Xs HoUinger Corp, pH8.5 D\^^-'r STANDARDIZATION of RURAL SCHOOLS in KANSAS W. D. ROSS, STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 1917 eel u C. a-T I '&-AA. KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT. W. R. Smith, State Printer. TOPEKA. 1917. t-7213 D, of D- JUL 24 191? SUPERIOR SCHOOLS. In order to give proper recognition to rural schools of the best type, those that more than fulfill the requirements for a standard school, there is established, beginning with the school year of 1917-'18, a higher classi- fication, to be known as superior schools. The superior school must meet all the requirements for a standard school exceptionally well, with the following additional requirements: A schoolhouse of wholly approved architectural type, modern in all its appointments. Single desks of four or five sizes, or adjustable desks of three sizes. A library of at least 100 volumes of unquestionable quality, with at least 10 selected for each grade. A good musical instrument. A reasonable amount of playground equipment. Practical application of the principles of school hygiene and sanitation. Some systematic attention given to the teaching of manual training, home economics, or general handiwork. A superior teacher holding a state certificate, a first-grade county cer- tificate, or a normal-training certificate. (A high-school graduate with a second-grade certificate and at least one year's experience will be accepted.) Teacher's salary at least $480 per year. An enrollment of not fewer than ten pupils, with a high per cent of at- tendance and no habitual tardiness. A superior school will be awarded a diploma and metal plate similar to those awarded to standard schools, and the recognition thus given will be subject to withdrawal whenever the school fails to maintain a high degree of excellence. (3) \ REPORTS OF RURAL-SCHOOL SUPERVISORS. The law providing for the appointment of rural-school supervisors became operative July 1, 1915. In accordance with its provisions, the State Board of Education in July of that year resolved to undertake the standardization of rural schools, and adopted the following statement of requirements for a standard school: REQUIREMENTS FOR A STANDARD RURAL SCHOOL. Yar'd and Outbuildings. 1. School grounds at least one acre, and kept in good condition. 2. Good approaches to the house. 3. Trees and shrubs, where climatic conditions will permit. 4. Two well-kept, widely separated outhouses, with screened entrances. 5. Convenient fuel house properly located. 6. Well where possible. The SchooUtouse. 1. House well built, in good repair, and painted. 2. Good foundation. 3. Well lighted. Light from left side or left and rear. 4. Adjustable window shades. 5. Suitable cloakrooms for boys and girls. 6. Attractive interior decorations. 7. Good blackboards (slate preferred), set about 26 inches from floor. 8. Heated by a room heater and ventilator properly placed, or by base- ment furnace which provides for proper ventilation. 9. Floor and interior clean and tidy. Furnishings and Supplies. 1. Desks suitable for children of all ages, and properly placed. 2. Good teacher's desk and chair. 3. Good bookcase. 4. A good collection of juvenile books suitable as aids to school work as well as general reading. 5. Set of good maps, a globe, and a dictionary. 6. Sanitary water supply provided by the district board, thermometer, sweeping preparation. 7. Sand table. The Organization. 1. School well organized. 2. Classification and daily register well kept. 3. Definite daily program. 4. Attendance regular and punctual. 5. Discipline good. The Teacher. 1. Must hold a state certificate, a first-grade county certificate, a normal- training certificate, or must at least hold a second-grade certificate and be a graduate of a four-year high school. (5) 6 State Superintendent of 'Public Instruction. 2. Must receive at least the average salary of the county, and in no case less than $385 per year. 3. Ranked by the county superintendent as a good or superior teacher. 4. Must read Teachers' Reading Circle books, attend institutes and as- sociations, and in other respects show a proper professional spirit. To this work of standardization the supervisors have given most of their attention. As a means of getting the matter before the people of the state they have addressed school-board conventions and teachers' meet- ings in more than sixty counties, and in numerous community meetings have sought to interest the people in a campaign for rural-school im- provement. District No. 17, Allen county. During the year 792 schools were visited in 67 counties — an average of about 12 schools to the county. Of this number 119 were approved as standard schools, as follows: Allen 1 Anderson 2 Atchison 3 Barber 1 Brown 3 Butler 1 Clark 1 Cloud 1 Coflfey 1 Dickinson 3 Douglas 6 Elk 1 Finnev 3 Ford ' 3 Franklin 8 Geary 1 Harvey 1 Jackson 1 Jewell 1 Johnson 1 Kingman 1 Kiowa 3 Lincoln 1 McPherson 7 Montgomery 5 Morris 2 Osage 1 Ottawa 1 Pawnee 3 Reno 31 Rice 4 Riley 2 Russell 1 Saline 2 Sedgwick 1 Shawnee 4 Stafford 1 Sumner 1 Trego 1 Wabaunsee 3 Woodson 1 A study of the geographical distribution of these schools discloses some interesting facts: The sixth principal meridian divides the state almost equally so far as the number of schools is concerned, but west of this line 69 standard schools are found and east of it only 50. If a standardization of Rural Schools. e^v^ ^~^ ( \ z Q : I ? 2 z z Of 1 -1 r tTh^f^ > ^ 8 1 X J - r^Z H S»S • z s z % t / a • I 1 y. 3.1 '4 • 2 • • z ul -I • -1 UI i ^ S 1 w >- z z .D •g- s :|.. L. , u. □ i z 0) I Z •^ b 1 6 z Q > i 7: J < t- t ( _j 1 \ B 1 I W < 15 rV Hi If) <£ t ■0 J- — 1 0; )- Ul f) J I s r^^ Z a Of 1 • i z >- _] z a I •5 X y Uj ^ ul ^ z • u -J 5 -Q; •a < s z , ID n «• •S •. I UJ J • o >- h O • J 1^ » It ID • »'ul m J •1 U ul a or < D -J Hi I • z J o • m* 1- z _1 -J • [V ^ I (V I UJ Z J J z h UJ n 1- Hi* ^ t J- a D^ in II) < 1- * 1. ifl < D -1 -1 r IT) UJ* z • • ^2 Q (V 1 <• I- z 4 t Z < J tt uJ 0; 5 • o 2 < I < (J .8 uJ n ul z >f J ul u D I • Q . u • U- 2; lU ft D h < U z < > u Z < -1 > 4 ul f- a I in > ui < < Ci 10 z -1 < Z Z — • -1 < z < X h I f > z 1- z z ul z z < UJ 1C 5 m z 5: ui I 10 uJ > I u J uJ uJ a r h in Z I 1 8 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. line be drawn east and west through the center of the state only 42 standard schools will be found in the northern half, while there are 77 in the southern. Grouped by congressional districts, there are found in the first district, 11; in the second, 18; in the third, 6; in the fourth, 8; in the fifth, 10; in the sixth, 4; in the seventh, 51; and in the eighth, 11. More than a fourth of the entire number of standard schools are found in Reno county, while 41 counties have one or more. When it is remembered that Kansas has approximately 8000 schools eligible to standardization, and that the first year's work discovered but 119 that measured up to the requirements, it is apparent that rural- school conditions in the state are far from ideal. Criticism of our schools District No. 61, Douglas county. is commonly directed toward the efficiency of the teaching and the quality of work being done. That much of this criticism is merited can not be denied, and the need of better qualified teachers with a broader vision of their opportunities for service is a constant and vital need. But a year's observation in all parts of the state has convinced the supervisors that, taking the state as a whole, the quality of the teaching is far superior to the physical condition of the school plant. The standard school seeks to improve the quality of the work by requiring of its teachers qualifications somewhat higher than the mini- mum legal requirements for a teacher; and the ambition to be known as a standard teacher inspires better preparation and a wholesome pro- fessional attitude. It seeks to improve the physical condition of the standardization of Rural Schools. Old "Bonnacord,'' Dickinson county. schools by placing before the various communities a concrete, tangible example of what a school should be, and through a systematic campaign of instruction to lead the people of the state to desire better conditions and to be satisfied with nothing less than the best. New "Bonnacord," Dickinson county. 