REPORT ON EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS, SCHOOL INCENTIVES, TIME LIMITS AND SCHOOL SESSIONS, INDUSTRIAL TRAINING, SPECIAL' CLASSES FOR DELINQUENTS AND DEFECTIVES, SCHOOLS FOR TRUANTS, . . BY John T. Prince, Agent OF the Board. Repkinted fkom the Seventt-fikst Report of the JS^Issachusetts Boakd of Education. ^ liW"*"' REPORT ON . EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS, SCHOOL INCENTIVES, TIME LIMITS AND SCHOOL SESSIONS, INDUSTRIAL TRAINING, SPECIAL CLASSES FOR DELINQUENTS AND DEFECTIVES, SCHOOLS FOR TRUANTS, . . John T. Prince, Agent of the Board. Reprinted from the Seventy-first Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education. D. 0^0. AUG 1 ^908. REPORT To the Board of Education. My time during the past year has been given mainly to the inspection of schools of all kinds in various sections of the Commonwealth, to attendance upon teachers' institutes and other educational meetings, and to an inspection of the county truant schools and of the special schools for defectives and delinquents supported partly or wholly by the State. Educational Conditions. Slate Aid. — In my last report I spoke at some length (1) of the great improvement which had been made in the smaller towns of the Commonwealth on account of skilled supervision, made universal and obligatory by law, and (2) of the improved character of the teaching force, made possible to many towns by increased aid from the State. I also spoke of the unequal and in some respects unfair distribution of the State school fund, showing that while a few towns were receiving more money from the State than they could use to advantage, many of the towns were left without the assistance which they needed to secure trained teachers. My observation during the past year has confirmed me in all these impressions. The benefits of increased aid have been so marked in the case of some towns that the wisdom of a further or wider extension of assistance should no longer be questioned, at least up to the point of giving aid to those towns which tax themselves for schools to the utmost, and which nevertheless are not able to employ the best teachers. The greatest need of State aid is by no means confined to the smaller towns ; indeed, in many cases the smaller towns are now better off than larger ones of low valuation. To make clearer my meaning I will cite the case of two towns of a superintendency union recently visited. The smaller of tlie towns has 6 schools and about 125 pupils, — the teachers receiving from $10 to $12 a week. The larger town has about 550 pupils, with 19 teachers, who receive an average of about $9 a week. And yet these two tovsms receive practi- cally the same amount of aid from the State. It is true that in this instance the smaller town's local school tax is relatively more than that of the larger town, — a fact which should be considered in an equitable division of the State school fund. But that this principle is not sufficiently consid- ered in all cases may be shown by such an example as Middle- field, in Hampshire County, which raises but $6.25 per pupil for schools, and which receives more from the State than the adjoining town of Chester, which raises $15.77 per pupil, and this in spite of the fact that the latter town has nearly twice as many schools as the former. What is needed is a larger State school fund, and such a dis- tribution of it that all the tovnis will be able, without a burden- some local tax, to pay the teachers a fair living salary. At pres- ent there are many teachers in the public schools who receive less for their service than factory operatives receive or girls in do- mestic service. From the returns of 1906-07 it appears that there are 41 towns in which the average salary of teachers is less than $9 a week, and 9 towns in which the average salary is less than $8 a week. It should be impossible in an enlightened Com- monwealth for such meager salaries to be paid to teachers, or for teaching service to be demanded which is rated at so low a value. A law might be passed binding towns to pay teachers for full-time service at least $10 a week, and making the finan- cial conditions such that this limit can be met by the poorest to-svns without undue burden.^ Normal Graduates. — During the past year there has been a relative increase in the number of normal graduates employed as teachers in the public schools, the increase in the number of 1 According to a statement recently received from tlie office of the Commissioner of Edu- cation, laws relating to the minimum salaries of public school teachers have been passed in Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Daliota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In Pennsylvania the law provides that the salary of teachers in districts receiving State appropriation shall not be less than $50 a month when the teacher holds a professional, per- manent or normal school certificate, has had two years' practice and presents a certificate of proficiency from his superintendent. For all teachers holding certificates of less grade the minimum salary shall be $40. — Laws of Pennsylvania, 1907, No. 249. such graduates over last year being 3^ per cent., while the increase in the number of teachers required was only 2 per cent. It is gratifying to know that this increase of trained teachers, though small, is greater than the average yearly increase of such teachers during the past ten years. If we look closely, to see where the professionally trained teachers go, we find that they go largely to the cities and larger towns rather than to those places that need them most. This fact is an added reason for increasing the salaries of teachers in towns not able at present to secure the services of normal graduates. School Incentives. One evidence of the professional advance of teachers has been the gradual lessening of a reliance upon artificial means of se- curing the interest and attention of pupils to the work of the schools. This is especially noticeable in respect to the misuse of examinations, and to the marking and ranking of pupils. A generation ago it was not uncommon to find examinations for promotion in all grades of graded schools. Teachers also at that time were frequently found marking the daily recitations of their pupils, and seating them at the end of every month according to their rank in the class. But all this has changed ; so much so that there remain but few places where examinations alone count for promotion in the grades, or where teachers of grammar schools are expected or allowed to mark the daily recitations of their pupils. The matter appears to be somewhat different in a large number of high schools. In these schools examinations and marks seem to be authorized, or else are per- mitted without protest. The difference of attitude on the part of these two classes of teachers towards examinations and marks may be accounted for in part by the fact that there are more professionally trained teachers in the grammar schools than in the high, and possibly also by the fact that the college influence and practice is felt less in one class of schools than in the other. But whatever the cause of the difference of practice the fact remains that many of the best teachers in all grades of schools are able to teach and train well without the use of artificial stimulants of any kind. My chief purpose for referring to the matter of incentives 6 at this time is to call attention to what appears to be a renewal of earlier practices on the part of a few young teachers and snpetintendents in relation to examinations for promotion and daily marking, and to present in brief form some reasons why these practices are detrimental to the highest interests of the pupils. In the first place there are certain analogies between feeding and training the body and feeding and training the mind which it is useful for all to consider who hare anything to do with educating the young. "What shall we say of the use of stimulants as a means of awakening, activity ? We know that the body in a normal state does not need them. ISTo more does the mind. The mind no less than the body has in health a natural hunger for that which it most needs. If the taste in either case has not been perverted there will be no need of any artificial stimulant to insure a ready and glad reception of the food offered so long as the food is of the right kind and is properly presented. Indeed, artificial stimulants tend to destroy a natural appetite and to interfere with processes of digestion. By inducing the pupils to work for high marks or prizes there is seemingly an increase of interest, but it is not a direct interest in the subject- matter studied. There is acquired, instead, a habit of working only under stress of competition or of a position of distinction in the class. Another 'objection to the marking of daily recitations is the danger of doing violence to the pupil's sense of justice, whether the mark is one of credit for actual achievement or a mark for effort. Pupils differ so in their powers that what may stand as a mark of credit to one pupil may be a mark of discredit to another, and no teacher can possibly measure by marks the de- gree of effort which any pupil may make. Besides all this, a teacher is kept from giving proper atten- tion to the presentation of a lesson, or to questioning, if his mind is absorbed in estimating the value of each pupil's per- formance. A recent instance of the folly of marking the recitation of pupils comes to mind. Two divisions of a ninth grade in history were put in competition for a month at a time, each pupil's daily recitation being marked by the teacher. The questions were written upon the blackboard, and framed in such a way as to permit the answers to be easily marked. There was a cer- tain kind of interest excited in this contest, but the interest could hardly be said to be historical. In this case — girls against boys — it was partly, at least, an interest in seeing which sex would win, and partly, perhaps, in trying to get the promised extra hour of freedom at the end of the month. Examinations for promotion or for reports to parents, when given by some one other than the teacher, are attended by results which are, perhaps, less harmful to individual pupils than to the quality of the teaching as a whole. To be entirely fair the examiner feels obliged to confine his questions largely to the material found within certain limits of the regular text-book. The teacher takes note of this fact and governs himself accord- ingly. The result is memoriter and text-book grind of the worst kind. I recall a marked instance of work of this kind in a suburban grammar school some time ago. The subject was geography, and the lesson was a portion of a page recited over and over by the pupils, largely in the words of the book. When I