fi 247 fl7 C6 ^"^ ^ JNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BULLETIN vol. XX, No. 2 General Series No. 151 Published monthly by the Regents of the Univetsity of Colorado. Entered at the Post Office, Boulder, Colorado, as second-class mail matter. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLORADO A SURVEY Boulder, Colorado, February. 1920. 'rta^-^'f^ The Public Schools OF Archuleta County, Colorado A SURVEY BY FRANK L. CLAPP Professor of School Administration The University of Colorado, Boulder Assisted by ALICE G. NOLAND Superintendent of Schools, Archuleta County, Colorado AND GEORGE WHEATLEY Superintendent of Public Schools, Pagosa Springs, Colorado FEBRUARY, 1920 Introduction The field work for the survey was done early in June, 1919. This was as early as the rural schools could be reached by automo- bile. At this time only about half of the schools were in session. With the exception of two all of those in session were visited. The purpose of the survey was simply to set forth conditions as they were found in the schools with the idea that the more the people know about their schools the more interested they are in doing all they can for better schools. The report was prepared for the people in the county and is not intended as a scientific study in any sense. Mrs. Noland and Mr. Wheatley were of the greatest service in gathering data and making possible visits to the schools, but the entire report is the work of the writer and he alone should be held responsible for the imperfections of judgment to be found herein. While conditions in the schools of the county are far from ideal, the brave people who are struggling to found homes there in a new and rough country have no need to be discouraged. They do need to make sure that the difficulties of and consequent interest in the material things of their lives do not blind them to the vital import- ance of good schools for their children. It is hoped that this report will be examined with care, and that just as far as possible its suggestions will be followed, at least in spirit. It is not necessary to argue the value of a good education for children with the peopi^e in Archuleta County. If the report succeeds in creating a little keener interest in good schools, and an even greater willingness on the part of the people to support their schools than has obtained in the past, then its mission will have been fulfilled. It is with this faith and with the best interests of the lathers and mothers and the boys and girls in Archuleta County in mind that the survey has been conducted. FRANK L. CLAPP, January 1, 1920. General Description Archuleta County is located to the west of the center of Colo- rado on the border line of New Mexico. Its average leng-th. east and west, is approximately forty-five miles, while its width is near thirty miles. It lies immediately south of the continental divide and is covered by a portion of the San Juan range of the Rocky Moun- tains. Being near the divide no streams of any considerable size are found in the county and the valleys are extremely narrow. On the whole, even by comparison with most of the counties in the moun- tainous section of the state, the surface is unusually rough and broken. The principal industries are cattle and sheep raising, agricul- ture, and lumbering. There is but one village in the county, Pagosa Springs, which is the county seat, with a population of about one thousand. A narrow-gauge section of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, running from Alamosa to Durango, passes through the southern part of the county. A branch leaves this line at Pagosa Junction and runs to Pagosa Springs. The people in the county are practically all Americans with a few Spanish-Americans. The latter live for the most part in com- munities by themselves. In many of the districts of the county it is impossible to hold school except during the summer months on account of the difficulty of travel. Largely because of this fact, but in part because of the small amount of assessable property, many of the districts are un- able to maintain school beyond the minimum term required by law. During the year 1917-18* one district held school for eleven months, two for nine months, five for eight months, one for seven months, one for six and three-fourths months, seven for six months, one for five and three-fourths months, and one for four months. For the support and administration of schools the county is divided into twenty districts, the size and bounding lines of which are determined by various factors, but chiefly by the topographical features, such as mountain ranges, streams, etc. (See map on fol- lowing page.) *It is necessary to use the figures for 1917-18, since at the time of the survey, June, 1919, several schools had just opened for the summer term. These figures are advantageous, since 1917-18 is the last year for v^^hich com- parative data are available in the report of the State Superintendent. 6 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. Each district is of the third class except Number One, which is of the second.