10 state Superintendent of Public Instruction. District No. 62, Douglas county. "Before taking." District No. 62, Douglas county. "After taking Standardizatio7i of Rural Schools. 11 Among the rural-school conditions that most frequently merit adverse criticism e. few may be mentioned: The unsanitary, and frequently disgraceful, condition of the school toilets. In this connection an expression of appreciation is due the State Board of Health and county health officers in certain counties for their efficient work in promoting better school sanitation. Lack of proper heating and ventilation. In a very large number of schools the unsightly and unsatisfactory old stove still occupies the place of honor in the center of the room. Improper lighting. While most of the newer buildings have been planned with some thought for the proper arrangement of windows, in some counties it seems to be the rule rather than the exception to have windows on three, or even four, sides of the schoolroom. District No. 8, Brown county. Improper seating. Frequently a school is found that has only seats of the larger sizes, others have only the smaller sizes, and still others have the largest and smallest sizes with none between. The arrangement and spacing are often the result of guesswork, with little consideration for the health or comfort of the children who are to occupy the seats. Blackboards of poor quality and placed too high. Unfortunately, even in some of the newest buildings, those responsible seem to overlook the fact that the blackboards are to be used by the small children as well as the large. One school was found in which the blackboards were fifty inches from the floor, and many are forty inches or more, which is at least a foot above the proper height. 12 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Poor library facilities. In this particular it must be confessed that our schools are lamentably deficient. Many schools have no library of any kind, while others have books so ill suited to the needs and mental capacity of the pupils as to be absolutely useless. Lack of pride in the appearance of the schoolhouse and surroundings. There are attractive schoolhouses and beautiful, well-kept school grounds in nearly every county, but they are a pitiful minority compared with those that are otherwise. Treeless, barren school grounds, badly pre- served, once-painted buildings, atrociously colored walls, no pictures or worse than none, general conditions indicating carelessness or slovenli- ness that tend to beget similar habits in the pupils — these are to be found far too frequently in every part of the state. Overcrowded prograrns. The addition of new subjects to the course of study, while retaining all the old, has brought about a condition that District No. 5, Rice county. makes it difficult for a teacher to plan her daily program so that classes have sufficient time for recitation. The average number of daily recita- tions in the one-teacher schools is above thirty, and occasionally it reaches forty. It should be possible for the teacher to plan her program so that the maximum number of recitations will be considerably less than the average at present. The standard school is made a test of the community interest and pride. It carries with it no financial remuneration and no other special inducement than the satisfaction that comes to a community in having its school receive state-wide recognition as an out-standing good school. Moreover, the reasonableness of the requirements appeals to the average individual who is at all interested in the welfare of the school. He feels that in meeting the requirements he is not only bringing honor to his community, but he is contributing to the well-being of the children and the general efficiency of the school. Standardizatio7i of Rural Schools. 13 It was inevitable that a close investigation of our schools would reveal many unsatisfactory conditions, but on the whole the year's work gives much cause for gratification, not only for what has been accom- plished, but for the outlook it affords for the future. Wherever the supervisors have gone they have met with a most cordial reception. Both teachers and patrons have shown a willingness, and even eager- ness, to cooperate in working out the desired school improvements. Al- ready there is seen in the unusual activity in schoolhouse building an indication of awakened interest. While comparatively few schools were recognized as standard during the year, practically all the schools visited have made some improve- ments looking toward standardization, and doubtless a much larger num- ber will qualify during the second year. It is reasonable to expect that District No. 7, Brown county. as the idea of the standard school becomes more generally implanted in the minds of the people, the number of such schools will increase more rapidly from year to year, and that in our rural schools as a whole will be seen marked improvement along the line of better buildings, better equipment, better teaching, and an awakened and strengthened school interest. 14 State Superintendent of J^ublic Instruction. STANDARD RURAL SCHOOLS. (Reprint of a bulletin which has been published and distributed to school officers.) The Kansas legislature of 1915 gave to the State Board of Education "exclusive and sole authority to define official standards of excellence in all matters relating to the administration, course of study and instruc- tion in rural schools, graded schools, and high schools, and to accredit those schools in which the specified standards are maintained." To make District No. 43, Jackson county. it possible to carry out the foregoing provision the act further authorized the appointment of two high-school and two rural-school supervisors to work under the direction of the state superintendent of public instruction. It is the purpose of this bulletin to set forth the requirements of the State Board of Education for a standard rural school, with explanations and suggestions to enable schools to plan intelligently to meet those re- quirements. The rural-school supervisors will go into any county on Standai^dization of Rural Schooh. 