 results of instruction to determine the efficiency of the teaching process and to 
 establish higher standards of work. 
 
 10. There should be regular meetings of principals and teachers with 
 the Superintendent and Grade Supervisor for the discussion of the aim and 
 scope of education in modern life, of the determination of the place and the 
 function of the public school in realizing this aim, of the ways in which the 
 public school should co-operate with other educational agencies, of methods 
 of instruction and management. 
 
 11. More vigorous, stimulating and helpful leadership in all school 
 departments. 
 
 12. The teachers should be selected by the Superintendent. His nomi- 
 nations should be submitted to the Board of Education for its approval. 
 
 13. The Superintendent should publish an annual report to make the 
 people of Alton acquainted with the methods of educational administration, 
 the progress made in the schools, the needs of the schools, the problems un- 
 solved, etc. 
 
 27 
 
COURSE OF STUDY AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES 
 
 by 
 
 T. E. Spencer 
 Principal, Irving School, St. Louis 
 
 The following report is based upon observations made and information 
 received during a three days' visit in the public schools of Alton, Illinois, 
 with purpose to learn of the courses of study, the pedagogical conceptions 
 which teachers hold regarding their educational aims and uses, and of the 
 methods of their elucidation in their school rooms. Inquiry was to be made, 
 also, into the school supplies, their kinds and quantities, and the manner ot 
 handling them. 
 
 No printed reports or other matter relating to the schools were avail- 
 able, or seem to have been furnished the public by the Superintendent or the 
 Board of Education except a few blank forms for administrative matters and 
 the "Outline of Studies" pursued in the high school. " The Surveyor endeav- 
 ored to learn in what manner the courses of study were interpreted in 
 instruction, and to discover what pedagogical conceptions regarding these 
 studies and their uses in children's education were entertained by the 
 teachers. For this purpose he visited the following schools: The Garfield, 
 the Irving, the Lincoln, and the High School. He also visited the Alton 
 Board of Trade and conversed with the Secretary of that Board, from whom 
 he learned the story of the growth and development of the Alton industrial 
 district and secured a statement showing the number and kind of industriea 
 in which the people are engaged, the number employed in each, and the 
 wages paid for labor by each industry. As a result of the foregoing study 
 the Surveyor reached the conclusions which are herewith submitted. 
 
 It has been said that "one of the quickest means for determining the 
 ideals and purposes which actuate a school system is to examine the courses 
 of study prescribed for the schools. From such an examination the real 
 character of the ideals of the administration as to the purposes of education 
 can quickly be told. Not only may one tell how the courses have been 
 constructed, but also what pedagogical conceptions underlie the work." 
 
 Investigation of courses of study the country over has shown that they 
 may be grouped into two general classes or types, namely (1) information 
 types, (2) development types. 
 
 (1) The information types of courses are based upon the conception 
 that it is the duty of the public school to transmit from generation to genera- 
 tion the accumulated knowledge of the past, that valuable mental discipline 
 is acquired by the mere process of acquiring and uttering this knowledge. 
 In schools operating under such conceptions, facts are taught and learned. 
 Overemphasis is placed upon studies which serve as tools of knowledge, and 
 often much time is spent upon learning certain facts because of a supposed 
 use for them after the child has grown up. 
 
 (2) The development types of courses of study are based upon very 
 different pedagogical conceptions. Such courses cannot be laid out in definite 
 pages of prescribed text books. Facts here are of small importance until 
 they have been put to use. Knowledge is a tool, and not an end in itself. 
 Such courses of study are not fixed or final. They vary from month to 
 month, because the real problems In such courses are the im2)ils and not the 
 subject-matter of instruction. Hence it becomes the business of all teachers 
 and supervisors of such courses to study the problems of instruction with a 
 view to adapting school work to the growing needs of the children. Such 
 courses have reference to life, the present lives of the children and of the 
 community of which they are a part, and of the future lives and needs of 
 both. Such courses induce an open-minded attitude toward new methods and 
 ideals of education. Such courses require skillful teaching, but they tend to 
 create skillful teachers. 
 
 Information acquired from the three days' study of the Alton schools 
 leaves no doubt that they belong to the first mentioned types of schools — to 
 the information type, with rigid courses of study, laid out by pages in text 
 books, and drilled upon for memorization of facts as a desired end in them- 
 selves. 
 
 To illustrate, let us take the subject of reading. The first year's assign- 
 ment calls for the Ward Primer as a text book, followed by "Supplementary 
 readings from Appleton's First Reader, Brooks' First Reader and Fairy 
 Stories." The objects are specified thus, "To recognize the written and 
 
 28 
 
printed forms of the words found in the child's spoken vocabulary, to write 
 single words and combine them into easy sentences, to separate words into 
 their elementary sounds, and to combine sounds into words." 
 
 For the second grade the course assigns "Brooks' Second Reader com- 
 pleted, Supplementary Readings from Appleton's Second Reader, and Baker 
 and Carpenter's Second Reader, and sight reading of interesting stories." 
 
 The third grade work is comprehended under "Brooks' Third Reader 
 completed. Supplementary Reading of Appleton's Third Reader, Heath's Third 
 Reader, Interesting and Instructive Stories for Sight Reading." 
 
 The work prescribed for the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth 
 grades is set forth in terms of text books similar to that specified for the 
 previous grades. There is no presentation of aims to be sought, nor of 
 methods to be employed. 
 
 The spelling work is more briefly indicated as "Outlined in Ward 
 Primer," for first year, "All words found at the beginning of reading lessons, 
 and in the back part of Brook's Second Reader," and similar brevity for each 
 of the successive years' work. 
 
 Turning to the course in arithmetic we find, for instance, the third 
 year's work indicated as "Times tables of 6's, 7's, 8's, 9's, lO's, ll's and 12's. 
 Rapid work in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, multiplier 
 and divisor to consist of not more than three figures. First half of Smith's 
 Primary Arithmetic." Even more brief directions suffice for later grades, 
 as, for example, "Last part Smith Intermediate and first part Smith Ad- 
 vanced," for seventh grade. 
 
 No mention is made of language work during the first three years of 
 the course, but under the fourth year's assignment we find "Language: first 
 third of Robbins and Row, Book One." The assignments for each of the 
 grades following are given in similar terms of portions of designated text 
 books. 
 
 The specifications for the study of geography and history have the 
 same rigid limitations prescribed within the text books, with no apparent 
 hint of purpose nor method, nor selections of types for emphasis, nor of per- 
 mission to vary the text to apply to local environment of the pupils. Indeed, 
 it is to be noted that the seventh year's work in geography deals with Asia, 
 Africa and Australasia, while the history for that year deals with the Colonial 
 period. There would seem to be no history in the geography lesson, and no 
 geography in the history lesson, although these two social studies ought to 
 be very closely inter-related, and especially so at that period of the child's 
 development. 
 
 The course for physical training is vaguely defined as "One hour each 
 week," and the courses in drawing and vocal music are to be given "Under 
 direction of the Supervisor." 
 
 It will readily be seen that the Alton Courses of Study belong to what 
 has been called the "information type." The knowledge theory controls all 
 within the system. The courses are, in the main, laid out carefully by pages 
 in books, set off into small segments for each month or part of a term. 
 Large dependence is placed upon the text books, which are evidently pre- 
 sented to children as comprehending all one need know about the subjects 
 of which they treat, since little or no collateral or supplemental material is 
 supplied. The text books used are not modern, do not represent the best 
 educational theory or practice in the subjects of which they treat. There 
 seems to be little real effort made tO' relate the courses of study to the lives 
 and needs of the children, and no appreciation of the duty of the public 
 school to contribute in vital ways to the community life of which it should be 
 a part. 
 
 Teachers who teach such courses of study have no responsibility for 
 the content of the courses, nor for the educational results. They go about 
 their daily tasks with little regard for the educational significance of what 
 they do, provided only their pupils learn the facts prescribed for their par- 
 ticular segment of the course and retain those facts in memory until after 
 the stated tests are made. Principals keep order and keep records, and have 
 little further responsibility. The supervision of such a system is merely 
 inspection. Here and there, in a very few school rooms, may be found teach- 
 ers whose grasp of the subjects taught seems much more comprehensive than 
 the narrow limitations of the courses prescribed for their grades. Their 
 merits are conspicuous by comparison, but their excellence is not due to the 
 Influences of the system in which they are working. 
 
 It is held to be true that in the United States the public school is 
 charged with the duty of defining its own scope as an educative agency, and 
 of determining the proper relation of other educative agencies to it. To 
 
 29 
 
discharge this duty it should endeavor to know the needs of its community 
 and strive to contribute in a vital way to the activities of its own community 
 life. The course of study pursued in any given public school should be not 
 only suited in a general way to the nature and capacity of children, but 
 also should have regard for the individual differences of children, and should 
 take into account their environmental conditions. The industries of the 
 community of which, directly or indirectly, the majority of the children will 
 later become a part, should not be lost sight of in shaping the fundamental 
 courses of study suited to the public schools of that community. 
 
 The statement given the Surveyor by the Secretary of the Board of 
 Trade shows that Alton has lately become a thriving industrial center and 
 that it seems sure to become of still greater importance commercially and' 
 industrially. Marked changes have been made in the lives of the Alton 
 people during the past five or ten years, yet the courses of study in the 
 schools have remained practically unaltered. Neither elementary nor high 
 school courses, nor methods, nor ideals have been changed to meet the needs 
 of the changed community. 
 
 It is the opinion of the Surveyor that the Alton schools are in urgent 
 need of new courses of study. The courses should be constructed with the 
 growing child as the center of interest, and his environment a means of his 
 education. The school exercises should result in awakening the concrete and 
 constructive intelligence of the pupils. In shaping the new courses of study, 
 teachers should seek to break away from the tedium and artificiality so 
 characteristic of the old school atmosphere. The ideal should be schools 
 characterized by freedom, expressive life, contact with real things, broad 
 communal and personal activities, — schools where full opportunity for ex- 
 pression may be provided for each child, up to the limit of his capacity, in a 
 varied life of study and work and play. 
 
 School Supplies 
 
 With respect to accounting to the public for expenditures made in 
 purchasing school supplies, the administration of the Alton schools leaves 
 much to be desired. The Surveyor endeavored to secure information as to 
 what educational supplies are furnished for use in the schools, their kinds, 
 quality and distribution, and the uses made of them in the instruction of the 
 children. It was found that no inventories of educational supplies on hand 
 were obtainable. No such inventories have been required by the Board 
 or have been kept by the Superintendent. Consequently, no one seems to know 
 what supplies are in the schools, what they have cost, or in what condition 
 they may be found. The Superintendent receives from the manual training 
 teacher, the chemistry teacher, the physics teacher and the teacher of 
 commercial branches each year reports of what supplies each of these will 
 require for the coming year. He passes these requisitions on to the com- 
 mittee on "Library and Apparatus" who report the matter to the Board of 
 Education. After the purchases of such educational supplies have been 
 authorized and the purchases have been made, no systematic accounting for 
 them is required. No inventory is kept, no reports concerning their use 
 or care are expected of any one. From the Superintendent Information was 
 obtained that from if200 to .$300 had been spent annually for supplementary 
 reading matter for use in the schools. He was, however, unable to state 
 what books had been bought or how many, how these books had been 
 distributed in the schools, or what books still remained in use in the schools. 
 It therefore seems very clear that decided improvement in the system of 
 accounting for the purchase, use, and care of educational supplies furnished 
 the Alton schools should be made without delay. The principal of each 
 school should be required to report definitely what supplies and apparatus 
 are now in his school, in what condition they may be found, and how useful 
 they have proved to be in the work of instruction. He should supplement his 
 report by recommendation for additions to the stock on hand or for the 
 withdrawal from use of any supplies found to be worn out or undesirable for 
 use. The Superintendent should submit such information regularly, at stated 
 intervals, to the Board of Education for their information. The Board, in 
 turn, should publish such information that the public may be informed of 
 the conduct of school matters in this respect. 
 
 30 
 
TESTING OF THE RESULTS OF TEACHING IN THE ELEMENTARY 
 
 SCHOOLS 
 
 by 
 
 L. W. Rader 
 
 Principal, Columbia School, St. Louis 
 
 Arithmetic 
 
 Ability in arithmetic Implies the capacity to analyze concrete problems 
 and to perform the required operations. The following tests were given to 
 measure capacity for reasoning and facility in the four fundamental opera- 
 tions. 
 
 For measuring ability in the four fundamental operations, the Courtis 
 Tests, Series B, were used, and for measuring capacity for reasoning the 
 Courtis Test No. 8, Series A, was used. 
 
 The numbers at the left of the figures indicate the number of problems 
 the pupils should work correctly in the time specified. The numbers at 
 the bottom of the figures indicate the grade. 
 
 The tests were given to the class in each grade three weeks before 
 passing into the higher grade. Six hundred six pupils representing each 
 school took the tests. 
 
 Courtis Standard Research Tests — Series B 
 
 Addition 
 
 You will be given eight minutes to find the answers to as many of these 
 addition examples as possible. Write the answers on this paper directly 
 underneath the examples. You are not expected to be able to do them all. 
 You will be marked for both speed and accuracy, but it is more important to 
 have your answers right than to try a great many examples. 
 
 939 
 
 392 
 
 757 
 
 939 
 
 389 
 
 482 
 
 779 
 
 809 
 
 274 
 
 287 
 
 594 
 
 376 
 
 975 
 
 857 
 
 554 
 
 667 
 
 475 
 
 935 
 
 138 
 
 567 
 
 682 
 
 449 
 
 323 
 
 372 
 
 867 
 
 849 
 
 ' 666 
 
 631 
 
 448 
 
 604 
 
 997 
 
 735 
 
 354 
 
 726 
 
 683 
 
 327 
 
 361 
 
 773 
 
 468 
 
 531 
 
 492 
 
 614 
 
 575 
 
 988 
 
 596 
 
 598 
 
 821 
 
 198 
 
 366 
 
 248 
 
 157 
 
 459 
 
 653 
 
 326 
 
 156 
 
 832 
 
 939 
 
 192 
 
 505 
 
 726 
 
 437 
 
 432 
 
 664 
 
 901 
 
 729 
 
 407 
 
 199 
 
 412 
 
 164 
 
 557 
 
 179 
 
 427 
 
 423 
 
 172 
 
 485 
 
 785 
 
 682 
 
 701 
 
 666 
 
 751 
 
 568 
 
 713 
 
 309 
 
 ■437 
 
 240 
 
 978 
 
 772 
 
 985 
 
 232 
 
 675 
 
 255 
 
 582 
 
 878 
 
 550 
 
 328 
 
 874 
 
 107 
 
 358 
 
 887 
 
 646 
 
 395 
 
 427 
 
 640 
 
 797 
 
 895 
 
 229 
 
 445 
 
 370 
 
 628 
 
 944 
 
 304 
 
 516 
 
 343 
 
 994 
 
 617 
 
 889 
 
 534 
 
 889 
 
 533 
 
 962 
 
 189 
 
 867 
 
 496 
 
 323 
 
 262 
 
 695 
 
 987 
 
 408 
 
 614 
 
 456 
 
 964 
 
 908 
 
 705 
 
 348 
 
 861 
 
 293 
 
 476 
 
 439 
 
 428 
 
 324 
 
 227 
 
 676 
 
 468 
 
 229 
 
 799 
 
 597 
 
 305 
 
 935 
 
 846 
 
 250 
 
 355 
 
 246 
 
 305 
 
 373 
 
 294 
 
 253 
 
 359 
 
 307 
 
 402 
 
 777 
 
 583 
 
 588 
 
 562 
 
 417 
 
 600 
 
 472 
 
 949 
 
 480 
 
 687 
 
 272 
 
 775 
 
 291 
 
 878 
 
 541 
 
 695 
 
 939 
 
 871 
 
 743 
 
 859 
 
 746 
 
 483 
 
 797 
 
 596 
 
 622 
 
 446 
 
 656 
 
 632 
 
 802 
 
 791 
 
 664 
 
 855 
 
 741 
 
 924 
 
 629 
 
 967 
 
 984 
 
 868 
 
 936 
 
 933 
 
 818 
 
 155 
 
 967 
 
 338 
 
 698 
 
 133 
 
 828 
 
 287 
 
 794 
 
 133 
 
 163 
 
 488 
 
 339 
 
 725 
 
 157 
 
 476 
 
 185 
 
 31 
 
Courtis Tests. 8eries B. Addition 
 
 8 
 
 Courtis 
 Standards 6,5 
 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 
 / 
 
 "^~^-^ — 
 
 // 
 
 // 
 
 W 
 
 
 
 Grades 
 
 8 
 
 Flg^ure 1 ■ 
 
 Courtis Standarxi. 
 Alton Average. 
 
 Courtis Standard Research Tests — Series B 
 
 Subtraction. 
 
 You will be given four minutes to find the answers to as many of these 
 subtraction examples as possible. Write the answers on this paper directly 
 underneath the exaniiples. You are not expected to be able to do them all. 
 You will be marked for both speed and accuracy, but it is more important to 
 have your answers right than to try a great many examples. 
 
 159707419 
 70176993 
 
 84527908 
 67493046 
 
 45090059 
 39910561 
 
 87839939 
 71262307 
 
 120266060 
 78683031 
 
 88337503 
 48870252 
 
 136191168 71023212 164171264 86330769 55241907 140368140 
 95532365 43951074 96128105 71368394 38702469 59405436 
 
 86292734 
 38391581 
 
 163782191 
 96279042 
 
 152306500 
 85166218 
 
 177290256 
 96030303 
 
 120919926 
 72072620 
 
 101044843 
 83749538 
 
 102603616 
 56211509 
 
 146188200 
 64983347 
 
 123853866 
 85637071 
 
 194538545 
 99522471 
 
 128088241 
 88416406 
 
 86654802 
 16830497 
 
 32 
 
Subtraction. 
 
 Grades 4 
 
 8 
 
 Figure 2, 
 
 Courtis Standard. 
 
 -_ Alton Average. 
 
 Courtis standard Research Tests — Series B 
 Multiplication 
 
 You will be given six minutes to work as many of these multiplication 
 examples as possible. You are not expected to be able to do them all. Do 
 your work directly on this paper; use no other. You will be marked for both 
 speed and accuracy, but it is more important to have your answers right than 
 to try a great many examples. 
 
 8654 
 
 7329 
 
 3297 
 
 5684 
 
 9237 
 
 4568 
 
 2972 
 
 63 
 
 27 
 
 36 
 
 85 
 
 49 
 
 72 
 
 580 
 
 6584 
 
 9542 
 
 7638 
 
 9245 
 
 5492 
 
 6783 
 
 8673 
 
 94 
 
 206 
 
 95 
 
 59 
 
 48 
 
 62 
 
 73 
 
 8763 
 
 4685 
 
 2937 
 
 5924 
 
 7239 
 
 8645 
 
 5648 
 
 84 
 
 65 
 
 208 
 
 37 
 
 470 
 
 93 
 
 74 
 
 3972 
 
 8456 
 
 3279 
 
 9452 
 
 
 
 
 39 
 
 82 
 
 56 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 
 33 
 
Multinlication 
 
 8 
 
 6.5 
 
 5.5 
 
 1.5 
 Grades 4 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 /__ 
 
 
 y 
 
 // 
 // 
 
 • 
 
 y 
 
 / / 
 
 f 
 
 
 y 
 
 y / 
 
 f 
 
 • 
 
 
 5 
 
 Figure 3 
 
 Courtis Standard. 
 
