.?^ UNITED STATES BUREAU OF EDUCATION BULLETIN. 1914. NO. 25 WHOLE NUMBER 599 IMPORTANT FEATURES IN RURAL- SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COMPILED FROM SPECIAL REPORTS OF RURAL SUPERINTENDENTS TO THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION By W. T. HODGES DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS ALEXANDRIA COUNTY. VA. WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFHCE 1914 UNITED STATES BUREAU OF EDUCATION BULLETIN. 1914. NO. 25 WHOLE NUMBER 599 IMPORTANT FEATURES IN RURAL- SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COMPILED FROM SPECIAL REPORTS OF RURAL SUPERINTENDENTS TO THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION By W. T. HODGES DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS ALEXANDRIA COUNTY. VA. WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I9I4 tr> fl ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED PROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, T). C. AT 10 CENTS PER COPY O; OF D. NOV 2 ?914 ^ ^ CONTENTS Pago. Letter of transmittal 5 Introduction 7 Administration and supervision 8 Instruction 18 Improving the teachers in service 29 Improvement of buildings, grounds, equipment, etc 37 Socializing the school 40 Miscellaneous notes 53 3 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education, Washington, October 8, 1913. Sir: Here and there in all of the States are to bo found county, townsliif), and district superintendents of schools who have hit upon some plan of improving the schools under their supervision by means of better administration, improved courses of study, and better meth- ods of teaching, better buildings and grounds, a closer cooperation of home and school, or otherwise. For lack of means of publication, however, the good plans of a county in one State remain unknown to school officials and teachers in other States, and frequently to those of other counties in the same State. To discover and make known these plans, the methods of their application and their results, to all rura,l-school officers in all the States is one of the means by which this bureau can render valuable service to the cause of rural education. The manuscript transmitted herewith is made up largely of extracts from and summaries of letters received recently from rural-school officers in response to my request that they write m.e in full detail an accurate report of any work out of the regular routine done in their schools within the last year or two which they thought to be of suf- ficient value to make it desirable that it should be made known to .others. I recommend that the manuscript be published as a bulletin of the Bureau of Education for distribution to State, county, township, and district superintendents, county and district school boards, and county associations of teachers. Kespcctfully submitted. P. P. Claxton, Commissioner. To the Secretary of the Interior. IMPORTANT FEATURES IN RURAL-SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. Compiled from special reports of rural superintendents to the Bureau of Education* INTRODUCTION. Toward the close of the school year 1912-13 the United States Commissioner of Education sent a letter to all school superintendents who have rural schools under their supervision, asking them to re})ort to the Bureau of Education anything of unusual or special value that had been done in the schools during the past year or two. These superintendents were asked also to report any special methods which they had found successful in improving the efficiency of their rural schools. These letters were sent to the county superintendents, to the union district superintendents in New England, the township superintend- ents in Ohio, and the district superintendents in New York. Approx- imately 3,500 letters were sent out, nearly one-haK of which were answered. Many of the letters briefly enumerated a number of occurrences of local interest, such as an increase in the length of the school term, a bond issue for a new school building, or the introduc- tion of a printed course of study. Others gave fairly complete accounts of one or two things of general value to those interested in rural education. From the great number of answers received there have been collected for publication in this bulletin such selections as seem to contain suggestions of special value to other superintendents. Many letters contain a statement of plans which are just being put into operation or which will be put into operation during the coming year. These are not included. The reports are grouped broadly under the following topics : Admin- istration and supervision; instruction; improvement of grounds and buildings; socializing the schools; and miscellaneous. Several letters containing reports on more than one subject are included in full. A study of the letters from which these abstracts are taken reveals improvement everywhere in the schools for country children. There is a feeling that the country child will be best educated for whatever life he may lead, whether in the city or in the country, if taught in 8 FEATUKES IN RUEAL SCHOOL IMPEOVEMENT. terms of country life. The movement for the closer and more effective cooperation of school and home is nation-wide. Parent- teacher organ- izations are common in all States. Country schoolliouses are used to some extent as civic and social centers in all States in the Union. Practical subjects, such as agriculture, cooking, sewing, manual training, etc., add vitality and interest to the courses of study. Contests and club activities are coming into general use as a means of encouraging children to do their best work. No special feature of the improved rural-school work is confined to any one State or section. Reports from various superintendents show the Babcock milk tester to be used in schools of Wisconsin, Vermont, South Carolina, California, and many other States. Boys' and girls' agricultural clubs are found in almost every State in the Union. School fairs, as separate institutions or as departments in the agricultural fairs, are general throughout the country. Oregon and Missouri report plans extensively used of giving credit at school for industrial work done at home; reports of similar work come from superintendents in probably one-half the States in the Union. The ''home-project" method of teaching agriculture used in Massachu- setts is also used in Louisiana, Wisconsin, and other vStates. ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. Berks County, Pa. E. M. Ra2)p, superintendent, Reading. — The slogans of our county have been for years "Stay on the farm," and "The country school of to-day for the country life of to-morrow." The result in the schools has been farm arithmetic, farm geography, elementary textbooks in agriculture, and a demand for the em-ich- ment of the course of study for country children, that country chil- dren be taught in terms of their own lives. Realizing that whatever it is on paper, the course of study is largely the teacher, and that enrichment of the course must come principally through enrichment of the teacher, we have labored most for better-trained teachers in our schools. Of the 550 teachers in Berks, 95 per cent have had some training in State normal schools, while as many as 350 are graduates. Of the remaining 200 teachers, 140 are holders of State and county perma- nent certificates, 25 are college graduates, and a score are holders of the provisional grade — the lowest grade certificate. For the last two yoars applicants for tliis lowest grade certificate were supposed to have at least four years of high-school training, supplemented by a year's professional training at a State normal school. Three hundred of the teachers are men, and 90 per cent of all the teachers, both men and women, are country bred. The average salary is $52.50 a month, almost double that of 15 years ago. ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 9 The following movements have also been very potent factors in redii'ecting education in the county: 1. Our boys' and girls' clubs for home industrial work, with 1,500 members, organized seven years ago, greatly vitalize all school work and afford opportunities for correlating drawing, language, arithmetic, composition work, and geography with concrete industrial work. 2. Our country teachers ' association, in which all of the 350 teachers of one-room schools in the county are enrolled, meets once a year at Reading to discuss rural school problems and to listen to good speeches on the country-life movement. 3. A country-life bookshelf of 50 volumes has been estabhshed in the office of the county superintendent and opened free to every teacher and farmer in the county. These books are influencmg the institutional life of the open country for a better rural civilization. A complete catalogue of the books is printed and forwarded to anyone desirmg the same. The following are a few representative titles: The Country Life Movement, L. H. Bailey; The Rural Life Problem of the United States, Horace Plunkett; Rural Wealth and Welfare, George T. Fairchild; The American Rural School, Harold W. Foght; Farm Boys and Girls, William A. McKeever; Frecldes, Gene Stratton Porter; The Satisfaction of Country Life, James Robertson. 