* The school, or schools, in each district is under the control of a board of directors of. three members elected by the voters in the district. This board directly or indirectly determines the amount of tax to be levied each year for school purposes, selects the teacher, and has general charge of the school. The schools of the county as a whole are under the general supervision of a county superintendent who is elected for a two- year term. Only one high school is maintained in the county. This is in District Number One, at Pagosa Springs. The schools at this vil- lage, employing nine teachers, are in charge of a superintendent. CENSUS, ENROLLMENT, AND ATTENDANCE. Schools are maintained in order that children may be educated. It is to the interest of parents and of children themselves that -the latter be reasonably intelligent. It is also to the interest of the state and the nation that children be educated. The constitutions of most of our states declare that democratic government depends for its success upon the intelligence of its citizens and for this rea- son free schools are maintained. The mere maintenance of schools, however, does not insure the training of children. Children must attend school and must, attend long enough so that their own welfare and the safety of the state may be assured through their education. To this end districts are compelled in Colorado to maintain schools at least six months in the year, and all children between the ages of eight and sixteen are obliged to attend the full term unless excused for proper reasons. Colorado has a permanent school fund, the income from which is distributed among the school districts of the state according to the number of persons between the ages of six and twenty-one. In February of each year a census is taken, under the direction of the local school board, and this number is ascertained in order that the state superintendent may know how to distribute the state's money, and also in order that the proper authorities may know how many children should be in school. It is evident that this census should be taken with care, since both the interests of the local school district and of the state depend to a certain extent upon its accuracy. The teacher in each school keeps a record of each pupil who enters school, no matter for how short or how long a time he stays. The total number that enter school during a year is known as the enrollment for that year. Obviously the enrollment should be a certain percentage of the school population (persons between six * Under the law a school district is of the third class if it has a school population (children between six and twenty-one years of age) of less than 350; it is of the second class if the school population is more than 350 but less than 1,000; and of the first class if the school population is more than 1,000. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 7 and twenty-one), and it should include practically all children be- tween eight and fourteen. (The usual age limits for work in the elementary schools.) Each teacher also reports the "average daily attendance" for the year. This is found by dividing the total number of days school was attended by all those enrolled by the number of days school was held. If every child who was enrolled attended every day the "average daily attendance" would be the same as the number en- rolled and would be 100 per cent, of the number enrolled. The following table shows the facts concerning the above items for the year 1917-18: TABLE I Census, Enrollment, and Attendance.* 5 4-1 O u. o £ SB oi ^- Hi'-' C O (D m li 1) 0 K 1 467 382 205 54 361 257 104 2 42 42 23 55 21 22 3 39 41 15 37 32 18 14 4 20 16 13.6 85 11 10 1 5 22 12 9.7 81 16 4 12 6 15 9 5 55 7 9 7 124 73 '32 44 64 45 19 8 78 43 20.1 53 60 23 37 9 67 7 6 86 35 4 31 10 56 57 35 61 38 56 11 10 10 8.2 82 5 10 12 18 27 14 52 14 16 13 40 32 10 31 33 18 15 14 45 29 15.2 52 23 14 9 15 1 10 5 50 6 16 11 21 20 95 5 15 17 11 11 4 36 5 10 18 10 13 9 69 5 7 19 (N ot org; anized at this time) 25 39 1,115 77 63.3 82 14 64 Total, 912 513.1 56 749 608 232 *From report of County Superintendent, September, 1918. The figures in the last column are not taken from the report, but are the differences between the two preceding columns. The superintendent's report, made up from the reports of the district secretaries, shows a total of only thirty-three children between eight and fourteen not in school. 8 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. Some of the figures in the above table may be compared with similar figures in other counties of the state.* There are sixty-three counties in Colorado. Eighteen of these have a smaller school pop- ulation than Archuleta County. As stated before, a certain percentage of these children should be in school. Each county reports to the State Superintendent the percentage which the average daily attendance is of the number of children between six and twenty-one. The median percentage of all the counties is fifty-six. That for Archuleta County is forty-six per cent. Only nine counties have a lower percentage than Archu- leta. The lowest percentage in the state is twenty-seven, and the highest is seventy-nine. Those who enroll should attend school regularly. For all the counties the median percentage which the average daily attendance is of the number enrolled is sixty-five ; the lowest is thirty-one, and the highest is eighty-one. For Archuleta County the percentage is fifty-six. Only five counties are lower. The law requires that children between the ages of eight and sixteen attend school imless excused for reasons stated in the law. Since many pupils finish the elementary school by the time they are fourteen and are then excused from further attendance, the State Superintendent calls for reports concerning those children