 -<_ ^. ..— . Alton Average 
 
 3 
 
 Courtis Standard Research Tests — Series B 
 
 Division 
 
 You will be given eight minutes to work as many of these division 
 examples as possible. You are not expected to be able to do them all. Do 
 your work directly on this paper; use no other. You will be marked for both 
 speed and accuracy, but it is more important to have your answers right 
 than to try a great many examples. 
 
 27)7857 
 
 64)51392 35)10150 98)81438 72)36432 
 
 46)34086 
 
 53)39220 89)49929 29)13369 74)22866 38)11058 65)29900 
 
 92)69000 47)35297 83)66649 56)46536 37)21497 56)22792 
 
 29)16820 84)39564 64)35840 73)70153 25)5225 98)46158 
 
 34 
 
Division 
 
 Grades 
 
 8 
 
 Figure 4 
 
 Courtis Standard 
 
 Alton Average 
 
 Reasoning — Series A — Test 8 
 
 You will be given twelve minutes to find the answers to as many of 
 these problems as possible. Write the answers on this paper directly after 
 the problems. You are not expected to be able to do them all. You will be 
 marked for both speed and accuracy, but it is more important to have your 
 answers right than to try a great many problems. 
 
 1. The children in a certain school gave a Christmas party. One of the 
 presents was a box of candy. In filling the boxes, one grade used 16 pounds 
 of candy, another 17 pounds, a third 12 pounds, and a fourth 13 pounds. 
 What did the candy cost at 26 cents a pound? 
 
 2. A school in a certain city used 2516 pieces of chalk in 37 school 
 days. Three new rooms were opened, each room holding 50 children, and 
 the school was then found to use 84 sticks of chalk per day. How many more 
 sticks of chalk were used per day than at first? 
 
 3. Several boys went on a bicycle trip of 1500 miles. The first week 
 they rode 374 miles, the second week 264 miles, the third 423 miles, the 
 fourth 401 miles. They finished the trip the next week. How many miles did 
 they ride the last week? 
 
 4. Forty-five boys were hired to pick apples from 15 trees in an apple 
 orchard. In 50 minutes each boy had picked 48 choice apples. If all the 
 apples picked were packed away carefully in 8 boxes of equal size, how many 
 apples were put in each box? 
 
 5. In a certain school 216 children gave a sleigh ride party. They 
 rented 7 sleighs at a cost of $30.00 and paid $24.00 tor the refreshments. The 
 
 35 
 
party traveled 15 miles in 2l^ hours and had a very pleasant time, 
 was each child's share of the expense? 
 
 What 
 
 6. A girl found, by careful counting, that there w^ere 2400 letters on 
 one page of her history, and 2295 on a page of her reader. How many more 
 letters had she read in one book than in the other if she had read 47 pages in 
 each of the books? 
 
 7. Each of 59 rooms in the schools of a certain city contributed 25 
 presents to a Christmas entertainment for the poor children. The stores of 
 the city gave 1986 other articles for presents. What was the total number of 
 presents given away at the entertainment? 
 
 8. Forty-eight children from a certain school paid 10 cents a piece to 
 ride 7 miles on the cars to a woods. There in a few hours they gathered 2765 
 nuts. 605 of these were bad, but the rest were shared equally among the 
 children. How many good nuts did each one get? 
 
 Reasoning 
 
 3.4 
 
 2.8 
 
 2.2 
 
 1.7 
 
 Grades 4 
 
 8 
 
 Figure 5 . 
 
 Courtis Standard 
 
 «»_ — — . -_ Alton Average. 
 
 36 
 
TABLE I. 
 
 School 
 
 Grade 
 
 Add. 
 
 Sub. 
 
 Mul. Dlv. Reasoning 
 
 Garfield 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 2.4 
 7.3 
 5.5 
 
 1.7 
 6.2 
 4.7 
 
 2.5 
 8.4 
 
 2.1 
 
 .8 
 
 6.8 
 
 3.6 
 
 5.3 
 
 3.8 
 
 Gillham 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 3.5 
 
 3. 
 
 1 
 
 2.6 
 
 7.8 
 
 3.5 
 
 2.7 
 
 1 
 
 8.7 
 
 10 
 
 4.9 
 
 6. 
 
 3 
 
 Horace Mann 
 
 Humboldt 
 
 Irving 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 VIII 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 VI 
 VII 
 VIII 
 
 IV 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 2.5 
 
 3.2 
 
 2.5 
 
 1.8 
 
 1 
 
 1.9 
 
 2 
 
 2.2 
 
 1.4 
 
 1 
 
 3.4 
 
 4.2 
 
 4.2 
 
 4.3 
 
 2.6 
 
 5.4 
 
 8.8 
 
 9.2 
 
 7.8 
 
 4.6 
 
 5.1 
 
 8.1 
 
 6.7 
 
 8 
 
 4.7 
 
 3.6 
 
 3.8 
 
 3.8 
 
 2.3 
 
 4.7 
 
 3.6 
 
 5.6 
 
 2.7 
 
 3.6 
 
 2.7 
 
 5.5 
 
 7. 
 
 6.3 
 
 3.5 
 
 2.9 
 
 4.1 
 
 7.8 
 
 4.5 
 
 7.5 
 
 3.3 
 
 2.5 
 
 3.4 
 
 2.9 
 
 1.5 
 
 1.7 
 
 3. 
 
 7.1 
 
 4.3 
 
 3.3 
 
 .6 
 
 4.7 
 
 6.5 
 
 5.3 
 
 4.7 
 
 4.7 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 Lowell 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 VIII 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 2.7 
 
 2.8 
 
 2.5 
 
 1 
 
 .6 
 
 4.5 
 
 5.8 
 
 3.1 
 
 2.6 
 
 2.8 
 
 3.4 
 
 4.7 
 
 4.7 
 
 3.9 
 
 2.8 
 
 3.9 
 
 6. 
 
 4.9 
 
 3.6 
 
 2.4 
 
 6.6 
 
 7.5 
 
 6.5 
 
 7.3 
 
 3 
 
 2.5 
 
 3.8 
 
 2.9 
 
 1.3 
 
 .4 
 
 2. 
 
 2. 
 
 2.9 
 
 1.9 
 
 1. 
 
 3.4 
 
 5. 
 
 4. 
 
 2.4 
 
 2. 
 
 McKinley 
 
 IV 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 VIII 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 4 
 
 6.7 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 11 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 9.1 
 
 2 
 4 
 5 
 
 8.5 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 3 
 4.6 
 
 Washington 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 VIII 
 
 3.2 
 4.6 
 3.8 
 
 3.3 
 
 6- 
 
 7.8 
 
 3.3 
 4.8 
 
 7 
 
 2.2 
 4.1 
 6.5 
 
 1.6 
 2.6 
 3.8 
 
 The Courtis standards used in these tests for the different grades were 
 derived from over 25,000 pupils representing school systems of all sizes. 
 
 In general, these tests show the upper grades to be below the standards 
 in the fundamentals of arithmetic. This is due to one of two causes. There 
 is a lack of drill in the fundamentals in these grades, or the drill given is 
 not vitalized. The average of the eighth grade indicates that drill in funda- 
 
 37 
 
mentals is much neglected, and that lists of single type problems is the order, 
 instead of problems of various types calling for original thinking In applied 
 problems. 
 
 With the exception of the test in addition, the progress of the pupils 
 through the grades until reaching the seventh grade is quite uniform. 
 
 A study of Table. I shows a lack of uniform progress In some schools 
 as the pupils pass through the grades. 
 
 The fifth grade of the Garfield School shows much more power than 
 the sixth grade. The seventh grade of the Horace Mann shows more ability 
 than the eighth grade. These conditions indicate loose classifications because 
 of a lack of standards. 
 
 If these great differences in individual schools were corrected by more 
 efficient supervision, the average of the Alton Schools would closely approach 
 the standards. 
 
 It is recommended that systematic, vitalized drill be pursued throughout 
 the grades. 
 
 That clear and accurate thinking in one-step problems be acquired in 
 the lower grades before two or more step problems be given pupils. 
 
 That the problems be more closely related to the pupils' experience and 
 every day life. 
 
 READING 
 
 The chief elements In reading are (1) the comprehension of the 
 material read, (2) the speed in reading, and (3) the correctness of pronun- 
 ciation. The first two are the more important, and much mor^ easily meas- 
 ured than the third. For this reason the tests given in reading are for the 
 purpose of measuring ability in speed and comprehension in silent reading 
 in the six upper grades, and for measuring the same elements in oral reading 
 in the first and second grades. 
 
 The material and standards used are the Starch Tests, which have 
 been made with over 75,000 pupils in all parts of the country. 
 
 The test material is composed of eight selections, the number of the 
 selection corresponding to the grade in which used. The increases in difficulty 
 from one sample to the next represent uniform steps. 
 
 Comprehension by the Starch tests is determined by counting the 
 number of words written which correctly reproduce the thought. These 
 words become the index of comprehension. 
 
 Since children of the first and second grades are not expected to 
 reproduce thought in writing, the Starch tests are modified, as will be seen, 
 so that comprehension is based upon oral reproduction guided by questions. 
 The score of each question is supposed to represent the relative values of the 
 questions. 
 
 The percentage acquired upon the whole selection is used in finding 
 the comprehension by taking such a percentage of the words read per second. 
 
 The following are the Starch standards: 
 Grades 12 3 4 
 
 Speed 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.4 
 
 Comprehension 15 20 24 28 
 
 One thousand one hundred ninety pupils took the tests in reading. 
 
 Reading Test 
 Grades I and II 
 
 Test each pupil individually outside the class room. Allow him to 
 read orally all of Card I. Time him carefully for 30 seconds, drawing a circle 
 around the last word read. Give him no assistance. Tell him to pass over 
 any word he can not pronounce. 
 
 Divide the number of words read in 30 seconds by 30. This gives his 
 score in speed. After he has finished reading ask the questions given and 
 grade the paper. To determine his comprehension, suppose his grade is 40 
 per cent and his speed 35 words in 30 seconds, his score in comprehension is 
 40 per cent of 35, or 14. 
 
 38 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 2.8. 
 
 3.2 
 
 3.6 
 
 4.0 
 
 33 
 
 38 
 
 45 
 
 50 
 
Grades III-VIII, inclusive 
 
 In Grades III-VIII, inclusive, the test should be made a class exercise. 
 
 Give each pupil a card face down on desk. Allow the class to read 
 exactly 30 seconds, and have them place a circle around the last word read. 
 Then turn over the paper and write all they remember having read, allowing 
 as much time as they need. Score speed as above. 
 
 To determine comprehension count the number of words which cor- 
 rectly reproduce the thought, cancelling all other words. Use this number as 
 the score in comprehension. 
 
 Qrades I and II 
 
 Card No. 1 
 
 With whom did the little girl live? 
 
 What happened because they were poor? 
 
 Where did the little girl go one day? 
 
 Why did she go there? 
 
 For what did she wish? 
 
 Of whom did she think besides herself? 
 
 Whom did she then see? 
 
 Why was the little girl so sad? 
 
 Card No. 2 
 
 1. Where did Betty live ? When? 
 
 2. How old was she? 
 
 3. Did she like to help her mother? 
 
 4. What had she learned to do? 
 
 5. What did she like to do best?. 
 
 6. Why was Betty left alone one day? 
 
 7. Who was visiting the South? 
 
 8. How did he travel from town to town? 
 
 9. How was the coach drawn? 
 
 10. How many men rode on horseback? 
 
 11. Where did they ride? 
 
 10 
 15 
 10 
 15 
 12 
 12 
 11 
 15 
 
 12 
 8 
 8 
 
 12 
 8 
 
 10 
 8 
 9 
 9 
 8 
 8 
 
 No. 1 
 
 Once there was a little girl who lived with her mother. They were 
 very poor. Sometimes they had no supper. Then they went to bed hungry. 
 One day the little girl went into the woods. She wanted sticks for the fire. 
 She was so hungry and sad! "Oh, I wish I had some sweet porridge!" she 
 said. "I wish I had a pot full for mother and me. We could eat it all up." 
 lust then she saw an old woman with a little black pot. She said, "Little girl, 
 why are you so sad?" "I am hungry," said the little girl. 
 
 No. 2 
 
 Betty lived in the South, long, long ago. She was only ten years old, 
 but she liked to help her mother. 
 
 She had learned to do many things. She could knit and sew and spin; 
 but best of all she liked to cook. 
 
 One day Betty was alone at home because her father and mother and 
 Drother had gone to town to see a wonderful sight. 
 
 The great George Washington was visiting the South. He was going 
 from town to town, riding in a gref^t white coach. trimmed with shining gold. 
 It had leather curtains, and soft cushions. Four milk-white horses drew it 
 along the road. 
 
 Four horsemen rode ahead of the coach to clear the way and four 
 others rode behind it. They were all dressed in white and gold. 
 
 No. 3 
 
 Little Abe hurried home as fast as his feet could carry him. Perhaps 
 if he had worn stockings and shoes like yours he could have, run faster. 
 But, instead, he wore deerskin leggings and clumsy moccasins of bear skin 
 that his mother had made for him. 
 
 Such a funny little figure as he was, hurrying along across the rough 
 fields! His suit was made of war homespun cloth. His cap was made of 
 coonskin, and the tail of the coon hung behind him, like a furry tassel. 
 
 But if you could have looked into the honest, twinkling blue eyes of 
 this little lad of long ago, you would have liked him at once. 
 
 39 
 
In one hand little Abe held something very precious. It was only a 
 book, but little Abe thought more of that book than he would have thought 
 of gold or precious stones. 
 
 You cannot know just what that book meant to little Abe, unless you 
 are very fond of reading. Think how it would be to see no books except two 
 or three old ones that you had read over and over until you knew them by 
 heart! 
 
 No. 4 
 
 The red squirrel usually waked me in the dawn, running over the 
 roof and up and down the sides of the house, as if sent out of the woods for 
 this very purpose. 
 
 In the course of the winter I threw out half a bushel of ears of sweet 
 corn onto the snow crust by my door, and was amused by watching the 
 motions of the various animals which were baited by it. All day long the 
 red squirrels came and went, and afforded me much entertainment by their 
 maneuvers. 
 
 One would approach, at first, warily through the shrub-oaks, running 
 over the snow crust by fits and starts like a leaf blown by the wind. Now 
 he would go a few paces this way, with wonderful speed, making haste with 
 his "trotters" as if it were for a wager; and now, as many paces that way, 
 but never getting on more than half a rod at a time. 
 
 Then suddenly he would pause with a ludicrous expression and a 
 somerset, as if all eyes in the universe were fixed on him. Then, before you 
 could say Jack Robinson, he w^ould be in the top of a young pitch-pine, 
 winding up his clock and talking to all the universe at the same time. 
 
 No. 5 
 
 Once upon a time, there lived a very rich man, and a king besides, 
 whose name was Midas; and he had a little daughter, whom nobody but 
 myself ever heard of, and whose name I either never knew, or have entirely 
 forgotten. So, because I love odd names for little girls, I choose to call 
 her Marygold. 
 
 This King Midas was fonder of gold than anything else in the world. 
 He valued his royal crown chiefly because it was composed of that precious 
 metal. If he loved anything better, or half so well, it was the one little 
 maiden who played so merrily around her father's footstool. But the more 
 Midas loved his daughter, the more did he desire and seek for wealth. He 
 thought, foolish man! that the best thing he could possibly do for his dear 
 child would be to give her the immensest pile of yellow, glistening coin, that 
 had ever been heaped together since the world was made. Thus, he gave all 
 his thoughts and all his time to this one purpose. If ever he happened to 
 gaze for an instant at the goldtinted clouds of sunset, he wished that they 
 were real gold, and that they could be squeezed safely into his strong box. 
 When little Marygold ran to meet him, with a bunch of buttercups and 
 dandelions, he used to say, "Poh, poh, child! If these flowers were as 
 golden as they look, they would be worth the plucking!" 
 
 And yet, in his earlier days, before he was so entirely possessed of this 
 insane desire for riches, King Midas had shown a great taste for flowers. 
 
 No. 6 
 
 In a secluded and mountainous part of Stirla there was in old time a 
 valley of the most surprising and luxuriant fertility. It was surrounded on 
 all sides by steep and rocky mountains, rising into peaks which were always 
 covered with snow, and from which a number of torrents descended in con- 
 stant cataracts. One of these fell westward over the face of a crag so high 
 that, when 'the sun had set to everything else, and all below was darkness, 
 his beams still shone full upon this waterfall, so that it looked like a shower 
 of gold. It was, therefore, called by the people of the neighborhood, the 
 Golden River. It was strange that none of these streams fell into the valley 
 itself. They all descended on the other side of the mountains, and wound 
 away through broad plains and past populous cities. But the clouds were 
 drawn so constantly to the snowy hills and rested so softly in the circular 
 hollow, that in time of drought and heat, when all the country round was 
 burnt up. there was still rain in the little valley; and its crops were so heavy 
 and its hay so high, and its apples so red, and its grapes so blue, and its 
 wine so rich, and its honey so sweet, that it was a marvel to everyone who 
 beheld it, and was commonly called the Treasure Valley. 
 
 The whole of this little valley belonged to three brothers called 
 
 40 
 
 \ 
 
Schwartz, Hans and Gluck. Schwartz and Hans, the two elder brothers, were 
 very ugly men, with overhanging eyebrows and small dull eyes. 
 
 No. 7 
 
 Japtain John Hull was the mint-master of Massachusetts, and coined 
 all the money that was made there. This was a new line of business, for in 
 the earlier days of the colony the current coinage consisted of gold and 
 silver money of England, Portugal and Spain. These coins being scarce, the 
 people were often forced to barter their commodities instead of selling them. 
 
 For instance, if a man wanted to buy a coat, he perhaps exchanged a 
 bearskin for it. If he wished for a barrel of molasses, he might purchase it 
 with a pile of pine boards. Musket-bullets were used instead of farthings. 
 The Indians had a sort of money called wampum, which was made of clam- 
 shells, and this strange sort of specie was likewise taken in payment of 
 debts by the English settlers. Bank-bills had never been heard of. There 
 was not money enough of any kind, in many parts of the country, to pay the 
 salaries of the ministers, so that they sometimes had to take quintals of 
 fish, bushels of corn, or cords of wood instead of silver or gold. 
 
 As the people grew more numerous and their trade one with another 
 increased, the want of current money was still more sensibly felt. To supply 
 the demand the general court passed a law for establishing a coinage of 
 shillings, sixpences, and three pences. Captain John Hull was appointed to 
 manufacture this money, and was to have about one shilling out of every 
 twenty to pay him for the trouble of making them. 
 