4. Copies of the United States soil survey report and map of Berks County have been placed in each school. Teachers are requu'ed to teach the salient features of the report in connection with local geography in the eighth gi^ade, examination in that grade being based largely on the report. 5. In May of each year an annual field day or play picnic for country school children is held on the grounds of the Kutztown Normal School. Singing contests, well-directed games, track and field events, and contests in oratory and in declamations make the day one of great pleasure to the children and their parents. Since the inauguration of this movement, the play activities of almost every rural school have been stimulated, the repertoire of games of the children has considci'ably increased, and playground apparatus has been installed in many school plats and farm homes. 6. The plan of standardizing one-room schools was inaugurated several years ago, and has proveci most effective in placing our rural schools on a higher plane. The first year four schools received diplomas. The second year the number increased to 41, and the third year 150 measured up to the standard and became "accredited." Nearly every one of the 350 schools made an efl'ort to qualify in some of the specified conditions in order eventually to reach the desned goal. Several applications were refused on account of inefficient teaching. 54998°— 14 2 10 FEATURES IN EUKAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 7. The civic league of Reading lias established travehng art ex- hibits for one-room country schools, modeled and planned somewhat after the Turner free traveling art exhibit. Each exhibit contains a dozen carefully selected pictures, mounted on cardboard, peculiarly adapted to one-room schools, and accompanied by books and leaflets on picture studies for the teacher. The child thus becomes familiar with a dozen good pictures a year. Smce the inauguration of this movement, there are no longer found on the walls of our schoolrooms advertising cards, chromos, faded prints of authors, and tissue-paper flowers. 8. A monthly bulletin, which is a clearing house of information on all school activities within the county, is published and sent free to every teacher, director, and interested patron in the county. 9. Through the organization of school and home associations the schools of the county are rapidly becoming social centers. Walla Walla County, Wasli. Mrs. JosepMne C. Preston, formerly county superintendent, now State superintendent of public instruc- tion. — In 1909 Walla Walla County was divided into 10 groups or districts. The number was afterwards increased to 12. The divi- sions were not arbitrary, but were changed from time to time, when- ever it was thought that a change would better accommodate people Hving near a selected center. They were arranged as nearly as possi- ble with one of the larger schools near the center of each. By means of a series of contests m spelling and declamations a community center movement at these central schools was begun. A general meeting of all the patrons and of those interested in schools was called at the most convenient gathermg point of the division. In some of the centers it was found necessary to use a neighboring church building on account of the larger audience room aft'orded. Later contests in sewing and in domestic science for the girls and in manual training for the boys were added. In addition to these features, well-organized lecture courses were provided for the centers. The principal of the graded school chosen as a center had charge of the contests in the division, formulating plans under the direction of the county superintendent and arranging for the meetings and exliibits. The teachers in the surrounding districts in the division followed the direction and advice of this central school principal, with the result that this principal became in eflfect, a supervising teacher for the entire division. From Walla Walla County this community center movement has spread rapidly to other counties of the State, until now there are at least 200. These community gatherings are consoUdating community interests to such an extent that community spirit will demand the consolida- tion of the local schools for both social and economic reasons. In ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 11 each division there is developing a good rural Jiigli school, which has the interest and support, so vital to the success of any rural high school, of the teachers and patrons of the small surrounding schools. A further advantage is that the rural schools of the division are provided with some degree of supervision, at practically no expense beyond the salary paid to the principal of the central school. This whole movement can not fail to make community Hfo more wortli while and to build up schools in terms of rural life with all the advan- tages of an urban community. Box Elder County, Utah. D. C. Jensen, superintendent, Brigham City. — We have but one large town in the county, Brigham City (population about 4,000), so that our 35 schools outside of Brigham City can properly be classed as village and rural schools. The county was consolidated into one district in 1907 and is now under the direc- tion of a county board of education of five members, elected from the five divisions of the consoHdated district. 1. The supervising force of Box Elder County consists of the county superintendent, a primary supervisor, and supervisors of music, art, and sewing, and nature study and agriculture. These people spend all of their time during the school ye^r in supervision. The superintendent is engaged for the entire year. So also is the supervisor of nature study and agriculture, who spends his summer months in the field with the various agricultural clubs. 2. The following clubs have been organized: Potato clubs, tomato clubs, beet clubs, and general agricultural associations, including poultry, dairying, home gardening, etc. These are all under the direction of the supervisor of nature study and agriculture, who is kept in touch with the work through personal visits and frequent correspondence during the entire year. Cash prizes aggregating $550 are offered this season as an incentive for large numbers to enter upon this work in a scientific competition for superiority as practical farm- ers. These prizes are offered by the various factories interested in the crops grown by the clubs. 3. In place of agriculture for girls in the seventh and eighth grades, we have been giving sewing in some schools. This has proved so satisfactory that we shall give it in all schools next year. The work is under the direction of the art and sewing supervisor. While the girls were interested in agriculture, they are naturally more interested in the domestic arts work. 4. The past season was the fii'st year we have had supervision in art separate and apart from the primary supervision in general. The results have been excellent. 5. In the assignment of teachers we have kept in mind having at least one teacher in each building who can teach music. 12 FEATURES IN EUEAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 6. Through the mcreased efficiency of school work, due largely to better supervision, we have reached the point when we feel it safe to eliminate the beginners' grade. We have maintained nine grades heretofore ; hereafter we will complete the grade work in eight years of eight months each, at a savmg of one year in each child's life and an annual saving of $10,000 to the county. 7. During the past year we introduced the plan of giving school credit for home work, with most gratifying results. Never in the history of our schools has there been such close union and such perfect cooperation of effort between home and school as this move- ment has called forth. 8. During the past school year the district erected 11 new school buildings, at a total cost of $205,000, amounting to $44.50 per capita of school population. Twenty van drivers were engaged, eliminating about that number of small mixed schools, at a saving of many thousands of dollars and at a gam of efficiency in graded work the value of which can not be estimated. 