LP 262 .D4 P2 1916 Copy 1 educational Surveys of DeKalb County and Union County Georgia By U / IT M. L. DUGGAN, Rural School Agent Nos. 13 and 14 Under the Direction of the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION M. L. BRITTAIN State Superintendent of Schools 1916 AS?' Educational Surveys of DeKalb County and Union County Georgia By M. L. DUGGAN, Rural School Agent Nos. 13 and 14 Under the Direction of the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION M. L. BRITTAIN State Superintendent of Schools 1916 D. of D. FEB 20 |9 IS DeKALB AND UNION COUNTIES The sole purpose in publishing the reports of these two counties together is the hope that a careful study of the school conditions in the other will stimulate each to fur- ther progress. The wide difference in resources is mainly artificial and largely due directly or indirectly to the differ- ence in transportation facilities. Nevertheless, a very great difference does exist. It will be noted that one county has a school population of 5,400, and a taxable valuation of $17,341,000.00, of which $8,000,000.00 is subject to the local county school tax levy. This levy cf 3 1-2 mills yields $28,000.00, which amounts to $5.19 per capita of the school population, in addition to the amount received from the State school funds. In the other county the taxable valuation amounts to $1,003,879.00, all of which would be subject to any county- wide local school tax. A similar levy of 3 1-2 mills would yield $3,513.62, or $1.65 per capita in addition to the State school fund of $3.15 per capita, which would be an increase of above 50 per cent on present condition. This ought to enable the administration to double the present efficiency of its public schools. DeKALB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION. LOYALTY. " Rah ! Rah ! ! Rah ! ! ! — Rah ! Rah ! ! Rah ! ! ! "UN-ION HILL!!! — Rah! Rah!! Rah!!!" DeKALB COUNTY DeKalb County is located very near the State Capital, a part of the county embracing some of the suburbs of At- lanta, and reached by street car lines. The area of the county is 271 square miles ; the popu- lation is 27,881 ; the taxable values as returned in 1916 amount to $17,341,000.00. The school population by the census of 1913 was 5,789. The county is traversed by the Southern Railway for 20 miles, by the Seaboard Airline Railway for 10 miles, by the Georgia Railroad 25 miles, and by a belt line for 5 miles, and 25 miles of trolley lines. The public roads of the county are for most part in first-class condition, making transportation easy every- where. There are in the county the following municipali- ties: Decatur (county seat), Lithonia, Stone Mountain, East Atlanta and Clarkeston. At Stone Mountain, Lithonia, and a few other places are extensive granite quarries, and there are several large fer- tilizer factories, Oil Mills, and other manufacturing plants in the county. The rural sections of the county are devoted largely to dairying and truck farming adjacent to the city of Atlanta, the balance of the county, comprising approxi- mately three-fourths of its area, is a strictly agricultural section, cotton being the main crop. Agriculture, like the other interests of the county, has been brought to a high state of development, and the county is prosperous. EDUCATIONAL. The educational assets of DeKalb county have been kept fully abreast of the material interests, viewed either from the money invested or the facilities offered. While this survey is limited to the Public School system of the county, attention is called to the other educational institutions. While these great institutions of learning are in nowise local, yet the county should benefit tremenduously from their being located within its territory. The county Public School System proper has certainly made more progress, and is now making more rapid pro- gress with the possible exception of Tatnall, than any other Georgia county. We find here, if not an ideally, certainly a well organized public school system. This cannot be said of very many Georgia counties as yet. The superintendent and county Board of Education seem to have assumed in good faith the trust imposed upon them by the people and are the business-like directors of public school education in their county. They initiate and lead in matters of educational progress, and do not wait to be driven by a discontented patronage. Results have fully justified such a policy and public sentiment proves the support they have received at the hands of the citizens of the county. Ample proof of this approving public sentiment is seen in the tremendous majority vote of the county in favor of local taxation for the better support of the schools, 1137 for and 442 votes against the taxation measure. SUPERVISION. A capable superintendent is elected and is employed by the