15 invitation of the county superintendent and with him visit such schools as in the judgment of the superintendent most nearly meet the require- ments, or wherever there may be a reasonable prospect of arousing in- terest in rural-school improvement. In these visits the supervisors will be glad to meet school boards and patrons and discuss with them matters relating to the improvement of the schools. A report of each visit is made to the district board, and a copy filed with the county superin- tendent. To such schools as meet the requirements outlined herein a diploma will be granted certifying to the fact and a metal plate bearing the words "Standard School" will be placed above the door. This recogni- tion is given for one year, and will be renewed annually so long as satisfactory conditions are maintained. But should a school, once ap- proved, fail to maintain satisfactory conditions, the diploma and plate will be forfeited. The plan of standardization set forth herein is in operation in a number of other states, notably in Illinois, from whose successful ex- perience some of the suggestions here given are drawn. District No. 37, Ottawa county. THE SCHOOL SITE. The nature and care of the school site are important points in the matter of standardization ; hence, in case the present situation is an undesirable one, it would be well for a district to consider carefully the selection of a better site before erecting a new building. The very fact that it is difficult to make a change renders it the more imperative to exercise the utmost care and consideration in the choice of location in order that the school may best serve its purpose in every way. Some points deserving consideration are accessibility, sightliness, drainage, convenience in obtaining water, possibility of beautification, and oppor- tunities for play. Should a poor site be chosen, there remains little to be done but to make the best of a bad situation. 16 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. School grounds must consist of at least one acre — this is specified in the school laws — but a larger site is desirable in order that there may be ample and suitable playgrounds, a recognized present-day necessity. The soil should be of such a nature as to permit a school garden for experiments or demonstrations in connection with agricultural work, and to make possible the growth of trees, shrubs, etc., where climatic con- ditions do not prevent. A suitable site is one that would be acceptable for a home site, one neither upon the top of a rocky, barren hill, nor on low, wet ground that can not be drained. The best situation is one having a slight elevation, or, second, one comparatively level but with sufficient drainage to make it dry and healthful. In no case can a site be deemed satisfactory if there is a depression in which stagnant water may stand. District No. 33, Jackson county. The grounds must be kept in a neat and sightly condition, free from weed patches, rubbish, and litter, with a yard well kept and not rankly overgrown; and when the grounds are surrounded by a fence, this and the gate must be kept in good order. APPROACHES. There should be a good walk, from three to six feet wide, from the road to the schoolhouse, and one of suitable v/idth from the house to all outbuildings. These walks should be constructed of cement, brick, or lum- ber, the preference of material being in the order named. The long walks to outbuildings may be made of cinders or gravel, though these are much less desirable. TREES AND SHRUBS. Barren, treeless school grounds are as unattractive as similar home surroundings. Trees add beauty, comfort, and protection, and a few standardization of Rural Schools. 17 should be found on every school site where it is at all possible for them to grow. Every part of the state has its native species; and, since in many portions other species grow readily, there should be little difficulty, at least in the eastern two-thirds of the state, in securing this most desirable feature of school-ground improvement. On a small site the trees should be confined to the sides and corners of the lot in order not to interfere seriously with playground space. The Agricultui'al College, and the county agents in those counties employing them, will gladly offer suggestions and plans as to desirable species and effective planting to any school board making such request. THE SCHOOLHOUSE. It is apparent that a great many Kansas school buildings will not, at the present time, meet the requirements for standardization. The fa- District No. 31, Marshall county. miliar box-car type of building, possessing, as some one has said, "all the architectural beauty of a cow barn," is still too common. But the better of these buildings can, without great expense, be remodeled to bring them within the requirements; and the poorer ones are rapidly being replaced by model, up-to-date structures. In planning new build- ings, as well as remodeling the old, the specifications for a standard school should be kept in mind. A new schoolhouse should be designed to meet the needs of the coming generation as well as the present, and the thoughtful school board will recognize the changing ideals in rural education and make plans accord- ingly. The type of school building that was sufficient for the needs of a generation ago will not be sufficient a generation hence, nor is it sufficient —3 18 State Superintendent of I^ublic Instruction. to-day. In appearance and construction the rural schoolhouse should compare with the best homes in the community. "The country school- house should be beautiful," says Doctor Dressier. "This does not mean that it needs to be expensive. Frequently those who have much money to spend on a school building do it so thoughtlessly as to destroy all pos- sibility of beauty. Towers and turrets have no place on a country school- VANSICKLE SCHOOL RENO coursTy dist. lo A good plan for a one-room building. house. There is a power in beauty closely allied to righteousness. If a beautiful rural schoolhouse could be constructed in every neighborhood it would not be long before the people would see and feel its power. . . . Practically all the rural schoolhouses constructed in the last quarter of a century have been copied after others in adjoining neighborhoods, and hence little progress has been made. Year after year new houses have been built perpetuating the evils of unhygienic construction and the horrors of the architectural ugliness in almost every detail. . . . This standardization of Rural Schools. 19 emphasis on the beauty of school architecture is not for the purpose of de- claring it to be the prime essential. Yet none of us should forget that beauty is in its own nature useful. Unfortunately, those who have built our country schoolhouses have for the most part given little or no thought to real beauty. Some have attempted to adorn, but these adornments fre- quently only accentuate the lack of beauty and harmony. Hundreds of rural-school buildings show that if the roof and sides, the height and the width, had been fittingly proportioned the one to the other, much money would have been saved and far more beautiful buildings would have been obtained. Ugliness in rural-school buildings has, therefore, not only cost money, but has corrupted the youth by staring them in the face daily. Simple beauty is not expensive; it is by its very nature eco- nomical of material. . . . Beauty is more than economical; it is edu- cational in the highest sense. Beauty is not for the rich; neither is it for 20 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. the poor. It is for all. A beautiful school building, appropriately located, will exert a quiet but persistent educational influence on all who ai-e asso- ciated with it, in