asked the teacher if she thought that was a proper way to teach the subject, she replied : '^ 'No, I do not ; but there is an examination in the subject every month by the principal, and the results reported to the school board determine the promotion of the pupils. I have reason to believe that a teacher's reten- tion depends upon the results of these examinations, and as I have a family to support I do not propose to run any risks." Who could, under the circumstances, blame that teacher for poor work ? Examinations may have their place and perhaps marking and reporting have their place, but when they tend to prevent pupils from thinking for themselves, or force the pupils to dislike the subject studied, and especially when they divert the interest of the pupils from the real ends of the subjects studied, they should be forever banished from the school. Time Limits and School Sessions. Difficulties of a serious nature are found to exist in making a course of studies under present conditions. Over and over again we hear the criticism that the schools teach nothing thor- 8 oiighly, and as frequently we hear the defence from school au- thorities that there is no time to do more. It is plain to see how the difficulty has arisen. Fifty years ago but four or five subjects were taught in the schools, and there were six hours a day to teach them in, with an extra half day on Saturday. Later, the half-day session on Saturday was given up, and the time of the afternoon session was reduced to two hours. Then came the giving up of recesses and an earlier closing in conse- quence. In the mean time, the number of subjects doubled and trebled, but the length of session remained as before, even with the restoration of recesses. Thus it is that in many places all the exercises of the school, including physical exercises and recesses, are crowded into daily sessions which occupy only four and three-quarters hours of time. Even this time is shortened in some places by having only a forenoon session, leaving the afternoon free for home study and recreation. Under such circumstances it is no wonder that it is found difficult to make a place in the program for industrial training, which is now demanding admittance into the school, and which, from the nature of the subject, must inevitably consume much time. I can see no way out of the difficulty except by considerably lengthening the school sessions. If exercises in manual or industrial training are to be given daily, as many wise edu- cators advocate, and if more time is to be given to the plays and games of children, the school day should be increased to six hours. That this time is not unreasonable, and that it can be easily brought about, with the hearty approval of parents and pupils, is sho\vn by the experience of one of our own nor- mal practice schools. When from experience the desirability of having industrial work in all grades became manifest to all concerned, the plan of prolonging the daily sessions one hour was proposed, and with practical unanimity it was cor- dially approved by the patrons of the school. At first, attend- ance upon the industrial exercises was optional, but as a matter of fact nearly every pupil chose to attend, until now both the extended time and enlarged program are accepted by all with- out question. In some such way as this the introduction into the course of new and desirable subjects of study may be made. Several inquiries have come to me recently as to standards of time for each study ,of the school. In a special report upon a course of studies a fevs^ years ago, I made a careful study of conditions and practices in various sections of this and other countries, and as a result I suggested certain approximate percentages of time to be given to each of five groups of studies. The follov^ing table is a revision of the percentages given in that report, due allowance being made for the introduction of industrial training : — Table showing the approximate percentage, in a proposed course of studies, of the entire recitation time of a pupil or group of pupils spent in I. Language (including reading, writing, spell- ing, composition, English grammar and literature and a for- eign language), II. Mathematics {including arithmetic, al- gebra, geometry and hookheeping) , III. Elementary science {including nature study, physiology , hygiene and geography) , IV. History {including civil government, biography and his- tory proper), V. Miscellaneous Exercises {including singing, draiving and manual training). GROUPS OF STUDIES. Sub- pri- mary. Grade 1. Grade 2. Grade 3. Grade 4. Grade Grade Grade 7. Grade 8. I. Language, .... 30 40 40 35 30 25 25 25 25 II. Mathematics, .T 10 10 15 15 15 15 15 15 III. Science, .... •20 10 10 15 15 •20 20 15 15 IV. History 10 10 10 10 15 15 15 20 •20 V. Miscellaneous, 351 30 30 '25 •25 25 25 25 25 1 o-inff. Irawii iz anc 1 con- struction work. The following table gives the number of minutes weekly which may be given to each group of subjects, using the previous table of percentages as a basis, and allowing six hours for the school day : — 10 Time program, showing the number of. minutes a wccJc spent in recitation by a pupil or group of pupils in five groups of sub- jects; also the number of minutes a week given to opening exercises and recesses and to study in school. GROUPS OF STUDIES. Sub- pri- mary. 1 Grade 1. Grade 3. Grade 3. Grade 4. Grade Grade 5. 6. Grade Grade 8. I. Language, .... 3(50 60S 608 539 462 390 390 390 390 II. Mathematics, tiO 152 l.r2 231 231 234 234 234 234 III. Science, .... 240 152 152 231 231 312 312 234 234 IV. History 120 152 152 154 231 234 234 312 312 V. Miscellaneous, 4202 456 456 385 385 390 390 390 390 Opening exercises, physical exercises and recesses, . -. 280 280 2(;o 260 240 240 240 240 Total school time, . 1,200 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 Study, 3 - 425 425 440- 440 450 450 450 450 1 Figures in this column indicate the number of minutes spent in recitation and seat work taken together. - Including opening exercises, physical exercises, games, singing, drawing and con- struction work. s The lime for study is given upon the supposition that in some subjects the class is divided into two sections, one section studying wliile the other section is reciting. The above table is given upon the presumption that the school day is divided into two sessions of equal length. For some reasons it might be well to put the more intellectual studies into a morning session of four hours, and all the music, drawing and industrial training into an afternoon session of two hours. Time for a study period might also be given in the afternoon. In some communities it might be desirable to make attendance upon this short afternoon session optional. But the program made up in the way proposed would be so attractive that few would deny themselves the privilege of attending. Industrial Tkaining. Scope. - — The term industrial training is used in different ways by speakers and writers. By some it is used simply as manual training, which generally includes, as the name indi- cates, only hand training in such work as sloyd, whittling, sew- ing and cardboard construction. Some persons mean by indus- trial training that training which directly prepares one for a 11 vocation or trade, — a training which is intended to take the place of the old time apprentice work, now well nigh abandoned. So interpretefl, the term industrial training would not essen- tially differ from what we commonly mean by vocational train- ing, or the training which is acquired in ordinary trade schools. The term industrial training should, I believe, have a far wider application than to mere handwork or to preparation for a trade. It should apply to all that is done in the school or elsewhere to promote industrial efficiency and a true spirit of service. With this view the industrial training of the ele- mentary school is as important as the subsequent training car- ried on in the direct interests of a vocation. Indeed, the broader training may be more important, because by it all classes of children are reached, and the dangers of too early specialization are voided. Much as we may learn from European jjractices along industrial lines of training, it will be worse than folly tq assume, in making our programs, as they do in some parts of Europe, that the vocation of the man or woman is fixed in early childhood, and that therefore a certain kind of training will be provided for one class of children and a quite different kind for another class. AVe boast of the privileges of opportunity offered to immigrants from abroad. We should be equally considerate of our children. The earliest age at which the boy or girl needs to make a choice of vocation, which will be in any way a guide for training, is fourteen years; and even for two years after that time the training should not be such as to prevent a change of vocational purpose and a consequent change of training. In another respect I believe we should not folloAv too closely European practices. The choice is given us in industrial train- ing of making the shop the center of interest and effort, or of making the school the center. I believe that up to the age of eighteen years at least the youth's interests, vocational and cul- tural, will be best served if he makes the school the center rather than the shop. The making of the man is of far greater im- portance than the making of the workman, although it is true that that which makes the best workman frequently makes the best man. The likelihood of success, however, in reaching both of these desirable ends is, I believe, greater for the industrialized pupil than for the schooled apprentice. This does not mean 12 that- there should not be a close correlation of industrial and cul- tural studies in the high school, nor that the center of correlation should not be industrial work. jSTor does it mean that trade schools and courses should not be provided for the special aid of workmen of every kind. It means only that, instead of sending our boys and girls into shops with the expectation that they will supplement their work by study, we shall provide for them indus- trial and commercial high schools and courses, such that while they are fitting themselves to become efficient workers in some useful calling they can take at the same time studies that will help them to become intelligent citizens and useful members of society. Industrial training as thus interpreted begins early, and con- tinues somewhat the same for all pupils up to the age of fourteen years. After that time special training may be giveij. along lines which will best prepare them for vocational service. Extent and Kinds. — In the sixty-ninth report of the Board of Education, pages 97-103, there were given the names of the cities and to^vns in the Commonwealth which were giving