Board for his whole time. The superintendent gives constant and definite supervision to the schools and re- quires weekly and monthly reports from all teachers. A monthly meeting of all teachers is regularly held at his office. He thus keeps in constant touch with the work of every school. The schools of the county have been divided into five districts for contest purposes, and once a year there is a contest of the pupils of all the schools at a central place in each of these districts for the selection of representatives to a later county-wide contest at some central place in the county. These contests are in oratory, spelling, compo- sition, arithmetic, map-drawing, and athletics. They have incidentally served to create and keep alive a strong and wholesome school spirit among the pupils of the several schools, and the contagion has spread widely among the patrons and citizens These contests bring together an- nually large gatherings of the people in the several con- test districts, and later at the central point for the county contest. On these public occasions prizes are also awarded in the following contests: 1. The school making the most improvements on the school grounds during the year. 2. The school having the best school garden by the close of the spring term. (The garden also counts in grading for prize No. 1). 3. The school having the best kept building and class rooms. (Not to apply to the quality of building). 4. The school enrolling the largest per cent of the chil- dren of the school district. 5. The school making the highest per cent of attend- ance. 6. The school having the largest per cent of its patrons at the final contests. It has been said that "no school will ever be any better than its teacher". It may also be as well said that no county system will ever be any better than its superin- tendent and Board of Education. Working in full co-operation with the superintendent is Miss Julia Sewell, Supervisor of Home Economics, and Mr. R. S. Hunter, Farm Demonstrator, both secured through co-operation of the county with the State College of Agri- culture. MAINTENANCE. During the summer of 1914 the county adopted the "coun- ty-wide" plan of local taxation for their schools. Under this the Board of Education levies a school tax of 3 1-2 mills, which yields $28,000.00. The county's pro rata of the State school fund is $17,000.00, making a total annual mainte- nance fund of $45,000.00. This gives to the Board of Edu- cation sufficient funds to operate the schools for nine months, pay the teachers liberally and promptly, and give assistance to the various communities in building and re- pairing up-to-date school houses, and furnishing ample school equipment. A solution of the problem of maintenance does not solve, but makes possible the solution of all other school prob- lems. The public schools open at a uniform date about the first of September, and continue for nine months, with few ex- ceptions. The regular Daily Reports of Attendance at each school mailed to the superintendent at the end of each week keeps the office constantly advised of the progress of schools. There is system in the business. They know to what extent it is succeeding. THE SCHOOL HOUSES. From the photographs herein it is readily seen that most of the school houses were built for the purpose. They are attractive, comfortable, sanitary. They were generally planned with reference to the welfare of the children, and not built hap-hazard to meet the whims of jack-leg car- penters who knew nothing of the requirements of present- day school architecture. The important matter of proper lighting, so commonly overlooked in most rural school houses, has been given proper attention. School yards are generally well cared for, and very many schools have well kept gardens. Playgrounds are provided at many of them, and at some play appliances also„ Play is intelligently supervised at nearly all schools. At practically all of the schools toilets are provided, and at most of these they are kept in sanitary condition. Generally, drinking water is kept in covered coolers, and bubbling fountains or individual drink cups are the rule. The school equipment and teachers' helps provided are such as would be expected where other matters are so well attended to. Most of the schools are provided with good patent desks, many with single desks, teachers' desks, li- braries, first-class blackboards, maps, globes, reference dic- tionaries, etc. SELF-ACTIVITIES. At most of the schools are clubs of various kinds for promoting self-activities among the pupils. Debating so- cieties, literary societies, garden clubs, sewing circles, cook- ing clubs, canning clubs, and corn clubs contribute much to- ward the proper development and education of the boys and girls. MISS JULIA SEWELL Supervisor of Home Economics for DeKalb County. 