school or out. Its unconscious reflex influence will enter into the life of the neighborhood and of necessity express itself in many ways. All who see a beautiful and appropriate school building are in- clined to be more loyal to the cause it represents and less satisfied with ugliness anywhere. The district schoolhouse is the only building in the community that belongs to all, and in a definite way it reflects the civic standards of all. It is, therefore, important to express through it the highest attainable ideals of beauty and fitness so that it may serve all acceptably." The modern one-teacher school calls for more than a single classroom, yet the classroom is the unit upon which the planning of the building Vansiokle school. !;• ii depends. The size of the building will be determined by the number of pupils to be accommodated and the extent to which the building is used as a community social center. Experience has shown that for best re- sults the classroom should not exceed 32 feet in length, 26 feet in width, and 13 feet in height. It should contain a minimum of 16 square feet of floor space for each pupil enrolled, and 200 cubic feet of air space per pupil. In addition to the classroom and necessary cloakrooms, a library or work room is a very valuable part of the modern school plant; and if the district is able to provide a basement it will also be found very convenient to use this space for furnace, coal room, inside toilet rooms, manual-training equipment, etc. For school purposes the familiar teach- er's platform is valueless and should be omitted. standardization of Rwal Schools. 21 DISPLAY OF FLAG, c Since the public school is an institution established by the state and governed by law, and having as one of its chief objects the training of boys and girls for citizenship, it is fitting that the United States flag should be continually before the pupils as a reminder of their obligation to the state and as an incentive to patriotic conduct. Therefore, in every standard school the display of the United States flag is required in ac- cordance with the following provision of the law of the state of Kansas: "It shall be the duty of the school authorities of every public school in the several cities, towns, villages and school districts of this state to purchase a suitable United States flag, flagstaff, and the necessary ap- pliances therefor, and to display such flag upon, near or in the public- school building during school hours and at such other times as such school authorities may direct. "The said school authorities shall establish rules and regulations for the proper custody, care and display of the flag, and, when the weather District No. 78, McPhersou couuty. will not permit it to be otherwise displayed, it shall be placed conspicu- ously in the principal room of the schoolhouse." (Sections 1 and 2, chap- ter 319, Laws of 1907.) LIGHTING. The increase in defective vision among school children is undoubtedly due in a large measure to improperly lighted schoolrooms. It is not so much a question of the amount of light, for most of our Kansas school buildings have a sufficient quantity; but when the light is admitted from two, three, or even four sides of the room, as is too frequently the case, there is always the disagreeable cross-light or direct glare in the face of the pupils, which inevitably results in eyestrain and attendant headaches. It is universally agreed that light from only one side of the schoolroom is best, and that the light should come from the left of the 22 State ,Supe7'intendent of Public Instruction. pupils. The windows should be high and closely banked so as to give the effect of one large window, and the glass area should be not less than one-fifth of the floor area. Short, high windows in the rear are permis- sible and under some conditions are very desirable. For sanitary reasons it is well to have direct sunlight admitted into the room at some time during the day; and hence, if the room is lighted from the north, short windows in the rear will supply the direot sunlight when needed, and can also be used for ventilation in hot weather. Because of the difficulty in regulating and controlling the glare of the sun, light from the south is probably less satisfactory than from other directions. All windows should be fitted with opaque shades. of tan, ivory white, or light green. Adjustable shades are recommended as most satisfactory in meeting the varying light conditions. Double rollers may be used, or two shades may be securely attached at the middle of the window, one Joint district No. 25, Franklin-Anderson counties. to be drawn up and the other down. If the common roller shades are used, reasonably satisfactory results may be obtained by fastening the roller at the bottom and raising the shade by means of a cord and pulley. The common method of attaching the shades at the top of the windows makes it impossible to exclude the lower light and retain the light from above. CLOAKROOMS. This is a part of the school plant too frequently neglected. It is one function of the school to teach children the proprieties of life, but no teacher can make a room appear attractive and well cared for when all kinds of wraps are hung upon its walls. There should be separate cloakrooms for boys and girls; for -girls, especially, need more privacy than is possible with the single room. It is best that these cloakrooms open directly into the classroom in order that the teacher may exercise standardization of Rural Schools. 23 closer supervision over them and thus lessen the difficulty in discipline. The problem of heating and ventilating the cloakrooms can be simplified by the use of skeleton doors. There should be no opening from the vesti- bule into the cloakrooms, but the vestibule should be for entrance to the classroom only. There should be closed shelves or a built-in cupboard for dinner pails and other unsightly but necessary articles. Open shelves and floors are not suitable for such uses. INTERIOR DECORATIONS. A beautiful and attractive interior adds much to the pleasure of school life. Walls covered with a great mass of odds and ends, of cheap calendars and highly colored pictures, do not inspire one with a love for the beautiful nor serve as a standard of good taste. Not many schools can aff'ord expensive pictures, and, fortunately, this is not necessary in District No. 59, Brown county. order to secure good ones. Large, beautiful prints of famous paintings may be had in the soft brown or sepia tones for about seventy-five cents. Cheaper ones may be had in black. The Perry Pictures Company, Maiden, Mass., makes a specialty of these and will send illustrated catalogues and lists free on application. They will also send small sam- ples of the various kinds which they make. Pictures of noted authors and statesmen may be secured from the same source. Such pictures, covered with glass and framed in plain, neat frames — avoiding gaudy, cheap gilt — will exert a strong, if silent, influence for good morals and good taste. This is especially true if an occasional attempt is made to impress the pupils with the thought which the pictures are intended to convey or the motive which inspired the artist's brush. Pictures which otherwise might not excite attention may thus become intensely interest- ing, even to young children. 