 No. 8 
 
 The years went on, and Ernest ceased to be a boy. He had grown 
 to be a young man now. He attracted little notice from the other inhabi- 
 tants of the valley; for they saw nothing remarkable in his way of life, 
 save that, when the labor of the day was over he still loved to go apart and 
 gaze and meditate upon the Great Stone Face. According to their idea of the 
 matter, it was a folly, indeed, but pardonable, Inasmuch as Ernest was 
 industrious, kind, and neighborly, and neglected no duty for tfie sake of 
 indulging this idle habit. They knew not that the Great Stone Face had 
 become a teacher to him, and that the sentiment which was expressed in It 
 would enlarge the young man's heart, and fill it v/ith wider and deeper 
 sympathies than other hearts. They knew not that thence would come a 
 better wisdom than could be learned from books, and a better life than could 
 be moulded on the defaced example of other human lives. Neither did Ernest 
 know that the thoughts and affections which came to him so naturally, in the 
 fields and at the fireside, and wherever he communed with himself, were of a 
 higher tone than those which all men shared with him. 
 
 By this time poor Mr. Gathergold was dead and buried: and the oddest 
 part of the matter was, that his wealth, which was the body and spirit of his 
 existence, had disappeared before his death, leading nothing of him but a 
 living skeleton, covered over with a wrinkled, yellow skin. Since the melting 
 away of his gold, it had been very generally conceded that there was no such 
 striking resemblance, after all, betwixt the ignoble features of the ruined 
 merchant and that majestic face upon the mountainside. 
 
 41 
 
Reading — Speed 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 ^^ V 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^-^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Words 
 
 Read 3 
 
 per 
 Second 
 
 2 
 
 Grades 12 3 45573 
 
 Figure 6 , 
 
 Starch Standard 
 
 »_ _ Alton Average 
 
 Comprehension. 
 
 50 
 40 
 30 
 
 20 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ ^1 
 
 y 
 
 ^ 
 
 > 
 
 > 
 y 
 y ^ 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 y ^ 
 ^^^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 345 
 
 Figure 7 . 
 
 Starch Standard 
 Alton Average 
 
 8 
 
 42 
 
TABLE 2. 
 
 School 
 
 Garneld 
 
 Grade 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 III 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 Words Read per 
 Minute 
 
 1.8 
 2.8 
 1.7 
 
 4.7 
 2.6 
 2. 
 
 Comprehension 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 27 
 
 .28 
 
 45.2 
 
 29.4 
 
 Gillham 
 
 Horace Mann 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 III 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 .9 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 3.8 
 3.5 
 3.3 
 3.4 
 3.9 
 
 12 
 
 20 
 
 25.7 
 
 37 
 
 38 
 
 35 
 
 43.3 
 
 44.4 
 
 Humboldt 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 III 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 1.5 
 3. 
 
 2.7 
 3.7 
 2.6 
 3.1 
 4.9 
 
 39 
 
 42 
 
 36 
 42 
 37 
 
 Irving 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 III ' 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 1.8 
 
 2.6 
 
 2. 
 
 4. 
 
 3.5 
 
 4.8 
 
 18 
 14 
 
 35 
 42 
 25 
 62 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 III 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 1 
 1.1 
 
 1.7 
 2.7 
 3.2 
 2.5 
 3.6 
 3.19 
 
 12 
 26 
 36 
 21 
 35 
 29 
 49 
 44 
 
 Lowell 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 III 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 1.31 
 
 1.65 
 1.63 
 3.52 
 3.51 
 2.9 
 
 16 
 18 
 15 
 25 
 31 
 18 
 
 43 
 
Table 2. — ( Continued) 
 
 
 
 Words Read 
 
 per 
 
 
 
 School 
 
 Grade 
 
 Minute 
 
 
 Co 
 
 m prehension 
 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 II 
 
 2.1 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 
 III 
 
 2. 
 
 
 
 30 
 
 McKinley 
 
 IV 
 
 3.2 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 
 V 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 47 
 
 
 VI 
 
 4.1 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 
 VII 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 
 VIII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 1.7 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 II 
 
 2. 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 III 
 
 1.7 
 
 
 
 37 
 
 Washington 
 
 IV 
 
 3.2 
 
 
 
 29 
 
 
 V 
 
 2.4 
 
 
 
 35 
 
 
 VI 
 
 2.3 
 
 
 
 24 
 
 
 VII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 VIII 
 
 
 
 
 
 Figures 6 and 7 show that the comprehension of the lower grades is 
 higher than the speed with which they read, whereas the upper grades read 
 faster than they interpret. 
 
 This result may be attributed to a lack of training in silent reading 
 and of standards for testing interpretation, or to too little emphasis placed 
 upon the appreciative side of reading. More training in silent reading and 
 thought appreciation in the upper grades seems necessary. 
 
 Figure 6 and Table 2 reveal entirely too great differences in the 
 uniform growth through the grades. 
 
 The Lincoln, Horace Mann and McKinley Schools, though below stand- 
 ard in the first grade, show a uniform growth with slight exceptions through 
 the grades. 
 
 The differences seen in other schools show a need of supervision. 
 For instance, in the Garfield School the children of the second grade read 
 with greater speed than the children of the sixth grade. In the Washington 
 School the fourth grade pupils both read with greater speed, and compre- 
 hend better than pupils of the sixth grade. The same is true in the 
 Lowell. 
 
 Systematic training in silent reading and speed both in silent and 
 oral reading is recommended. 
 
 44 
 
SPELLING 
 
 The words used for the spelling tests were selected from the Ayres 
 Spelling Scale. It is composed of 1,000 commonest words in English writing, 
 so arranged as to show standards of spelling ability in all the grades from 
 the second through the eighth. The standards are computed from 1,400,000 
 spellings by children in 84 cities of all sizes throughout the country. 
 
 The following lists of words were given in two forms. The Lincoln, 
 Irving, Washington, McKinley, Gillham, and Lovejoy Schools spelled them 
 in isolated lists. The Humboldt, Garfield, Lowell, Horace Mann, and Doug- 
 lass spelled the twenty words arranged in sentences. 
 
 11 Grade 
 
 III Grade 
 
 IV Grade 
 
 V Grade 
 
 eat 
 
 
 became 
 
 except 
 
 usual 
 
 sit 
 
 
 brother 
 
 aunt 
 
 complaint 
 
 belong 
 
 
 mail 
 
 bridge 
 
 beautiful 
 
 door 
 
 
 eye 
 
 built 
 
 repair 
 
 low 
 
 
 upon 
 
 center 
 
 trouble 
 
 stand 
 
 
 would 
 
 wonder 
 
 importance 
 
 yard 
 
 
 where 
 
 pair 
 
 mayor 
 
 bring 
 
 
 without 
 
 itself 
 
 engine 
 
 five 
 
 
 Friday 
 
 always 
 
 guest 
 
 ask 
 
 
 July 
 
 woman 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 just 
 
 
 reach 
 
 copy 
 
 newspaper 
 
 home 
 
 
 price 
 
 among 
 
 daughter 
 
 much 
 
 
 horse 
 
 doctor 
 
 sail 
 
 long 
 
 
 clean 
 
 hear 
 
 cities 
 
 then 
 
 
 finish 
 
 there 
 
 several 
 
 house 
 
 
 across 
 
 dollar 
 
 clerk 
 
 year 
 
 
 tenth 
 
 sure 
 
 o'clock 
 
 to 
 
 
 these 
 
 God 
 
 escape 
 
 I 
 
 
 coming 
 
 history 
 
 which 
 
 some 
 
 
 easy 
 
 use 
 
 length 
 
 . 
 
 VI 
 
 Grade 
 
 VII Grade 
 
 VIII Grade 
 
 
 lose 
 
 
 guess 
 
 distinguish 
 
 
 avenue 
 
 circular 
 
 colonies 
 
 
 neighbor 
 
 argument 
 
 foreign 
 
 
 wear 
 
 
 volume 
 
 issue 
 
 
 salary 
 
 
 official 
 
 respectfully 
 
 
 machine 
 
 victim 
 
 majority 
 
 
 success 
 
 estimate 
 
 principal 
 
 
 drown 
 
 
 accident 
 
 testimony 
 
 
 honor 
 
 
 invitation 
 
 discussion 
 
 
 busy 
 
 
 impossible 
 
 arrangement 
 
 
 prefer 
 
 
 associate 
 
 reference 
 
 
 different 
 
 automobile 
 
 evidence 
 
 
 director 
 
 entitled 
 
 experience 
 
 
 diamond 
 
 political 
 
 session 
 
 
 together 
 
 national 
 
 secretary 
 
 
 feature 
 
 refer 
 
 association 
 
 
 article 
 
 
 minute 
 
 career 
 
 
 general 
 
 absence 
 
 height 
 
 
 against 
 
 folks 
 
 athletic 
 
 
 popular 
 
 Wednesday 
 
 cordially 
 
 Sentences containing the same words were dictated to the classes 
 of the different grades as follows: 
 
 // Orade 
 
 1. 
 
 2. 
 3. 
 4. 
 5. 
 6. 
 
 My five year old brother will stand at the door of our house. ■ 
 
 We can sit on that long box in the yard and eat some apples. 
 
 Bring the low chair to baby. 
 
 Mary did not tell me much about the boy. 
 
 Just then I saw John go home to ask mother. 
 
 The books belong to May. 
 
 45 
 
Ill Grade 
 
 1. His work became easy when his eye was well. 
 
 2. The vmil would reach my brother on Friday, July the fen</i. 
 
 3. These horses coming across the street will be sold for a good price. 
 
 4. Do you know how to finish without help? 
 
 5. Where is your clean dress? 
 
 6. The snow fell upon the ground. 
 
 IV Grade 
 
 1. The bridge itself is a wonder and was built there many years ago., 
 
 2. I am sure God can see and hear all that we do and say. 
 
 3. Every copy of history was sold except one. 
 
 4. Among the first to reach the center of the crowd was the doctor. 
 
 5. If you can wse this pair of shoes, you may have them for one dollar. 
 
 6. My aunt is a ivoman who is always trying to do good, 
 
 V Grade 
 
 1. Mrs. Brown was a guest at a party given at three o'clock in honor 
 
 of the daiighter of the mayor. 
 
 2. The complaint about the engines was attended to as soon as the 
 
 repair wagon arrived. 
 
 3. Several cities of iynportance failed to escape the shock which was 
 
 caused by the earthquake. 
 
 4. The careless clerk, as usual, spoiled the beautiful length of cloth. 
 
 5. In the newspaper we read about the trouble the captain had trying 
 
 to lower the sail of the boat. 
 
 VI Grade 
 
 1. The general thinks the soldiers prefer an article of warm clothing 
 
 to anything else. 
 
 2. In order to win success it is well to remember that honor is an 
 
 important feature. 
 
 3. The director receives a splendid salary since he handles a different 
 
 machine. 
 
 4. Men and women together screamed for help lest they should drown 
 
 when the high waves dashed against the boat. 
 
 5. If our popular neighbor is not careful he will lose his diamond 
 
 ring which he likes to wear when walking on the busy avenue. 
 
 VII Grade 
 
 1. It will be impossible to accept your invitation for Wednesday. 
 
 2. An estimate is better than a guess. 
 
 3. The victim of the automobile accident held an official position. 
 
 4. The argument about the circular lasted but a minute. 
 
 5. The student was entitled to the volume. 
 
 6. The national and political affairs are managed by many. 
 
 7. In the absence of the house folks, I refer you to his associate. 
 
 VIII Grade 
 
 1. His athletic career was then at its height. 
 
 2. The secretary of the association made reference to the question at 
 
 issue. 
 
 3. All were cordially welcomed at the principal session. 
 
 4. The arrangement of the evidence and testimony made the discus- 
 
 sion clearer. 
 
 5. The man spoke respectfully. 
 
 6. The majority of the foreign colonies had the same experience. 
 
 7. Learn to distinguish colors. 
 
 Average scores in spelling in each gi xde from the second through the 
 eighth in the Alton schools. The average in 84 American cities for each 
 grade is 79 per cent. 
 
 46 
 

 
 TABLE 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 No. of 
 
 Average 
 
 in 
 
 Average in 
 
 Grade 
 
 Pupils 
 
 Alton Schools 
 
 84 
 
 Cities 
 
 2 
 
 146 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 79 
 
 3 
 
 158 
 
 72 
 
 
 
 79 
 
 4 
 
 148 
 
 76 
 
 
 
 79 
 
 5 
 
 162 
 
 73 
 
 
 
 79 
 
 6 
 
 166 
 
 76 
 
 
 
 79 
 
 7 
 
 98 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 79 
 
 8 
 
 69 
 
 78 
 
 
 
 79 
 
 The spelling ability in the different grades is quite uniform but there 
 is a great difference in attainment in the various schools. 
 
 These twenty words for each grade as used in the Ayres scale, are so 
 graduated in difficulty that each grade according to the standard should make 
 79 per cent. 
 
 TABLE 4 
 Spelling Standard, With the Average of Each School. 
 
 School 
 
 Ayres 
 Standard 
 
 Alton 
 
 Average 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 79 
 
 73 
 
 Irving 
 
 79 
 
 80 
 
 Washington 
 
 79 
 
 85 
 
 McKinley 
 
 79 
 
 76 
 
 Lovejoy 
 
 79 
 
 75 
 
 Gillham 
 
 79 
 
 80 
 
 Humboldt 
 
 79 
 
 81 
 
 Garfield 
 
 79 
 
 71 
 
 Lowell 
 
 79 
 
 60 
 
 Horace Mann 
 
 79 
 
 73 
 
 Douglass 
 
 79 
 
 60 
 
 Dunbar 
 
 79 
 
 63 
 
 Isolated Lists 
 Isolated Lists 
 Isolated Lists 
 Isolated Lists 
 Isolated Lists 
 Isolated Lists 
 Words in Sentences 
 Words in Sentences 
 Words in Sentences 
 Words in Sentences 
 Words in Sentences 
 Words in Sentences 
 
 Nine hundred forty-seven pupils of Part 2 classes, ready to pass into 
 
 the higher grade, took the spelling tests. Of the 18,320 spellings there were 
 
 4.505 misspellings, making an average of 75 per cent for all the schools of 
 Alton, or 4 per cent below the Ayres Standard. 
 
 Four hundred ninety-eight pupils took part in the spelling of the 
 isolated words, having 2,082 misspellings, or 79 per cent, and 449 pupils took 
 the test in sentence spelling, making 2,423 misspellings, or 73 per cent. 
 
 Spelling is used only in sentences or paragraphs, and if taught with 
 this aim should not show this result. Column spelling evidently is empha- 
 sized too much, since modern methods of the stiuhj of spelling instead of the 
 testing of spelling give reverse results. 
 
 Results show spelling to be poorly taught in several schools. 
 
 47 
 
WRITTEN ENGLISH 
 
 The problem of spoken and written language is no doubt the most 
 important one in the school curriculum, and yet there has been an almost 
 entire lack of standards for the teacher. 
 
 Few attempts have been made to measure the ability of pupils to talk, 
 except as manifested in their written English. In a few instances steno- 
 graphic reports have been made of oral language efforts on the part of 
 pupils, but with such small numbers of pupils as to make the standards of 
 small value. 
 
 All good writers may not be good speakers, but as a rule good speakers * 
 write well. A common standard for both exercises is to be found in the 
 ability to use the sentence correctly. The clean-cut sentence lies at the 
 basis of both oral and written English. The development of the "sentence 
 sense" is the problem in each case. 
 
 The following tests are designed to measure the uniform growth of the 
 "sentence sense" as pupils pass through grades. This will, in a large degree, 
 indicate the character of instruction in both oral and written English. 
 
 These results are compared with standards derived from the scores 
 of 2,146 pupils taking the same tests. The following tests were given: 
 
 Test in Written English 
 
 Grades IV and Y 
 
 Select one of the following titles and write about it, not to exceed 
 seven sentences. The teacher will collect all papers at the end of twenty 
 minutes. 
 
 1. Spending a Nickel. 
 
 2. How I Build a Fire. 
 
 3. A Surprise for Mother. 
 
 4. My Excuse. 
 
 5. How to Direct a Stranger to an Interesting Place in Your City, — 
 
 Public Library, etc. 
 
 6. The Back Yard Circus. 
 
 7. Afraid of a Mouse. 
 
 8. A Dog I Like. 
 
 9. The Day After a Holiday. 
 10. A Friend in Need. 
 
 Test in Written English 
 
 Grades VI, VII, and VIII 
 
 Select one of the following titles and write about it, not to exceed 
 ten sentences. The teacher will collect all papers at the end of twenty 
 minutes. 
 
 1. The Store Windows at Christmas. 
 
 2. Getting Up on a Zero Morning. 
 
 3. Why I'd Rather Be a Boy. 
 
 4. Caught in the Act. 
 
 5. Safety First. 
 
 6. How I Lost My Belief in Santa Claus. 
 
 7. The Broken Window. 
 
 8. The Play That Won the Game. 
 
 9. No Cats Wanted. 
 
 10. The Buried Treasure. 
 
 1 
 
 48 
 
The papers were scored according to the following items, and the 
 results recorded in Table 4. 
 
 No. of 
 
 Sentences 
 Written 
 
 No. of 
 
 Sentences 
 Begun and 
 Ended 
 Correctly 
 
 No. "ands" 
 No. of No. of No. "ands" Used 
 
 Simple Complex Used Incor- 
 
 Sentences Sentences Correctly rectly. 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 Under systematic training in English there should be uniform growth 
 in the power of pupils to use correctly the simple sentence. At the same 
 time as the pupil is trained to subordinate in his thinking the less essentials, 
 the complex sentence begins to appear both in his oral and written language, 
 and as these sentences increase through the grades, the proportional number 
 of simple sentences decrease. 
 
 One of the greatest problems for the teacher of English is to lead the 
 child to talk and to write in simple sentences. The proper use of "and" is 
 fundamental to this work throughout the grades. 
 
 With these fundamentals as standards. Table 4 suggests a number of 
 conditions, although the number of pupils represented in these standards is 
 not large. 
 
 49 
 
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In the most elemental exercise of writing simple sentences there Is a 
 lack of uniformity in growth. The sixth grade writes much better than the 
 seventh and eighth. In the use of complex sentences the difference between 
 the fourth and eighth grades is. much too little. 
 
 In the use of "and" the sixth grade shows more ability than either of 
 the higher grades. 
 
 This lack of uniform progress through the grades in the ability of 
 pupils to write simple English, suggests more systematic training in the 
 practice of talking and writing in simple sentences, and that less time be 
 given to technical grammar and more time to functional grammar as it con- 
 tributes to daily exercises in talking and writing. 
 
 51 
 
HANDWRITING 
 
 In measuring the efficiency of writing, there are two prime elements to 
 be considered, speed and quality. 
 
 The speed has been ascertained by scoring the number of letters written 
 per minute. The quality, including legibility and form, is measured by the 
 Thorndike scale, which was constructed from 1,000 samples of writing by 
 pupils of the elementary grades. These samples were arranged in the order 
 of merit by forty competent judges. This resulted in a scale of graded 
 specimens ranging in quality from to 18, the former being absolutely 
 illegible writing but recognizable as an attempt to write, and the latter being 
 a perfect copybook model. A given specimen of writing was measured by^ 
 putting it alongside the scale and determining to what quality it is nearest. 
 
 The pupils of the fourth, through the eighth grades, were told to write 
 repeatedly the line "Mary had a little lamb" as well and as rapidly as they 
 could during two minutes without interruptions, and to make no erasures or 
 corrections. They wrote with pen and ink on ruled paper. 
 