in- struction in some forms of manual training in high and gram- mar schools. Recent returns from superintendents show that the work has been increased and extended in some of the places, and that it has been introduced in many others. The list of cities and towns in which instruction in manual training is now maintained is as follows : — Cities and Towns maintaining Instructioii in Manual Training. [Note. — "G" at the right of the names means grammar schools, "H" means high schools and " E " means evening schools.] List A. Boston, G, H, E. Brockton, H. Brookline, G, H, E. Cambridge, G, H, E. Chelsea, G, H. Fall River, H. Fitchburg, G, H. Haverhill, G, H. Holyoke, H. Lawrence, G, H. Lowell, G, H, E. Lynn, G, H, E. Maiden, G, H. New Bedford, G, E. Newton, G. North Adams, G. Quincy, G, H. Salem, G, H. Somerville, G, H. Springfield, G, H, E. Taimton, G, H. Waltham, G, H. Worcester, G, H, E. 13 List B. Amherst, G. Andover, G, H. Arlington, G, H. Athol, G. Attleborough, G. Ayer, G. Bedford, G. Belmont, G. Beverly, G, H. Braintree, G. Concord, G, H. Dedham, G. Easton, G. Everett, G. Fairhaven, G, H. Framingham, G. Gardner, G, II. Great Barrington, G. Greenfield, G. Hopkinton, G, II. Hyde Park, G. Hudson, G, H. Lancaster, G, H. Leominster, G, H. Lexington, G. Leyden, G. Manchester, G, H. Marblehead, G. Marlborough, G. Medford, G, H. Melrose, G. Milton, G, H. Methuen, G. Montague, G. Nantucket, G, H. Natick, G, H. Needham, G. Northfield, G. Plymouth, G. Petersham, G, H. Princeton, G, H. Reading, G. South Hadley, G. Stoneham, G. Swampscott, H. Wakefield, G. Walpole, G. Ware, G. Watertown, G. Wellesley, G, H. West Boylston, G. Westfield, G. Weston, G. Westwood, G. Williamstown, G. Winchendon, G. Winchester, G Winthrop, G. Wrentham, G. Yarmouth, G, II. The list marked A above includes the names of cities and towns which have more than 20,000 inhabitants, and which are, therefore, required by law to give instruction in manual training in both elementary and high schools. All the other towns (list B) maintain some form of manual training, although they are not required by law to do so. Satis- factory as this showing is, it does not give an adequate idea of all that is done in industrial education in the State at large. It does not tell of the construction work in paper, clay, raffia, etc., which is done in the primary and the grammar schools all over the State in connection with the work in drawing. It does not tell of the excellent and widely extended work done 14 in gardening in many of the larger as well as smaller towns. It does not take any account of what is done in one or two schools of a town, or of plans made and carried out in the model and practice schools connected with the State normal schools. From the mass of information sent to me by superintendents and teachers of industrial training, I will select and present some outlines of work done which may be of special interest. Model and Practice Schools. — As would naturally be ex- pected, some of the best instruction in industrial training is being, done in the model and practice schools connected with the State normal schools. The work here is carefully planned for all grades of elementary schools as a means of training for students in the normal schools. The plan of instruction is worked out from somewhat different points of view, and is on this account all the more interesting. The work done in these schools is important because it serves as a kind of model for superintendents and teachers in general, and because it is the kind of work which present teachers in training will be likely to carry on in their schools. For these reasons it seems well to give a brief statement of the plan which is followed in each school. 1. Bridgewater. We are experimenting in turn with various materials, to find the value and place of each in the child's life. We believe that original thought and skilled labor are essential to industrial progress. Hence, our problems present to the child : — • 1. Opportunities for the original designing and the making of ob- jects to meet definite needs. 2. A series of progressive steps leading to technical mastery. These methods are elastic and used with due regard for schoolroom conditions and for the age and interests of the child. These ideas, however, serve as the point of departure. A. — A Course in Art. [Outline eliowing the place of the industrial element in the complete course of art study.] Main Groups. 1. The fine arts, — primarily an expression of and ai:)i5eal to the spiritual nature of man. 2. The industrial arts, — intended to beautify useful objects. 15 Forms of Art Expression. Pictorial: in the fine arts, — painting; in the industrial arts, — illustration. Decorative : in the fine arts, — painting and sculpture ; in the in- dustrial arts, — decorative design. Constructive : in the fine arts, — architecture ; in the industrial arts, — ■ varied industries. B. — Industrial Phase of the Course in Art. [Tlie following includes only forms of industrial work in which : (1) Constructive and decorative design and the making of patterns and drawings are required. (2) The nature of the work is adapted to present conditions in the common elementary schools.] Main Groups. 1. Phases for study and simple drawings but not offering prob- lems suitable for execution in the schoolroom, e.g., civic plans, architecture, landscape gardening, interiors. 2. Phases offering problems suitable for schoolroom construc- tion : — (a) In weaving, spinning, sewing, embroidery and the allied occupations of braiding, knotting, knitting, crocheting, tat- ting, — for use in the study of basketry, rug making, lace making and the textile industry. (b) In measuring, cutting, pasting, gluing, nailing, — for use in constructing home and office conveniences from paper and cardboard, leather, metals, in stenciling, in box making and in bookbinding. (c) In modeling, carving and woodworking processes, — for use in the study of ceramics, leather modeling, wood carving and carpentering. C. — Methods. Study of any form of art includes : — 1. Knowledge of technique. 2. Study of masterpieces. 3. Original desig-ning. 4. Creating results. Specific steps in industrial work : — 1. Source, variety and value of material. 2. Experiments to learn constinietive and decorative possibilities of material. 3. Collections of products: for school museums; for individuals. 4. Constructive designs for an object the need of which the child feels. 5. Decorative designs for the same, 6. Selection of material and estimate of cost. 7. Construction. 8. Market value of the product. 16 2. FiTCHBTJRG. The underlymg purpose of manual work in the training department is to give the pupil the broadest possible knowledge of tools and mate- rials, which shall not only afford manual and mental acti\'ity, but shall also, by being closely related to the child's interests in and out of school, reveal to him typical phases of the industrial life about him, cultivate aesthetic taste and afford large oppoi'tunity for self-expres- sion and indi\ddual growth. The problems worked out in the class room aim to further " indus- trial intelligence," and involve 'such materials as clay, paper and card- board, textiles, wood, leather, metal, cement. The work is closely re- lated with that in art, mathematics, geography, nature study, etc., and constant conference is held with supervisors of these departments and others interested in industrial education, in order that the handwork shall tend toward the best development of the child in the most practical manner possible. Constructive drawing and desigii are carried on under the direction of the art department and objects executed in manual training classes. In connSction with geography, where indus- tries are studied, materials in raw and manufactured form are exam- ined and pupils occasionally taken to visit typical industries in the city. In nearly all grades objects are made to aid in nature study, geog- raphy, history and other subjects. Playtime, too, is considered in the construction of toys, games and puzzles. A suggestion of the spirit of oar industrial work may be given, possibly, by citing that m some par- ticular grade. For instance, in the fall of 1907, in grade VIII., regu- lar periods were devoted to di'awing and design each week; likewise to shop work by the boys and sewing by tlie girls. In this work, oppor- tunity was afforded for individual expression and a higher standard of worlonanship appreciated and aimed for by the child than in previous grades. The boys' shop work was augnaented by a study of bridge con- struction, and various models designed and executed by the children. The history of printing having been studied in connection with English, the art and manual training departments assist in the construction of a booklet. This leads to the construction of a more pretentious book later in the year. Metal and leather are manipulated in this year's work as well as wood and textiles, and local industries involving these ma- terials considered. School buildings and the playground offer occasional needs which pupils are able to supply, a plant box, umbrella rack and basket-ball nets being some of the problems under consideration at the present time. Curtains and similar articles are designed and made by the girls. These and other outside work are executed by a guild of the best workers, and pupils keep records of cost of material, time of labor, etc. Although this is a recent experiment, it has proved its worth in many ways. Another interesting and recent experiment is that begun 17 with a class of children, part of whom are undeveloped, in peiinitting thena more than the usual amount of time for manual arts. Home work is encouraged and aided in various ways. 3. Framingham. There is work in cardboard construction caiTied on in a systematic way from the first grade through the seventh, followed in the eighth and ninth by sloyd. The second and third gi-ade pupils make rugs and dolls' hammocks, and the fourth grade raffia work. The fifth and sixth grades are interested in simple basketry, and have made useful articles out of burlap and tile matting. The girls in the sixth and seventh grades have sewing, and in the eighth and ninth grades they have household arts. Among the things made of wood this year by eighth and ninth grade boys are the following: match-scratcher, keyboard, inkstand and pen tray, tooth-brush holder, bulletin boards, sconce, broom holder, brush holder and brush rack. In leather they have made mats and penwipers, and in brass, different kinds of trays. 