24 State Superinteyident of Public Instructioyi. Three or four good pictures are far better than many indifferent ones, and their choice is an important matter because of their permanency. Any picture truly worthy of a place on the schoolroom wall is worthy of proper framing. Pictures unprotected by glass are soon soiled or injured. There is no objection to pictures of scenery in colors if these are soft in tone, but those that are gaudy and highly colored are to be strictly avoided. To help both teacher and pupil to a better understanding and appre- ciation of good pictures a few art books are placed in the list recom- mended for the school library. WALLS AND CEILING. The color and nature of walls and ceiling have much to do with the cheeriness and attractiveness of a school room. It should be unnecessary to say that they ought always to be clean. Likewise, they should never District No. 35, Montgomery county. be made dark or gloomy. This does frequently occur with the idea that they will remain clean longer or will not show dirt, both mistaken ideas. The various tones of tan or very light brown are excellent side- wall colors, but soft medium green or a very light gray are good. Blue, either dark or light, barn or dark red, and very dark grays are to be avoided on walls, ceiling, or woodwork. Natural or medium color finish is best for woodwork. A light ceiling, lighter than the side walls, is desirable, as it then reflects the light downward and helps to lighten the room. Very light tan, cream and ivory white are good. Glaring white walls are objectionable. Standardization of Rural Schools. 25 BLACKBOARDS. Unquestionably the most satisfactory material for school blackboai'ds is natural slate. While the relative first cost is considerably higher than that of some other materials, the amount of blackboard surface required in the average school is so small that the total cost is by no means prohibi- tive. With slate the first cost is the only expense, and when properly set it affords a satisfactory blackboard surface practically for all time to come. Next to slate, probably the best material is a prepared slate cement which can be mixed and spread on as ordinary plaster. If put on prop- erly this is reasonably permanent, and it will not buckle nor draw away from the wall as many of the pulp or cardboard preparations are in- clined to do. The amount of blackboard surface required will vary with District No. the size of the school, but in general it should approximate four square feet per pupil, with a minimum of twenty linear feet. The proper placing of blackboards should receive more attention than it has in the past. It is with the smaller pupils that the use of the blackboard is most profitable and most essential, and yet too frequently the blackboards are set so high that the smaller pupils can with difficulty use them at all. To accommodate pupils of all ages the blackboard should be not less than forty-two inches wide and set about twenty-six inches from the floor. Good chalk troughs, not mere ledges, are a very essential part of a blackboard. Only dustless crayon of a good quality and noise- less erasers should be used. 26 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. HEATING AND VENTILATION. No part of the school equipment is more vital to the physical well- being of the children than the heating and ventilation. Confinement in an improperly heated and poorly ventilated room saps the vitality and undermines the health of both teacher and pupils and decreases their District No. 16, Cowley couiu:>- ^■■^- ul District No. 16, Cowley county. Tlie new. M^orking power. A uniform temperature of from 68 to 70 degrees should be maintained in all parts of the room — a thing impossible with an ordi- nary stove placed in the center of the room. To secure an even dis- tribution of the heat there must be free circulation of the air in the standardization of Rural Schools. 27 room, but that alone is not sufficient. There should also be provision for bringing in the fresh air from outside the building, heating it, and re- moving the foul air. This can be accomplished very satisfactorily through a modern room heater and ventilator or a basement furnace properly installed. The fresh air from outside is brought in through the furnace or heater, and when heated rises to the top of the room, while the colder foul air settles to the floor, whence it is drawn off through the foul-air vent. This provides both heat and ventilation through the distribution and exchange of air. Any system of heating that does not also provide for ventilation is not entirely satisfactory. If a room heater is used it should be placed in a corner of the room, preferably a rear corner, out of the way of both teacher and pupils. If a basement furnace is used the registers should be placed in the side walls rather than the floor, where they will unavoidably accumulate dust and schoolroom trash of various kinds. The foul-air vent should always be located near the floor. District No. 21, Kiowa county. CLEANLINESS. The schoolhouse and surroundings should be kept as clean as a good housekeeper keeps her home. This will require more than an annual or semiannual house cleaning. The floor should be scrubbed and the walls, furniture, and woodwork properly cleaned at frequent intervals. A sweeping compound should be used to keep down the dust while sweep- ing, and a damp or slightly oiled cloth used for dusting. A feather duster, which simply scatters the dust to permit it to settle again, should not be tolerated. Soap and water, fresh air and sunshine are among the best known agencies for preventing disease, and no amount of fumi- gation will take the place of cleanliness in making the school building sanitary. A teacher should be a good housekeeper. Failure in this par- ticular implies careless and inferior work in other respects. 28 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. SWEEPING PREPARATION. Dust is a recognized source and harborer of disease germs, an irri- tant of the delicate lining of the nose, throat and lungs, and its presence is the chief objection to doing school janitor work. A proper sanitary condition in this respect can be much more easily maintained, and the sweeping and care of the room rendered much easier, by the use of an inexpensive sweeping compound, several kinds of which are on the mar- ket. Therefore, the use of a sweeping preparation is made obligatory in a standardized school. teacher's desk and chair. No specific requirements will be made on this topic save that the desk should be a substantial one, large enough to contain and accommodate the teacher's books, supplies, and records, and provided with lockable Obee school, district No. 23, Reno county. drawers or other suitable compartments to protect the contents from dust and mice and from disturbance by careless or malicious persons. The chair should be strong, comfortable and, preferably, adjustable. DESKS and seating. The importance of proper seating is a subject almost wholly neglected in the rural schools, but it is deserving of careful consideration because it has direct bearing upon comfort and hygienic conditions. Improper seating may lay the foundation for spinal curvature and deformities of the limbs, both upper and lower. There should be desks suitable for pupils of all ages, the sizes ranging from No. 6 to No. 2. Few or none of No. 1 are really necessary in rural schools, as this is the largest or adult size. No. 6 is the smallest, and standardization of Rural Schools. 