9. Our high-school work is concentrated in one large school in Brigham City. Transportation at a maximum of $2 per week is allowed students from outside of Brigham, thus equalizing the cost of high-school education throughout the county and at the same time securing the maximum of efficiency through having our efforts confined to one institution. Lafayette Parish, La. L. J. Alleman, superintendent, Lafayette. — Beginning with the year of 1909, the school board of Lafayette Parish has furnished an automobile to the parish superintendent for visiting schools. He is thereby enabled to visit many more schools and very much oftener than was possible with horse and buggy. An appropriation has been made for the purpose of a stereopticon. This is to be used principally in a campaign for consolidation of rural schools, but it will also be loaned to different schools for illustrated lectures. In order to encourage further consolidation of schools the pansh board has adopted regulations providing that one-room schools shall not be permitted in the future to teach beyond the fourth grade, and tv»^o-room schools the seventh grade. As we have strong consolidated town schools within reach of nearly every child in the parish, it will be possible for the chikken fi'om one and two room schools to do ad- vanced work in one of these central schools. A minimum monthly attendance of 25 children for a one-room school and of 50 for a two- room school has been fixed by the board. In case any school is closed on account of lack of attendance, transportation to the nearest cen- tral school is to be provided. Salary schedules have been adopted as foUows: Graduates from the State normal school, $55 per 20 school days, with annual in- ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 13 crease of $15 for a period of 10 years; graduates of our two indus- trial institutes, which maintain a short teachers' course, $50 per month, with the same increase as stated above; holders of fu'st- grade certificates, obtained by State examinations, $45 per month with the same annual increase; second-grade teachers, $40 per month with the same increase; thh*d-grade teachers, $85, no increase. Consolidated schools are within 5 miles of any section of the par- ish; between these we have one and two room country schools. The town schools open in September and close in June, while the country schools open in November and close in August, so that it is possible for our children to attend school tlie year round. FranJdin County, Ky. E. R. Jones, superintendent, Frankfort. — Franklm County is divided into 4 educational divisions, each division containing approximately 750 pupils, vnih. 9 to 14 subdistrict schools. Approximately in the center of each educational division we have located a county high school domg two years' work. These central schools are open, not only to students of high-school grade, but also to seventh and eighth grade pupils of the various sub- districts free of tuition. This class has proved highly successful. Frequently the board of education, after providing what it consid- ered ample stable room for the horses of those who would drive to school, has been compelled to double the capacity. As a result of the better opportunities offered, and enforcement of the compulsory- attendance law, school attendance in the county has increased more than 25 per cent. The boa.rd of education has made the principals of the central high schools also principals of the subdistrict schools within the educa- tional division. These principals are required to visit and supervise the schools for several weeks prior to the beginning of the high school, and also to keep m touch with the school work of the di^asion by hold- ing teachers' meetings, etc. Although the central high schools have only two-year courses of study, the board has a contract with the Frankfort High School whereby aU the pupils who complete the two-year course may enter this school free of tuition and complete the four-year course of study. Many of the country children are availing themselves of this opportunity. Randoliith District, Union, Vt. H. W. Lewis, superintendent, Ran- dolpli. — An office located in the center of Ilandoli)h village was opened January 1 as headquarters for affairs pertaining to the country schools embraced in three townsliips of the Randolph dis- trict union. In this office the rural-school teachers meet at least once each term during the school year. Here problems pertaining to school management and general discipline are considered. From 14 FEATURES IN RUEAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. this office are distributed all hooks and supplies used in the rural districts and here are kept on file all records and reports received from the teachers of the union; also all State records, examination papers, etc., that have to do mth the rural schools. A reading circle has been established for teachers of the union. Small dues are collected and the proceeds used in the purchase of books on pedagogy and other material useful for teachers. This office is also used as a meeting place for school directors of the rural districts. Here, upon their^own vote, they have agreed to meet at least once a term vnth their superintendent for the discussion of all problems and questions concerning the welfare of their respective schools. Martin County, Minn. C. J. Timms, superintendent, Fairmont. — One of the greatest helps to the rural schools of this county has been the appointment of an assistant superintendent. The woman ap- pointed is an expert primary teacher, college trained. She has full charge of the primary work in the county, and issues primary outhnes each month for the guidance of the teachers. The assistant visits each school in the county at least once during the year. In this connection it might be of interest to describe our method of visiting schools. We use the best automobile livery obtainable, and plan to leave the count}^ seat each school morning, when the roads are good, at 8 o'clock. The driver leaves one of us at the first school to be visited and takes the other to the next. He then returns to the first school, and when the visit is concluded moves the supervisor to the next school. He then returns to the second school and moves that supervisor to another school. In this manner we are able to visit about eight schools each worldng day, at an average cost of about $1 per school. We are also enabled to visit each school several times during the year. Johnston County, N. C. L. T. Royall, superintendent, Smltliji.eld . — Last summer our board, in conference with the State superintendent of public instruction and the State rural school supervisor, decided to engage a rural supervisor for Johnston County, whose work would be, in part, to aid in the general work of supervision, but chiefly to attend to the rural schools. The rural supervisor, Afiss Kelly, came in October, and we have doubled our efforts along all lines of work. We selected eight schools in the rural districts which we hoped to to make into social and educational centers from wliich the work might spread into the surrounding communities. Seven of these schools are now adding additional rooms or erecting larger buildings. At one place two whole districts and a part of another are consolidated, and the people are enthusiastic over a new four-room building with an auditorium on the second floor that is used for community gather- ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 15 ings of every kind. A Lirgo part of tho money for this building was raised by private subscription among the patrons of the school. Wallowa County, Oreg. J. C. Conlcy, superintendent, Enterprise. — The most important tiling accomplished for the schools of this county the past year has been to arrange for more complete and closer super- vision of the rural schools by putting in an assistant supervisor. Wdbaslh County, Ind.. Rohert K. DevricJcs, superintendent, Wahasli. — Our plan of supervision provides for township principals in each township of the county. These principals act as assistants to the county superintendent and are required to teach only about half their time, the other half being given to the supervision of the graded schools in which they teach and of the surrounding country schools. Rural teachers are visited frequently, and their work is supervised almost as closely as in graded schools. We have been doing tliis for several years, and the results are very gratifying. Harrison County, Miss. J. J. Dawsey, superintendent, Gulfport. — We have had a rural-school supervisor for the first time in the his- tory of the State this past session. This supervisor is paid from private funds raised in the county, supplemented by funds from the Southern Education Board. We are working to get a law for three to five supervisors in each county in the State paid from public funds. Washington County, Tenn. E. S. Bepew, superintendent, Jones- horo. — A supervisor of rural elementary schools has recently been employed. His duties are to visit the schools and confer \\^th the teachers as to organization, classification, and administration of schools, and to organize library, improvement, and industrial clubs. WoodstocJc Toionsliip), Vt. Linwood Taft, superintendent, Woodstoclc. — • The employment of specialists in drawing and music who visit the rural schools every week or two and give lessons in their subjects, as well as instruct the teachers in the work to be done between visits of the special teacher, has infused more spirit and enthusiasm into all the work of those schools than any other one thing. Cumberland and GoocMand Counties, Va. C. W. DicJdnson, jr., superintendent, Cartersville . — The best tiling that has been done in my division during the past year was the introduction of a system of industrial education for negroes by means of a special negro super- visor for each county. The supervisor works 12 montlis in the year to improve, through the school, the social and financial condition of negroes. This