 The number of letters written in two minutes was divided by two, and 
 the quotient scored as the speed in writing. 
 
 The following figure shows the standard of speed based upon over 
 6,000 pupils in 28 schools. 
 
 Writing — Fpeed 
 
 Figure 8 . 
 
 ..,___^___^ Standard 
 _ ___ __^ Alton Average 
 
 Standards 
 
 Grades 4 5 6 7 8 
 
 Speed 47 57 65 75 83 
 
 Quality 8.7 9.3 9.8 10.4 10.9 
 
 The average speed of the Alton school by grades is 69 letters per minute 
 
 as compared with 65 letters as given above. 
 
 The difference in speed between the fourth and eighth grade pupils of 
 the Alton schools is but 15 letters, while the standard score gives a difference 
 of 37 letters. 
 
 In quality the Alton schools are above the standard, except the seventh 
 grade, which is slightly below standard in both speed and quality. 
 
 None of the schools exhibit a steady progress in both speed and quality, 
 such as efflcient supervision and instruction give. One or the other of these 
 
 52 
 
characteristics is cultivated in spots beyond what is normal as figure 11 
 Bhows. 
 
 Writing — Quality 
 
 16 r 
 
 14 
 
 Thorn- 13 
 dike 
 
 Scale. 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 Grades 
 
 Figure 9 
 
 Thorndlke Standard 
 
 _» ___ — ■'^Itcn Averap;e 
 
 This figure shows both the medium of each grade, and the highest 
 quality reached by any pupil of the grade. 
 
 Quality 
 
 Thorn- 
 dike 
 
 Scale 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 
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 /■ ... 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 i;j 
 
 
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 11 
 
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 10 
 
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 9 
 8 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 Grades 
 
 Figure 10. 
 
 Standard 
 
 53 
 
Average quality and speed of handwriting of pupils of five upper 
 grades. Quality on vertical scale and speed on horizontal scale. 
 
 The broken line in the figure of the Garfield School shows the uniform 
 growth from the fourth to the eighth grade both in speed and quality. 
 
 Quality 
 
 Bpaad 
 
 40 50 
 
 70 80 90 
 
 Figure 11 . 
 
 Supervision should correct such irregularities as are found in the 
 schools shown in Figure 11. 
 
 In the Garfield School the quality of writing in the fourth, sixth, and 
 seventh grades is uniform. The difference in speed between the fourth and 
 the fifth grades amounts to 45 points, whereas uniform progress in well- 
 supervised schools show a difference of about 10 points. 
 
 Speed in writing in the Irving School i-eaches its climax in the fourth 
 grade where pupils write 86 letters per minute and then declines rapidly 
 to the sixth grade, where they write 41 letters per minute. The improvement 
 in quality through these three grades is scarcely noticeable. This is a most 
 abnormal condition and should be corrected by closer supervision and better 
 instruction. 
 
 The Horace Mann and Lincoln Schools show quite uniform progress 
 through the grades in quality, but the widest fiuctuations in speed. 
 
 Any school finding its sixth grade writing at the rate of 45 letters 
 per minute less than its fourth grade, with little improvement in quality, 
 has its problem most clearly defined. 
 
 In speed and quality taken as a whole the Alton Schools average about 
 the same as the standards used in these tests. The tests show a great lack of 
 
 54 
 
steady progress in speed and quality. These wide fluctuations found in most 
 of the schools, are due to poor supervision, resulting in poor instruction In 
 some grades, while in other grades most efficient instruction is found. Other- 
 wise this standard would not be maintained. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY 
 
 The purpose of the following test is to determine the ability of pupils 
 to study and learn geography according, to the meaning of the subject as 
 accepted by the best authority of today. 
 
 This ability implies two elements, (1) a knowledge of a minimum 
 amount of data and place geography, and (2) the power to use this data In 
 simple processes of reasoning by which certain rational conclusions are 
 reached in reference to the relation of man to his environment. 
 
 To measure the first element is an easy task. The old time examina- 
 tion calling for the location of a long list of places, whether essential or 
 non-essential, will serve for a standard. 
 
 To determine how efficiently a child can reason is not so easy. A list 
 of questions calling for different processes of thinking, may easily be given, 
 but the judgments of teachers scoring such results differ so widely that few, 
 if any, accepted standards of geography have been worked out. 
 
 It is seriously questioned by our best teachers of geography, whether 
 a child of the elementary school is capable within so brief a period of storing 
 the mind with a sufficient number of geographical principles or data, and 
 at the proper time independent of the guidance of a teacher, to be able to 
 exercise the type of judgment needed in the selection and application of these 
 various principles to the multitude of problems coming up in the study of 
 a given country. 
 
 In this test it is assumed that the child of the seventh grade having 
 completed the study of a country, after being taught to organize geographic 
 facts as he should, can take geographical data when placed before him and 
 make use of them in a better appreciation of economic values and geographic 
 conditions. 
 
 The following tests are prepared by Mr. W. C. Reavis and Mr. Mandel 
 E. Branon of Harris Teachers' College of St. Louis, and have been given to 
 642 pupils of seventh grades. 
 
 One hundred four pupils of the seventh grade of the Alton schools 
 took the tests upon the countries most recently completed In their studies. 
 
 These countries were Canada, France, Italy, England, and the Pacific 
 Section of the United States. 
 
 The following pages are the tests as given. 
 
 Co.mpletion Test for the Measurement of Minimum Geographic Knowledge 
 
 of Elementary School Children 
 
 Pupil Age Grade School 
 
 Part I. 
 
 On a 9x12 unlettered outline map of the world, indicate the location 
 of the continents and oceans by writing the names in the proper places. 
 Time limit, 3 minutes. Allow V^ point for each continent or ocean correctly 
 located. Possible score, 5.5 points. 
 
 Part II. 
 On a 9x12 unlettered outline map of the world, write in the correct 
 place the name of each of the following countries: United States, Great 
 Britain, Germany, France. India, Italy, Russia, Canada, Austria-Hungary, 
 Japan, China, Brazil, Afgentina, Netherlands, Mexico, Bergium, Australia, 
 Spain, Sweden, Egypt, Turkey. Time limit, 5 minutes. Allow 1/2 point for 
 each country located correctly. Possible score, 10.5 points. 
 
 Part III. 
 Country 
 
 1. Give the direction of this country from your home city 
 
 2. Give in square miles the approximate area of the United States 
 
 Underline the term that more nearly expresses the area of the above-named 
 country in comparison with the United States: (a) Larger, (b) Smaller, 
 (c) Approximately the same. 
 
 55 
 
3. Give the approximate population of the United States 
 
 Underline the term that more nearly expresses the population of the above 
 country in comparison with the United States: (a) Larger, (b) Smaller, 
 (c) Approximately the same. 
 
 4. Name an important highland of this country 
 
 5. Underline the statements that more nearly indicate the prevailing 
 conditions of this highland: (a) Easy to cross, (b) Extends below the tree 
 line,' (c) Large cities, (d) Dense population, (e) Permanent snowfields, 
 (f) Much mining, (g) No large cities, (h) Herding industry important, 
 (i) Difficult to cross. 
 
 6. Name an important river basin of this country 
 
 7. Underline the statements that more nearly indicate the prevailing 
 conditions concerning this lowland: (a) Dense population, (b) River im- 
 portant for navigation, (c) Needs irrigation, (d) Much mining (e) Much 
 swamp and overflow land, (f) Agriculture important, (g) Manufacturing 
 important, (b) Sparse population, (i) Herding important. 
 
 8. Underline the statement that describes the prevailing temperature 
 of the country, (a) Primarily in hot belt, (b) Primarily in cold belt, (c) 
 Primarily in intermediate belt. 
 
 9. Underline the statement that describes the prevailing rainfall: 
 
 (a) Heavy rainfall (above 50 in.), (b) Moderate rainfall (20 to 50 in), 
 
 (c) Light rainfall (less than 20 in.) 
 
 10. Underline the name of each plant product that is important in this 
 country; Corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, potatoes, cotton, tobacco, 
 flax, rice, sugar, apples, peaches, beans, peas, silk, cocoa, coffee, tea, oranges, 
 lemons, fibres, rubber, bananas, grapes, nuts, wood. 
 
 11. Write the name of one of the products underlined above 
 
 Underline its important use or uses: (a) Food for man, (b) Fuel, (c) Cloth- 
 ing, (d) Shelter, (e) Luxury, (f) Food for animals. 
 
 12. Underline the name of each animal that is important in this 
 country: Cattle, hogs, sheep, horses, mules, goats, poultry. 
 
 13. Write the name of one of the animals underlined above 
 
 Underline its important use or uses: (a) Meat, (b) Milk, (c) Clothing, 
 
 (d) Egg, (e) Beast of burden. 
 
 14. Underline the name of each mineral product that is important In 
 this country: Coal, iron, petroleum, phosphates, nickel, copper, gold, sulphur, 
 natural gas, tin, silver, lead, zinc, aluminum. 
 
 15. Write the name of one mineral product underlined above 
 
 Underline its important use or uses: (a) Fuel, (b) Machinery, (c) Fertilizer, 
 (d) Alloy, (e) Light, (f) Jewelry, (g) Paints, (h) Plumbing supplies, 
 (i) Chemicals. 
 
 16. Underline the prevailing manufacturing conditions: (a) Extensive, 
 
 (b) Moderate, (c) Slight. 
 
 17. Underline the influential factors in the development of manufactur- 
 ing: (a) Good water power, (b) Much coal, (c) Abundant labor supply, 
 (d) Scarcity of coal, (e) Abundant capital, (f) Little water power, 
 (g) Public. roads well improved, (h) Public roads in bad condition. 
 
 18. Underline the statements more nearly indicating the prevailing con- 
 ditions of transportation : (a) Rivers important, (b) Rivers of little impor- 
 tance, (c) Lakes very important, (d) Lakes of little importance, (e) Rail- 
 'roads well developed, (f) Railroads undeveloped, (g) Public roads well im- 
 proved, (h) Public roads in bad condition. 
 
 19. Underline each of the cities of this country: Washington, London, 
 Berlin, Paris, Petrograd, Vienna, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Ayres, 
 Mexico City, Brussels, Sydney, Madrid, Stockholm, Cairo, Constantinople, 
 Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, 
 Detroit, Indianapolis, Jersey City, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Mil- 
 waukee, Minneapolis, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Port- 
 
 56 
 
land, Providence, Rochester, St. Louis, St. Paul, San Francisco, Seattle, 
 New York, Bahia, Havana, Montevideo, Montreal, Santiago, San Paulo, 
 Toronto, Budapest, Glasgow. Hamburg, Liverpool, Manchester, Moscow, 
 Naples, Warsaw, Bombay, Canton, Hankow, Osaka, Tientsin, Calcutta, 
 Amsterdam. 
 
 20. Write the name of one of the cities underlined in the preceding 
 
 exercise Underline the statement that more nearly indicate 
 
 the prevailing conditions: (a) Seaport, (b) River port, (c) Important rail- 
 road center, (e) A political capital, (f) A mountain pass city (g) An 
 important manufacturing center, (h) An important commercial center. 
 
 Note: — In cases of doubt regarding pupils' answers to questions, it is 
 recommended that the pupil be given the benefit of the doubt. Time limit 30 
 minutes. See score card for values of different exercises. 
 
 Note.— 1. In case of doubt regarding correctness of the pupils' response 
 to an exercise, it is recommended that the pupil be given the benefit of the 
 doubt. 2. In testing the United States, the second part of Exercises 2 and 3 
 should be omitted. 
 
 67 
 
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The papers were accurately marked and results correctly scored by the 
 teachers and principals of the schools having the seventh grade. 
 
 This test being a completion test and given immediately or soon after 
 the study of a country is completed, the score of pupils should be much 
 higher than if applied to countries remotely studied. 
 
 The average number of points scored by 642 pupils in the seventh grade 
 of eight different schools is 78 points, and the average number of points 
 scored by 104 pupils of the Alton schools is 66 points. 
 
 These results show the widest variations both in individuals of the 
 same class and in different schools. 
 
 This would indicate that geography is pursued as a process of memoriz- 
 ing facts instead of a process of solving the problems herein presented. 
 
 Four schools took the test on Canada with the following scores: 
 
 Horace Mann 73, McKinley 62, Irving 76, and Washington 75. 
 
 The Lincoln School averaged 52 points in the test on Italy, and the 
 Irving 63 points on France. 
 
 This study suggests that certain minimum essentials in place geography 
 be fixed; that certain standards be outlined by which teachers may measure 
 results; and that the problematic method of attack be more uniformly pur- 
 sued, whereby the less essentials in the subject may be eliminated, and the 
 more essentials better organized in the light of the solution of definite 
 problems. 
 
 59 
 
THE ALTON HIGH SCHOOL 
 
 by 
 
 W. J. S. Bryan- 
 
 Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, St. Louis 
 
 Physical Conditions 
 
 The Alton High School is housed in two buildings, one the main high 
 school, the other the Horace Mann School of Upper Alton, in which the first 
 year pupils use the auditorium, three class rooms, a basement room fitted for 
 a manual training shop, and another small room 27'x27' in the basement, 
 which is made to serve as a gymnasium, although quite unsuitable. 
 
 The main building is fairly adequate for the uses of the school. The 
 manual training shop seems crowded, but might be improved by rearrange- 
 ment and a more systematic use of the smaller rooms for storage and specific 
 processes or parts of the work. The domestic science room is commodious 
 but is not attractive and does not suggest the improvements that are so 
 desirable in modern homes. The kitchen, in which so much of the work 
 essential to family well-being is done, ought to be made as sightly and 
 pleasing as possible, and the school room in which cooking is taught ought 
 to accustom those who take the subject to conditions desirable in the homes. 
 The chemistry laboratory gives the impression of crowding, though it seems 
 to provide the conditions essential for work. The provision for biology 
 seems very meagre. Physiography also lacks equipment. 
 
 It would improve the general atmosphere of the school if an effort 
 were made to relieve the bareness of the rooms by pictures and illustrative 
 material in keeping with the subjects taught in them. The unconscious 
 effect of stimulating surroundings is so helpful that progressive communities 
 ought to make generous provision for securing it. 
 
 Still more apparent is the need of such provision in the Horace Mann 
 School, where the bareness of the walls and the absence of anything beyond 
 the necessary articles of school furniture is very noticeable. In addition to 
 this general lack, no provision is made for the teaching of science in this 
 school and without illustrative material and the means of experimentation 
 it is almost vain to attempt to awaken or develop an interest in science or 
 to cultivate the scientific spirit, which is so large a factor in present day 
 civilization and progress. 
 
 It is a great mistake not to make generous provision for pupils of the 
 ninth grade or first year of the high school, as they are at a critical stage in 
 their education and may be turned aside from its further pursuit by lack 
 of provision for the satisfaction of their awakening consciousness of the 
 human activities surrounding them and beckoning them to participation in 
 the world's work. The demand for socializing conditions and opportunities 
 is very great at their age, and the idea of doing real work is alluring. If 
 the needs of these young people are not seen and met, many of them may 
 be checked in their development and drop out of school to their own great 
 detriment and the irreparable loss to the community, of which they are the 
 chief prospective asset. 
 
 Attitude and Response of Pupils 
 
 The greater part of two days was spent in the rooms and corridors of 
 the two high school buildings, and the work of nearly every one of the 
 teachers was observed and the attitude and response of the pupils noted. 
 To the credit of both teachers and pupils it must be said that the conduct 
 of the young people was. admirable. Not only was there no resistance to be 
 overcome by the teacher, but there was evident open-mindedness to sugges- 
 tion and instruction, and ready response to direction, together with much 
 intelligent effort to participate in the work assigned and to contribute to the 
 result to be attained. 
 
 In the entire time spent in the schools only one instance of friction 
 between pupil and teacher was noticed. With this exception there was no 
 sign 0^ tension, no uneasiness or apprehension of possible disorder. On the 
 contrary, there seemed to be in evidence everywhere else such relations 
 between teacher and pupils as would be conducive to the execution of the 
 teacher's lesson plans for the day. The co-operation of pupils with teachers 
 was evidence of helpful relations and indicative of that mutual respect which 
 is the product of efficient work on the part of principal and teachers, recog- 
 nized and appreciated by pupils, who as a rule can be trusted to sense and 
 reflect right conditions. 
 
 60 
 
Salaries 
 
 The average salary i)aid to teachers in the high schools is only 
 $1,038.09,— to men only $1,121.42, to women only $996.42. The range of 
 salaries paid is from $800.00 to $1,350.00. This is not remunerative enough 
 to secure or retain the services of capable, properly prepared, and progressive 
 teachers, nor is it commensurate With the requirements for high school 
 teachers now generally approved, — namely, the equivalent of an A.B. degree 
 or four years of successful work in college or university of recognized stand- 
 ing, comprising special work in education. The average period of service of 
 the teachers, including principals, is only 5.95 years, and of teachers alone 
 is only 5.11 years, of men only 3.85 years, and of women only 6.37 years, or 
 with two exceptions only 4.25 years. These facts would seem to indicate 
 that the salaries paid are not sufficient to secure and retain the services of 
 teachers of desired qualifications. 
 
 If competent teachers can not be secured by the salaries offered, or 
 having been secured are dissatistied or restless and feel the need of change 
 in order to secure better remuneration, or indeed to preserve their self 
 respect, the consciousness of the transient character of the positions held will 
 have a strong tendency to blunt the edge of ambition and to dampen the 
 ardor of attack upon the problems presented for solution. . If teachers are 
 unable to feel that their positions promise the satisfaction of natural social 
 desires and insure to competence the comforts and amenities of home life 
 which education has prepared them to appreciate and enjoy, to expect them 
 to exhibit the missionary spirit of self-abnegation that will lead them to 
 endure privations and to subject themselves to hard and embarrassing con- 
 ditions which will preclude their happiness and impair their usefulness, 
 disparaging their merit and belittling the value of their service to the com- 
 munity and the value of education in general. The position of teacher in a 
 community which withholds deserved recognition from its teachers is likely 
 to be accepted only as a stepping stone or makeshift to be thrown aside as 
 some more profitable occupation offers or a teacher's position in some more 
 prosperous or appreciative community can be obtained. 
 
 Supervision 
 
 The effect of competent supervision is generally conceded and is too 
 well known to need any explanation or argument at this time. This is one 
 respect in which there is need of change in the Alton High Schools. The 
 principal of the main high school, which has seventeen teachers besides him- 
 self, teaches two classes a day, and the principal of the Horace Mann School, 
 which also has seventeen teachers, three of whom are teachers of high school 
 classes, teaches four classes a day. Neither of these principals can have 
 the time or opportunity to supervise the work of his school and supervision 
 is the most important and valuable service a principal can render. Much 
 of the business of the school can be done after school hours, supervision must 
 be done when the teachers are conducting their classes. 
 
 Supervision is the work that requires the greatest knowledge of 
 educational processes and methods, of child nature, or psychology. To 
 expend his time on class instruction is to deprive his school of systematic, 
 intelligent organization and to take from his teachers his constructive criti- 
 cism of their work and the unifying, harmonizing influence of first hand 
 acquaintance with the work of the various units. It is costly, unintelligent 
 economy that saves a teacher's salary and loses a principal's leadership. 
 It were far better to engage even an inexperienced teacher, who would be 
 supervised by the principal, released from hours of teaching. At present 
 both schools could be served by one teaclier. Unless principals are given full 
 opportunity for supervision of classes, they can not be held to strict account- 
 ability for the conduct of their schools. 
 