29 but few of them are required. It should never happen, but it frequently does, that there are no desks larger than No. 3, or, on the other hand, none smaller than this size, in a rural school. The omission of the smaller sizes, Nos. 5 and 6, frequently means that none of the pupils, with the exception of the very largest, are ever seated properly ; for no sooner has one grown into a seat than he is pushed on to make room for some smaller person. Sometimes not only are the desks of the wrong size but they are not correctly spaced. The correct distances between edge of desk and back of seat are about these: Nos. 6 and 5, nine inches; No. 4, ten inches; No. 3, eleven inches; No. 2, twelve inches; and No. 1, thirteen inches to fourteen inches. These spaces insure the comfort of the pupil when studying or writing. Only seats of one size, or at most of two sizes, should be placed in the same row. Preferably, the smallest seats should be placed nearest the District No. 16, Stafford county. source of light, as this arrangement does not tend to obstruct the light from any one. In poorly heated rooms, however, it might be better to place the smaller pupils in the center of the room for the sake of warmth. Hygienic seating demands that the child should be able to place his feet flat upon the floor when sitting at rest in his seat, and that the desk be of such a height that it does not necessitate either a stooping position or the elevation of one shoulder above the other in writing. No one should be obliged to sit in a seat where his knees can not go under the desk comfortably when he sits erect. All of these objectionable posi- tions are conducive to physical deformities as well as to much discomfort. Physical discomfort tends to make work poorer and discipline harder. Desks should be so placed that the light may come from the left or from the left and the back. Under no circumstances should they be 30 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. placed facing windows. Single desks are always desirable, and where new ones are to be purchased no other sort should be considered. Gener- ous aisles make movements and discipline much easier. Between rows of No. 1 and No. 2 desks, twenty-four inches is as little as should be allowed; between rows of Nos. 3 and 4 there should be twenty inches, and between sizes 5 and 6 eighteen inches. An aisle of three or four feet is desirable between desks and rear or side blackboards, and space as ample as conditions will permit should be left in the front of the room. BOOKCASE AND BOOKS. Many a beginning of a school library made by some earnest, hard- working teacher has been destroyed or greatly damaged through the lack of a proper place for the care and protection of the books. No Larkinburg, Atchison-Jackson counties. school should be without the benefits to be derived from a good working library, be it large or small, the first requisite for which is a suitable closet, case, or cupboard where the books may be easily accessible, but protected from dust and mice and from careless usage. This should be provided with a good lock and key. In modern and newly erected build- ings it is highly desirable that a separate small room be set aside as a library room; but where this is not feasible it is still possible to have books and bookcase. No school is equipped to do satisfactory work which has no other source of information than the textbooks, no matter how excellent they may be. If one becomes particularly interested in a subject, he should have sources from which he may secure additional information. If a standardization of Rural Schools. 31 subject seems rather dry and tedious, there should be contributory material which will tend to make it more simple and attractive. Pupils need to be taught to see a matter from different viewpoints. They need to learn to read widely and well. The school owes it to the pupil to furnish a goodly supply of helpful, wholesome reading matter which will appeal to pupils of all grades. It is highly important that the lower • gi'ades be not neglected in this matter. The reading habit is formed in youth, and a taste for good reading can more easily be cultivated then than at a later age. Also, the lower grades frequently have more time for such supplemental work than the more advanced grades. A rural- school library should be planned to serve the community as well as the school. This can be possible in any adequate degree only when a rea- sonable sum is expended annually to build up and properly maintain District No. 45, Montgomery county. the library and when the books are chosen with the thought of the pur- pose which they are to serve. A collection of books alone does not make a proper school library. Often the books are good enough in themselves, but they are too difficult, too technical, too largely fiction, or otherwise unsuitable for the pupils who are expected to use them. Unless a library is quite large it is well to avoid "sets" of books or many from a single author. There are usually one or two best books of a writer, which are enough for the small library. The library should consist, first, of supplemental reading matter, several sets if possible, for grades one to four. Nature study, elemen- tary history and biography, geographical readers, and agriculture should be represented generously. Fairy tales, mythology, and wholesome ad- ventures will supply a need which otherwise might be satisfied by read- 32 State Supermtendeyit of ^Public Instruction. ing with which it were better that the child should not become acquainted. Pure or true literature may be added as need and appreciation will warrant, but one must not forget that there must be material that pupils and patrons will read because they want to do so and not because they must. Those who do not have first-hand practical knowledge of the question will do well to consult those of wider reading and experience and carefully prepared library lists in making up their own libraries. At least ten books for each grade represented in the school are necessary for recognition as a satisfactory beginning, but a much larger librai'y is exceedingly desirable. MAPS, GLOBE, AND DICTIONARY. Maps and globe need not be highly expensive, but the globe should be substantial and the maps easily accessible and so arranged as to be prop- erly cared for. The eight-map sets put out by any of the approved com- panies are satisfactory, and there should be a good state map as well. District Xo. 63, Puwnee county. Many times great damage is done to such equipment by the failure of teacher or school board to give a few minutes to its repair when it first shows need. For instance, roller or protection rods are permitted to come off and the map is torn or thrown about, and is damaged more in a few weeks from neglect than from years of natural use. A dictionary of the grade of "Webster's New International" should be found in every schoolroom; and it would also be an excellent plan for pupils in fifth grade and above to possess their own small dictionaries for ordinary use. THERMOMETER. If the schoolroom is to be maintained at a proper temperature — 68 de- grees to 70 degrees — one can not depend upon his own physical sensation, and therefore a thermometer is necessary. Standai'dization of Rural Schools. 