10 The Boys' Corn Clubs are supervised by Mr. R. S. Hunt- er, the Farm Demonstrator for the county, while the Girls' Canning Clubs are promoted by Miss Julia Sewell, the coun- ty Home Economics worker. FOUR YEARS' PROGRESS IN DeKALB COUNTY SCHOOLS. 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1. Enrollment 2,419 3,440 3,705 4,354 4,459 2. Average Attendance 1,365 1,846 2,072 2,556 2,739 3. State School Fund $16,122 $16,728 $17,171 $16,788 $17,741 4. Local Tax 8,365 7,460 15,632 21,905 28,000 5. Value of School Property $41,625 $42,000 $45,000 $65,510 $75,000 6. Completed School Houses 17 18 20 28 33 7. School with Patent Desks 15 16 19 32 33 8. Average monthly salary of white Teachers $51 $55 $55 $57 $57 9. Average monthly salary of colored Teachers $18 $18 $20 $20 $20 10. Teachers of normal training 20 18 30 52 55 11. Members of Corn and Pig Clubs -- 35 70 91 172 12. Members of Canning and Poultrv Clubs -- -- 65 79 124 13. School Libraries 18 18 20 31 31 14. Standard Schools — 2 5 21 24 15. School Term (days) 135 135 140 180 180 16. Per Cent, of Illiteracy: (1908, 8.2; (1913). 4.9. 17. School Census: (1908), 5,166; (1913), 5,789. The educational institutions located in DeKalb County may be grouped as follows 1. Colleges and Universities. These do not come within the survey, but are mentioned as located within the county for information. 2. Municipal School Systems. These are operated under several separate "Local Acts", and are more or less connected with and related to the county system. They were visited, but not as carefully inspected as the rural and village schools of the county system proper, but do serve the public school demands of the county. 11 The Standard Schools of the County System. There are twenty-four of the public schools of the county which have attained the Standard prescribed by the State, and received their certificates of Standardization. This is the largest number of any county in the State. The Near-Standard Schools, or such as striving to be Standardized, but have not as yet received their cer- tificates, generally lacking in only a few particulars. There are ten of these in the county, and some of them will remain in this class for only a few months longer. Those schools that will not grade according to adopted standards of measurement into any of above classes. There are four of these. ]2 !?7j: 77 I 197 : 23* • 295/2 9A\2 93 \292> 29i ]29» >> £ o Je * "5 -^ es cs O w 38 1. Play at Kirkwood. 2. Supervised Play at Kirkwood. 3. Kirk- wood School Building. KIRKWOOD SCHOOL. W. M. Parker, Principal, With Thirteen Teachers. Four hundred and forty enrollment, nine grades, two good buildings, twelve class rooms ; well lighted ; well seated, single desks ; good equipment throughout ; three acre lot, fine grove, ample playgrounds well improved, two volley ball courts, one tennis court, one baseball and football grounds, flying rings, horizontal bars, two tether balls, two see-saws, five stationery swings, slides, dumb bells, wands, victrolas, etc. Note: Miss Martha Winsborough, Physical Director and Supervisor of Play, gives her whole time to this work, de- voting daily twenty minutes to each class in school. 39 1. Edgewood School. 2. East Atlanta School. ATLANTA SYSTEM. These two schools are a part of the Atlanta system, although located within DeKalb County. Both are well equipped throughout and fully supplied with modern helps and conveniences, ample playgrounds, etc. Edgewood School: Miss Ora Stamps, Principal; thirteen teachers, seven grades, enrollment 486. East Atlanta School: Miss Rusha Wesley, Principal; eight teachers, seven grades, enrollment 305. 40 DECATUR SCHOOLS. Municipal System. Prof. E. E. Treadwell, Superintendent. The entire system has developed under the long adminis- tration of Prof. Treadwell, and during the past seven years all of the present buildings have been constructed, costing $100,000.00. Three buildings, fully equipped, 30 teachers, 11 grades, enrollment 1200 pupils; maximum limit to each teacher, 40 pupils. (See pages 36 and 38.) ORPHANS HOME SCHOOL. Miss Edith Hopkins, Principal; Miss Alma Stribling, Mr. Blake Cash. Small lot in grove of oaks, ample play grounds in good condition, sanitary toilets, no gardens ; $3,000.00 building, three class rooms, no cloak rooms, building well lighted, and well kept ; patent desks in poor condition, good black- boards, maps, charts, pictures, library, dictionary ; no clubs ; three teachers, eight grades, 125 pupils. (This school is owned and controlled by M. E. Church South, North Geor- gia Conference.) UNIVERSITIES. In no sense local, but because located in DeKalb County, attention is called to the following three great institutions. These stand in the first class among the great universities of the land, and the cause of education in DeKalb County should profit tremendously by reason of their location. In a sense they are a part of the educational assets of the county. (See pages 42, 43 and 44.) 