between eight and fourteen. Table I indicates that in 1917-18 there Avere 749 such children in the county. Of these 2.32 were not enrolled in school according to reports from the various districts (see footnote, page 7). While these were not reported by the various districts as not enrolled, if we subtract the number reported in school from the total number indicated in the census (columns 6 and 7 in Table I), we find that there are 232 children not accounted for. Some districts report a larger number in school than the census shows. This is not im- possible, since the census is taken in February and many children may move into a district later in the school year. Some of these 232 may have moved out of the county, but it is inconceivable that all of them did so. Possibly no school was maintained within reach of some, and there may have been inaccuracies in some of the re- ports, but the education of these children is too important to excuse negligence or carelessness in connection therewith. After due allowance is made for the difficulty of maintaining and attending school in the various districts, the fact stands out that many children^far too many — must have been without school- ing during the year. The law provides that in each district there shall be a "truant" officer whose duty shall be to see that children of school age attend school, but no truant officer is reported for any district in the county. In her efiforts to secure the establishment of schools and a high average of attendance the County Superintendent should have the hearty support of the people in the county. *As given in tlie report of the State Superintendent. November 30, 1918. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY. COLO. 9 FINANCE. There are no fixed standards in connection with the cost of schools. By far the larger part of the support of the schools in Colorado comes from the taxes paid by the people in the various districts. Some idea of the support accorded the schools in Archu- leta County may be gained by comparing certain figures for the county with those for other counties and the state as a whole.* as was done in the previous section. The average amount spent in the county per month for instruc- tion for each pupil, based upon the average dailv attendance for 1917-18, was $7.28. The average for the state \vas $11.82. The lowest in any county was $3.45, and the highest was $52.56. Eleven counties spent less per child than did Archuleta, while forty-four spent more.** The rate of tax levied in the different districts in 1918-19 varied from 0.8 of a mill to 7.3 mills, exclusive of levies for interest on and redemption of bonds. The median rate for the county was 2.6 mills. In 1917-18 the levies were practically the same. Table II. on page 10, shows the levies in the different districts. According to a studyf made in the early part of 1919, the median tax levy for districts of the third class (all the districts in the county except Number One are third class districts) over the entire state was 6.94 and for districts of the second class 7.5 mills. Comparing the levies over the county with the medians above makes it evident that the people in the county have been slow to levy heavy taxes for schools. Practically all the levies could be doubled without making an unusual showing. In incorporated villages, such as Pagosa Springs, there is usu- allv as much tax levied for school purposes as for all other purposes combined, but in the Pagosa Springs district the levy for schools is 2.2 mills, while for other purposes it is 10.8 mills. *From report of the State Superintendent, November 30, 1918. **This item is not given for seven counties. tClapp, Frank L., and Tope, R. E., School Salaries in Colorado, Bulletin No. 136, University of Colorado. 10 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. TABLE II Assessed Valuation, Tax Levies, and Teachers' Salaries, 1918-19. District Valuation Tax Levy Teachers' Salaries 1 $1,809,608.00 2.2 $75.00, $75.00, $80.00. $80,00, $80.00, $85.00, $90.00, $166.75 2 428.021.00 1.96 $80.00- 3 101,933.00 3.5 80.00 4 125,460.00 4.9 75.00 5.. 157,657.00 2.4 65.00 6 185,096.00 2.3 75.00 7 253.354.00 2.3 75.00 8 373,946.00 0.8 75.00 9 319,789.00 1.9 70.00 10 329,839.00 5.0 $125.00, $75.00 11 95,710.00 3.0 75.00 12.... 67,202.00 6.5 • 75.00 13 130,019.00 2.6 75.00 14 61,942.00 7.0 70.00 15 45,611.00 1.5 -72.50 16 156,910.00 2.7 75.00 17 44,663.00 7.3 60.00 18 41.130.00 7.0 60.00 19 .. 95.00 25 194,714.00 3.0 $90.00. $100.00 An examination of the salaries paid the teachers as given in the foregoing table, reveals that the median salary for the third class districts is $75.00. In District Number One the median sal- ary for grade teachers is $80.00, and for high school teachers, not including the superintendent, is $90.00. In 1918-19* the median salary for the state of elementary teachers in third-class districts was $78.23; in other districts $85.00; and for high school teachers it was $100.00. All over the county teachers' salaries are below the average for the state. Not only is the median low, but there are no high salaries paid in any school. *Clapp, FVank L., and Tope, R. E., School Salaries in Colorado, Bulletin No. 136, University of Colorado. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY. COLO. 11 BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. Many of the school l)uildings are poorly built and in poor con- dition. A few are well built and well kept. Some districts are erect- ing new buildings that are plain but neat and comfortable. The cut on page 12 shows a group of typical buildings in the rural dis- tricts. There is no question of play space in the rural districts, but it was extremely unfortunate that in Pagosa Springs the building was located where the play space is limited. When a new building is erected it should be placed where some five or more acres of ground are available for play purposes. In the rural districts more careful attention should be given to' toilets. There should be separate toilets for boys and girls, and they should be provided with closed vaults in all cases. The moral, as well as the sanitary, significance of decent toilets is too serious to permit of negligence in this connection. No school was found which was provided with sweeping com- pounds or scrubbing utensils. These should be provided in all cases and the rooms kept neat and clean. Where teachers change frequently there is little likelihood of suitable instructional apparatus being provided. It takes some time to get such apparatus and the teacher often feels that her brief ten- ure does not justify her in demanding much in the way of apparatus. Boards of directors should follow the suggestion of the County Superintendent in providing the school with such common helps in instruction as suitable charts, globes, maps, books, primary appa- ratus, etc. In practically all of the rural schools common drinking cups were provided. At the present time, when there are laws in nearly every state forbidding the use of common drinking cups, it would seem that our rural schools could easily arrange some other con- venience. Each child could provide himself with a cup and these could be kept in a dust-proof case provided for that purpose. In most of the schools the water is carried from a distance and kept in the school room. In only one school was the water kept in a closed receptacle. Such receptacles are inexpensive and convenient and should be placed in every school. In the purchase of seats and desks in the future only those which are adjustable should be selected. This will make it possible for each pupil to have a seat and desk suited to his size. At present there are no adjustable desks or seats in any of the schools and many pupils are obliged to sit and work in positions that will surely lead to injurious habits of posture. Naturally where conditions are new and rough little or no at- tention has been paid to aesthetic features, but even where nature is so wonderfully beautiful, tastefully decorated walls in school- rooms, together with a few well-selected pictures, are of material 12 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. jrt THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY. COLO. 13 aid in cultivating in the minds of children a love for those things which make for good. Here, again, directors should be guided largely by the suggestions of the County Superintendent. In consideration of the limited play space in the Pagosa Springs school there should be provided a number of pieces of play appa- ratus in addition to those already in use. PROGRAMS OF STUDY AND RECITATIONS. The following is typical of the programs found in the rural schools : Daily Program- Subjects Grade Reading 1 " 2 " 5 and 6 Arithmetic 8 " 6 "■ 5 Number 2 (I 1 Geography 5, 6, and 8 History 8 Grammar 8 "' 6 " 5 Civil Government 8 Physiology 8 " 5 and 6 Spelling 5, 6, and 8 " 9 •Rural School. Length of No. of Recitation Recitations in Minutes per Week 15 10 15 10 15 5 20 5 15 5 15 5 15 5 10 5 20 5 20 5 15 5 15 5 15 5 15 5 15 5 15 5 15 5 10 5 In this school the teacher has five grades. The average daily attendance for the year was nineteen. She has eighteen recitations a day and the time for each recitation, with four exceptions, is fifteen minutes. It is interesting and suggestive to see what such a program means in several connections. (1) Thirty minutes each day are devoted to reading in the first and second grades and fifteen minutes in the fifth and sixth grades. Presumably, if the third and fourth grades were included, fifteen minutes would be .given to reading in each. This would mean a total of 340 hours in the six years of a pupil's life devoted to the study of reading, counting eight months in a school year. This represents sixty-two days of five and one-half hours each, or a trifle more than three school months, in which the child is sup- 14 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. posed to master reading — pronunciation, word-meaning, expression, understanding, etc. Is it to be wondered at if the pupils' ability to read is limited? To be sure, the pupils "study" reading outside of the recitation period, but just how much they can do of value without the help and direction of a teacher is questionable. (2) No music, art, manual exercises, or home economics ap- pear in the program. How much the pupils are missing in connec- tion with such subjects can scarcely be estimated. Those subjects do not appear in the program of any of the rural schools. (3) Geography and history are taught only in the eighth grade while in most schools these subjects appear much earlier. (4) In reality the very short class periods are shorter than re- ported since considerable time must be taken up in changing classes, getting material ready, etc. The above program may be contrasted with that for the third and fourth grade rooms in Pagosa Springs, below : Daily Program — A Room in Pagosa