4. Hyannis. Ends to be attained : — ■ (a) To be the means of establishing consciously or subconsciously a love and respect for honest toil for some useful end. (&) To show the value of the three R's, and therefore sen^e as a means for reasonable correlation. (c) To teach social responsibility and so increase the child's interest and share in home duties. The manual work may be subdivided into three divisions : — 1. The garden work, which is given in the second, fourth and eighth grades. In this work much correlation is possible with the children in arithmetic, geography, nature study. In laying off the garden plots the pupils of all grades learn much in using arithmetic. 2. The basketry and woodwork given in all grades in one form or another. Cane seating and footstool making in the sixth and seventh grades have given an opportunity to show the intrinsic value of such work to the community. 3. The housekeeping activities, given in the first, third and fourth grades. Sewing in the seventh, cooking in the ninth and helping in care of rooms in all grades. The work begins in the lower grades as play or in making articles for the playhouse, and in the upper grades the work is done, as far as possible, on real things, serving real needs apparent in the child's life. The ninth-grade boys in woodworking are banded together as a manufacturing concern, are paid for their products and are making real, usable, salable articles. The garden work of the eighth grade is of the same kind. Vege- 18 tables are raised for sale, while in the lower grades the flowers and vegetables are used for home or school. The housekeeping activities begin with playhouse conditions in the lower gxades and end in real housekeeping activities, in bed making, sewing and cooking, in the upper grades. It is readily seen that the work undertaken at Hyannis is not ar- ranged in any systematic course. We make constant changes in the work; we hope to keep to the general principles outlined above. 5. Lowell. The individual work is from gi'ades III. to VI., inclusive, along the following lines : — Grade III. — Work with raffia apd tile matting, one half hour per week. Grade IV. — Sewing for boys and girls, one hour per week. Grade V. — Sewing for girls and whittlmg for boys, one hour per week. Grade VI. — Sewing for girls and weaving for boys, one hour per week. Cooking and bench work for the upper grades to be introduced soon. 6. North Adams. In the Mark Hopkins traming school we begin woodworking in the kindergarten, continue it by means of whittling up to bench work, which begins in the sixth grade and continues through the ninth. In the Idndergarten we begin with large forms of weaving, then by suc- cessively smaller material for warj? and woof we continue through the primary grades, and finally arrive at sewing in the fourth grade, which is continued through the ninth. Decoration becomes a more prominent feature during the later years. Paper and cardboard work begins with folding and cutting in the kindergarten, and continues in constructive lines until box making is reached in the middle grades. A new feature which we are introduemg in the grammar grades is the production of articles by the division of labor. This will apply to box making, woodwork and sewing. We have also set up a kitchen and dming room, and are giving instruction to the gii'ls in the eighth and ninth grades in the lines of domestic science and art. The State furnishes the accommodations, the city the teacher. School gardening is going on apace. At present it is confined to the kindergarten, first grades and intermediate grades. If our plans for extended work are carried out all grades will practise gardening. 7. Salem. The industrial work is based upon the theoiy that the construction of every object should result, if possible, from a motive that originates with the child in consequence of a recognized need of the individual, 19 the home or the school; that the course, therefore, should be very flexible; and that it should be progressive in its character, beginning with the kindergarten. Inasmuch as the school must afford opportunity for observation and IDractiee by prospective teachers, many of whom must do their own teaching under somewhat unfavorable conditions, care is taken to pro- vide only simple equipment, and to undertake but little work that cannot be accomplished in the class room of an ordinary school. Much attention is given to the development of the power of initia- tive; originality is encouraged; the products of the course are practical expressions of the instruction in drawing; and the work is closely correlated with various other subjects. The garden has afforded the motive for much of the bench work. This includes flower, vegetable and geography gardens. The woodworking at the bench is limited to the boys of the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of an eight-year system, and the girls in these grades receive practical instruction in sewing. The instruction is given by their respective room teachers, and it includes mending, plain sewing and the construction of simple articles of clothing. The sewing machine is used by the pupils as occasion may require. The elementally manual work includes cardboard construction, raffia weavmg, jute weaving, the making of bookcase hangings, curtains, cushions, etc., leather and metal work. Covers have been made for the school work; such objects as arith- metic folios, history covers, language covers, etc., have been constructed and decorated. Christmas work occupies some time each year, and includes the making of many useful objects, which necessitate the knowledge of constructive drawing, color and design. The leather work comprises the making of scissors cases, card cases, poeketbooks, blotter covers, pen wijjers, belts, etc. These also are made from structural drawings and designs made by the students. They require also a knowledge of color and design. The weaving includes the making of fans, mats, cushions, rugs, bas- kets and a vaiiety of useful objects. The looms, needles, etc., neces- sary for the weaving are made in the industrial laboratory; and in some eases the necessary apparatus for leather and metal work is con- stn;cted by the pupil. The outline of the course of study in the manual arts as now pre- sented is given in brief form below : — Grade I. — Paper cutting of vegetables or fruits. Paper or card- board model for Christmas candj' box or cornucopia; decoration for same. Paper cutting of stories, toys and objects; aim, a negative and positive result from each cutting. Wool weaving of doll's cap, ham- mock or rug. Grade II. — Freehand paper cutting of fruits or vegetables for the 20 construction of a Thanksgiving souvenir. Paper or cardboard model for a Cliristmas box; decoration for same. Wool weaving of rug on small loom. Geometric forms: square, rectangle, ieircle. Geometric terms : vertical, horizontal, diameter, diagonal. Cutting of radial de- signs, using these terms. Basket weaving from paper and splints. Grade III. — Paper cutting for action and expression. Some gift for Christmas (list of options too long to give in full). Macrame knotting and jute weaving. Cardboard and raffia problems. Grade IV. — Practice in use of compass. Loom of cardboard for first-grade weaving. Christmas box or gift based on the circle. Cov- ering of a book. Raffia weaving. Some cardboard and paper models requiring planning, measuring and pasting. Application of decoration to this model. Grade V. — Covering a book with paper. Raffia weaving. Paper and cardboard work requiring planning, measuring, folding and past- ing, such as: blotter pad, magazine cover, portfolio, notebook covers; decoration for these models if needed. Simple problems in leather and reed. Grade VI. — Elements of working drawing and many geometric terms. Woodworking: clappers, calendar back, decorated, short dibber for school garden, long dibber for school garden, whistle, bean-bag board for primary grades, simple articles of apparatus needed by other departments of the school. Grade VII. — Practice in use of Springfield drawing kit. Simple working drawing. Whittling problem. Small loom for use in primary and grammar grades. Simple articles needed by other departments of the school or the home. Articles for school playground and garden. Study of woods used and analysis of objects, to determine kinds of lumber used in their construction. Grade VIII. — Loom for model school. Large and small needles, shuttles and heddles for same. Folding screens for school building. Playground fixtures. Study of woods used, practice in selecting woo'ds, and analysis of objects, furnishings and finishes. 8. Westfield. The work has been outlined with the definite purpose of meeting the demand of child nature for activity, of providing material suitable to his age and experience, by means of which he may give expression to his ideas, and of bringing into closer relation the school and the home. The various phases of the work may be summed up as clay work, paper folding, free-hand paper cutting, weaving, woodwork and metal work. The clay work in the lowest grades is modeling objects familiar to the child, training hand and eye in expressing ideas of fonn. Li grade II. we have the beginnings of pottery, — primitive method of coiled 21 bowls. In grade IV. we go a step further and use clay as a definite means of design, — tlie paper-weights, tiles, bowls and vase forms being glazed and fired, thus giving pennaneney to the child's best effort. In free-hand cutting we aim to take advantage of the child's in- stinctive acti\4ty, and to so dix'ect it that it may do away with aimless cutting and may become a means of frank, direct expression of ideas gained through interest in stories, games and rhjrmes. It is absolutelj' free hand, and each cuttuig shows but two parts — the object cut and the place from which it came. By mounting the cuttings on a sheet we show that there has been no clipping, to make more perfect. It is free story telling with paper and scissors. Weavmg begins in the lowest grade, with paper mat weaving of over and under weaves; with simple variations, double strip weaving, simple loom, in grade II.; with larger loom, more intricate weaving, in grade III.; with the use of continuous looms and heddle in grade IV.; ter- minating under the name of basketry m grade V. In grades VI. and VII. the girls take up sewing, and the boys bench work, learning the use of common tools. In grade VIII. the girls have cooking, and the boys advanced wood- work and metal work, consisting of simple trays and bowls of cojaper. In all our work the element of design is an impoi'tant factor; the problems are given and the limitations set in the manual training de- partment, designed in the class room, under art instructors, and exe- cuted in the manual training department. We strive for good proportion, jDleasing contour, simple decoration, . without sacrificing construction, believing there need be no sei:)aration between utility and beauty. Boston's Experiment. — In all grades of the grammar scliools of Boston there is given at present, for two hours a week, in- struction in cooking, sewing, woodworking, cardboard construc- tion and clay modeling. E^ot content with this generous pro- vision for industrial training in the lower schools, and with the excellent vocational training offered in the Mechanic Arts High School, High School for Commerce, Girls' High School of Practical Arts, free evening drawing schools and vacation schools, Boston has during the past year begun an experiment which may prove to be of the greatest importance. In September of the present year a work shop was opened in the Agassiz School district for the accommodation of those members of the sixth grade who desired to give one hour a day to some form of industrial training, with the provision that they would keep up with their regular studies. 