movement is producing better clothed and better fed negro pupils at school, better health conditions at home, and larger revenue from negroes for the counties and for the State. Harrison County, W. Va. A. P. Mornson, superintendent, ClarJcs- hurg. — In the county last year we had three district supervisoi's, and hope to have four or five this coming year. We find that district 16 FEATUKES IN EUKAL SCHQOL IMPROVEMENT. supervision is very helpful in many ways. Better teachers may be secured, and should a weak teacher be hired the supervisor is a great help to her. Young teachers need the help of a supervisor very often, and the superintendent in a county having between 350 and 400 teachers can not do much actual supervision. Harris County, Tex. L. L. Pugli, superintendent, Houston. — We have estabhshed the office of primary supervisor in the rural schools. She has supervision over the primary grades of the county. Her duties are to advise with teachers, visit schools, conduct institutes, and hold conferences wdth teachers. We have also established in several districts where we have from 500 to 1,500 scholastic population superintendents who have super- vision and direction over the schools and teachers in the district. Pointe Coupee Parish, La. Charles F. Trudeau, superintendent, New Roads. — An expert teacher was employed by the school board to give Ms entu'e time to the organization of industrial clubs in all of the schools, to give demonstrations in canning fruits and vegetables, and to superintend methods employed by the school children and older people in planting and cultivating fruit trees and vegetables. This work seems to be revolutionizing industrial activities in our country Hfe. Butler County, Pa. FranJc A. McClung, superintendent. — Among the 10,377 school cliildren of our county we have .many enviable records of continuous attendance. Certificates were issued each month to those pupils who had not been absent or late during the month, and at the end of the term a larger certificate was issued to those who had gone the full term without missing a day or being tardy. There were nearly 500 pupils with this record in the county. Many have gone to school five or six terms, and in several instances eight terms, with a perfect attendance record. In a few cases the com- pulsory attendance law was resorted to. The townships which five up to the law most closely and show the best record are those having a regularly employed attendance officer, often the constable of the township, who takes charge of the work for the board and is paid a stated amount for his services. Marion County, W. Va. A. L. Thomas, superintendent, Metz. — To stimulate better attendance we have been sending to each of our schools a monthly report, gradmg them according to their percentage of attendance: Grade A, 95 to 100 percent; B, 90 to 95 per cent, etc. Both teachers and pupils were interested in these reports and made special efforts to keep the record of their schools high. As a means of helping to better the attendance, we think it has been worth while. Three reports contained the names of aU the teachers in the district, where they were teaching, and the number of pupils enrolled. ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 17 Lavaca County, Tex. William Filers, superintendent, nalletisville. — The rural schools of this county were chissified by a county board of trustees composed of five members, with the county superintendent as ex officio secretary. They were classified as primary, intermediate, and high schools. The State course of study prepared by the State department of education was adopted for use in the county. Xo teacher is permitted to teach more than the first six grades ; schools of seven and eight grades are required to employ two teachers; if the attendance is above 100 pupils, they must employ three or more teachers. Districts having a large census enrollment and employing only one teacher are limited to five grades; children above that grade are transferred to another district that has a school v/ith higher grades. This classification has caused the trustees of four districts to build additions to their schoolliouses and add another teacher. Caroline County, Md. E. M. Nolle, superintendent, Denton. — School extension work has been organized. The county is divided into three sections — northern, central, and southern — each of w^hich has an agricultural high school. Lanterns and slides are provided for the use of the agricultural and home-economics teachers in these various groups, so that they may visit just as many of the rural schools as possible, and show views contrasting the best and poorest agri- cultural conditions in the country. We find that our people are gen- erally more interested in local views than distant ones. Some out- side views are shown to broaden the scope of the talk. Kane County, III. Edward A. Ellis, superintendent, Geneva. — An important movement in our county ha,s been the organization of the Kane County school officers' association. This association is open to all school officers of Kane County, but the larger per cent of the active memxbers have come from the rural and viUage schools. This past year, however, a number of the city members of boards of edu- cation attended the meeting and took some part in the program. This organization has been very helpful in gaining an added interest in school matters throughout the county, and particularly in obtain- ing improvements in the physical conditions of the school system. Plainville Tovjusliip, Conn. Lewis S. Hills, supenntendent. — Dur- ing the past year we have selected one school in each to'wn, a school centrally located^ and made a ''model school" of it. We made a very careful selection of our teacher, paid her somewhat higher wages, gave her special supervision, and thus demonstrated w^hat the rural school under ordinary conditions could become. We then required each of the other teachers in the town to spend a few hours in this school, either observing and making notes or observing and later taking a class under the direction of the model teacher. 54998°— 14 3 18 FEATURES IN RUEAL SCHO9L IMPROVEMENT. In this way the teaching in all the schools was improved. The town could not afford to give all teachers higher pay, so this method was devised to make as great improvement as possible. INSTRUCTION. York County, Nehr. Alice Florer, superintendent, York. — Special efforts have been given to reading. Three years ago the reading con- test was organized in York County, and formed the foundation upon which our improvement in reading is based. Each year the pupils have shown distinct signs of progress, but this year the improvement was more notable than ever before. Our plan for these contests is as follows: At the beginning of each year the teachers understand that there is to be a reading contest in the spring, and it is their duty to give special attention to the sub- ject in each division. Each teacher is given the list of 15 selections, to be taken from the proper reader. While she is supposed to work on any selection in the book, as she chooses, the selections for the contest will be chosen from these 15. About March 1 the pupils of each school enter into a district contest. Tlie fifth and sixth grades compete and the seventh and eighth grades compete among their own members, respectively. The contestants are graded as follows: Posture 10, articulation 25, pronunciation 15, expression 50. Each teacher cliooses three judges who are disinterested persons. Three or four weeks following the district contest we hold a township contest, when the winners from each school district in the township meet to contest for the township honors. The townsiiip manager, who is appointed by the county superin- tendent, secures judges as in the district contest, and the contestants are graded on the same points. In the contests the pupil does not know in advance what selection he is going to read other than that it will be one of the 15 sent out at the beginning of the year. On the same date as the township contests in the rural schools the town schools hold their contests. The winners from the town and township contests are the delegates to the county contest, which has been held the past three years m connection with the county teachers' mstitute. This year we had in all 50 contestants in the tliree divisions — high school, grammar, and intermediate. Their reading was so good that it was difficult for the judges to make their decisions, and this fact indicates that good readers are quite numerous throughout the county. Over 40 counties of Nebraska have adopted the ''York County plan," and we feel it is benefiting a great many young people. Reading is never slighted where the contests are held, for it is regarded as a disgrace to a school to have poor readers. INSTRUCTION. 