Springs School, Length of No. of Recitation Recitations Subjects ( ^rade in Minutes per Week Opening Exercises All 10 5 Reading 4 20 5 Arithmetic 4 25 5 Arithmetic 3 25 5 English 4 20 5 English 3 20 5 Spelling- 4 20 5 Spelling 3 15 5 Geography 4 20 5 Geography 3 20 5 Penmanship 3 and 4 35 5 Drawing 3 and 4 20 5 Letter Writing 3 and 4 20 5 Music 3 and 4 35 5 In this program no recitation period is shorter than twenty minutes with one exception and we find drawing and music being taught. The differences in the two programs probably illustrates the fundamental reasons for the far better showing made by the Pagosa Springs pupils in connection with the standard tests (pages 17-20). The situation in Pagosa Springs is not as favorable as where a teacher has a single grade, and the comparatively scattered work of teachers there doubtless accounts in part for the showing made by the pupils. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 15 HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. As stated before, there is but one high school in the county — the one at Pagosa Springs. The school is a four-year school offer- ing courses in the academic subjects only and employing three teachers, one of whom is the superintendent. The enrollment is about forty. A beginning has been made looking toward the or- ganization of a junior high school, departmental instruction being the plan in some of the seventh- and eighth-grade work, and these pupils being generally recognized as a part of the high school stu- dent body. The school is supported by District Number One. The ques- tion of the organization of a county high school has been raised. This would mean that the school would be supported by the entire county and pupils from any place in the county could attend with- out the payment of a tuition fee. While this would materially in- crease the funds of the school, the wisdom of such course would depend upon the number of pupils who would attend from over the county. The difficulty of travel would necessitate that most of them board in Pagosa Springs. How many parents would be will- ing for their children to do this would be a fundamental question. At present District Number One enjoys a great advantage over the remaining districts of the county in that it receives most of the taxes paid by the only railroad in the county. Yet this railroad and Pagosa Springs as a village depend largely upon the outlying dis- tricts in the county for their support. As long as this is true it would seem that District Number One can well afford to maintain the high school and to admit pupils from the remaining districts at a very nominal tuition fee at most. In line with the general tendency there is some demand for in- struction of a vocational character in the high school. The relative value of a vocational and cultural education is too broad a subject to be discussed in this connection. However, it should be pointed out that instruction in so-called vocational subjects has only a cul- tural value for many pupils since they never use in a practical way the information the}^ gain. This is likely to be especially true in a small school, since only a few vocational subjects can be taught, and of those who pursue such subjects only a few follow the par- ticular lines of work taught. The teaching of vocational subjects is expensive since elaborate equipment is needed and teachers of these subjects are usually paid larger salaries than teachers of academic subjects. While the above is true, yet vocational instruction is valuable, and it is suggested that after provision is made for a thoroughly well-equipped general school supplied with adequately trained teachers, vocational instruction be added as the resources of the district permit. One thing the district should avoid and that is changing from an emphasis upon one kind of subjects to an emphasis upon the 16 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. Other whenever a change is made in the superintendency or in the personnel of the board. TEACHERS AND PUPILS. In 1917-18, among the thirty grade teachers in the county, there was but one who had finished a college course, and four who had finished a two-year normal school course. Several had gone no farther than the completion of a high school course, and a few had not gone beyond the eighth grade. In 1918-19 there was some im- provement, but most of the teachers were still poorly qualified. Just so far as possible the various school boards should employ no teacher with less than two years of normal school training for work in the grades. In the junior and senior high schools at Pagosa Springs teachers with four-year college courses should be selected. The above statements are made with due regard to the diffi- culty of securing properly qualified teachers in a new and isolated country. Teachers who are well trained find it easy to secure posi- tions where travel is less difficult and where the distance to a city is not so great. This means, however, that the people in the county must put forth every effort to secure and keep teachers who are well trained. They must pay good salaries, even salaries above those paid in other sections of the state, and they must strive to make things as pleasant for their teachers as they possibly can. This may be done in large part by seeing that teachers secure good boarding and rooming places and by treating them as real members of the community. In addition, those young people who live in