22 At the same time the school committee accepted the offer of the ISTorth Bennet Street Industrial School to take 50 girls from the Hancock School and give them industrial training two hours of every afternoon throughout the week. Here, too, the girls were expected to keep up with their regular studies, having some extra individual assistance in some study in the afternoon. Of the first of these experiments, Mr. Frank M. Leavitt, assistant director of drawing and manual training, writes : — Manual tKaining as given in the Boston public schools aims to give the pupils a practical knowledge of those fundamental, geometric and constructive principles which form the basis of nearly all constructive industries. It should be remembered that a large proportion of the in- dustrial workers in a State like Massachusetts are engaged in a diversity of occupations, many of which will probably never be taught in the industrial schools now advocated. These schools will be equipped, more or less completely, for giving instruction to machinists, workers em- ployed in the building trades, textile workers and shoemakers. It is improbable that the trades employing less skilled and a smaller num- ber of workers will have the benefit of special trade schools. It there- fore follows that the major part of the industrial training will have to be given in connection with, or as a part of, the regular manual training, and it is believed that the work now being done in cardboard, weaving, modeling, woodworking will give the pupils manual power and industrial intelligence, which will make them far more efficient than pupils who fail to receive such instruction. It is felt, however, that too little time is given to this work, and especially that it fails to reach, in the right amount, those pupils who leave school at the age of fourteen. To meet this condition an exi^eri- ment is now being made in the Agassiz School, at Jamaica Plain. About one third of the boys in grade VI. have elected to join the industrial class, so called. This class spends one hour a day in manual training. The product of the work which this class is to do is to be not only useful, but is- to be something which is needed, and is to be put to actual use. The product must be something which may be produced in large quantities. The methods must be practical, and both product and method must be subjected to the same commercial tests, as far as possible, as apply in actual industries. The attention of the boys will be called to common industrial methods which are used in real life. For example, the first model selected was a paste-board box, several hundred of which are used by the supply department; each boy made a single box, after which the class was divided into groups and an explanation was given of the greater economy of emplojnng industrial methods. Jigs were made for facili- 23 fating some of the operations and for securing greater uniformity in the product. Each group performed one of the several operations involved in the making of the box or cover; there vc^ere the box cutters, cover cutters, stayers, pasters, fitters and gluers; there were those who assembled, inspected, packed and counted the boxes, and there were those who acted as assistant teachers. By the employment of such methods, and especially by continuing at one line of work for a longer period than is commonly done in the regailar manual training work, the efficiency of the boys is increased greatly. The boys were required to keep careful record of time, material and output, and to make com- putations based thereon. The experiment briefly outlined above is very new and it is early to predict results. It is hoped that the training received will itself add something to the efficiency of the boys, and it is also hoped that it will so attract them to industrial pursuits that they will seek admission to more complete industrial courses, which now exist or may be estab- lished later. It is hoped that this experiment may contribute something of a practical nature to the discussion as to the place of industrial training in public instruction. In observing the working of this experiment, I endeavored to answer, to my own satisfaction, certain questions which would naturally arise in a change of school program so radical as this. While I am not certain but that the program suggested in another part of this report would be better than this one, I feel confident (1) that the pupils are intensely interested in the work, ( 2 ) that they are becoming "skilled in remunerative ser- vice, (3) that their other studies are not seriously neglected, and (4) that the training in industrial work does not create in them an undue desire to leave their studies and go to work at too early an age. The last conclusion was the most difficult one to reach, and would perhaps need the testimony of parents and teachers to be final. But judging from the answers to questions put to the pupils individually, I could but think that the individual work taken did not divert their interest from other school studies, and would not, therefore, tend to take them from the school. Concerning the industrial experiment with the girls of the, Hancock School, referred to above, Miss Florence M. Marshall writes : — 24 We are taking from that school 50 girls, who are either advised by Miss Sawtelle, or themselves elect, to spend the afternoon session each day at industrial work in place of the regular public school. These girls must be thirteen years old or over, and must come from the last three grades, — the sixth, seventh and eighth. They come to North Bennet Street from tAvo to four each day, and Miss Sawtelle has tried to arrange their programs so that they still go on with the most essential subjects in the morning, that they may pass from grade to grade and graduate with their class. Where this has not been pos- sible, we are trying to introduce the kind of work which the girl misses in the morning, in connection with her industrial work in the afternoon. We are giving the girls sewing, by hand and machine, applied in the making of simple garments, house furnishings, etc. ; domestic science, which includes cooking, buying, serving, the care of room?, dishes, laundry, etc. ; design, particularly in its application to the indus- trial work which the girls are doing; textile study, especially emphasiz- ing weave, quality, kinds of fabrics, dyes, width, cost, wearing quality, etc. Personal hygiene and gyTnnastics are also a part of the after- noon's work. The plan for co-operation with the public school work is as follows: each teacher who sends girls to the industrial school — eight teachers in all — is sending me her girls' programs, that I may see just what is omitted by the transfer. She is also sending me reports of the weak- nesses or difficulties in any study, that I may help to strengthen the girl's work at that point. As you will see, it is quite possible to put life into the arithmetic when it is applied to purchasing, measuring and estimating cost in the making of garments, or to the preparation of a meal. In connection with any of our subjects, it is possible to introduce some writing and composition, and there is ample oppor- tunity, if we are in close touch with the work of the grade, to apply the geography and history. Instead of breaking up each day into small classes, the groups are so arranged that almost the entire period of two hours is given to one subject. For instance, the group of girls who take domestic science any day sjDends the entire time in that class, as it is felt that not only is the interest greater, but that the lesson on close application to one thing until it is finished is of importance. This gives in a general way the plan for the year's work, and we are hoping, by taking the girl at just this period, the year before the law allows her to leave school, to interest her to stay in school longer, or, when that is not possible, to stimulate her ambition and desire to enter a better occupation than would otherwise be possible. The problems involved in this second experiment are in some respects more difficult to solve than the first, inasmuch as the time taken from the regular school exercises is two hours daily on instead of one. But considering the character and age of the children, and the fact that they have extra individual help in one of their studies, I can but think that the experiment so far as it has been tried is a success. Certainly all forms of the industrial work are enjoyed fully by the girls and the results in many cases are surprisingly good. So great was their in- terest in the work at the time of my visit that they appeared willing to spend extra time upon their studies so as to retain the privileges of the class. I observed also that in several in- stances extra garments were made by the girls at home, for themselves and other members of the family. Upon the whole, these experiments in Boston, together with the work which has been done in Hyannis and elsewhere, ought to strengthen us in the conviction that industrial training should have a larger place in the elementary school curriculum than it has had in the past. To insure success, however, it will be necessary to have (1) an abundance of time for all the exer- cises of the school, (2) work carefully selected and properly adjusted to the needs of the pupils, and (3) the cordial co- operation of the teachers and parents. With these conditions assured there is reason to believe that the training offered will be for the. cultural as well as the vocational well-being of those who take it. Home Industries. — Among the reports of work accomplished in industrial training few show more signs of promise than those which refer to home industries, which are promoted by the efforts of superintendents, teachers and associations of various kinds. The most common form of such industries . is gardening, although considerable work is done in garment mak- ing and the making of things used in the home. The most effective means of arousing an interest in home industries is the efficient work done in good industrial courses. With successful achievements in school as a spur, many pupils plant gardens of their own, cut and mrake garments for members of their families, do the necessary repairing in the home and make such things as are needed there. Sometimes this home work is encouraged by calls for reports, or by an inspection of the work accomplished ; and sometimes it is promoted by public exhibitions, in which the best work is taken note of. 26 Several instances of the promotion of home industries by school authorities have come to my notice, two of which I will refer to. The first instance is that of a supervisory union of three towns, in which the children were urged to carry on the home work by the superintendent. Of this effort, Superin- tendent Frost of the Georgetown district says : — Some six weeks before pai-ents' day I sent mimeograph letters to each of the homes, naming the day of exhibition and suggesting lists of things to make at home. First, different things to be cooked ; second, needlework, embracing crocheting, knitting and embroidery; third, use- ful things, embracing a large selection. Manj?