41 42 43 pq o c Xi u 03 X! = u 44 **X£^!%-, — yJtrapssalyiwL. "J . if aAfSAt ^s>^V*N? V,.,., * HAP OF UNIONCOUNTY QEORqiA Bethany Ivy Log Antioch New Hope Russell Ebenezer Smyrna Bell Pleasant View Pleasant Hill Windy Hill Brasstown Zion Harmony Grove Track Rock Old Liberty UNION COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS New Libert \ Choestoe Pine Top Hood Berry Shady Dale Fairview Coosa Mt. Pleasant Spriggs' Chapel Zion Mt. Lebanon Mt. Airv Pleasant Valley Mt. Pleasant Corinth Center Hill Bunker Hill Young Cane Timber Ridge Camp Ground Confidence Bethlehem Providence Mt. Zion Union Bruce Mt. Olivet BlairsvIIle One of the Fertile Valleys. UNION COUNTY Union County is located in extreme North Georgia, on the northern side of the Blue Ridge mountain range, and bordering North Carolina. The average elevation is two thousand feet, many of the mountain peaks reaching above four thousand, and Brasstown Bald (or Enota Mountain) attaining 4768 — the highest in the State. The taxable value of the county, as returned for 1916, total $1,003,879.00, of which about one-third is owned by non-residents. Most of this non-resident property consist in large tracts of original forests held by foreign corpora- tions. The United States Government, also, has acquired a considerable area for the Appalachian Forestry Reserva- tion. The county has an area of 324 miles, a population of 6918, and a school population of 2114 white and 19 negro children. The mountain slopes are covered with an original forest of hardwood timber, and abound in mineral wealth. 46 Unused water powers go wasting everywhere. The valleys are very fertile, and pasturage for hogs and cattle is fine. Apple trees grow to large size and produce immense crops of finest fruit with a minimum of care. None of the rich resources of the county have been well developed. No rail- roads touch the county, and public roads have not yet been graded or well worked. The one greatest need of the county is first-class public highways. Always the wheels of progress move slowly where transportation is difficult; and a full development of the public school system can hardly be expected until a first-class road system is con- structed. Good roads will facilitate consolidation of the schools and in many ways bring a prosperity that will en- able the people to support their public schools more lib- erally. Good roads and good schools always go together, and neither will much precede the other. Therefore every effort to promote either cause will help both. EDUCATIONAL. This educational survey of the county occupied August, September, and part of October, with several interruptions. The mountains were aglow with richest autumn colors, the goldenrod agleam across the fields, and the purple asters banked in beauty everywhere. The school children were "saying their lessons" in the readers, sometimes stories of the gleaming goldenrod that bent in beauty close around the school house doors, but were not taught to identify the flowers of which they read. They labored hard to identify word-forms, which yielded to them little or no meaning. There were some exceptions. The work in the schools, as a rule, was formal and perfunctory, and brought little pleasure to teachers or pupils. There is very little Public School SYSTEM in Union County. There is, of course, a county Board of Education, which meets monthly and hears complaints and petitions, formally approves the monthly payrolls, and attends to 47 other routine matters. There is a county school Superin- tendent, who is their executive officer, and is paid the min- imum salary allowed by law. He, therefore, could hardly be expected to do much more than attend to the routine duties as prescribed by the letter of the law. He does this faithfully. There are forty-three public common schools (white) in the county, and one high school at the county seat, partly supported by the State Baptist Mission Board. These common schools are located too close together in the settled sections of the county. (See map.) Sometimes they are not more than a mile and a half apart, and seldom more than three miles. It is difficult to discover what originally determined their locations, except that most of them are located in churches. No evidence or maps could be found showing definite school district lines. Very many of these buildings are comfortable, and some of them attractive, but none of them sufficiently lighted. At none of them could be found any kind of school toilets. Home-made desks were found at two places only. All of the others were poorly seated with long benches, sometimes with backs. Home-made blackboards constituted the only other school "equipment," except