the county and are planning to teach should be encouraged to at- tend normal school or college before beginning, and those teachers who are now employed and who are without adequate training should be encouraged and urged to attend school during vacations. No successful teacher, however, should be dismissed simply because of a lack of training. In 1917-18, of the thirty-three teachers in the county, twenty- six were teaching their first year in the district where they were etnployed. This means that practically all the teachers were new to their schools. So far as teachers had been selected at the time of the survey about the same thing was true in 1918-19. No school can do its best work when teachers are changed each year. Spe- cial inducements should be made to keep teachers from year to year. No district can afford to allow a good teacher to leave when an additional ten or fifteen dollars per month will induce her to stay. A child usually finishes the first grade before he is eight years of age, the second before he is nine, the third before he is ten, and so on. Since this is true school authorities have agreed that a pupil shall be classed as "retarded" if he is in the first grade and over eight years of age, in the second grade and over nine, or in the third grade and over ten, etc. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 17 Not all pupils can keep up with their grade. Some must be absent from school on account of sickness, while some do not have the ability to go as fast as their fellow pupils, and hence drop be- hind. Wide investigation has established the fact that about twenty per cent, of the pupils will be found to be retarded in any school where conditions are average and where reasonable effort is made to keep the pupils in school and up in their work. Where a larger percentage than this are retarded it usually means that children are not in school as regularly or as much as they should be. As near as could be ascertained at the time of the survey thirty per cent, of the pupils in the schools then in session were retarded. This is not surprising, since, outside of Pagosa Springs, it is diffi- cult for pupils to attend school regularly for a full term. However, since pupils who are retarded are old for their grade, they are very liable to drop out of school before they get very far and' thus go through life with poor preparation. For this reason the people in the county should make every effort to maintain school for a full term (nine months) during the year, and to see that pupils attend regularly if this is at all possible. The low per- centage of attendance discussed on page 8 doubtless accounts in large part for the large percentage of retardation in the county. The percentage for the various districts cannot be given since data were not available for those schools not in session at the time of the survey. STANDARD TESTS. During the last few years there have been developed a number of "standard school tests". These tests consist of exercises (prob- • lems or questions usually) in the various subjects such as reading, arithmetic, etc. The tests are standardized by giving them in a large number of schools and determining a "median" or "average" showing for the different grades. For example, Clapp's Test for Correct English has been given in about one hundred schools, and it has been found that an average eighth grade makes seventy-nine and five-tenths per cent', an average seventh grade seventy-six per cent, a sixth grade seventy-one and one-tenth per cent, and a fifth grade sixty-six and four-tenths per cent. The showing made in any school can be compared with these averages and some idea gained as to whether or not the pupils are able to do standard work. It should be added that all standard tests are scored in exactly the same way, no matter where they are given. In the schools that were visited tests were given in reading, arithmetic, English, and spelling. The test used in reading is known as Monroe's Standardized Silent Reading Test and consists of a number of short paragraphs with a question or some direction following it. The pupil does as many of these exercises as he can in five minutes and is graded on the number he reads and on the number he does correctly. The 18 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. following is one of the exercises for the third, fourth, and fifth grades. 5. "The cabin of Uncle Tom was a small log building close adjoining to 'the house' as the negro designated his master's dwell- ing." ".Of what material was Uncle Tom's cabin built?" (Ans.) Two tests were used in arithmetic, Courtis' test for speed and accuracy in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and Clapp's test of ability to solve concrete problems. The following extracts show the character of these tests : Courtis' Tests. Addition Subtraction 339 * 102142649 276 70428369 977 861 757 Multiplication 698 9237 269 27 132 322 Division 26)7306 Then follow a large number of similar problems and the pupil does all he can, b'eing allowed eight minutes for addition, four for subtraction, six for multiplication, and eight for division. Clapp's Tests. 