^ of the children took part and produced things of considerable merit. In the fall after this appeal was made there was an exhibi- tion of industrial and garden products, which was quite fully reported in the local newspaper. The extent of the exhibit may be inferred from the fact that more than one hundred articles were sent by the pupils of one school alone. The second of the examples of home industrial work referred to above is that of a small city — Marlborough. This plan was started and promoted by the Marlborough School and .Home In- dustrial Association, consisting of the members of the school committee, members of the Teachers' Association and the super- intendent of schools. The aims of the association are " to fur- nish the children something interesting, practical, profitable and instructive to do during vacation ; to bring them into touch with nature and her laws in a sensible way ; to develop the child's sense of ownership through natural avenues ; to emphasize the dignity of labor ; to develop the desire and ability to make the home attractive, pleasant and inspiring; and to bring the home and school into more co-operative relations, that the child may be benefited by their combined efforts." Early in the present year the following lines of work were suggested, with the promise of an exhibition in the fall : — Group 1. — Flowers : aster, bachelor's button, petunia, candytuft, four-o'clock, marigold, scabiosa, morning glory, nasturtium, phlox, China pinks, verbena, zinnia, portulaca. Children may select from this list. Group 2. — Vegetables : beets, beans, caiTots, lettuce, squash, radishes, turnips and sweet corn. 27 Group 3. — Cooking : white bread, brown bread, common cake, light or dark (not more than two eggs to a cake), cookies, pies, preserves and jellies. Group 4. — Sewing : any article selected from the mannal training course in sewing, nai:)kins, tray cloths, dish towels, doilies, handker- chiefs, sofa pillows and dressed dolls. Group 5. — Woodwork : any article listed in the manual training course, models of bird houses, single or double sleds, carts, wheelbar- rows, tables, chairs, and any other model of wood that shows ingenuity and good workmanship. Group 6. — Miscellaneous : any article of any material that shows thought, originality and good workmanship. This gi'oup allows the child to work up any article in which he is particularly interested. Rules and limitations for carrying on the work and for the inspection of results were made and sent out early in the year, the privilege being offered to pupils of grades IV. to VIII., in- clusive. Of the results, Superintendent Morton writes as follows : — Of 1,300 children in the grades mentioned in the pamphlet, about 1,000 were anxious to participate. Each selected the particular lines along which he wished to work. The boys were encouraged to make working drawings or to cut patterns of the articles to be made; the girls drew designs for much of the needlework. Seven thousand eighty-three pennj' packets of seeds were sold to those who wished to plant gardens. The children selected the plots, measured them and drew plans to a scale. These gardens were planted and cared for by the children, under the supervision of teachers and parents. These visits to the homes brought the teachers, parents and children together on a common plane of usefulness, which has been of great value to both school and home. An exhibition was held in September. Although the hall is quite large, the articles had to be crowded in order to get all into the space assigned. With this compact arrangement there were 75 feet of 3-foot tables covered with flowers, S5 feet of similar tables covered with vegetables, 35 feet covered with woodwork, 55 feet devoted to cooking, 20 feet devoted to miscellaneous articles and 675 square feet of wall space covered Avith needlework. Much interest was manifested in the work and the exhibition. I think fully 2,000 people visited the hall during the afternoon and even- ing. We intend to continue these lines of work during the present year. I shall hold meetings of parents during the coming mouths, to discuss the work, and hope to have the association include the school committee, all of the teachers and a large number of the parents. 28 School Furnishings and Repairs. — l^ot the least valuable part of industrial training in the schools is the work which grows out of the direct needs of the school, such as are included in the ordinary furnishings of the schoolroom and in the appara- tus for teaching arithmetic and elementary science. The mak- ing of needed repairs of the school buildings also serves as a means of applying to good advantage the industrial skill of the pui^ils. I have observed the results of this work as well as the work itself. I have realized the great use of this form of train- ing as a means both of instilling in the children a true spirit of service and of leading them to acquire skill. Among the school furnishings which I have seen the children at work upon are looms, boxes, pen trays, book racks, sand tables, screens, shelves, card racks, and the various means of teaching the ordinary branches, including wigwams, houses and apparatus for teaching physics. Several schools have made a complete doll's house of large size, the furnishings of which were contributed by the various classes. In one exhibit of pupil's work in a country school was a model house, the construction of which had involved problems in car- pentering, plastering and papering. Referring to this kind of work, Superintendent Chace of the Tewksbury district writes : — The boys of one school have constructed some rude furniture for the use of children who ate their dinners at the school building. Another school cleaned its yard of hundreds if not thousands of stones, and the work thus begun resulted in the blasting of rocks, grading of the lawn, planting of shrubbery, etc., by the town, and some splendid examples of good citizenship on the part of a few individuals in the community. Another school iDlanted some wild shrubs obtained from the woods. It may be best to state that nearly all of these shrubs lived. Several schools planted flowers about the school gTounds. One of our schools is hemming towels for the use of the children in the building, and another is making some for the use of a primaiy school whose pupils are too young to do the work. Superintendent Chace closes his report with this significant statement : — We are not doing much — not nearly so much as I believe we ought — but I hope we shall continue to make a slow, healthy growth that 29 shall retain the right spirit of industrial work, so far as we are able to understand what the tiiie spirit is. This word of caution relating to the industrial training of a few schools is most timely and important for all, especially at a time when people and schools are so eager to make work with the hands a part of general education. The great danger at present lies in aimlessness and superficialness of effort, both in the projection and in the carrying out of the work. Above every other consideration there should be inculcated in this early train- ing a true spirit of service. To this should be added an insist- ence upon the gTeatest skill and efficiency of which the children are capable. Thus will be furnished a good preparation for life in general, and a good foundation for the vocational training which may be taken later. Special Classes. In many of the cities and larger towns special classes are formed for the instruction of those pupils who are unable to do the work required in any of the regular classes. These pupils need for the most part individual help, and, therefore, the classes are limited in number, — generally to 20 or 25 pupils. Of the advisability of forming such classes in the larger grammar schools there can be no question. There is another class of children — the retarded or mentally defective children — for whom special provision should be made wherever the numbers will warrant it. The putting of these children with normal-minded children is an injustice to both classes, — to the former because they cannot get the individual attention which they need and to the latter because their prog- ress is necessarily retarded. To secure the best results it is necessary (1) to provide teach- ers especially qualified to teach this class of children, (2) to furnish means for the right kind of physical and manual exer- cises and (3) to limit the number of pupils for each teacher to 10 or 15. These conditions, so far as I have observed, have been quite fully met wherever the plan of local schools has been tried here in Massachusetts. In Boston seven special classes have been formed ; in Worcester, three ; in ISTewton, two ; and in 30 Springfield, one. So beneficial have these special classes proved that they should be considerably extended in all the larger places. Specialists differ materially in their estimate of the number of mental defectives who need separate and special treatment; but it is safe to say that every city or town having 2,000 chil- dren is likely to have exceptional children enough for the forma- tion of a special class. There may be some of the mentally de- fective children who cannot be cared for properly in the local school. These children should be placed in a separate institu- tion for the feeble-minded. There are also likely to be some parents of mentally defective children who, for one reason or another, refuse to allow their children either to go into an in- stitution or to attend a special local school. It is a question whether the education of all mental defectives, including physi- cal as well as mental defectives, should not be obligatory, and whether the State should not take charge of them, with or with- out the parents' consent. Schools for Tkttants. Name and Location of Schools. — Some of the counties of the Commonwealth are obliged by law to support a school for habitual truants, habitual absentees and habitual school of- fenders. The names and locations of these schools and the names of the superintendents are as follows : — Superintendent. Essex County Training School, Hampden Countj' Truant School, . Middlesex County Truant School, Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Union Truant School. Boston Parental School • (Suffolk County). Worcester County Training School, Lawrence, Springfield, . North Chelmsford, Walpole, West Roxbury, . Oakdale, W. Grant Fancher. Erwin G. Ward. M. A. Warren. James H. Craig. D. P. Dame. S. P. Streeter. 