19 This year wc instituted the old-fashioned spelling school, and it has worked well. The plan is almost the same as that of the reading contest. The difference is this: During the year each school chal- lenges all the schools around it to a spelling match. These spelling matches are held every week or two. After the schools have been studying spelling and engaging in matches for about six months, each district has a contest, and the winners are delegates to the town- ship contest. Those successful then take part in the county contest held later. The result is twofold. It institutes a social center in each school district, for most of the parents attend every challenge spelling con- test, and frequently the schools hold what are called "community contests," in which parents, pupils, and all others engage in friendly rivahy in spelling. These contests create more real enthusiasm and interest among patrons than anything we have had previously. Parents frequently tell me they are pleased with the contests, and that they are benefiting both pupils and schools. For the past five years we have done work in domestic science and art, manual training, agriculture, etc. At our last eighth grade commencement, June 5, 1913, many of the girls who received diplomas had made every article of clothing they wore. Some had hand- embroidered dresses, trimmed in hand-made laces, made by them- selves, and nowhere could you have found girls more neatly dressed. Work is outlined and sent out from this office to each school. It includes an article to be made each week in baking or cooking, and one garment each month for the girls to be sewed and woodwork for the boys. The boys are required to make one article each month in order to get the credit ofl'ered, and also to plant an acre of corn or one eighth of an acre of potatoes, or both. The ghls are allowed to plant and take care of a plat of tomatoes 2 rods square, and many of them did so, although it was not necessary for credits. The credits were 10 per cent to be added to the lowest passing subject in the eighth-grade county examination, if the entire course as out- lined was completed. McCook Count)/, S. Dak. C. A. Kaech, superintendent, Salem. — ■ Because of the fact that spelUng has been so badly neglected in our schools we have each year conducted a county spelling contest. The first year we encouraged local contests, and asked each school to send one contestant to the county contest at the county seat. We offered a gold medal for first prize and a silver one for second. This contest was a success, but only about 30 pupils came to the county contest. The spelUng was from a list of common words, selected and sent to the teachers during the year. The past year we changed the rules of the contest as follows: 20 FEATURES IN KUEAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 1. The county superintendent is to send out 1,000 words, in lists of 200, to the teachers. 2. Pupils to spell these words on paper, using pen and ink. 3. Teacher to correct the list and send to the county superintendent. 4. After the entire list is spelled the grades are averaged, and all obtaining an average of 95 per cent or above are granted a diploma and excused from taking the final examination in spelling, if a member of the eighth grade; all those making an average of from 87^ to 95 per cent are issued a certificate, and if they are members of the seventh grade, or some grade below that, they are excused from taking the final examination in that subject. This contest was very successful last year. Three hundred pupils took part and sent in their lists of words ; 239 diplomas and 20 certi- ficates were issued. Another contest of much interest to us is the annual declamation contest for the eighth grade. These pupils prepare declamations or orations, not original, and speak them at district contests. The best speakers are selected to take part in a general county contest, at which medals are offered. To induce pupils to participate in the con- test, we permit them to pass the final examination on a lower average than would otherwise be required. We have our county divided into five districts, corresponding to the number of principal towns. The rural and town pupils are required to com.pete with each other. As a rule, the rural school pupils carry off their share of honors. This year they won a total of 18 points out of a possible 40. The people show a great deal of interest in these contests, and we are never able to get a hall large enough to accommo- date all the crowed. Logan County, El. D. F. Nichols, swperintendent, Lincoln. — The interest of the pupils in school work is held largely through the exami- nations, pupils' reading circle, spelling matches, wiiting contests, perfect attendance certificates, and the county commencement. Monthly examinations are held in every school. We have a uni- form series of textbooks and a county manual in which monthly assignments are made. This manual correlates the textbooks and the State com'se of study. At the end of the year central and fhial examinations are held for the seventh and eighth grades, and what is knoAvn as complete examinations for the ninth and tenth grades. It may be well to say here that the ninth and tenth year work is offered in every rural and village school in Logan County. Pupils who complete this course are given two years' credit in all accredited high schools. Thus a two-year high-school course is brought to the doors of every child in this county. Our fifth annual county com- mencement for tenth-grade graduates was held in June, making a total of 300 graduates in the past five years. We had over 600 pupils INSTRUCTION. 21 in the final examinations for the four grades named this year. The commencement is held in Lincoln, and the attendance exceeds 1,000. I beheve the scholarship of the teachers is better than it is in those counties not having ninth and tenth grades in the rural schools. With us tliG tenth year represents tho minimum qualification with every teacher. In order that the daily program may be protected from congestion we ehminate the least important studies and alternate wherever possible. There is keen rivalry on the part of teachers and pupils to get on the honor fist in all the county examinations. We publish the names of those making the highest 10 averages in each grade, wdth the names of their teachers. Instead of interest lagging at the close of the year, it is at its highest pitch. The two pupils making the highest and second highest averages in the tenth grade give the valedictory and salutatory orations in the county commencement exercises. CJieroJcee County, Iowa. Miss Kathrine R. Logan, superintendent. — In each township of Cherokee County there are special schools for farmer boys, held for about four months during the winter. They are owned and managed by the township and form a part of the regular school system. These schools open late in November, when the fail work ends on the farm and close early in March, when spring v*'Ork begins. In each school the teacher is a man, goneraUy from the Iowa State Agricultural CoUege. When the schools were organized the boys were taken into the confidence of teacher and superintendent and made to feel that thej were really an important part in the administration of the school. They were asked to help decide on the course of study of the school, and their contributions were well worth while in arranging a program which included arithmetic, algebra, agriculture, business correspondence, civil government, commercial law, lyceum work, manual training; music, parhamentary driU, pubhc speaking, penmanship, and poHtical science. These schools are not expensive. The term is short, and inex- pensive buildings w^ere erected on the same lots with regular schools. Vv^ith a student body made up of boys from 15 to 20 years old, there is no problem of transportation. For farmer boys w^ho have finished the common schools and who have no time to attend the regular high schools these towoiship special schools furnish practical rural-life training at the most favorable time of their fives. Ayer, Shirley, West Boylston, and Boylston, Mass. F. C. Jolinson, superintendent, Ayer. — In Ayer I have had for three years a special room to which the brighter children from grade 2 are promoted and remain for two years, doing in that time the work of three grades. In this same room I put a slow group of children from grades 4 and 5, as the numbers of our classes demand, and am thus enabled 22 FEATURES IN" RURAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. to get these pupils up with their grade or, if this is impossible, to get them thoroughly grounded, so that' they are ready for work in, a lower grade. I :Snd that many of this class of pupils need this thorough review in one or more fundamentals in which they have failed to keep up through handicaps of sickness and absence. I find that about one-fifth of the pupils at the end of their s3cond year are able to do the work of the next three grades in two years. I allow no crowding or overwork. Mason County, lU. Fannie Spaits Merwin, superintendent, Ha^ vana. — The best thing done for rural schools during this year was the adoption of a county course of study based on the uniform county texts. A monthly periodical was issued from the superintendent's office, giving detailed instruction as to the particular portion of each month's study. Review questions numbering from 25 to 75 on each branch were sent out twice during