1. Mr. Rook had 43 hogs and bought 24 more. How many had he then? 25. A man sells 18 cattle, averaging 1,000 pounds in weight, at $9.50 per hundred pounds. How much did he receive for them? The problems increase in difficulty from the first one, as given above, to the twenty-fifth. In English Clapp's Test for Correct English was used. This test involves capitalization, punctuation, verb and noun forms, sen- tence structure, etc. In spelling the words were taken from Ayres' list of the one thousand words in most common use in written communication. All the papers were graded under the personal supervision of those in charge of the survey. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 19 The tests were limited to the upper four grades since in those grades the product of all the work of .the schools should appear. To properly understand the results of these tests one must keep in mind that the tests have been given in a large number of schools, among which are some of the best ones in the United States, and perhaps some of the poorest ones. The comparison is made with the average of all the schools that have used the tests. The results might be given in various ways, but the one which seems the most simple has been chosen. This method is as fol- lows : The median or average of all schools is regarded as the "standard", and the percentages given in Table III show whether or not the schools reached this mark. If the percentage is as much as 100 it means that the pupils did as well as average, but if it is less than 100 we are to understand that the work*was not average. Likewise, in those cases where the percentage is greater than 100 the work was above average. All the rural schools are combined, while Pagosa Springs schools are shown separately since conditions are different in the two cases. TABLE III The Results of Tests — Shown in Percentages of the Standards Reading — Monroe's Test. -Rural Schools Pagosa Springs- Grade Speed Comprehension Speed Comprehension 5 56 49 67 53 6 72 74 58 66 7 65 60 87 79 8 97 86 85 100 English — Clapp's Test. 5 68 87 6 80 96 7 71 109 8 100 107 Spelling — Ayres' Test. 5 72 78 6 75 86 7 64 90 8 87 94 Arithmetic — Clapp's Test. 5 40 83 6 77 100 7 70 91 8 82 94 20 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. Arithmetic — Courtis' Tests. Sub- Mul- Sub- Mul- Addi- trac- tipli- Divi- Addi- trac- tipli- Divi- Grade tion tion cation sion tion tion cation sion 5 30 50 40 15 75 74 65 52 6 18 95 50 96 28 88 72 91 7 44 71 75 92 50 75 80 88 8 65 85 84 82 80 90 85 97 Average of all percentages for Rural Schools. 68. Average of all percentages for Pagosa Springs, 80. Plate I- 5howin9 how near the schools reach the standard for an average school. (Based on tables.) Standard Rural Schools Pagosa Springs Reading. English Spelling Arithmetic Arithmetic Average Monroe'5"Ic6t Clapp'sTe^t Ayrci'Test Clapp'^Te^t Courtis' Test All Tests Showing how the schools compare with schools in general — Based on Table III. The people in Archuleta County are struggling with conditions in a new country. Many of them are just getting started with their homes and business. They are earnest and ready to undergo the hardships and inconveniences of pioneer life. They are not particu- larly concerned with fine, pretentious school buildings, or with elaborate furniture and apparatus, or with a flattering financial showing in connection with their schools, but they are concerned with their children. Children may learn when buildings are poor and equipment meager and comparatively little money is put into schools. If they learn under such conditions without injuring their health these things matter but little. Table III, however, shows, in a manner that cannot be ques- tioned, that the children in the county cannot do average work in the fundamental subjects. The showing in Pagosa Springs is bad, but for the rural schools it is worse. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 21 It should be said at this point that the present teachers are not responsible in any large measure for the quality of work done by the pupils. The tests were given in the upper grades, and the foundation for what the pupils know about reading, arithmetic, etc., was laid before many of the present teachers saw any of the pupils. It is the judgment of those in charge of the survey that the showing is due to the short terms of school, irregular attendance, the employing of inadequately trained teachers, and the frequent change of teachers. We do not mean to blame the people for these conditions. We know full well the difficulties with which schools have been con- ducted and good teachers employed and retained. Yet we believe that the fathers and mothers want to know the truth about their schools, and that when they do know the truth they will put forth even greater efiforts than they have in the past to give their chil- dren the best training possible. The teacher is the most important factor in a school. The kind of teachers determines more than anything else the quality of work which pupils do. The section on finance indicates that the tax levy for school purposes is comparatively low, and also that the salaries paid teach- ers are low. We have no patent remedy for the situation — no scheme of organization or management to suggest that will materially improve the work done in the schools. Consolidation is out of the ques- tion, except, perhaps, in a most limited way. The one thing which all those connected with the survey would urge is more money for better teachers. The spirit of the schools is splendid. In all the work wdiich the writer has done with schools he has never met a group of pupils and teachers Vvdio were more earnest or more enthusiastic in their work. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 022 166 855 8