1 Under the law, commitments from Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop, in SuffoUv County, must be to tlie truant school for the county of Middlesex. 31 The counties not named above are exempted by law from maintaining truant schools of their own, but the county com- missioners of each of the exempted counties are required to assign an established truant school as a place of commitment. The places designated by the several county commissioners are as follows : — COHNTT. Location of assigned truant school. County. Location of assigned truant school. Barnstable, Berkshire, Dukes, Monson. Springfield. Walpole. Franklin, Hampshire, . Nantucket, North Chelms- ford. North Chelms- ford. The different ways of meeting the requirements of a law with no penalty attached are shown by these counties, two of which have designated a school but have sent no children to it, one persists each year in designating a school abolished twelve years ago, and one has not gone to the trouble of even naming a school. Cities and Towns re'presented. — The cities and towns from which present members of each school were committed^ are as follows : — Essex County School. Beverly, Georgetown, Gloucester, Haverhill, . . 9 . 1 . 4 . . 7 Manchester, Marblehead, Peabody, . Salem, . 1 . 2 . 4 . 1 Lawrence, . . 40 Saugus, . 2 Lynn, . . 50 Number of towns unrepresented in the school at the present time. 23 Hampden County School. {Assigned school for Berkshire County.) Chicopee, . Holyoke, . North Adams, Pittsfield, . Springfield, West Si^ringfield, Number of towns in Hampden County unrepresented. Number of towns in Berkshire County unrepresented, 9 12 2 19 30 32 Middlesex County ScJiool. shire counties and for County.) Ashland, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Groton, Hudson, Holliston, . Lowell, Marlborough, Medford, . Natick, {Assigned school for Franklin and Hamp- Clielsea, Revere and Winthrop, in Suffolk 1 59 1 1 1 1 66 3 1 1 Newton, North Reading, Reading, . Revere, Somerville, Wakefield, Walthani, . Ware, Watertown, Wilmington, Winchester, Number of towns in Middlesex County unrepresented, Number of towns in Franklin County unrepresented. Number of towns in Hampshire County unrepresented, Number of towns in Suftblk County unrepresented, 4 1 1 14 1 5 3 2 1 1 34 26 22 1 Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Union School. (Assigned school for Dukes County.) Brookline, . Norwood, . Weymouth, Attleborough, Fall River, Mansfield, . 3 2 2 1 7 1 New Bedford, North Altlebor Rehoboth , . Taunton , . ough , . 25 2 , 1 . 5 Brockton, . . 8 Number of towns in Norfolk County unrepresented , Number of towns in Bristol County inirepresented. Number of towns in Plymouth County unrepresented. Number of towns in Dukes County unrepresented, 26 13 26 7 Boston, Boston Parental School. {Suffolk County.) 243 Fitchburg, . Lancaster, . Lunenburg, Worcester County School. . 2 Sterling, . 1 Worcester, 1 1 46 Number of towns in the county unrepresented, 54 33 Bringing these numbers together, we find that there are SY towns which are at j)resent represented in the truant schools and 297 which are not. In trying to account for this great disparity of numbers here, we might naturally infer that the towns sending pupils to these schools are constantly changing; but reports show that they are nearly the same from year to year, and that there are many towns which rarely or never use this means of checking truancy. A recent inquiry reveals the fact that 269 cities and towns of the Commonwealth have had no pupils in the truant schools during the past five years, and l^resumably most of these never were represented there. These facts alone may be somewhat misleading. While it is true that temptations to truancy and other forms of juvenile delinquency are not so great in small country towns as in cities and large towns, there are some cities and many large towns which never send children to a truant school. It might be in- ferred that in these towns the home and school conditions are so good that there is no truancy, or none that needs a resort to law; but when we examine the conditions there, we find them no better than the conditions of other towns. Again, the infer- ence might be made that towns which send no pupils to the truant schools use other means allowed by law to correct tru- ancy, — the prosecution of parents and guardians ; but there were only five of such prosecutions last year, and three of these were towns which committed children to truant schools. Finally, we are forced to the conclusion that in some towns there is lack of interest and effort in the enforcement of school attendance laws and an unwillingness to send boys to the truant school, partly, perhaps, on account of expense and partly from fear of contamination or disgrace. Doubtless many present faults and differences in matters re- lating to school attendance will disappear when the common schools everywhere offer a j^roper amount of attractive indus- trial training, when parents are held responsible for the con- stant and regular attendance of children in school, when local officials are aided by State attendance officers, when all young delinquents are taken in charge by the State and placed in good homes, and when the expense attending the care of all delinquent children devolves upon the State. 34 Buildings. — To meet the purposes for which these schools are established, the Middlesex County School has by far the best buildings and equij)ment. There are here six buildings in all. Three of these buildings are used for home and school pur- poses, and one for industrial classes and schoolrooms. The new brick building for the Essex County School, re- ferred to in my last report, is now completed and occupied. The increased number of pupils makes it necessary for the old building to be used for dormitory purposes. The promised building for girls in the Boston Parental School is now ready for occupancy. It has accommodations for 15 or 20 pupils, but only 6 are there at present. The so-called " tem- porary " buildings, which have for several years been used by this institution for school ^^i^rposes, are still in existence. That they should be replaced by one or more buildings having suit- able schoolrooms is beyond question. The present rooms are inconvenient, unsightly and unsanitary. Number of Pupils and their Offences. — The following tables show the number of boys in attendance upon the various schools and the offences for which they were committed : — Table sliowing the number of pupils attending, and number of pupils admitted and discharged during tlte year. Location of countt schools. Number at beginning of year. Number admitted during the year. Number discharged during the year. Number at close of the year. Lawrence, Springfield, North Chelmsford, Waljjole, West Roxbury, .... Oakdale, 93 21 157 62 243 54 630 45 37 101 46 239 30 498 23 19 78 50 239 33 115 39 180 58 243 51 Totals, 442 686 35 Table showing the number of children committed to truant schools as habitual truants, absentees and school offenders, and the number released for various reasons, during the year. LOCATION OF COUNTY SCHOOLS. Ndmbbk committed dpbing THE YEAR. NDMBEK released D0RING THE YEAR. As habitual truants. As habitual abseutees. As school offenders or delinquents. At expi- ration of term. On proba- tion and pardoned. Sent to Lyman school. Lawrence, . Springfield, . North Chelmsford, Walpole, West Roxbury, Oakdale, 38 33 78 27 219 30 5 4 6 ' 13 5 2 6 6 15 3 3 1 23 15 3 17 18 76 27 223 30 3 1 1' Totals, . 425 33 29 48 391 5 1 Sent to Suffolk School for Boys. It will be seen from the above figures that three of the schools — the Lawrence, Springfield and l^orth Chelmsford schools — have increased their membership considerably during the past year, while the membership of the other three schools has re- mained about the same. The increase of commitments in almost every case is from cities, due perhaps to increased efficiency in the prosecution of offenders. Releases. — The number of releases on probation is much greater in most of the schools than last year, while there has been in the same time a marked decrease in the number of boys kept in school to the expiration of the term for which they were sentenced. This is due, no doubt, to the fact that most of the recent sentences have been for an indefinite period. The plan of indefinite sentence and release upon probation appears to be working well. The superintendents of the schools are a unit in their approval of the plan. In all the schools the boys are released on the basis of conduct, determined in most cases by a kind of " merit system." Thus in the Hampden County School the following method is pursued : — 86 1. Each boy shall be given 4,000 merits to earn on entering the school. Each week a boy shall be entitled to 100 merits, or such part thereof as, in the judgment of the superintendent, the boy's conduct, effort and industry shall entitle him. 2. In estimating the number of merits to which the boy shall be entitled his conduct, effort and industry, both in school and outside of school, shall be considered. 3. A boy returned from probation shall be given 5,000 merits (o earn, in place of 4,000. 4. Any boy running away, or attempting to do so, shall forfeit all the merits he shall then have earned, and the superintendent may im- pose upon such boy additional merits to be earned, not exceeding 2,000, together with such other punishment as in his judgment shall seem necessary. The Boston Parental School has a plan by which pupils are expected to get 2,500 merits before a release is recommended by the superintendent. Under this plan it is possible for a boy to secure release in six months. In the Essex County School the plan as reported is " that the boys must attain a certain standard in deportment and make good progress in their school work. Then the matter of parole is considered by the commissioners, superintendent and matron, and, if approved, we then ask for the approval of the judge and the superintendent of schools from the city or town sending the boy. With their consent he is released upon parole." There is no doubt that releases on probation should be per- mitted only on merit, but whether that is best determined by the plan of marking most generally followed in these schools is a question. In several instances during the past year I noted what appeared to me to be arbitrary and unjust methods of marking, as, for example, when a slight infraction of a rule caused a boy to lose all the credits he had obtained by two days' perfect conduct. It is, I believe, folly to advise or allow officers and teachers to follow a fixed schedule of marking offences, each offence to have a certain mark. Officials poor in sympathy and weak in control will be sure to abuse their privilege to the point of actual tyranny. Under such circum- stances boys lose all respect for authority, or even for justice itself, and so become less rather than more ready for citizen- ship when they go out into the world. 