the year, a mimeograph copy of typed questions going to each seventh and eighth gi'ade pupil in the county. Fully 90 per cent of schools, both rural and town, used this system. Monroe County, N. Y. W. W. Ray field, district superintendent, Wehster. — Especial progress has been made along the line of rapid mental drill in number work. Contests throughout the grades of the different schools have been carried on and a record kept of indi- vidual progress. A second-grade pupil during my inspection gave the 45 combinations in addition in 35 seconds. This was about two months after school opened in the fall. Milton TownsMp, OMo. G. S. Clouse, superintendent, Rittman. — We have our work outlined in the rural schools just as we do in the village. At the beginning of each semester we divide the work into as many parts as there are weeks in that period. This is uniform over the township. Each teacher reports where he is working at the end of each riionth. In this way we keep the teachers all working at the same thing at the same time. Many good thmgs have resulted from this. We have an annual exhibit of school work each spring. This has added much interest to the accuracy and general character of the school work. . We have an annual spelling contest, at which time four pennants are given to the best schools, and these are kept up in the schools until the next year. This proves quite a stimulus to making good spellers. Bartmontli Toivnsliip, Mass. Albert S. Cole, superintendent. North Bartmoutli. — During the past two yeare superintendent and teachers have been giving considerable attention to conservation of the teacher's time in mixed schools of several grades through .a study of program making. This has been mainly accomplished through INSTRUCTION. " 23 the reduction of the number of recitations, by the union of classes or grades in certain subjects. For example, in geography grade 7 would ordinarily study South America and Europe and grade 8 Asia, Africa, Australia, etc. We find that these two <'lasses are easily put together, taking seventh-grade work one year and eighth-grade work the next, and so on alternately. The same idea has been applied to various other studies. From 30 to 35 copies each ol a large selection of 1-eading books are kept at the central office. A list of these books is given to each teacher, and a class supply of any book is loaned to any school upon request, being delivered to her school by the superintendent at his next visit. As soon as the books have been read, they are re- turned and are ready for some one else to use. By this plan a small expenditure of time and money makes available to every rural school a large range of readmg matter. Uxhridge and Douglas Townships, Mass. Charles M. Pennell, super- intendent. — Our greatest effort the past year was given to bringmg delinquents up to grade, so that none might fail of promotion. Necessarily the teachers did much individual work with the delm- quents. Periods were set apart for this work at every session of the school. We have found that this work pays. Many of our laggards were brought up to grade. Almost without exception such children afterwards kept up with their classes. Warren Township, Mass. Albert J. Chidester, superintendent, Warren. — In no one of my towns are the books in the public libraries graded, and in only one is there anything to indicate whether a book is intended for juvenile or adult. For the two libraries wholly unclassified I have prepared lists of gTaded books. In Warren we have a town library of about 12,000 volumes that has been very little used by school children. I prepared a list of 450 books suitable for the various grades. One-haK of our population is at West Warren, 3 miles distant. There is no branch library, so the teachei-s undertook to get the books to the pupils. Durmg 5 months the circulation of books in that part of the town has been more than any other previous 12 months. In Wales the result has been the same. Where scarcely 20 people formerly used the library, now, with a graded list of books, many children are using it intelligently and are acquiring a taste for reading. Brown County, S. Dale. M. M. Guhin, superintendent, Aber- deen. — The most important work we have undertaken this year has been the establishment of the county supplementary reading library. We have now about 800 supplementary readers for the grades from 1 to 6, which we send out to be used by rural and village classes, on request of the teacher. There is no charge for the use of the books. 24 FEATURES IN EUKAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. raid the county pays transportation one way, the teacher or class the return transportation. The funds for this library were secured by charging a small admission fee at the eighth-grade declamatory contests held in several places throughout the county and through a donation from the Aberdeen commercial club. We hope to see the library grow to about 1,500 books this year. Henry County, Ga. 0. 0. Tolleson, superintendent , IIcDonougli. — - The board of education of Henry County, Ga., offered an am.ount of money up to $25 to duplicate an equal sum raised by any school. The whole was to be expended for library purposes upon the follow- ing conditions: The committee to select the books and to formulate rules governing the use of the hbrary was composed of one member selected by the school and one by the board. These two might select a third if necessary. Books must be properly housed. Where separate library room was not provided, bookcases were purchased out of the hbrary fund. The school must give bond to the board of education to insure the preservation of the books and the proper observance of the hbrary rules. Five to three hundred and fifty dollars was raised by each of the various schools, so that now only 4 out of 32 schools have no hbrary. District No. 1, Montgomery County, N. Y. N. Berton Alter, Nel- liston. — A "hterary diploma" is issued to each cliild in this super- visory district who comphes with the following conditions: (1) Reads 10 books during the school year (those mentioned by syllabus pre- ferred); (2) commits the six poems required for the Enghsh work of his grade; (3) vmtes a letter to the district superintendent describ- ing his favorite book. Wilkes County, N. C. C. C. WriyM, superintendent, Hunting Creek. — We have estabhshed 26 supplementary libraries in the county this year, v/ith approximately 1,100 volumes of good cloth- bound books. We have established no original hbraries, for the reason that each district already has one. Ionia County, Midi. Harvey H. Lowrey, county commissioner, Ionia. — For seven years we have had the county eighth-grade pupils come to the county seat for their diplomas, and it has had a whole- som-C effect. It is one of the things which has helped to increase the interest in completing the rural-school course, so that this year more than one-half of the membership of the 11 high schools in this county were rural nonresidents. Jackson County, Minn. J . B. Ar]), Jackson. — We graduate from 100 to 150 pupils from the eighth grade of our rural schools annually and hold central graduation exercises in May. Over 1,000 people attend these exercises from all over the county, and about 250 rural- school officers come together on the same day for a conference on INSTRUCTION. 25 better schools. Wc also hold a boys' 1-acre corn contest the past year and gave a $45 corn planter for first premium to the boy obtaining the best yield, and a list of other premiums amounting to $50. For this contest we have nearly 100 contestants; and, besides this, we have in connection with our county fair all sorts of premiums for agricultural products and manual-training exhibits as well as school work of all lands, maldng a total of over $200 in premiums. Martin County, Minn. C. J . Tirnms, superintendent, Fairmont. — We have started an educational museum for the schools of the county. The exhibits were obtained from various manufacturers, railroad companies, and steamship hues. These we lend to schools for use in geography and other lessons. We also have on hand a complete file of the various bulletins published by the United States Department of Agriculture, and the vaiious agricultural colleges. These have been carefully catalogued and are lent to teachers, schools, and farmers. We also keep on hand a complete exhibit of work done by pupils in the country schools. This we find of great lielp in inspiring others. Woodford County, III. Eoy L. Moore, superintendent, EureJca, — In District No. 73, Woodford County, a new and very satisfactory plan for teaching domestic science in the rural schools has been fol- lowed. Permission was secured by two competent women of the neighborhood to use the schoolhouse from May 1 to September 1. The directors were asked to purcha,se some planed boards to lay across the desks for cutting table. The classes were open to girls from the three districts adjoining. There was no charge connected with the work, but each girl was expected to bring a tapeline, scis- sors, thimble, pins, needles, notebook, pencil, and material for a dress. The ages of the girls ranged from 12 to 