 Qualifications of Teachers 
 
 Of twenty-three teachers, including two principals, one is an A.B. 
 and A.M. of Syracuse, New York; eleven are graduates of Shurtleff College; 
 one of the University of Illinois; one of Oberlin College; one of McKendree 
 College; one of Valparaiso University; one of Bradley Polytechnic Institute; 
 one of Ottowa University; one of Northwestern College, Naperville, Illinois; 
 one had a year's work at Illinois Wesleyan College and a year's work at 
 McKendree College; one had a year's work at Normal Illinois and one 
 summer at the University of Illinois; one had a year's work at the Ursuline 
 
 61 
 
Convent and a year's work at Brown's Business College; one had two years' 
 work at Normal, Illinois. It is of interest to note that Shurtleff College, 
 McKendree College, Ursuline Convent, and Valparaiso University are not 
 on the latest approved list of colleges accredited by the North Central 
 Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. 
 
 It is very desirable that there should be about an equal number of 
 men and women in the corps of high school teachers. It can not be demon- 
 strated that with equal preparation teachers of either sex are superior, but 
 the influence of both sexes is needed for the most effective training and 
 guidance of boys and girls of high school age. There are in the Alton High 
 Schools twenty-three teachers, including the two principals. Of these onjy - 
 eight are men. 
 
 Instruction 
 
 In two days' observation of the actual teaching done in the high 
 schools some excellent work was heard and some that could not be com- 
 mended. Some of the teachers were young and inexperienced and evidently 
 needed close supervision, but could and no doubt would profit greatly by wise 
 suggestion and constructive criticism. The general spirit shown merited 
 praise. There was evidence of lesson planning on the part of the teacher 
 and of genuine interest in the work. In nearly all cases, also, the presenta- 
 tion of the work showed personal consideration of the individual pupils. The 
 methods employed were not always the best, and the plan of attack was not 
 always the one likely to secure the greatest advance, but there was no com- 
 plaint on the part of the teacher of lack of preparation by the pupils or of 
 failure to comprehend obscure points in the lesson, no vain questioning of 
 pupil after pupil to get a desired but unknown answer. No pupil was made 
 uncomfortable by an expression of surprise at his inability to grasp a thought 
 supposed to be obvious. 
 
 By way of suggestion, it seems well to call attention to the need of 
 directed study as a part of each period of class work. In this direction of 
 study without doubt there exists the greatest opportunity for improvement 
 of high school teaching. There should be less testing, more teaching, more 
 definiteness of assignment, more direction of the pupils' effort to study the 
 lesson assigned. In this way waste of time and effort of both teacher and 
 pupils may be minimized and growth in power of independent constructive 
 mental activity may be progressively increased. 
 
 Success Record of Pupils by Subjects and Teachers 
 
 A study of the records of the pupils of the Alton High Schools for the 
 last half year shows that in the various subjects studied out of a total of 2294 
 enrollments in the various classes 1888 made a passing grade, which is 
 82.3%. Pupils who dropped out of the various classes numbered 169, leaving 
 237 who remained in the various classes but failed to satisfactorily complete 
 the work of the half year in some subject. It must not be thought that 
 these numbers of pupils who dropped out or failed represent individual 
 pupils, for each pupil would be enrolled in four or five classes, and the same 
 pupil's name would appear in the record as often as he was dropped or 
 failed or passed. 
 
 The success in the various subjects ranged from 72.9% in German to 
 100% in pedagogy, as follows: Pedagogy, 100%>; civics, 90%.; English, 
 83.6%-; manual arts, 81.8%r: mathematics, 81.6%; commercial subjects, 
 79.8%o; Latin, 78%; science, 73.8%^; German, 72.9%-. The number of pupils 
 taking these subjects is a very pertinent fact in determining the significance 
 of the percent of success. Not much can be inferred from the record made 
 by a few pupils. In pedagogy there were 10 pupils; in civics, 60; in English, 
 434; in manual arts, 275; in mathematics, 185; in commercial subjects, 253; 
 in Latin, 164; in German. 96; in science, 321. 
 
 The record of the pupils taught by the various teachers shows an 
 average for all teachers of 81.08%, and ranges from 57.4%-, making a passing 
 grade to 98.3%. The various percents of pupils who passed with individual 
 teachers were: 98.8%.; 94.6%, 92.5%r, 92.5%, 86.6%.; 86.4%, 84.7%r., 83.6%. 
 83.6%r, 81.8%, 80.9%, 80.4% 80%, 80%. 77.1%, 76.3%, 75.4%, 74.2%, 73%r, 
 72.5%, 72.1%, 57.4%. The wide range of pupils' success in various subjects 
 and under various teachers suggests the need of a careful study by the 
 principals and individual teachers (1) of the contents of the various subjects 
 
 62 
 
and their distribution tlirougli the half years, (2) of the basis of marking 
 the worli of pupils and the interpretation of that basis by the individual 
 teachers, (3) of the method of presentation of subject matter, (4) of the 
 direction of the pupils in their study, (5) of the efficiency of teaching. The 
 content of each subject for the successive half years should be such as to 
 equalize the difficulty of the work and the possibility of its successful per- 
 formance considering the increasing power of pupils due to maturity and 
 training. The interpretation of grades of marking should, as far as possible, 
 be the same by all teachers, though allowance for variation of judgment 
 always will be necessary. It may, however, be reduced to a minimum by 
 repeated and persistent efforts. Frequent statements of the adopted signifi- 
 cance of percents in marking together with free and full discussion txy teach- 
 ers will tend toward uniformity of practice and eliminatiaa. of personal 
 peculiarities. 
 
 There should not be so wide a variation from the average, which may 
 be regarded as the temporary norm of efficiency to be raised by individual 
 and combined effort extending over a period of years after the need of 
 improvement is recognized and consciously sought. The change can not be 
 wrought in a day or brought about by the stroke of a pen. To falsify records 
 will not improve teaching or increase the scholarship of pupils or better their 
 education. Intelligent, conscientious study of the problem will aid in its 
 solution. 
 
 Retardation, Elimination, Repetition 
 
 The average age of pupils by half years, taken at the beginning of the 
 half year, is as follows: 
 
 First half year 48 Pupils Average age 13.8 
 
 Second half year 74 Pupils Average age 14.7 
 
 Third half year 26 Pupils Average age 15.3 
 
 Fourth half year 42 Pupils Average age 15.6 
 
 Fifth half year 29 Pupils Average age 15.8 
 
 Sixth half year 48 Pupils Average age 16.4 
 
 Seventh half year 37 Pupils Average age 16.4 
 
 Eighth half year 43 Pupils Average age 17.5 
 
 Increase 
 
 .9 
 
 Increase 
 
 .6 
 
 Increase 
 
 .3 
 
 Increase 
 
 2 
 
 Increase 
 
 .6 
 
 Increase 
 
 .0 
 
 Increase 
 
 1.1 
 
 347 Pupils Average ave 15.6 
 
 These figures would indicate a nearly normal rate of progress. If to 
 the lowest average, 13.8 years, we add 3 years and 6 months, or 3.5 years, we 
 shall get 17.3. The record shows 17.5. 
 
 It appears that of the present graduating class 
 
 2 per cent wnll have completed the four years work in 3 years 
 18 per cent will have completed the four years work in ZVz years 
 73 per cent will have completed the four years work in 4 years 
 
 3 per cent will have completed the four years work in 4i/^ years 
 5 per cent will have completed the four years work in 5 years 
 2 per cent will have completed the four years work in 6 years 
 
 The average length of time, therefore, spent by the pupils of this class 
 will be 3.96 years. There is, it appears, no ground of criticism on the score 
 of retardation. 
 
 The percentage of pupils entering the high school who later completed 
 one or more half years of work are: 
 
 89 per cent 1 half year 11 per cent less than 1 half year 
 
 75 per cent 2 half years 25 per cent less than 2 half years 
 
 59 per cent 3 half years 41 per cent less than 3 half years 
 
 55 per cent 4 half years 45 per cent less than 4 half years 
 
 51 per cent 5 half years 49 per cent less than 5 half years 
 
 44 per cent 6 half years 56 per cent less than 6 half years 
 
 42 per cent 7 half years 58 per cent less than 7 half years 
 
 41 per cent 8 half years 59 per cent less than 8 half years 
 
 This also, on the whole, is a very creditable showing. The largest loss 
 is at the close of the second half year, which generally seems to be the most 
 critical point. If we consider the, number completing each half year as the 
 number entering the succeeding half year, which, however, may not be the 
 case, the percentage losses of each successive half year beginning with the 
 second would be as follows: 15.73, 21.33, 6.77, 7.25, 13.72, 4.54, 2.38. 
 
 63 
 
Course of Study 
 
 As at present provided, in order to graduate, a student must have 
 completed satisfactorily four years' work in English, two years' work in 
 science, one of which must be physics or chemistry, two years' work in 
 mathematics, and two years' work in history, or in place of one year's work 
 in history a third year of science or a fifth year of a foreign language. No 
 foreign language is required. 
 
 It is questionable whether there should be any requirement as to 
 mathematics or a two-year requirement in science or more than a three-year 
 requirement in English, but in order to secure the educational advantages _ 
 which are derived fronl continuous work along certain lines of study it would 
 be well to require that for graduation a pupil must have taken two majors 
 of three years each and two minors of two years each and that no credit be 
 given in foreign language for less than two years' work in the same language. 
 A major or a minor should consist of three or two years of work in the same 
 subject or in related subjects given in sequence. 
 
 The need of training for citizenship in community, state, and nation 
 and for participation in the work of the world is so obvious and so urgent 
 in these days of stress and strain, when democracy is fighting for its right 
 to exist, and to prove its fitness as a form of government, that a definite 
 requirement of every course of study should be specific study of the social 
 and civic relations of men and women. Community civics should be studied 
 by every boy and every girl in the high school in the first year, that the light 
 shed by it may illumine the entire four years and go with them into their 
 community relations. 
 
 That they may not enter the field of the world's work ignorant of the 
 various kinds of endeavor and without careful thought of their own choice 
 of occupation and their fitness and preparation, a study of vocations should 
 follow the study of community civics to acquaint each boy and girl with the 
 occupations of men and women, their demands, the need of preparation for 
 successful entrance into them, their conditions, rewards, and exactions. 
 These subjects of right should precede the subject of history because of 
 their social aspect. 
 
 The history of the United States should ^e a required subject to be 
 taken preferably at the end of the four years and at the conclusion of the 
 work in history, that there may be brought to its study all possible maturity 
 of mind and fullness of information. 
 
 Libraries, Laboratories, and Shops 
 
 In the Horace Mann School the only specially equipped room is the 
 manual training shop, which is new and well provided with benches and 
 tools for woodwork. There is no laboratory or equipment for the teaching 
 of science. The library also is very inadequate. It is unattractive and 
 apparently not in a state of efficiency. Yet this is just- the age for the culti- 
 vation of a taste for reading that is worth while and stimulating. 
 
 In the main high school the library contains 2,000 volumes, properly 
 catalogued and ready for use. The pupils draw books on cards as in a 
 regular library. It is a question whether, with the limited number of books 
 now in possession of the school, it would not be better to keep them in the 
 library during the day for the use of pupils and allow them to be taken out on 
 cards only for use over night to be returned before school in the morning. 
 This plan would insure the maximum opportunity for their use. 
 
 Of the laboratories and shops some mention has been made elsewhere. 
 The physics laboratory best satisfies the requirements as to fixed equipment 
 and apparatus. The chemical laboratory is very crowded and uninviting and 
 might be improved greatly, though it seems to provide the conditions neces- 
 sary for work. Physiography, biology, and conxmercial geography need 
 laboratories and equipment. These subjects need laboratory treatment and 
 should not be studied from books mainly but from natural objects and col- 
 lections of illustrative material, pictures, slides, reels. Moving picture 
 machines are now available and exceedingly helpful for instruction purposes. 
 
 64 
 
THE PROGRESS OF CHILDREN THROUGH THE GRADES 
 
 by 
 
 John J. Maddox 
 
 Principal, Wyman School, St. Louis 
 
 1. Over-age Children 
 
 The school survey seeks to determine how far ahead or how far behind 
 the course of study each child is for his age. This is done by making a 
 study of the ages of all the children and the grades in which they are 
 enrolled. A certain age is agreed upon as the normal age for completing 
 each grade. Children finishing the grade before the normal age are regarded 
 as under-age (accelerated); those finishing the grade at an age older than 
 normal are called over-age (retarded). 
 
 Children are admitted to the Alton schools at the age of six, and the 
 course of study is planned to extend over a period of eight years. Therefore, 
 a child entering at his earliest opportunity and progressing normally through 
 the grades should finish the eight grades at the age of fourteen. In order to 
 make liberal allowance, however, for late entrance, some unavoidable repeti- 
 tion, and the admission of children already retarded coming from other 
 localities, we have assumed in this report from fourteen up to fifteen years 
 as the normal age for completing' the eighth grade. It is commonly agreed 
 that the very latest normaj age for completing the elementary school work 
 is up to fifteen years. This makes the normal age limit for completing the 
 first grade from six and one-half up to seven and one-half; for completing the 
 second grade from seven up to eight, etc., etc. With these normal age limits 
 for completing each of the grades taken as the basis for classification a study 
 of the ages of all the children enrolled at a given time reveals the number 
 of children in each grade under-age, that is, ahead of their grade, the number 
 normal age, that is. up to grade, and the number over age, that is, behind 
 their grade. Such a study was made of all the children enrolled in the ele- 
 mentary schools of Alton for the month ending January 25, 1918. The results 
 are indicated in the following tables: 
 
 65 
 

 ©P^-If) 
 
TABLE II. 
 Number and Percent of Children Under-age, Normal Age, and Over-age. 
 
 (By Grades) 
 
 
 
 Under 
 
 Age 
 
 Normal 
 
 Over 
 
 age 
 
 
 Grade 
 
 Part 
 
 Number 
 
 Percent 
 
 Number 
 
 Percent 
 
 Number 
 
 Percent 
 
 Total 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 119 
 
 36.7 
 
 142 
 
 43.8 
 
 63 
 
 19.1 
 
 324 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 30 
 
 19.3 
 
 71 
 
 45.8 
 
 54 
 
 34.8 
 
 155 
 
 II 
 
 1 
 
 71 
 
 24.7 
 
 126 
 
 43.9 
 
 90 
 
 31.3 
 
 287 
 
 II 
 
 2 
 
 27 
 
 17.1 
 
 79 
 
 50.3 
 
 51 
 
 32.4 
 
 157 
 
 III 
 
 1 
 
 56 
 
 19.6 
 
 126 
 
 44.2 
 
 103 
 
 36.0 
 
 285 
 
 III 
 
 2 
 
 17 
 
 11.2 
 
 63 
 
 41.7 
 
 71 
 
 47.0 
 
 151 
 
 IV 
 
 1 
 
 33 
 
 13.3 
 
 104 
 
 42.1 
 
 110 
 
 44.4 
 
 247 
 
 IV 
 
 2 
 
 32 
 
 17.2 
 
 55 
 
 29.5 
 
 99 
 
 53.2 
 
 186 
 
 V 
 
 1 
 
 46 
 
 19.8 
 
 89 
 
 38.3 
 
 97 
 
 41.8 
 
 232 
 
 V 
 
 2 
 
 16 
 
 13.5 
 
 33 
 
 27.9 
 
 69 
 
 58.4 
 
 118 
 
 VI 
 
 1 
 
 59 
 
 29.3 
 
 66 
 
 32.8 
 
 76 
 
 37.8 
 
 201 
 
 VI 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 11.8 
 
 30 
 
 35.7 
 
 44 
 
 52.3 
 
 84 
 
 VII 
 
 1 
 
 49 
 
 24.8 
 
 84 
 
 42.6 
 
 64 
 
 32.4 
 
 197 
 
 VII 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 13.7 
 
 42 
 
 52.5 
 
 27 
 
 33.7 
 
 80 
 
 VIII 
 
 1 
 
 27 
 
 17.4 
 
 77 
 
 49.6 
 
 51 
 
 32.9 
 
 155 
 
 VIII 
 
 2 
 
 18 
 
 25.7 
 
 34 
 
 48.5 
 
 18 
 
 25.9 
 
 70 
 
 Total 
 
 621 
 
 21.2 
 
 1221 
 
 41.6 
 
 1087 
 
 37.1 
 
 2929 
 
 67 
 
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 68 
 
TABLE IV. 
 
 Number and Percent of Children Under-age, Normal Age, and Over-age. 
 
 (By Schools) 
 
 
 Under 
 
 Age 
 
 Normal 
 
 Over 
 
 ■age 
 
 
 Schools 
 
 Number 
 
 Percent 
 
 Number 
 
 Percent 
 
 Number 
 
 Percent 
 
 Total 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 93 
 
 23.0 
 
 193 
 
 47.7 
 
 118 
 
 29.2 
 
 404 
 
 Humboldt 
 
 77 
 
 21.4 
 
 147 
 
 40.9 
 
 135 
 
 37.6 
 
 359 
 
 Irving 
 
 81 
 
 21.7 
 
 133 
 
 35.6 
 
 159 
 
 42.3 
 
 373 
 
 Lowell 
 
 24 
 
 12.8 
 
 71 
 
 37.9 
 
 92 
 
 49.1 
 
 187 
 
 Garfield 
 
 48 
 
 20.5 
 
 99 
 
 42.3 
 
 87 
 
 37.1 
 
 234 
 
 Washington 
 
 53 
 
 22.2 
 
 116 
 
 49.5 
 
 65 
 
 27.7 
 
 234 
 
 McKinley 
 
 57 
 
 26.5 
 
 102 
 
 47.4 
 
 56 
 
 26.0 
 
 215 
 
 GlUham 
 
 33 
 
 24.2 
 
 47 
 
 ■ 34.5 
 
 56 
 
 41.1 
 
 136 
 
 Horace Mann 
 
 120 
 
 23.7 
 
 252 
 
 49.9 
 
 133 
 
 26.3 
 
 505 
 
 Douglass 
 
 5 
 
 6.0 
 
 25 
 
 30.1 
 
 53 
 
 63.8 
 
 S3 
 
 Lovejoy 
 
 13 
 
 15.4 
 
 15 
 
 17.8 
 
 56 
 
 66.6 
 
 Si 
 
 Dunbar 
 
 5 
 
 8.7 
 
 10 
 
 17.5 
 
 42 
 
 73.6 
 
 57 
 
 Washington An. 4 
 
 12.9 
 
 5 
 
 16.1 
 
 22 
 
 70.9 
 
 31 
 
 McKinley An 
 
 8 
 
 29.6 
 
 6 
 
 22.2 
 
 13 
 
 48.1 
 
 27 
 
 Totals.... 
 