87 Period of MemhersJiip. — The length of time during which boys remained in the various schools is shown by the following table : — Table showing the time of service of hoys in the various schools. Schools. Longest time served by any pupil (months). Shortest time servecl by any pupil (months). Average time of service (months). Lawrence, Springfield, . , North Chelmsford, Walpole, West Roxbury, .... Worcester, 27.5 . 22.8 39 29 43.6 26 18 .7 7 3 .2 4 23.5 15 14.9 12.9 9.1 Occupations. - — The time spent in work and recreation in the various schools is shown in the following table. It should be said that the times given are approximate only, there being a difference of time between the occupations of the younger and those of the older children, also in the occupations of dif- ferent seasons of the vear. Taljle showing the average number of hoiirs spent daily in various occupations. COUNTT SCHOOLS. Household and outdoor duties. School duties ex- cept manual training. Manual training (average). Meals and recreation. Lawrence, .... Springfield, .... North Chelmstord, Walpole, .... West Roxbury, Oakdale, .... U-5 5» 1-5 « 3-4 3 4/o 3-511 4| 41 5 6 3^51 4 21-4 4^71 1 The youngest boys have two sessions. 2 Younger boys have no householrt duties. 38 Regular school sessions are held in all the schools, there being one session of three hours in one school and two sessions in all the others. In one school, jSTorth Chelmsford, the older pupils alone have one session. The course of studies pursued is in general the same as the course ordinarily pursued in grammar and primary schools, the purpose being to have the boys keep along with the regular studies so that they may rejoin their classes upon their return home. The table shows a great difference of time given to manual training in the various schools. The difference in kind is quite as great. In two of the schools only is the work in this department at all adequate to the needs of this class of boys. Even in these schools the industrial feature of the course is not emphasized as much as many persons advise, especially that which is provided for the older boys. But in the other four schools — two of which have absolutely no manual train- ing • — • the boys have no training which will be of any assistance to them either in learning a trade or in creating a desire to learn one. Some of the replies to my question put to the older boys, as to what they expected to do when they left the truant school, were most patlietic. One boy, who was to leave when sixteen, said he did not know what he should or could do. He had learned nothing, he said, but some housework and farm work, but he was not sure that any one would want to hire a boy for either. Further inquiry brought out the fact that even in these occupations his range of work had been too narrow to be of special service to him as a workman. It is a crying shame that such a boy — and he is a type of many — could be held in an institution for three or four years and then be set adrift in the world, with no more means of helping himself than he had when he entered the institution. In this criticism of neglect I am only repeating what has been said by one agent or another of the Board in nearly every report upon these schools during the past eight years. It may be held by those who are responsible for this condition of affairs that all these adverse criticisms happen to come from those who hold the same extreme notions concerning industrial train- 39 iiig. I3ut I veiitiirc the opinion that there is not one person in the country at all prominent in educational or charitable work who does not say that the most important part of the education of this class of children is instruction and training on industrial lines in the direction of learning a trade, and who is not surprised that there are schools for truants here in Massachusetts which offer no help in this direction. The Probation System. — The returns show that 378 boys in all w^ere released on probation from the schools during the past year, and that of this number 112 were returned to the schools. Of the number returned, 90 belonged to the Boston Parental School, 11 to ISTorth Chelmsford, 4 to Lawrence, 3 to Springfield, 1 to Walpole and 3 to Oakdale. The fact that so many children were returned to the schools, presumably because they had broken their parole, might be regarded as an argument against the probation system if all the circumstances were not considered. I have not been able to ascertain the cause of the return of all the children, but from the investigations I have made I judge that in a large proportion of cases failure to keep the terms of parole was due to poor home influences. When there is no mother or no father in the home, or when the influence of either mother or father is distinctly bad, it cannot be expected that the child can in one or even in two trials correct fully the bad habits which he has been permitted to acquire. This is the cause of the forced retention in the schools of many children who have by the merit system gained credits enough to warrant their release, but who have no good homes to which they can go. This difliculty is voiced by Superin- tendent Warren, of the Middlesex School, in his report of this year to the commissioners. He says : — There is danger of a home school of this kind becoming an asylum for homeless children. It is my opinion that a boy should not be kept here because he is homeless, or because he may become a subject of charity. I would recommend that your Board seek such legislation as will permit you to place these children at board in private families until sixteen years of age, when in your judgment it would be better for the child, the expenses to be paid by the city or town from which the child is committed. Either this, or allow us to transfer to the care 40 of the State Board of Charity these homeless boys, some of them mentally weak by inheritance. All this suggests the plans recommended in my last report, two features of which were (1) the early apprehension of school delinquents who have no proper care, and the placing of them in good homes, and (2) the plan of rigidly holding the parent accountable for the delinquency of his child by a rea- sonable system of fining. That the proposed plan of fining has not yet been fairly tried is shown by the fact that only five prosecutions of parents were reported in the returns from superintendents of schools recently called for. So far as these prosecutions of parents prove anything, they prove that the holding of the parent accountable for his child's presence in school is both feasible and wise. In three of the five cases of prosecution referred to the parents were placed upon probation by the judge, and in every case satisfactory improvement was brought about without the imposition of a fine. Recommendations. — In my last report I made detailed recommendations in the direction of a complete reorganization of plans for the treatment of juvenile delinquents and offenders. Knowing how difficult it is to make radical changes of organi- zation, I will content myself with offering a few suggestions for improving these schools as they are at present organized. In making these recommendations I am not unmindful of the fact that nearly every one of them involves increased cost of maintenance. Very likely the cost of maintenance would be doubled by the adoption of all the suggestions proposed. But so far as the suggestions are wise, the extra expense is in the interests of future citizenship, and, therefore, should not be considered. At present the expense per capita is so small — in some instances but a little more than two dollars a week — • that there may well be a suspicion in some minds that the schools are managed more in the interests of economy than for the educational or moral welfare of the children. The recommendations, some of which I have already referred to, are : — 1. That the buildings be inspected by the State Board of 41 Health, with the view of ascertaining whether the schoolrooms and dormitories are properly ventilated. 2. That the school day be lengthened to six hours for all the pupils, one hour and a half or two hours of which to be devoted to physical and industrial training. 3. That during the time that the school is in session the time for household and farm work be limited to two or three hours a day, and that there be such a rotation of duties in that work as to make it useful as a means of training. 4. That there be a skilled supervisor over all the schools, to advise in the selection of teachers, to lay out the work of the schools and to advise and direct as to methods of teaching. 5. That those persons only be appointed as teachers who are by personal sympathy, patience and professional ability especially fitted to teach this class of children. 6. That the greatest care be taken in the selection of the pupils' books, particularly in the selection of books for reading out of school hours. Special Schools foe Defectives and Delinquents. I have had the privilege of continuing my visits of inspection upon those institutions which include schools for the deaf, blind and feeble-minded and reformatories for boys and girls. I regard such service as a privilege, because it affords an oppor- tunity to observe some interesting educational processes and of bringing me in contact Avith men and women whose lives are devoted to the great work of helping the weak and imfortunate to help themselves. While the ideals and methods of these people are probably as varied as are those of other educational workers, it is but just to say that the work done by them is, on the whole, well done, and that the interests of the State as well as those of the pupils themselves appear to be amply protected. The reports of all these institutions will be found in Ap- pendix F. Respectfully submitted, JOHN T. PEINCE. Dec. 31, 1907. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ilillHI 019 876 364 L