33 SAND TABLE. A sand table is recommended because no other simple, inexpensive piece of school equipment contains more pleasing, concrete possibilities. Through this means the lower grades may be taught many of the essen- tial facts of geography, many things having direct relation to the lan- guage and nature work, and many things of real worth which will add life and interest to the school for the older pupils as well as for the younger. This is particularly so in "special day" observance. In geography, land and water forms, river and mountain systems and drainage, life in the arctics, in the tropics, and in desert regions can be impressively taught in this way. In language and story work, Indian life, the adventures of Robinson Crusoe, colonial life, the Christmas story, and a great many similar subjects may be made vividly alive through this valuable piece of schoolroom equipment. It may be constructed very cheaply, requiring only a cheap, strong table from two to three feet wide by three to five feet long. Where space permits the larger size is desirable, but a table two feet by four feet will serve very nicely. The height over all should be twenty-eight inches to thirty inches. The top of the table should form a box, from four to six inches deep, an inch or so more or less making no particular difference. Good, clean sand to the depth of two to four inches is placed in the box and it is ready for use. If a good cover is made for the box it will serve for a work table also, and the sand can thus be protected from dust. Teachers' magazines and other publications give many suggestions for its use. FUEL HOUSE. Where fuel is not stored in the basement a good, well-located fuel house is an economic necessity, and as such should be kept in good repair, made sightly by paint, and as conveniently placed as possible. But no fuel house need or should be placed in the front yard. Plenty of good fuel, easily accessible and well protected, plays an important part in the economy of time, comfort, and well-being of pupils and teacher; hence this requirement for a standardized school. OUTHOUSES. No one thing is of greater importance in respect to sanitary conditions and to moral and civic influence than the school outhouses, and no one thing is more neglected than these same buildings. Sometimes they are a distinct menace to both the health and morals of the school, if not of the community. So general is this neglected condition, not only in Kansas but else- where, that the rural-school toilet has been called a national disgrace. The remedy is too easily applied to permit such conditions to exist with- out remonstrance. Section 1, chapter 197 of the Laws of 1891, contains the following pro- vision: "The school boards and boards of education having supervision over any school district in this state shall provide and maintain suitable and convenient water-closets for each of the schools under their charge or supervision. There shall be at least two in number, which shall be en- 34 State Superintendent oi Public Instruction. tirely separate from each other. It shall be the duty of the officers afore- said to see that the same are kept in a neat and wholesome condition" The idea that the country is free from many of the conditions preju- dicial to health is so prevalent that the most ordinary precautions are often neglected and the most easily preventable menaces to healthful con- ditions are permitted to exist without an effort to remove them or with- out even the recognition of their existence. Because one has not been sick he acts upon the supposition that he never will be. There is need of an awakening in this matter and of setting an example of good sanitary measures on the school premises that shall spread like contagion itself and make itself felt in the homes of the district. The rural teacher, as well as the board, must take a more personal interest and must feel a greater responsibility in the care and condition of these buildings. No better opportunity for teaching civic pride, duty, and righteousness, as well as sanitary measures, will present itself dur- "Ash Grove," No. 6, Finney county. ing the school year than is afforded in this respect. No teacher has a right to try to avoid or escape the duty because it is an unpleasant or a delicate one. Its proper observance is a moral and physical safeguard. At least a weekly inspection of both toilets should be a routine matter. Their frequent cleaning should follow as a matter of course. In the rural school, where a regular janitor is both uncommon and hard to secure, the school board should see that the buildings are wholly acceptable at the beginning of the term, and the school itself should take pride in keeping them so throughout the school year if a water supply is at hand. This duty should be so distributed that it need mean nothing more than ten minutes time now and then from a group of pupils. The task should carry no stigma, for it is a public service. It will instill a respect for proper care and decency as nothing else can in this connection. Principles of sanitation and of conduct find practical expression — are translated into muscular activity; that is, they are experienced. standardization of Rural Schools. 35 As it is usually constructed the school closet is offensive to the sense of sight, of smell, and to the sense of decency. The vaults are poorly constructed or there are none. They are open to the flies from within and from without. The filth is spread by these pests ; it pollutes the soil ; and where care has not been taken in properly locating toilets and well in re- spect to each other it may be carried by surface drainage or by the water vein itself to the well. There are two or three simple plans of construction which are ac- ceptable for these buildings. The first of these, using the deep earth vault, can be safely used only when there is no possible chance of pollution of the water supply because the drainage is known to be in the opposite direction or because the distance between the well and building is great. Wells and toilets ought never to be nearer each other than one hundred feet. A greater distance is very desirable. Under such condition the District No. 51, Crawford county. common pit is acceptable if the building is carefully built, placed on a brick or concrete base, or is very closely banked so that no flies can enter the vault. The base is much preferred, as it is more permanent, prevent- ing decay of timbers and insuring closer construction. The vault should be ventilated by two small screened openings in sides or back of building below the seat, or by a ventilating flue from vault to roof. The seat itself must fit tightly and have hinged covers so attached that they will fall of their own weight when released. This may be secured easily by means of blocks attached to and projecting from walls behind the covers. The house should be lighted by one or two small-pane windows, or by slatted and screened openings. Mere openings will not suffice. Floors and seat fronts should be fly and water proof. Seats should not be too high. It would be better if one were lower than the other — about a foot high. 36 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The doors should fit and should swing freely. It is best if they swing shut of their own accord. This will insure better protection against storms and against trash and litter blowing into the buildings. The door should be furnished with fastenings. All toilets should