 ....621 
 
 21.2 
 
 1221 
 
 41.6 
 
 1087 
 
 37.1 
 
 2929 
 
 69 
 
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TABLE VI 
 Retardation in American Cities 
 
 Name of City No. of Pupils Percent Retarded 
 
 1. Quincy, Massachusetts 4540 19 
 
 2. Racine, Wisconsin 4075 28 
 
 3. Amsterdam, N. Y 2371 28 
 
 4. Syracuse, N. Y 13610 29 
 
 5. Indianapolis, Indiana 23874 29 
 
 6. Danbury, Connecticut 1967 31 
 
 7. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 32251 31 
 
 8. Rockford, Illinois '.... 5649 32 
 
 9. Canton, Ohio 5567 34 
 
 10. Elmira, N. Y 2487 34 
 
 11. New Rochelle, N. Y 3641 34 
 
 12. Muskegon. Michigan 3163 35 
 
 13. Niagara Falls, N. Y 3244 36 
 
 14. Topeka, Kansas 4894 36 
 
 15. Alton, Illinois 2929 37 
 
 16. Danville, Illinois 2260 38 
 
 17. Trenton, N. J 8787 38 
 
 18. Reading, Pa 10585 40 
 
 19. Plainfield, N. J 2312 40 
 
 20. Perth Amboy, N. J : 3947 41 
 
 21. Bayonne, N. J 7033 42 
 
 22. Hazelton, Pa 2655 42 
 
 23. Watertown, N. J 3303 43 
 
 24. East St. Louis, III 5380 44 
 
 25. Schenectady, N. Y 7846 44 
 
 26. Elizabeth, N. J 7058 46 
 
 27. Kenosha, Wisconsin 2223 48 
 
 28. Mont Clair, N. J 2568 48 
 
 29. New Orleans, La. (white) 23664 49 
 
 30. Passaic, N. J 5541 51 
 
 Table I shows the number enrolled in each grade and the number of 
 each age from 6 up to 17 1/^. The figures enclosed by a heavy line indicate 
 the number of children up to grade (of normal age); figures to the left of 
 heavy lines show the number of children ahead of their grade (accelerated); 
 those to the right of heavy lines indicate number of children behind their 
 grade (retarded). As an illustration of how this table should be read refer 
 to Grade I, part I. The table indicates that in this grade there are 119 
 children ahead of grade, 132 children of normal age, and 63 who are behind 
 grade, making a total enrollment of 324. 
 
 Table II has been constructed for the convenient use of the data in- 
 cluded in Table I. It shows at a glance the number of children in each grade 
 under-age, normal age, and over-age, also the percent of the total in each 
 grade included in each of these groups. It will be observed from the totals 
 of this table that of the 2929 children enrolled in the Alton Elementary 
 schools on the date of this study 621 are accelerated, 1221 are of normal age, 
 while 1087 are retarded. In terms of per cent this means that 21.2% are 
 ahead of grade, 41.69r are up to grade, while 37.1% are behind grade. 
 
 It is not sufficient, however, to know that a certain number of pupils 
 are ahead or behind grade. Another significant question is: To what degree 
 are children accelerated or retarded? Table III reveals this information. It 
 will be observed that 8 children are retarded 5 years, 11 children are retarded 
 414 years, 16 children are retarded 4 years, etc., etc. While a certain amount 
 of retardation is to be expected, it is somewhat startling to note that while, 
 in the system as a whole, only 24 children are more than one year ahead of 
 grade 491 children are more than a year behind grade. It is to this group 
 of seriously retarded children that the survey recommends the particular 
 attention of the school authorities. 
 
 In order to make this report as helpful as possible to those who under- 
 take to solve the problem of retardation the data for each of the fourteen 
 schools has been tabulated, showing the amount of retardation In each 
 school. This information is given in Tables IV and V. Table IV shows the 
 amount, while Table V indicates the degree of acceleration and retardation 
 in each of the schools. 
 
 71 
 
Table VI is inserted for the purpose of enabling one to compare the 
 retardation in Alton with that of other cities. The data, with the exception 
 of that for Alton, is taken from a table in Ayres' "Identification of the Misfit 
 Child," Russel Sage Foundation, Bulletin No. 108, which deals with the 
 results of certain investigations carried on in 1911 in twenty-nine American 
 cities. It will be observed that Alton makes a good showing when compared 
 with this list of cities, there being only fourteen of the twenty-nine with a 
 •smaller percentage of retardation. However, it should be kept In mind that, 
 since this investigation seven years ago, many of these cities have pursued 
 a policy tending toward the elimination of retardation. In this report 
 emphasis is placed upon the retarded condition of large numbers in Alton, 
 but what is said should not be interpreted to mean that the condition is worse ' 
 than in the average city. The situation exists generally and is coming to 
 be recognized as one of the common problems in school administration. The 
 question of vital importance is: Have the schools become conscious of the 
 problem and what steps are being taken toward its solution? 
 
 2. The Cause of Over-ageness 
 
 The school survey seeks to determine not only the amount of retarda- 
 tion in a school system, but to discover so far as possible the causes. Why 
 are 1087 children in the elementary schools of Alton behind grade for their 
 age? This condition may be due to one of two causes: (a) late entrance to 
 school, or (b) failure to progress regularly after entrance. (In some instances 
 it is due to a combination of these two causes.) The facts at hand, how- 
 ever, indicate that late entrance is not the main factor in bringing about this 
 condition in Alton. The data referred to are to be found in Table II. While 
 the percent of over-ageness in the first grade is 19.1, in the first part of 
 the second grade it is 31.3, in the first part of the third it is 36, and In the 
 first part of the fourth it is 44.4. This constantly increasing percentage of 
 over-ageness in the first four grades indicates rather clearly that it Is due 
 to conditions within the schools themselves. Further evidence to substantiate 
 this position is to be found in the gradual decrease of under-age children. 
 While in the first part of the first grade 119 children or 36.7% of the entire 
 first grade enrollment are under-age this percentage drops to 24.7 In the 
 second grade, part first, and again to 19.6 In the first part of the third grade. 
 By the time we reach the first part of the fourth grade we have but 13.3% 
 of the enrollment classified as under-age. In the light of these data we shall 
 have to conclude that late entrance to school is not a significant factor in 
 explaining why 1087 children are behind grade, but that the cause is to be 
 found in the failure to progress regularly after entrance. 
 
 It is not suflicient, however, to stop with this general conclusion. An 
 earnest endeavor should be made to discover facts which will show exactly 
 the rate at which the children are progressing through the grades. A well 
 recognized method of research is at our command for this purpose. 
 
 A child who has been in the schools four years and is in the fourth 
 grade is classified as having made normal progress. If he has been in school 
 only three years and is in the fourth grade he is regarded as having made 
 rapid progress. If, however. It has taken five or more years of schooling to 
 get this child to the fourth grade he is considered to have made slow progress. 
 The school survey seeks to determine the rate of progress; ta determine 
 exactly how many children in a given school system have made rapid, normal, 
 and slow progress. Unfortunately It seems Impossible to determine, with any 
 degree of accuracy, the number of years that it has taken the children In the 
 elementary schools of Alton to reach the grades in which they are now 
 enrolled. Such a study can be made only where the entire school history of 
 each child is available. It involves the examination of data for every child 
 in the system for every year he has been a member of the school. With 
 frequent changes of each pupil from room to room within a building and even 
 from building to building within the city it is an impracticable undertaking 
 to secure accurate information regarding the progress of 2929 children with 
 the limited data such as is recorded in the roll book now In use In the 
 Alton schools. It Is urgently recommended that steps be taken at once which 
 will provide, for future studies, Information of the character needed. The 
 progressive cities of the country have adopted, very generally, an individual 
 card for each child which shows his complete history from the day he enters 
 school until he leaves. This card shows the date of entrance for the first 
 time and bears the record of each advance made from grade to grade. It 
 shows how long he was in each grade and the date of his advance to the 
 next higher. The card Is Interchangeable, one school with another, so that 
 
 72 
 
the same card remains with the child during his entire school life. With 
 such cards in use throughout the school of a city it becomes a comparatively- 
 easy task to determine at any time the number of children .making rapid, 
 normal, and slow progress. It is only through such a study that we are 
 enabled to determine the extent to which retardation is due to slow progress; 
 it is such a study that determines for a school system the number of children 
 who are both slow and retarded — children who bring to the school its most 
 serious problems. 
 
 In addition to the advantages pointed out above in having available 
 data which show the rate at which children are progressing through the 
 grades there is a financial consideration attached to such information which 
 must not be overlooked. It is appalling to think of the additional money 
 cost of maintaining a system of schools where large numbers of the children 
 are progressing at a rate slower than normal. For the month ending January 
 25. 1918, there were enrolled in the elementary schools of Alton 2929 children. 
 The following table shows the distribution of pupils by grades and the aggre- 
 gate years of attendance required for them to reach the grades in which they 
 are enrolled provided they have made normal progress. 
 
 School Years Required Aggregate Years of 
 
 to Reach this Grade Attendance at Normal 
 
 at Normal Progress Progress 
 
 1 479 
 
 2 888 
 
 3 1308 
 
 4 1732 
 
 5 1750 
 
 6 1710 
 
 7 1939 
 
 8 1800 
 
 
 No. of Pupils 
 
 Grade 
 
 Enrolled 
 
 I 
 
 479 
 
 II 
 
 444 
 
 III 
 
 436 
 
 IV 
 
 433 
 
 V 
 
 350 
 
 VI 
 
 285 
 
 VII 
 
 277 
 
 VIII 
 
 225 
 
 Total 2929 11606 
 
 These figures indicate that if all the children have progressed at a 
 normal rate, or that if the number of years lost by slow children has been 
 counter-balanced by years gained by rapid children, the aggregate number 
 of years of schooling for those now enrolled is 11,606. If, however, some of 
 the children have taken from two to five years to progress one grade it is 
 evident that the actual aggregate years of attendance will be much greater 
 than 11,606, and that the loss in dollars and cents for the City of Alton will 
 amount to a considerable sum. This sum will be determined by multiplying 
 the cost of keeping a child in the elementary school of Alton for one year 
 ($43.05 according to the report of last year) by the difference between 11,606 
 and the actual aggregate years of attendance. The school survey has revealed 
 the startling fact in certain American cities where the progress records of 
 children were kept by the schools that the years lost by slow pupils was as 
 much as 28.7 times as great as the amount of time gained by rapid pupils and 
 that the money cost of this condition amounted to thousands of dollars. 
 Investigations in a large number of cities show that, as a rule, the number 
 of retarded children is equal, approximately, to the number making slow 
 progress. Hence, in view of the fact that Alton has 1087 retarded and only 
 621 accelerated children we suspect, very strongly, that the number of slow 
 children far exceeds the number of rapid ones, that the years lost by those 
 making slow progress amounts to much more than the years gained by those 
 making rapid progress, and that the actual cost of promoting a child one 
 grade exceeds considerably the annual per capita cost of keeping the child 
 in school for one year. 
 
 Not only does the use of the cumulative record card referred to above 
 enable the school to determine the number of slow and rapid pupils, and to 
 compute the money cost of slow progress or the money saving through rapid 
 progress, but it identifies for the school authorities those children needing 
 special attention. While investigation has show'n that the number of slow 
 children approximates the number retarded in most of our cities one of the 
 most important findings is that these are often not the same children. This 
 survey points out in Table V the number of pupils retarded 5 years, 4 years, 
 etc., etc., in each of the schools. The remedies suggested in the following 
 paragraphs have these pupils especially in mind. They constitute a problem. 
 But some of these retarded children have made rapid progress, perhaps, 
 during the time they have been in school, others have progressed normally. 
 
 73 
 
while late entrance seems not to have been a prominent factor in bringing 
 about this retardation other factors after entrance may have operated to 
 cause the rapidly and normally progressing child to become retarded. In 
 particular, however, some of these children are both retarded and slow. This 
 is the group that should receive special attention. It is to be regretted that 
 the data for identifying the slow child is not at hand. 
 3. Plans for Reducing Retardation and Promoting Acceleration 
 
 (a) The Si^ecial ScJiool 
 
 Children vary in mental ability just as they vary in strength, height, 
 etc. A child who has reached the age of twelve in years may not have reached 
 the age of nine in mental development. The psychologist is prepared today 
 to measure the mental age of children. It is usually found that in only about 
 75 per cent of our school children does the mental age correspond with the 
 actual age in years and months. Of the remaining 25 per cent some are 
 found whose mental age is far below the actual age — so far below, in fact, 
 that we designate them as mentally defective or feeble-minded. In such 
 children intelligence will never develop to a level much beyond that of the 
 twelve-year-old child of normal mentality. Indeed, in many cases, the mental 
 development may never go beyond that of the eighth or ninth year. It is 
 generally estimated that in any city the number of such children does not 
 exceed 2 or 3 per cent of the entire enrollment, and often falls as low as 
 1/2 per cent. The exact number can be determined only by an expert in the 
 measurement of mental capacity. These children have come into the world 
 short in intelligence, and should never be expected to compete with normal 
 children. The best possible instruction cannot get results from these children 
 in academic work. The responsibility of the school in regard to such children 
 is to see that they get the kind of training which will prepare them for 
 earning a livelihood and prevent them, so far as possible, from becoming 
 a menace morally to the community. Such children should be selected with 
 the greatest of care by someone trained in this kind of work and then placed 
 in a special school established with the needs of such children primarily in 
 mind. These children should not be sent to such a school with the idea that 
 they can be "coached" in the subjects of the regular curriculum and then 
 returned to the classes maintained for normal children. If these children 
 are properly selected in the first place very few will ever be found who will 
 show sufficient growth in mentality to justify a new classification. For this 
 school a special course of instruction with a very large amount of manual 
 work and only the simplest forms of the academic should be provided. It is 
 probable that one such school in the City of Alton would accommodate all the 
 children who properly belong to this group. The establishment of such 
 schools would tend toward the elimination of retardation by removing from 
 the regular rooms those children of extremely low mentality for whom normal 
 progress in the regular course of instruction is an impossibility. 
 
 (b) TJie Ungraded Room. 
 
 After taking from all the schools those whose mentality is so low as 
 to place them in the mentally defective group there still remain three types 
 of children who should receive particular attention, namely, those known as 
 border line, backward, and restoration pupils. The border line children are 
 those above, but not far above, the feeble-minded. They are not able to work 
 with normal children, but their mentality is not sufficiently low to justify 
 the school authorities in placing them in a special school. Those designated 
 as backward are between the border line and the normal in mentality. They 
 are children for whom a. special program with plenty of manual work should 
 .be provided. The group referred to as restoration pupils consists of children 
 of normal mentality who on account of sickness, irregular attendance, poor 
 home conditions, etc., have fallen behind the children of their age. There 
 is hope that these children will be restored to the class approximating their 
 own age. They should be given individual help in the subjects of the curri- 
 culum in which they show the greatest weakness and, at the same time, be 
 permitted to do the work of a regular room. It often happens that children 
 of this type cover as much as two years of work in one when afforded this 
 opportunity. 
 
 Many cities have established ungraded room.s to which are sent the 
 three types of children mentioned in the above paragraph — rooms in which 
 is provided work suitably adapted to each group. Such a room should have 
 assigned to it a comparatively small number of children — not more than 
 15 or 20 — and it should be provided with work benches and equipment for 
 practical housework. With the exception of work done in the restoration 
 
 74 
 
group it is obvious that the ungraded room is not intended to emphasize the 
 work prescribed in tlie regular curriculum. Teachers in charge of ungraded 
 rooms should have special training which will enable them, under proper 
 supervision, to know the extent to which each child is capable of doing work 
 of an academic nature and to what extent manual work should predominate. 
 
 (c) Lowering the rate of non-promotion 
 
 In reducing the amount of over-ageness it is fundamentally important 
 to reduce the amount of non-promotion to a minimum. Table VII gives, by- 
 grades, the number of children promoted, the number not promoted, and the 
 per cent of non-promotion for the term ending January 25, 1918. It will be 
 observed that 427, or 14.57r of the entire enrollment failed of advancement. 
 It will be noted also that the per cent of non-promotion varies from 5.4% in 
 the first part of grade VI to 32% in the first part of grade I. It is imperative 
 that some such study as was undertaken in the following table be repeated 
 in all the schools at frequent intervals by the principals and teachers until 
 the causes of the high rate of non-promotion be discovered and, if possible, 
 eliminated. 
 
 TABLE VII 
 Promotion and Non-Promotion. 
 
 Grade 
 and Part 
 
 No. in Class at 
 End of Month 
 
 
 No. Not 
 
 Per Cent Not 
 
 No. Promoted 
 
 Promoted 
 
 Promoted 
 
 220 
 
 104 
 
 32.0 
 
 138 
 
 17 
 
 10.9 
 
 243 
 
 44 
 
 15.3 
 
 139 
 
 18 
 
 11.4 
 
 259 
 
 26 
 
 9.1 
 
 127 
 
 24 
 
 15.8 
 
 201 
 
 43 
 
 17.4 
 
 164 
 
 22 
 
 11.8 
 
 213 
 
 19 
 
 8.1 
 
 95 
 
 23 
 
 19.4 
 
 190 
 
 11 
 
 5.4 
 
 72 
 
 12 
 
 14.2 
 
 169 
 
 28 
 
 14.2 
 
 72 
 
 . 8 
 
 10.0 
 
 136 
 
 19 
 
 12.2 
 
 61 
 
 9 
 
 12.8 
 
 I.— 1 
 
 I.— 2 
 II.— 1 
 II.— 2 
 III.— 1 
 III.— 2 
 IV.— 1 
 IV.— 2 
 
 v.— 1 
 
 v.— 2 
 VI.— 1 
 
 VI.— 2 
 VII.— 1 
 VII.— 2 
 VIII.— 1 
 VIII.— 2 
 
 324 
 155 
 287 
 157 
 285 
 151 
 247 
 186 
 232 
 118 
 201 
 
 84 
 197 
 
 80 
 155 
 
 70 
 
 Total 2929 
 
 2502 
 
 427 
 
 14.5 
 
 4. Summary of Recommendations 
 
 (a) That frequent studies be made through the central office of the 
 age-grade distribution of pupils in each of the schools in the city with a view 
 to determining exactly the number of accelerated, normal, and retarded 
 children. 
 
 (b) That some form of cumulative record card showing the entire 
 school history of the child be adopted at once in order that the number of 
 children making rapid, normal, and slow progress may be determined at any 
 time. 
 
 (c) That at least one special school be established for the training of 
 those children who, upon expert examination, may be found to be feeble- 
 minded. 
 
 (d) That ungraded rooms be established In various schools for the 
 purpose of providing special courses of instruction for those children unable 
 to pursue with profit the work prescribed in the regular curriculum and for 
 giving Individual instruction to those retarded children who give promise 
 of making up lost time. 
 
 (e) That frequent studies be made through the central office of the 
 rate of promotion in each of the schools and in each of the grades to the 
 end that there may be uniformity of standards in the several schools and in 
 the several grades and that the present high rate of non-promotion may be 
 reduced. 
 
 75 
 
FINANCES OF THE ALTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
 
 by 
 F. L. Wiley 
 
 Secretary to the Superintendent of Instruction 
 St. Louis 
 
 Alton spent $145,100.77 on its public schools during the year ending 
 June 30, 1917. The expenditures for several preceding years had been, in 
 1916, $137,840.46, in 1915, $130,877.12, and in 1914, $100,091.58. Without ques- 
 tion the current and future years will see further increases in the total dis- 
 bursements of public school funds. 
 