19 years. Pupils were taught the tailor system of measurements. During the summer 43 dresses were worked upon. Various grades of cot- ton goods were studied. The raw cotton was taken up also, ex- amined, and its uses were discussed. Besides the dresses, various other garments were made. Aside from this, much practical work was done in giving instruc- tion concerning washing and laundry work, the various kinds of soaps, and recipes for homemade soap. Twenty-one girls were enrolled in the class. The directors in one of the adjoining districts have asked that the work be given in their district next year. Tippecanoe County, Ind. Brainard Hoolcer, superintendent. La Fay- ette. — The work in manual training and in sowing was extended to five additional schools. The employment of a skilled supervisor in woodwork for four of these schools is a new feature for this county, and it has proved a successful experiment. Three other schools 5499S=>_14 4 26 FEATURES IN RURAL SCHO9L IMPROVEMENT. employed a supervisor of art and sewing. This was also highly satisfactory, and considerable improvement is seen in the other work of these grades. Elementary agriculture was introduced in the grades of all schools of the county last year. The county superintendent attended the summ.er school at Purdue University and spent the five weeks in the course given by the State College of Agriculture studying agriculture and methods in the teaching of agriculture. Feeling certain that many of the practical lessons of agriculture can be taught by women as well as by men, the county superintendent con^anced his county board of education that the mere fact of the majority of teachers in the county being women was not to be taken as evidence that ele- mentary agriculture could not be taught in all the schools. The previous objections of the board were waived and a unanimous vote cast favoring the scheme planned by their superintendent. A series of circulars was prepared covering the following subjects: The apple tree study and arbor day, corn and weed seed, the chicken, horse judging, cattle judging, seed-corn testing, the home-school garden, and club work. Children of the fourth, iBfth, and sixth grades were given packages of flower and garden seeds and asked to plant and cultivate home gardens during their vacation, and to report to the teacher in September, They were promised credit for the term examinations in elementary agriculture for 1913-14 if their work was satisfactory. Children of the seventh to the twelfth grades were invited to join one of the clubs organized in the county — a corn club for boys, a gardening and canning club for girls, and a poultry club for boys and girls. These clubs follow the rules laid down by Purdue University. There are 41 members of the corn club, 19 of the gardening and can- ning club, and 52 of the poultry club. In the effort to organize these clubs the county superintendent took with him to the consohdated schools an extension worker from the poultry department of Purdue University who lectured to the children on poultry raising, gave demonstrations of how to prepare poultry for the frying pan and the oven, conducted egg-testing demonstrations, made a study of the egg, and of the anatomy of the chicken. Eleven schools were visited, and the children in every school but one showed marked interest. Gunnison County, Colo. Sara B. Easterly, superintendent, Gunni- son. — A year or so ago some work was done in the county in ele- mentary agriculture. Rural boys studied hay and cattle feed raised here in relation to beef products (the principal production of this county). Several schools did some manual- trainiag work in the way of making necessary fittings for the schoolroom. One or two teachers "Ud very successful work in sewing. One teacher, whose INSTEUCTION. • 27 boys wanted to sew, put them to maldng canvas carpenter aprons and taught them to sow on buttons and mend ordinary rents. One teacher, who was a chafing-dish expert, took her dish to school and added appetizing bits to her own and the pupils' cold lunches. She took up the simple elements of cooking with her pupils in this way. Another school took care of the school lunches one winter in this manner: Each family sent some one article, such as the bread, the meat, or the milk, on one day, while other famiUes ea. C. Those marked witli an asterisk (*) are no longer available for free distribution, but may be had of the Superintendent of Documents, Govern- ment Printing Office, Washington, T>. C, upon payment of the price stated. Remittances should be made in coin, currency, or money order. Stamps are not accepted. Documents marked wth a dagger (t) ara out of print.] 1906. fNo. 1. Education bill ofl906 for EnglandandWalesasitpassedtheHouscofCommons. AnnaT.Smilh. *No. 2. German ^^cws of American education, wth particular reference to industrial development, William N. Ilailmarm. 10 cts. *No. 3. State school systems: Legislation and judicial decisions relating to public education, Oct. 1, 1904, to Oct. 1, 1906. Edward C. ElUott. 15 cts. 1907. tNo. 1. The continuation school in the United States. Arthur J. Jones. ♦No. 2. Agricultural education, including nature study and school gardens. James R. Jewell. 15 cts. fNo. 3. The auxihary schools of Germany. Six lectures by B. Maennol. fNo. -1. The elimination of pupils from school. Edward L. Thorndike. 1908. tNo. 1. On the training of persons to teach agriculture in the public schools. Liberty II. Bailey. *N©. 2. List of pubUcations of the United States Bureau of Education, 1867-1907. 10 cts. *No. 3. BibUography of education for 1907. James IngersoU Wyer, jr., and Martha L. Phelps. 10 cts. fNo. 4. Music education ia the United States; schools and departments of music. Arthur L. Manchester. *No. 5. Education in Formosa. Julean H. Arnold. 10 cts. *No. 6. The apprenticeship system in its relation to industrial education. Carroll D. Wright. 15 cts. *No. 7. State school systems: II. Legislation and judicial decisions relating to public education, Oct. 1, 1906, to Oct. 1, 1908. Edward C. Elliott. 30 cts. tNo. 8. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the State, 1907-8. 1909. *No. 1. Facilities for study and research in the offices of the United States Government in Washington. Arthur T. Hadley. 10 cts. No. 2. Admission of Chinese students to American colleges. John Fryer. *No. 3. Daily meals of school cliildren. Caroline L. Hunt. 10 cts. tNo. 4. The teaching staff of secondary schools in the United States; amount of education, length of expe- rience, salaries. Edward L. Thorndike. No. 5. Statistics of public, society, and school hbraries in 1908. *No. 6. Instruction in the fine and manual arts in the United States. A statistical monograph, Henry T. Bailey. 15 cts. No. 7. Index to the Reports of the Commissioner of Education, 1867-1907. *No. 8. A teacher's profes.sional Kbrary. Classified list of 100 titles. 5 cts. *No. 9. Bibliography of education for 1903-9. 10 cts. No. 10. Education for efficiency in railroad service. J. Shirley Eaton. *No. 11. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the State, 1908-9. 5 cts. 1910. tNo. 1. The movement for reform in the teaching of religion in the public schools of Saxony. Arley B. Show. No. 2. State school systems: III. Legislation and judicial decisions relating to public education, Oct. 1, 1908, to Oct. 1, 1909. Edward C. ElUott. tNo. 3. List of pubUcations of the United States Bureau of Education, 1807-1910. *No. 4. The biological stations of Europe. Charles A. Kofoid. 50 cts. *No. 5. American schoolhouscs. Fletcher B. Dresslar. 75 cts. fNo. 0. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the State, 1909-10. I TI BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION. 1911. *No. 1. Bi])liography of science teaching. Sets. *No. 2. Opportunities for graduate study in agriculture in the United States. A. C. Monahan. Sets. *No. 3. Agencies for the improvement of teachers in service. William C. Ruediger. 15 cts. *No. 4. Report of the commission appointed to study the system of education in the public schools of Baltimore. 10 cts. *No. 5. Age and grade census of schools and colleges. George D. Strayer. 10 cts. fNo. 6. Graduate work in mathematics in universities and in other institutions of like grade in the United States. *No. 7. Undergraduate work in mathematics in colleges and universities. 5 cts. *No. 8. Examinations in mathematics, other than those set by the teacher for his own classes. 5 cts. No. 9. Mathematics in the technological schools of collegiate grade in the United States. tNo. 10. Bibliography of education for 1909-10. tNo. 11. Bibliography of child study for the years 1908-9. •*No. 12. Training of teachers of elementary and secondary mathematics. 5 cts. *No. 13. Mathematics in the elementary schools of the United States. 15 cts. *No. 11. Provision for exceptional children in the public schools. J. H. Van Sickle, Lightner Wltmer, and Leonard P. Ayres. 10 cts. *No. 15. Educational system of China as recently reconstructed. Harry E. King. 15 cts. *No. 16. Mathematics in the public and private secondary schools of the United States. 