have their en- trances screened or shielded from view by screens six feet to eight feet high, made of boards, lattice, or a thick clump of shrubbery. To protect the wall from writing, and somewhat from cutting, they should be painted within, and possibly without, with sand paint — ordinary paint with a liberal addition of medium coarse sand — or painted and sanded well while wet. Incidentally, the fuel house and all outbuildings should be painted to correspond with the schoolhouse, to make them less ugly and obtrusive. District No. 117, McPherson county. In cases where there is a real or very possible danger of contamination of the water supply, the vaults should be constructed of concrete or vitrified brick laid in good motor; or else the dry earth form of toilet is advisable. This latter consists of a strong, water-tight wooden or metal-lined box or drawer which is placed on heavy timbers to raise it from the ground under the seat and coming up fairly close to the seat. A close-fitting, hinged lift or drop door at the back permits its oc- casional removal for the emptying and burial of the contents in some accessible field — not a garden — or in some place where it can do no harm. Under no consideration should this excreta be left exposed on the surface of the ground. Handles on the box will facilitate its removal. Before being used three or four inches of road dust, finely pulverized field dirt, fine ashes, or slacked lime should be placed upon the bottom of the box. Then a covered barrel, a box, or better, a built-in covered bin StaiidardizaUoii of Rural Schools. 37 The past. of about a barrel capacity, of this material should be placed in each building, with scoop, small shovel, or cup holding a pint or more. After each use of the vault, a scoopful of the dry material should be deposited within it. This absorbs the moisture, destroys offensiveness in a large The present. 38 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. measure, makes emptying and cleaning easier, and renders the vault less apt to draw and harbor flies. With the exception of the necessity of emptying occasionally, this form of toilet is one of the most sanitary and simple for either the school or the home where indoor toilets can not be had. Large garbage pails may be substituted for the box and, having covers, are preferable when removing; but they must be of liberal diameter and fit up quite near the seat. In all other particulars the closet should be constructed as previously described. If dust is used, a goodly supply should be laid in when it is easily obtainable so that there need be no lack in its use, as this is the chief merit of this style of closet. The three points to be observed for sanitation are the exclusion of flies, liberal use of dust, and the emptying and proper disposal of contents when the box is not more than three-fourths full. If desired, the boys' toilet may be provided with a urinal, either within the closet or in the open air within the shielded enclosure. The District No. 9, Russell county. latter provides better ventilation. The urinal will prevent much of the defilement of seat and floor that commonly occurs, but which should not be permitted. This trough, or basin and pipe, should be constructed of cement or of some noncorrodible, nonabsorbent metal or other substance. It should be about two feet high or a little more at the outer or higher end, sloping to about one foot at the lower end where it enters the vault. This affords a good fall or drainage. Careful connection with vault is necessary. WELL AND WATER SUPPLY. No school site should be chosen, except in extreme cases, upon which it is not possible to secure a well of pure water. Upon the absence or presence of a plentiful water supply depends largely the health and comfort of the school, the cleanliness of pupils and the formation of good habits by them, the tidiness and sanitary condition of the school- room and toilets, and the means of securing the growth of trees, shrubs, standardization of Rural Schools. 39 and plants. Where a well is an impossibility there can and should be a cistern properly constructed and properly cared for. Cisterns can be made fairly satisfactory, but it requires much more care and attention to insure their purity than is the case with a natural source, such as a good well. Cisterns should be thoroughly cleaned before their use after a vacation period. When a school desires to have water analyzed, appli- cation should be made through the county health officer to the State Water and Sewage Laboratories, Lawrence, for a container. There is no charge for analysis except the express charge on the container from and to the laboratory. No water will be analyzed unless it is shipped in the special iced container furnished by the laboratory. If the well or cistern is so constructed as to admit surface water or seepage it is not worth while to have the water analyzed; it is certain to be contami- nated. The State Board of Health gives the following formula for main- taining the purity of cisterns: One level teasponful chloride of lime, thoroughly dissolved in a cup of water; add to a pail of water and let it stand until it settles. Pour off the clear portion and add it to a 100- barrel cistern or dug well. In the case of a well, it should be renewed every two or three weeks to insure protection. A cistern supplied from the roof should be provided with a good sand and charcoal filter and cut-off. Carrying water in an open pail from a neighboring well is neither an economical nor a sanitary method of supplying it. The pupils waste much valuable time in securing it; some of the wat^ is spilled on the way; it is polluted by dust, insects, and weed seeds; and it usually becomes warm before reaching the schoolhouse. When carried from home in jugs or bottles by pupils or teacher it may be pure enough, but frequently it must be used after becoming stale and flat. Under any of these condi- tions the supply is always wholly inadequate and unsatisfactory. The purity of the water supply is as important in respect to health as the purity of the air within the schoolroom and the consequences of neglect are often much more evident. There is a danger that the school supply may not be pure because it is used but a portion of the year. A well may and a cistern is almost certain to become stagnant. A yet greater danger lies in the fact that too little care is taken to see that the well does not become contaminated from surface drainage, improper covering in the case of dug wells, and from proximity to privies and barnyards. The well should not be within one hundred feet of any privy or any other source of contamination, and should not be placed on a slope below a possible source of contamination from surface drainage or from the natural water vein itself. There should be good drainage away from the well; a pipe or other suitable carrier should conduct off the surplus water to a distance of about twenty feet, so that there will be no puddles about the well. Dug wells should be protected to a depth of from two to four feet and a similar distance from the wall by a sloping cement coping to prevent the entrance of drainage water, insects, burrowing animals, etc. The well cover should be dust- and waterproof to insure protection against dust, germs, and filth carried to the platform by the wind and upon the 40 State Superintendeiit of Public Instruction. i.