 The responsibility for the wise use of such a large amount of public 
 money is great and the problems which confront the Board of Education in 
 the discharge of this responsibility are many. There are two questions of 
 primary importance, however, which should be applied to the finances of the 
 school system, and the answers to these should be serviceable in financing the 
 progressive development of the schools in accordance with thoughtful plan- 
 ning. 
 
 The first of these inquiries is, — Are expenditures properly distributed 
 among the several objects or purposes? This question has many subdivisons 
 among which may be distinguished the following having most significance: 
 
 First. Do the expenditures for adtninistration, supervision, instruc- 
 tion, operation and maintenance of plant, and for outlays, indicate that these 
 different functions are thoughtfully considered in relation to each other and 
 to the sole purpose of all of them, — namely, the provision of the best means 
 of education of the children with the funds available? 
 
 Second. Is the cost of educating children in the elementary schools 
 rightly proportioned to the cost of instruction of those in the high school? 
 
 Third. Are the various school plants of different size and construction 
 equally economical in the cost of their operation and upkeep? 
 
 To answer these questions it is evident that the exact cost of the 
 schools must be known according to the various classifications suggested in 
 the questions. In addition there must be some standards by which the 
 adequacy of these classified expenditures may be judged. Such standards are 
 to be set up from a comparison of the prevailing practices in other cities. 
 
 Unfortunately not enough information is obtainable for either of these 
 purposes to enable one to evaluate satisfactorily the financial operations 
 from these three points of view. In discussing these problems later the in- 
 adequacy of the Alton financial records and reports will be pointed out. The 
 impossibility of getting full data from other cities comparable in essential 
 respects to Alton is probably due to a similar incompleteness in the records 
 and reports of their school finances. The best source of such comparative 
 data, the report of the United States Commissioner of Education, does not 
 supply sufficient Information from enough cities of the size of Alton to work 
 out trustworthy averages of their practices. However, standards for com- 
 parison in cities of from two to three times the size of Alton, which will 
 be of some value in studying Alton expenditures, are ready at hand in the 
 Survey of the Springfield, Illinois, schools. Reference will later be made 
 to these. In addition there will be some interest and worth in looking at 
 Alton costs in the light of school costs for the largest cities of the country 
 and occasional reference will therefore be made to data in the Survey of the 
 St. Louis Public Schools. Norms of expenditure in the larger cities with 
 their highly complex school systems should not, however, be applied too 
 closely in criticising the distribution of costs in a less highly organized 
 system. 
 
 No matter how fully one might be able to judge the relative cost of 
 the different parts of the Alton school system and of the different kinds of 
 work carried on, the problem of financing the schools would involve another 
 question which is the second of the fundamental inquiries referred to in the 
 beginning, — Does Alton support its public schools properly in proportion to 
 its ability? The answer to this question is difficult, as are the answers to 
 the first set of questions, because there is the same lack of comparable data 
 from other cities by which one might draw satisfactory conclusions. 
 
 76 
 
I. How Does Alton Spend Its School Money? 
 
 To answer properly the three questions previously asked under this 
 inquiry, — namely, the distribution of expenditures for outlays and for the 
 functions of overhead control, instruction, etc., the relative emphasis on 
 elementary and on secondary schools, and the relative economy of large and 
 small school units, — it is necessary that the data of the financial records and 
 reports should be adequately differentiated and classified to meet at least the 
 following conditions: 
 
 (1) The grouping of payments should conform to the classifications 
 called for on the report to the United States Bureau of Education. A copy 
 of the blank for this report is attached herewith. The classes of expenses 
 which it calls for are: 
 
 I. Expenses (cost of conducting the school system) 
 
 (a) General Control (overhead charges) 
 
 (b) Instruction 
 
 (c) Operation of Plant 
 
 (d) Maintenance of School Plant 
 
 (e) Auxiliary Agencies 
 
 II. Outlays (capital acquisition and construction) 
 
 III. 'Other Payments, such as redemption of bonds and pay- 
 ments of interest. 
 
 (2) The payments for all expenses, except for overhead control, should 
 be differentiated by the class of school which receives the benefit of the ex- 
 penditure. In actual practice this will involve charging all such expenses 
 up to the individual schools, and later grouping these schools as elementary 
 and as secondary for purposes of reporting. 
 
 (3) Unit costs showing the expense per pupil, the expense per school 
 plant and expense per school room should parallel the statements of total 
 cost. 
 
 To show how fully in some respects and how incompletely in others the 
 available data in the Alton school records and reports meet these conditions, 
 the last annual report of the Treasurer, June 30, 1917, has been rearranged 
 to show the payments according to the United States Bureau classifications. 
 The spaces not filled with data or x's but containing question marks indicate 
 what is lacking in the report to meet the conditions set forth above. The 
 Treasurer's abstract of cash payments and the Secretary's ledger give no 
 fuller information than this annual report. The data on attendance of pupils 
 is taken from the annual report of the Superintendent. Figures in paren- 
 theses are not given in the Treasurer's report, but have been supplied by 
 computation. 
 
 Total All High Elementary 
 
 Schools Schools Schools 
 
 Average daily attendance for the year.... 3,154 459 2,695 
 
 I. EXPENSES 
 
 Expense of General Control 
 
 Business office $ 485.00 xxx xxx 
 
 Treasurer's salary 400.00 xxx xxx 
 
 Superintendent's salary 2,950.00 xxx xxx 
 
 Compulsory attendance 760.00 xxx xxx 
 
 Total for General Control ($ 4,595.00) 
 
 Per pupil cost ( 1.46) 
 
 Expenses of Instruction 
 
 Teachers (salaries) $ 78,750.54 ? • ? 
 
 Text books, stationery, supplies 3,290.58 ? ? 
 
 Total for instruction ($ 82,041.12) ? ? 
 
 Per pupil cost ( 26.01) ? ? 
 
 Expenses of Operation of School Plant 
 
 Janitors, engineers, etc $ 9,778.02 ? ? 
 
 Fuel, light, janitor's supplies, etc 3,668.60 ? ? 
 
 Total for operation ($ 13,446.62) ? ? 
 
 Per pupil cost ( ' 4.26) ? ? 
 
 77 
 
Expenses of Maintenanre of School Plant 
 
 Repairs, replacements $ 4.101.66 ? ? 
 
 Per pupil cost ($1.30) ? ? 
 
 Expenses of Auxiliary Agencies 
 
 Libraries $ 53.25 ? ? 
 
 Promotion of health 675.00 xxx xxx 
 
 Total for Auxiliary Agencies ($ 728.25) 
 
 Miscellaneous Expenses 
 
 Teachers' pension fund $ 540.00 xxx xxx 
 
 II. OUTLAYS 
 
 New grounds, building and alteration $ 29,078.89 ? ? 
 
 New equipment 2,784.54 ? ? 
 
 Total outlays ($ 31,863.43) ? 
 
 9 
 
 III. OTHER PAYMENTS 
 
 District bonds $ 4,600.00 xxx xxx 
 
 Warrants outstanding fiscal year end- 
 ing June 30, 1916 948.61 xxx xxx 
 
 Interest on bonds 1,152.00 xxx xxx 
 
 Refund County Treasurer on account 
 
 of overpayment 78.05 xxx xxx 
 
 Interest on teachers' warrants 178.93 xxx xxx 
 
 Total other payments....; (.$ 6,957.59) xxx xxx 
 
 GRAND TOTAL, payments for all 
 
 purposes ($144,273.67) xxx xxx 
 
 (The sum of all these items of disbursement as given in the Treasurer's 
 report is $145,100.77, indicating an error in computation or an omission of 
 some item or items of expenditure.) 
 
 In addition to giving expenditures as thus classified the financial rec- 
 ords should show the distribution of expenses for instruction, for operation 
 of plant, and for maintenance of plant by the individual schools. Thus, 
 "Fuel, light, janitors' supplies, etc.", should not only show the total for 
 elementary schools, but also the total for the Lincoln School, the Humboldt, 
 etc. It would not be at all difficult for the Treasurer's abstract of expendi- 
 tures, which is now kept on the uniform record blanks supplied by the State, 
 to show this distribution if (a) all warrants drawn by the Secretary showed 
 on their face the nature and the object of the expenditure or were accom- 
 panied by bills or memoranda showing such distribution, (b) the Treasurer 
 would use a separate sheet of the State forms for each school thus providing 
 individual school accounts in which the distribution shown in vouchers or 
 accompanying bills or memoranda could be entered. 
 
 With the information given in the last annual report of the Treasurer, 
 how far may the questions of distribution of expenditures be answered? 
 
 A. For Different Objects of Expenditure, i. e., Outlays, Instruction, etc. 
 
 Outlays. Of the $145,100.77 expended for all objects in the year ending 
 June 30, 1917, $31,863.43 was for outlays, and $104,912.65 for items which are 
 properly classified as the expenses of administration, supervision, instruction, 
 operation and maintenance of buildings. The annual expenditure for outlays 
 has varied much in the past few years: 1914, $1,001.34; 1915, $21,240.79; 
 1916, $24,367.01. On the average what proportion of the cost of the schools 
 should be devoted to sites, new buildings and equipment? It would be of 
 value in considering the questions of providing additional accommodations to 
 have in mind some normal division of the school funds for outlays and for 
 current expenses. Unfortunately the school surveys which have been made 
 have provided practically no comparative data on this particular phase of 
 school finances. In St. Louis in 1914-15 of the total expenditures for outlays 
 and for current expenses 15 per cent was for outlays but this represented a 
 gradual reduction from 35 per cent for outlays in the year 1908-9, when the 
 largest expenditures for new buildings in St. Louis was ever made. It should 
 be noted that last year Alton devoted 23 per cent of the payments for outlays 
 and current expenses to outlays and 77 per cent to current expenses. The 
 legal limits on local taxation would permit expenditures for buildings equal 
 
 78 
 
almost to 50 per cent of the total cost of the schools, but such a ratio could 
 not be maintained lor any length of time without serious curtailment if 
 educational opportunities in the very buildings for which the large "building" 
 expenditures would be made. A wise balance in the provision of suitable 
 houses and competent teachers must be maintained. By this is meant that a 
 school building program to care for a growing school population should not 
 be allowed to lag behind with the result that later large sums must be put 
 into buildings to the restriction, at least temporary, of the educational func- 
 tions of the school system. 
 
 Administration, Supervision and Instruction, Operation of Plant, Main- 
 tenance of Plant. In evaluating expenditures for these different purposes 
 it would be exceedingly helpful if comparable data from other school systems 
 of approximately equal complexity were obtainable. One must resort, how- 
 ever, to the less valuable measuring rod of similar expenditures in much 
 larger school systems. 
 
 The per pupil cost for all overhead control in Alton was $1.46 for the 
 year 1916-17, although an inspection of the items listed as such overhead 
 expense and given above in the reclassification of the Treasurer's annual 
 report would indicate that the salary of the Superintendent of School Build- 
 ings had been omitted from this class of expense, in which it belongs. By 
 including the salary of this oificial, the per pupil cost would have been in- 
 creased about $0.30. The St. Louis Survey gives the average per pupil 
 cost for administratation in the 21 largest cities of the country as $2.02. 
 One may not safely draw any conclusion from this comparison, however, 
 because some aspects of a larger and more complex system involve relatively 
 greater overhead expense, while other aspects bring a large economy in the 
 cost of administration. It would seem that Alton is not spending an un- 
 usually large amount on its administrative offices. The per pupil cost of this 
 function for St. Louis in 1915 was $3.63. 
 
 In the expense of instruction, including supervision, the per pupil cost 
 for last year is shown by the preceding table to have been $26.01. Here again 
 we should like the guidance of a comparison with. other cities of approximately 
 Alton's size, but adequate data are not obtainable. The average for the 21 
 largest cities of the country was $38.83 for 1915. Despite all the advantages 
 of greater wealth in these cities it would seem that the per pupil cost of 
 instruction in Alton is relatively low. 
 
 The cost of operation of school plant was $4.26 per pupil, although this 
 is probably about $0.30 too much because of the assumed inclusion of the 
 salary of the Superintendent of School Buildings which should have been 
 included in administration expense. The average of operation cost in the 21 
 largest cities in 1915 was $5.27 per pupil. In considering this class of 
 expenditures some aid is to be had from the Springfield, Illinois, Survey. In 
 eleven cities varying population from about 45,000 to 65,000 the average per 
 pupil cost of janitors' salaries was $2.88, of fuel, $1.52 and of water and light, 
 $0.42, — total for chief items of operation cost, $4.72. Here again we may 
 conclude that on the average the cost of operating Alton's school plant is 
 relatively low. 
 
 For maintenance of buildings last year $1.30 per pupil was spent. For 
 the eleven cities compared in the Springfield Survey the per pupil cost of 
 maintenance was found to be $2.39; for the 21 largest cities of the country 
 the St. Louis Survey gives the per pupil cost as $2.48. And thus again we 
 find that Alton seems to be low in another class of school costs. 
 
 The tentative conclusions which may therefore be drawn as to expendi- 
 tures for different objects are: 
 
 First. The present cost of outlays absorbs as large a proportion of 
 the available funds as should be permitted, and should probably be reduced 
 if funds are not found for increasing the proportion of expenditures for other 
 objects. 
 
 Second. Overhead costs are not excessive but are relatively about as 
 high as they should be. 
 
 Third. For the strictly educational functions the expenditures are 
 relatively somewhat less than for other objects. 
 
 Fourth. In the cost of operating and maintaining the school plant 
 there are no disproportionately large or small expenditures. 
 
 B. Relative Cost of Elementary and Hirjh ScJwol Instruction. 
 
 When we come to study this important question the inadequacy of past 
 records and reports makes it impossible to proceed. The data of the Treas- 
 urer's annual report explain this. From a statement of the salaries paid 
 
 79 
 
teachers and janitors for the current year, however, these two chief items 
 of cost can be distributed to the two classes of schools, and per pupil costs 
 computed froin them. 
 
 Teachers' and Janitors' Salaries for Current Year. 
 
 Total All High Elementary 
 
 Schools Schools Schools 
 Average daily attendance for month 
 
 ending Jan. 25, 1918 2812 375 2437 
 
 Total salaries of teachers (includ- 
 ing principals) |89,210 $24,683 $64,527 
 
 Per pupil cost of teachers' salaries.. $31.72 $65.82 $26.47 
 
 Total janitors' salaries $ 8,800 $ 1,200 $ 7,600 
 
 Per pupil cost of janitors' salaries.. $3.13 $3.20 $3.12 
 Total salaries of teachers and jani- 
 tors $98,010 $25,883 $72,127 
 
 Per pupil cost $34.85 $69.02 $29.59 
 
 (The salaries of the principal and janitor of the Horace Mann School 
 were pro-rated to the high school and elementary school departments accord- 
 ing to the number of rooms. The salaries of music and drawing supervisors 
 were pro-rated to elementary and high schools on the basis of average daily 
 attendance.) 
 
 This table shows that the per pupil cost of salaries for the current year 
 will be in excess of the total cost of instruction for last year as computed 
 from the Treasurer's Annual Report. This is due to two factors, first the 
 higher salaries paid this year, and second the smaller attendance of pupils. 
 
 It is quite out of the question to compare with justice these per pupil 
 costs with similar classes of expenditures in other systems for preceding 
 years. The advances in salaries almost everywhere and the variations in the 
 number of pupils enrolled make inter-city comparisons at present quite un- 
 reliable. 
 
 It may be noted, however, that this year the high school pupils in Alton 
 with an average cost of $65.82 for teachers' salaries are receiving two and 
 one-half times the expenditure that the grade pupils are receiving for their 
 Instruction. This is not a disproportionate distribution when considered in 
 the light of normal expenditures in other cities in the past. In the Spring- 
 field Survey the cities compared varied in the ratio of high school costs to 
 elementary school costs from 2 to 1, to 3 to 1. In the St. Louis Survey the 
 cost of high schools for the 21 largest cities was found on the average to be 
 about two and one-third times the cost of elementary schools, measured by 
 the unit of per pupil cost. We may therefore conclude that in the matter of 
 teachers' salaries the elementary schools and the high school are pretty well 
 proportioned, when viewed from the standpoint of the average cost for each 
 pupil. 
 
 C. Cost of Different Units of ScJwol Plant ■,. 
 
 It would be very desirable to know just how much it costs to operate 
 and maintain the different school buildings. It is believed that interesting 
 facts might be discerned relative to the costs of small plants and of larger 
 ones. As previously stated, however, the costs of fuel and other operating 
 supplies and salaries are not now distributed in the financial records to the 
 several school buildings. 
 
 II. Does Alton Support Its Public Schools in Proportion to Its Ability? 
 
 The ability of a city to maintain schools, as well as other departments 
 of municipal government, is generally measured by its wealth as computed 
 from its assessment for taxes. The present assessment of Alton is $4,770,849. 
 As this is commonly accepted as one-third the real value of the property 
 assessed, we may estimate the total actual wealth of the city to be $14,312,547. 
 The total population of the city according to the school census of 1916 was 
 26,048. Taking this as the present population, the average wealth per inhabi- 
 tant is found to be $549.46. 
 
 How does Alton compare with other cities in per capita wealth and 
 consequently in ability to support schools? Of the cities studied in the 
 Springfield Survey it will be worth while to compare Alton's per capita 
 wealth with that of East St. Louis, $690.00: Springfield, $948.00; Canton, 
 Ohio, $1,119.00; South Bend, Indiana, $1,153.00; and Rockford, $1,194.00. Of 
 the 21 largest cities of the country reported in the St. Louis Survey all but 
 six have a per capita wealth of over $1,200.00. Therefore, so far as wealth 
 
 80 
 
is concerned, Alton should hardly be expected to spend as much per inhabitant 
 on its schools as the above cities. 
 
 As a matter of fact, however, Alton exceeds what might be expected 
 from this comparison of per capita wealth. .i;i05,452.65 of the total cost for 
 1916-17 represents the current expenses and this divided by the total popula- 
 tion, 26,048, gives a per capita cost of $4.05. Compare this now with the per 
 capita cost of expenses for East St. Louis, $3.56; South Bend, Indiana, $3.85; 
 Canton, Ohio, $4.19; Rockford, $4.63; and Springfield, $4.63; and the average 
 per capita expenditure (for all purposes) in the 21 largest cities of the 
 country, $8.49. While these data are very meagre, the inference to be tenta- 
 tively drawn from them is that in proportion to her ability Alton supports her 
 schools well. 
 
 The truth of this conclusion would, however, be denied if the present 
 assessment of property should be found not fully to represent one-third of 
 the actual valuation of all wealth in the city. Some popular comment sug- 
 gests that this may be the case. Moreover, since per capita wealth increases 
 in general very closely with increases in population, it is not very satisfactory 
 to compare Alton's wealth, and consequent capacity to pay for education, with 
 cities of the size of Springfield and East St. Louis. 
 
 Still a further caution must be mentioned in connection with the above 
 conclusion that Alton is discharging her financial obligation to public educa- 
 tion adequately. It is this, — that the determination of what a city ought 
 to do for the education of its children rests on many other important factors 
 than its wealth. The most urgent princicple of action should be its educa- 
 tional needs, — both in number of children to be educated and in the char- 
 acter of education which the children should have. With this standard of 
 need must be placed the ideals of service for its children which a community 
 holds. Both of these should ever be more influential in determining what 
 efforts, even sacrifices, a city will make for education than a satisfying knowl- 
 edge that other cities may be doing less in proportion to their financial 
 capacity. 
 