15 cts. fNo. 17. List of publications of the United States Bureau of Education, October, 1911. *No. 18. Teachers 'certificates issued under general State laws and regulations. Harlan UpdegraS. 20 cts. No. 19. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the State, 1910-11. 1912. *No. 1. A course of study for the preparation of rural-school teachers. Fred Mutchler and W.J. Craig. 5 cts. *No. 2. Mathematics at West Point and Annapolis. 5 cts. *No. 3. Report of committee on imiform records and reports. 5 cts. ■*No. 4. Mathematics in technical secondary schools in the United States. 5 cts. ■*No. 5. A study of expenses of city school systems. Harlan Updegraff. 10 cts. *No. 6. Agricultural education in secondary schools. 10 cts. *No. 7. Educational status of nursing. M. Adelaide Nutting. 10 cts. *No. 8. Peace day. Fannie Fern Andrews. [ Later publication, 1913, No. 12.] Sets. *No. 9. Country schools for city boys. William S. Myers. 10 cts. *No. 10. Bibliography of education in agriculture and home economics. 10 cts. fNo. 11. Current educational topics. No. I. tNo. 12. Dutch schools of New Netherland and colonial New York. William H. Kilpatrlck. *No. 13. Lifluences tending to improve the work of the teacher of mathematics. 5 cts. *No. 14. Report of the American commissioners of the international commission on the teaching of mathe- matics. 10 cts. tNo. 15. Current educational topics. No. II. *No. 16. The reorganized school playground. Henry S. Curtis. 5 cts. "•■No. 17. The Montessorisystem^of education. AnnaT. Smiih. 5 cts. *No. 18. Teaching language through agriculture and domestic science. M. A. Leiper. Sets. *No. 19. Professional distribution of college and university graduates. Bailey B. Burritt. 10 cts. *No. 20. Readjustment of a rural high school to the needs of the community. H. A. Brown. 10 cts. *No. 21. Urban and rural common-school statistics. Harlan Updegraff and William R. Hood. Sets. No. 22. Public and private high schools. No. 23. Special collections in libraries in the United States. W. Dawson Johnston and Isadore G. Mudge. *No. 24. Current educational topics, No. III. 5 cts. tNo. 25. List of publications of the United States Bureau of Education, 1912. tNo. 26. Bibliography of child study for the years 1910-1911. No. 27. History of public-school education in Arkansas. Stephen B. Weeks. *No. 28. Cultivating school grounds in Wake County, N. C. Zebulon Judd. 5 cts. No. 29. Bibliography of the teaching of mathematics, 1000-1912. David Eugene Smith and Charlea Goldziher. No. 30. Latin-American universities and special schools. Edgar E. Brandon. No. 31. Educational directory, 1912. No. 32. Bibliography of exceptional children and their education. Arthur MacDonald. tNo. 33. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the State, 1912. 1913. No. 1. Monthly record of current educational publications, January, 1913. *No. 2. Training courses for rural teachers. A. C. M jnahan and R . TL. Wright. 5 cts. *No. 3. The teaching of modern languages in the United States. Charles H. Handschin. 15 eta. *No. 4. Present standards of higher education in the United States. George E. MacLean. 20 cts. *No. 5. Monthly record of current educational publications. February, 1913. 5 cts. BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION. Ill ♦No. 6. Agricultural instruction in high schools. C. H. Robison and F. B. Jenks. 10 cts. *No. 7. College entrance requirements. Clarence D. Kingsley. 15 cts. ♦No. 8. Thestatusofruraleducationin the United States. A.C. Monahan. 15 cts. ♦No. 9. Consular reports on continuation schools in Prussia. 5 cts. ♦No. 10. Monthly record of current educational publications, March, 1913. 5 cts. *No. 11. Monthly record of current educational publications, AprU, 1913. 5 cts. ♦No. 12. The promotion of peace. Fannie Fern Andrews. 10 cts. ♦No. 13. Standards and tests for measuriii;; the efficiency of schools or systems of schools. Report of the committee of the National Council of Education. George D. Strayer, chairman. 5 cts. No. 14. Agricultural instruction in secondary schools. ♦No. 15. Monthly record of current educational publications. May, 1913. 5 cts. ♦No. 16. Bibliography of medical inspection and health supervision. 15 cts. ♦No. 17. A trade school for girls. A preliminary investigation in a typical manufacturing city, Worcester, Mass. 10 cts. *No. IS. The fifteenth international congress on hygiene and demography. Fletcher B. Dresslar. 10 cts. *No. 19. German industrial education and its lessons for the United States. Holmes Beckwith. 15 cts. tNo. 20. Illiteracy in the United States. fNo. 21. Monthly record of current educational publications, June, 1913. ♦No. 22. Bibliography of industrial, vocational, and trade education. 10 cts. ♦No. 23. The Georgia Club at the State Normal School, Athens, Ga., for the study of niral sociology. E. C. Branson. 10 cts. ♦No. 21. A comparison of public education in Germany and in the United States. Georg Kerschensteiner. 5 cts. , ♦No. 25. Industrial education in Columbus, Oa. Roland B. Daniel. 5 cts. ♦No. 26. Good roads arbor day. Susan B.Sipe. 10 cts. ♦No. 27. Prison schools. A. C. Hill. 10 cts. ♦No. 2S. Expressions on education by American statesmen and publicists. 5 cts. ♦No. 29. Accredited secondary schools in the United States. Kendric C. Babcock. 10 cts. ♦No. 30. Education in the South. 10 cts. ♦No. 31. Special features in city school systems. 10 cts. No. 32. Educational survey of Montgomery County, Md. fNo. 33. Monthly record of current educational publications, September, 1913. ♦No. 34. Pension systems in Great Britain. Raymond W. Sies. 10 cts. ♦No. 35. A list of books suited to a high-school library. 15 cts. ♦No. 36. Report on the work of the Bureau of Education for the natives of Alaska, 1911-12. 10 cts. No. 37. Monthly record of current educational publications, October, 1913. tNo. 38. Economy of time in education. No. 39. Elementary industrial school of Cleveland, Ohio. W. N. Hailmann. ♦No. 40. The reorganized school playground. Henry S. Cvurtis. 10 cts. No. 41. The reorganization of secondary education. No. 42. An experimental rural school at Winthrop College. II. S. Browne. ♦No. 43. Agriculture and rural-life day; material for its observance. Eugene C. Brooks. 10 Cts. ♦No. 44. Organized health work in schools. E.B.Hoag. 10 cts. No. 45. Monthly record of current educational publications, November, 1913. ♦No. 46. Educational directory, 1913. 15 cts. ♦No. 47. Teaching material in Government publications. F. K. Noyes. 10 cts. ♦No. 48. School hygiene. " W. Carson Ryan, jr. 15 cts. No. 49. The Farragut School, a Tennessee country-life high school. A. C. Monahan and Adams Phillips. No. 50. The Fitchburg plan of cooperative industrial education. M. R. McCann. tNo. 51. Education of the immigrant. ♦No. 52. Sanitary schoolhouses. Legal requirements in Indiana and Ohio. 5 cts. No. 53. Monthly record of ciurent educational publications, December, 1913. No. 54. Consular reports on industrial education in Germany. No. 55. Legislation and judicial decisions relating to education, October 1, 1909, to October 1, 1912, James C. Boykin and William R. Ilood. ♦No. 56. Some suggestive features of the Swiss school system. William Knox Tate. 25 cts. No. 57. Elementary education in England, with special reference to London, Liverpool, and Manchester. I. L. Kandel. No. 58. Educational system of rural Denmark. Harold W. Foght. No. 59. Bibliography of education for 1910-11. No. 60. Statistics of State imiversities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the State, 1912-13. 1914. ♦No. 1. Monthly record of current educational publications, January, 1914. 5 cts. No. 2. Compulsory school attendance. No. 3. Monthly record of current educational publications, February, 1914. No. 4. The school and the^tart in life. Meyer Bloomfleld. IV BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION. No. 5. The folk high schools of Denmark. L. L. Friend. No. 6. Kindergartens in the United States. No. 7. Monthly record of current educational publications, March, 1914. No. 8. The Massachusetts home-project plan of vocational agricultural education. K. W. Stirr.son. No. 9. Monthly record of current educational publications, April, 1914. No. 10. Physical growth and school progress. B. T. Baldwin. No. 11. Monthly record of current educational publications. May, 1914. No. 12. Rural schoolhouses and grounds. F. B. Dresslar. No. 13. Present status of drawing and art in the elementary and secondary schools of the United States. Royal B. Farnum. No. 14. Vocational guidance. No. 1.5. Monthly record of current educational publications. Index. No. 16. The tangible rewards of teaching. James C. Boykin and Roberta King. No. 17. Sanitary survey of the schools of Orange County, Va. R. K. Flannagan. No. 18. The public school system of Gary, Ind. William. P. Burris. No. 19. University extension in the United States. Louis E. Reber. No. 20. The rural school and hookworm disease. J. A. Ferrell. No. 21. Monthly record of current educational publications, September, 1914. No. 22. The Danish folk high schools. II. W. Foght. No. 23. Some trade schools in Europe. Frank' L. Glynn. No. 24. Danish elementary rmal schools. II. W. Foght. o LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 022 158 734 •