at two or three places as elsewhere stated. At some places, however, commendable effort is being made by individual teachers to secure cheap maps. The people (presumably the patrons) hold elections for teachers at the several schools annually. These elections have, in many instances, degenerated into political contests, and have worked serious injury to the schools. This is always the result wherever the selection of teachers be- comes a matter of common politics in the community. The teachers and the patrons determine the opening and closing dates of the terms without notice to the county school officials, and the occasional suspensions for days or weeks during the term are determined by the conveniences or whims of teacher or patrons without notice to anybody. 48 Nobody can tell at any given date whether all of the schools are in operation or not. However, more of the schools are supposed to be running during August than at any other given date, and hence I was advised to undertake the sur- vey of the schools during this month. As expected, it was found that nearly all of the schools were running in August. It was also found that very many protracted meetings were running in August. At many schools most of the pupils were absent, attending protracted meetings nearby, which leads us to conclude that August is about the worst month of the year to secure any regular attendance at the schools. At nearly all of the schools some children were found without books; and at one school a spelling book for each pupil was the only ones found. As a rule the children are very poorly supplied with textbooks. The attendance is very irregular, and often the children attend one school for a part of the term and then go with- out permission or notice to another one. Some cases were found where they would attend one school until it closed out, and then continue at the next nearest one. Many live near enough to take their choice of several schools. Miss Etta Colclough Giving an Out-Door Demonstration in Home Canning. 49 A notable work is being done in the county by Miss Etta Colclough, Home Economics Worker, under the direction of the State College of Agriculture, in co-operation with the United States Department of Agriculture. The Women's Baptist Missionary Union of Macon and the county Board of Education co-operate in sustaining this work. Under her direction and influence nearly twenty-five thousand cans of tomatoes and other vegetables have been put up by the Girls' Clubs and in their homes this year. This work has also served to quicken the interest in public education throughout the county and to influence it in a proper direc- tion. Under formal, classical training the highest ambition of nearly every boy educated in the mountain sections is to get away; and they do it as quickly as possible, leaving their home section undeveloped and poorer. This is an inevitable result of the character of their training. Therefore the slow development of education in these sections is largely the direct result of the character of their schools. "What- ever is introduced into the public schools will presently ap- pear in the life of a nation." The long time devoted to the survey in Union County gave us opportunity to be present at the three meetings of the county Board of Education for August, September and October, to confer freely with the Grand Jury at the Oc- tober term of the Superior Court, and to get fairly well acquainted with the citizens of the county generally. Every encouragement and facility was cordially offered me in making a very thorough educational survey, and there is a strong and growing sentiment over the county for better schools. The Grand Jury strongly endorses any serious ef- fort to that end, and the county Board of Education is awake to the situation. The county is ripe for educational progress, and we confidently predict immediate and rapid improvement in the system and in the schools. For the purpose of promoting and aiding in this improve- ment the following recommendations are respectfully sub- 50 mitted for the earnest consideration of the school authori- ties and citizens of the county: RECOMMENDATIONS. 1. The county should be laid off into school districts, as required by law. In doing this careful consideration should be given to desirable consolidations of schools, some of which are indicated elsewhere in this Bulletin. 2. The election of all teachers should be by the county Board of Education after nomination by local trustees and endorsement by the county Superintendent, as prescribed by law. Thus both authority and responsibility is fixed definitely in the county Board of Education as contemplated by the law and indicated by the interests of the schools. This would abolish one of the greatest evils that is afflict- ing the schools of the county. NOTE — By unanimous resolution the Board of Education adopted this recommendation at their October meeting while this Bulle- tin was being written. 