 All of these considerations of what Alton ought to do in the matter of 
 supporting education are valuable in shaping the popular and the official 
 attitude towards school expenditures. It is recognized, however, that the 
 more practical question, when increased costs loom on the horizon, is, How 
 shall additional money be obtained? As the income of a school system ap- 
 proaches its legal maximum this question assumes dominating importance. 
 Alton is already familiar with the problems of this situation. Compare the 
 maximum local revenues permitted under the law with the increasing 
 requests for tax levies and actual expenditures of the school system: 
 
 1914-15 1915-16 1916-17 1917-18 1918-19 
 
 Assessment on which 
 estimates of maxi- 
 mum levy are 
 based .'. $4,440,000 $4,526,134 $4,701,655 $4,582,504 $4,770,849 
 
 Legal maximum for 
 "building" 11/2% 
 (same for "educa- 
 tional" purposes).. 
 
 Amount requested for 
 "buildings" 
 
 Amount requested for 
 "educational" pur 
 poses 
 
 Estimated income 
 from other sources.. 
 
 Total estimated in- 
 come $ 124,150 $ 126,181 $ 139,318 $ 163,263 
 
 Actual receipts for 
 the year 116,206 126,392 126,113 ? 
 
 Total expenditures 
 
 for the year 130,877 137,840 145.100 *180,290 
 
 Cash balance at end 
 
 of year $ 58,235 $ 46,787 $ 28,626 ? 
 
 66,600 
 
 67,891 
 
 70,524 
 
 68,737 
 
 71,562 
 
 42,200 
 
 39,481 
 
 47,738 
 
 68,263 
 
 
 67,800 
 
 70,519 
 
 72,262 
 
 68,737 
 
 
 14,150 
 
 16,181 
 
 19,318 
 
 26,263 
 
 
 ♦Estimated, 
 
 81 
 
The growing difficulty of the financial situation is quite well revealed in 
 these figures. The annual expenditures have each year since 1914-15 ex- 
 ceeded the actual as well as the estimated income for the year, with the 
 result that a cash balance on June 30, 1915, was reduced to $28,626.00 by 
 June 30, 1917. The estimated income for the current year as given by the 
 Finance Committee is $163,263.00, and the estimated expenses $180,290.00. 
 If these estimates are verified the cash balance June 30, 1918, will be so 
 greatly reduced that the problem of financing the schools for at least the first 
 half of the ensuing school year will be a very perplexing problem. 
 
 Even greater difficulties, however, lie ahead of the immediate future. 
 First, the necessary practice of using "building funds" for "educational" 
 purposes, — of doubtful legality, — has grown until almost the legal maximum 
 levy for "building" purposes is now required, and the pract.ice cannot be 
 abandoned without curtailing expenditures for "educational" purposes so 
 materially as to be a calamity to the schools. Second, the legal limit for 
 both building and educational purposes has practically been reached. As a 
 result sources of additional revenue for the schools seem to be closed. 
 
 Under the existing statutes there appears to be no solution to the 
 problem of securing greater total revenue except to increase the assessment 
 of taxable property. As for the practice of diverting part of the "building" 
 fund to "educational" purposes, it is probable that two of the statutes enacted 
 in 1915 offer some relief. An act approved May 20, 1915, (see School Laws of 
 Illinois as amended by the Forty-ninth General Assembly, issued by the 
 Superintendent of Public Instruction as Circular No. 93, 1916, page 79), 
 makes the legal limits for school levies in Alton to be those of the general 
 school laws of the State, and the latter, as amended May 27, 1915 (see page 
 57 of School Laws), provide that the school district may by popular vote 
 determine that the levy for "educational" purposes may be increased from 
 one and one-half per cent of the assessed valuation to two per cent, providing 
 the total levy for both "building" and "educational" purposes does not exceed 
 three per cent. When this ratio has once been approved by popular election 
 it stands without further authorization until changed by popular vote. 
 
 The application of these acts should be investigated and if it is found 
 that Alton comes under them, the Board of Education should lose no time in 
 legalizing its present necessary action in using "building" funds for current 
 expenses by submitting the matter to popular election. 
 
 J 
 
 Recommendations 
 
 1. Financial records should show specifically the nature and object of 
 all expenditures, Avith distribution to each school center. 
 
 2. Financial reports should show at least the classifications and sub- 
 divisions called for on annual fiscal report to the United States Bureau of 
 Education. 
 
 3. In the distribution of expenditures there should be no relative 
 increase in the cost of outlays and of administrative services. 
 
 4. Instructional expenses should be relatively increased. 
 
 5. High school and elementary school costs are well balanced in rela- 
 tion to each other. 
 
 6. The costs of maintenance and operation of the school buildings 
 should be studied by individual plants, when the records and reports admit 
 of it. 
 
 7. The relation of the present assessment of property should be studied 
 T^ in Its relation to actual values, with the object of securing increased levies 
 
 '^^J -1-^ for school funds. 
 
 "X; a! ^' '^^^ niore recent state legislation should be investigated to see if 
 
 ^•^ an Increased proportion of the present maximum levy cannot be legally 
 
 applied to "educational" purposes. 
 
 82 
 
REPORT OF SPECIAL SURVEY COMMITTEE. 
 
 The purpose ol" this report is to form a basis of discussion for the 
 entire body in session. We are suggesting what seems to us to be necessary 
 and feasible recommendations as obtained from the survey. 
 
 We are not presuming to dictate to the Board that these are the only 
 recommendations or plans of action possible under the survey or that all of 
 these can be adopted at this time. A survey's finding is not worth much 
 that could be carried out at once, it furnishes rather a goal toward which 
 we can strive, an ideal that we can pursue. 
 
 Your committee desires to recommend for your consideration and 
 attention the following: 
 
 1. That there be an office created called the Commissioner of Supplies 
 filled by a bonded officer whose duties shall be that of purchasing agent for 
 the Board. He shall also serve in the capacity of Assistant Secretary of 
 
 the Board of Education. All requisitions for supplies of whatever nature , 
 
 now handled by the Building Committee, Supplies Committee, Library and / 
 
 Apparatus Committee and Superintendent of Schools shall pass through his ^ 
 
 hand and be purchased by him when so ordered by the Board, and a strict 
 and accurate record be kept of the disposition of all supplies. Under this ' 
 plan it should be possible to have economic purchasing, lack of duplication 
 and a constant record of supplies on hand, and an even distribution of cost 
 among the different buildings. (See First Paragraph, Page 3. Last Para- 
 graph, Page 28.) 
 
 N.B. — This position was filled by the Board, May 15th, 1918. 
 
 2. To enlarge the duties and responsibilities under the rules of the 
 Superintendent of Buildings, making the Superintendent of Buildings an *-_ 
 executive officer of the Board, being responsible for the selection and con- 
 duct of janitors, and carrying out the plans of the Building Committee. 
 
 N. B. — See Resolution adopted by the Board, May 15th, 1918. 
 
 3. That the Department of Hygiene be put under the responsible 
 direction of the Superintendent of Schools. 
 
 N. B. — See Resolution adopted by the Board, May 15th, 1918. 
 
 4. That this Board pledges itself to the development of the Depart- 
 ment of Hygiene into a department that fulfills the requirements laid down 
 under Observation No. 1. Page 7. 
 
 5. That it shall be the duty of the Superintendent of Schools to 
 establish at once a cumulative record card for each pupil in the Alton 
 schools, showing attendance and progress. Such record to be accessible 
 to those who have the right to know the contents. 
 
 6. It shall be the duty of the Superintendent of Schools to establish 
 at once a permanent, careful, adequate record of the efl3ciency of the indi- 
 vidual teacher, showing length of service, attendance, punctuality, faithful- 
 ness in the performance of routine duties, ability in instruction and teaching 
 skill, and professional skill. Such record to be the basis of promotion, or for 
 dismissal. 
 
 7. That this Board pledges itself to the belief that as soon as possible 
 plans be made for the improvement of the supervision of the various build- 
 ings in our public school system, making it possible that a principal, with 
 practically no teaching duties, be furnished each building of five or more 
 rooms. 
 
 N. B. — Seven supervising principals were appointed by the Board, 
 May 22nd, 1918. 
 
 8. That this Board pledges itself to the belief that more special 
 supervisors are needed and that investigation will be made at once to fulfill 
 that need. 
 
 9. That this Board provide that with the beginning of the next school 
 year, September, 1918, there be elected a principal of the Alton High School 
 whose sole duty will be that of supervision. 
 
 N. B. — A supervising High School principal was appointed by the 
 Board, May 22nd, 1918. 
 
 83 
 
10. That tbe attention of the principal of the High School be directed 
 to the recommendations found under "Course of Study." (Page 62.) 
 
 11. That the subject "Community Civics" be made an absolute re- 
 quirement lor every pupil in the first year of the High School Course and 
 that the study of United States History be an absolute requirement in the 
 fourth year High School. 
 
 12. That the High School Committee be instructed to immediately 
 investigate the feasibility of uniting all High School vi^ork in the City of 
 Alton in the High School Building; that is to discontinue the first two 
 years of High School work now being given at Horace Mann School. 
 
 N. B.— This was done by the Board, May 22nd, 1918. 
 
 13. That a new course of study be prepared for the Alton Public 
 Schools by the Superintendent of Public Schools and all teachers employed 
 in the Alton Public Schools; that the Superintendent and all supervisors 
 and principals act as an executive committee in guiding the planning and 
 formation of such new course of study. Further, that this Board declares 
 Itself in favor of vocationalizing all studies whenever it is possible to so do 
 and that we adopt as our policy and plan of action the promotion of courses 
 of study emphasizing the "development type" as discussed on page 26, 
 Printed Survey, Second Paragraph. That we expect from the Superintendent 
 of Schools from time to time reports as to the progress being made in the 
 formation of a new course of study. 
 
 14. That this Board believes that the adoption of newer and modern 
 text books is necessary, but that their adoption should follow the installation 
 of a new course of study, seeking the texts best suited for the teaching of 
 the new course of study. That the Board adopt no text-book not approved 
 by a majority of a committee consisting of the Superintendent of Schools 
 and four principals or supei-visors selected by this Board. 
 
 15. That one teacher of the two teaching manual arts be designated 
 as the head of that department. 
 
 N. B. — A head of this department was named by the Board, May 22nd, 
 1918. 
 
 16. That one teacher of all teachers of domestic arts be designated as 
 the head of that department. 
 
 N. B.— A head of this department was named by the Board, May 22nd, 
 1918. 
 
 17. That this Board investigate at once the feasibility of having a 
 primary supervisor. 
 
 18. That reports of all supervisors be made in writing and placed on 
 file in the office of the Superintendent of Schools for reference. 
 
 19. That all supervisors be directed to assemble all teachers under 
 their charge a reasonable number of times to discuss methods and demon- 
 stration of class work, and make a report in writing to the Superintendent 
 of Schools of the transaction of such meetings. 
 
 20. That this Board immediately investigate and determine upon a 
 plan for the improvement of the number and condition of supplementary 
 readers furnished in the different gi'ades in the different buildings of the 
 Alton Public Schools. ' 
 
 21. That this Board investigates and determines upon a plan of action 
 or a creation of a necessary number of ungraded rooms to be established 
 in the various schools for the purpose of allowing more individual instruction 
 to those retarded children who give promise of making up lost time. 
 
 22. That this Board investigate and determine as near as possible, 
 the number of those children in the Alton Public Schools who could be more 
 profitably handled in separate schools because of their mental condition. 
 
 23. That the attention of the Superintendent of Schools be especially 
 directed to the general subject of retardation of children through the grades, 
 and that reports be expected from him from time to time of his investigation 
 of the causes of retardation in the Alton Schools, and his plans for lowering 
 the percentage of retardation 
 
 84 
 
24. That this Board establish the rule that individual promotion may 
 be made on approval of the teacher and the principal of the building which 
 the child attends. 
 
 25. That this Board pledges itself to the installation as far as possible 
 of departmental teaching in the higher grades. 
 
 26. That this Board keep through its proper officers the cost and 
 maintenance and operation of each school building. 
 
 27. That this Board pledges itself to a campaign of publicity for the 
 securing of a real assessment of all taxable property within our school 
 district. 
 
 28. That a special committee be appointed to confer with the City 
 Administration upon a proposition to include within the corporate limits of 
 Alton that part of Sections 7 and IS that is not now in the City Limits, and 
 all of fractional Section 19, making the East City limit line coincide with 
 the east line of Sections 7, 18 and 19, which sections are in Township 5, 
 North Range 9, West of the Third P. M. 
 
 29. That there be a revision of the rules and regulations of the 
 Board of Education to embody changes and proposals as are accepted by 
 this Board, such revision to be prepared at once and presented for the 
 consideration of the Board. 
 
 The foregoing Recommendations were adopted by the Board, April 
 29th, 1918. 
 
 85 
 
RESOLUTION FOR REORGANIZATION. 
 
 Be it Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Alton, 
 Illinois, be organized with four standing committees, as follows: 
 
 First — Committee on Finance and Supplies. 
 
 Second — Committee on Instruction. 
 
 Third — Committee on Buildings and Grounds. 
 
 Fourth — Committee on Rules. 
 
 And be it further Resolved, That the composition and duties of these 
 several committees be as follows: 
 
 First — The Committee on Finance and Supplies shall consist of four 
 members, whose duty it shall be to audit all accounts which have .been 
 certified by the committee, or persons contracting same, to estimate as 
 nearly as possible what the yearly expenses of the schools will be basing 
 such estimate upon the proposed requirements filed with the chairman of 
 this committee by the Committee on Insti'uction for Superintendents', Prin- 
 cipals', Supervisors' and Teachers' salaries for the next year, upon the list of 
 proposed expenditures filed with the chairman of this committee by the 
 Committee on Buildings and Grounds, and upon the pi'oposed expenditures 
 of the committee itself — and to report the same with recommendations to 
 the Board at its regular meeting in June; to recommend at the June meeting 
 a competent person to fill the position of Commissioner of Supplies; to have 
 charge through the committee's executive officer (the Commissioner of 
 Supplies) of the purchasing and placing of necessary supplies for all the 
 schools, all lists of supplies exceeding $50 in value to be bought of lowest 
 and best bidder or bidders; and to furnish information of the financial con- 
 dition to the Board at any of its meetings. 
 
 Second — The Committee on Instruction shall consist of five members 
 whose duty it shall be through its executive officer, the Superintendent of 
 Public Schools, to investigate the qualifications of applicants for positions 
 as teacher, to prepare, annually and submit at the next regular or at a 
 special meeting following the organization meeting in May a list of com- 
 petent teachers for positions for the next school year, with recommendations 
 as to their salaries, to report progress of the revision of courses of study, to 
 recommend four principals or supervisors to serve with the Superintendent 
 of Schools on Text Book Committee, to have general care of the High School, 
 the centralization or separation of same in various parts of City, to see that 
 all teachers' contracts and salaries are in agreement with requirements and 
 schedules laid down by this Board. 
 
 To exercis'e general control through the Superintendent of Schools of 
 the Department of Hygiene and of activities of the Truant Officers, to pre- 
 pare annually an estimate of the money needed for the next year for salaries 
 and incidentals and file same with the Chairman of the Finance and Supply 
 Committee at least ten days prior to the June meeting, and to be empowered 
 to visit other school systems in search of competent persons to fill vacancies 
 in Alton schools. 
 
 Third — The Committee on Buildings and Grounds shall consist of five 
 members whose duty it shall be to recommend to the Board at the June 
 meeting a suitable person to fill the office of Superintendent of Buildings, 
 who acts as the executive officer of the committee, to attend through their 
 executive officer to the necessary repairs of all buildings and grounds, to 
 exercise general supei'vision over all buildings whatsoever through the 
 Board's Architect, or the Superintendent of Buildings, or both, to have charge 
 through the executive officer, the committee of all janitors having power 
 to discharge any janitor temporarily for neglect of duty and appoint tem- 
 porarily his or her successor, to recommend to the Board at the meeting 
 suitable persons for appointment as janitors of the various buildings, to 
 keep in touch with the probable growth of our school system and recommend 
 school sites when deemed advisable and to make annually an estimate of 
 money needed for the next year for repairs, new buildings, new sites and 
 janitors' salaries and file same with the Chairman of the Finance and Supply 
 Committee at least ten days prior to the June meeting. 
 
 Fourth — The Committee on Rules and Regulations shall consist of 
 three members — the Chairman of the three forenamed committees — whose 
 
 86 
 
duty it shall be to formulate all rules and regulations for the government of 
 the Board. 
 
 Be it further resolved, That all committees shall meet at least once 
 a month, that notice be sent to every member of the Board of each meeting 
 and that any member of the Board is privileged to attend any committee 
 meeting to take part in the discussion, but only the members of the com- 
 mittee in session are privileged to vote on the nature of the committee's 
 report to the Board, and that by vote of the majority of the committee — the 
 committee's meeting may be with closed doors. 
 
 Adopted by the Board, May 15th, 1918. 
 
 87 
 
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHERS 
 IN THE ALTON SCHOOLS. 
 
 I. New Teachers in the Grades. 
 
 New teachers employed in the grades of the Alton Schools shall have 
 the following qualifications: 
 
 (a) The completion of a standard four-year high school course, or its 
 equivalent, with no professional work offered as a part of the sixteen units 
 required for graduation. 
 
 (b) A diploma from a two years' course from a standard normal school 
 or its equivalent. 
 
 II. New Teachers in the High School. 
 
 New teachers employed in the Alton High Schools must have a 
 Bachelor Degree from a college that is a member of the American Associa- 
 tion of Colleges with the minimum of twelve hours of professional work as a 
 part of the requirements for the degree. 
 
 III. Present Grade Teachers. 
 
 Teachers now in the employ of the Alton School Board may receive 
 and retain an increase in salary only upon doing a minimum average of six 
 hours of professional work each year, until each teacher has the minimum 
 of thirty hours of professional work to her credit. 
 
 IV. Present High School Teachers. 
 
 Teachers now employed in the Alton High School should, as rapidly as 
 possible, secure the equivalent of a Bachelor Degree from a standard college, 
 including twelve hours of professional work. 
 
 They are required to do a minimum of six hours of professional and 
 other work each year until they have reached the minimum required. 
 
 That no new -graduates be placed as Cadets and that fair and just 
 arrangements be made with those now in training as Cadets. 
 
 That upon written application any teacher, principal or supervisor can 
 obtain a year's leave of absence for study and will upon return be placed 
 in same or better rank. 
 
 That this Board provide at its own expense through the Committee 
 of Instruction courses in professional subjects by the extension method. 
 
 That this Board through its proper officers pledge themselves to the 
 establishment of a permanent list of teachers, that is, that any teacher when 
 a certain standard of preparation and a certain length of service has been 
 attained will be placed as a permanent teacher in the Alton Schools remov- 
 able only for cause. 
 
 Adopted by the Board, May 15th, 1918. 
 
 88 
 
YD >I37I9 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
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