3. A uniform date should be prescribed for the opening of all of the schools of the county, and the school term should be continuous. A five months' school year is too short to be divided into two or more terms. No interrup- tions should be allowed except upon special notice to and permission from the county Board or its executive officer. The school term should not conflict with the protracted meeting season. 4. Full time service should be required of the county Superintendent of Schools, and a salary paid commensurate with such services. No public school or other large business interest ever succeeded without close, constant, and efficient supervision. 5. While a reduction of the number of schools through consolidations will increase the maintenance of each of 51 those left, the public school funds for Union County will still be entirely inadequate to the educational demand of Union County children. The proper education of these children constitute by far the greatest public interest of the county. Therefore we would strongly urge the citi- zens of the county to vote a local school tax of two or three mills for the further improvement of their schools. Their children are worth it. Much of this burden would fall upon non-resident property owners who will willingly bear it. The entire county would benefit greatly. 6. Much of the funds paid for maintenance of the public schools is being wasted because so many of the children are unsupplied or poorly supplied with necessary text-books. We would, therefore, recommend (if the local school tax is adopted) that necessary text-books for the first four grades be supplied (loaned) to all of the children. This can now be done under the recent Yeomans Bill. There may be errors in this survey, but we trust they are not serious ones. Judgments will differ concerning the matter of grouping the schools for purposes of consolida- tion. We do not claim that the grouping as given herein are the best possible arrangements, but do sincerely trust that the suggestions offered may serve to stimulate the citizens of the county to serious thinking about the propo- sition, and to aid the Board of Education in reducing the number and increasing the efficiency of the schools of the county. We submit the Bulletin to those interested in the better education of ALL of the children of the county with the earnest hope that each will be willing to make serious ef- forts and considerable sacrifices to that end. The future of the county depends directly upon the character of its pub- lic schools. Better public schools and better public roads are the prime needs of the county, and the attainment of 52 either will powerfully accelerate the accomplishment of the other. With genuine interest in the welfare of the children, M. L. DUGGAN, Rural School Agent for Georgia. Atlanta, Oct. 15, 1916. P. S. The map herein is based upon the U. S. Geological Survey of the county, and we are indebted particularly to Mr. B. H. Stone for aid in properly locating the schools upon it. Inside View "No Equipment' 53 > t Blairsville Collegiate Institute. BLAIRSVILLE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. Faculty: H. E. Nelson, Principal, Math., English, Bible. Mrs. H. E. Nelson, History, Science, Latin. Miss Addie Kate Reid, In- termediate Grades. Miss June Candler, Primary Grades. Miss Etta Colclough, Home Economics, etc. Mrs. Maud Har- ralson, Music. Grounds: Seven acres, beautiful elevation, good condition, tennis courts, toilets m fairly good condition. Buildings: Academic building, four rooms, painted, plastered, fairly well lighted, in fair condition. Dormitory, two stories, forty bed rooms, parlors, library, offices, etc., in excellent condi- tion, well furnished throughout. Barns, stables, outhouses, etc. Organization: Four teachers in literary department, special depart- ments of music and domestic science, usual enrollment about 150 pupils, eleven grades, B. Y. P. U. and literary societies, 8 months school year. Equipment: Double patent desks, good blackboards, maps and charts, library of 250 volumes, reference dictionary, sand table, water from wells on lot, covered coolers, individual cups. NOTE — This is the only High School in Union County, and is under the auspices of the Baptist Mission Board, co-operating with the County Board of Education. This maintenance is also sup- plemented by a moderate tuition fee for a part of the year. 54 1. Zion School. 2. Mt. Lebanon. 3. Mt. Airy. 1. Zion School. D. W. Garrard, Teacher. Church building, with- out equipment, enrollment 7. 2. Mt. Lebanon School. Mrs. Ray Pruitt, Teacher. Good building, ceiled, unpainted, floor oiled, good home-made desks, black- boards, sand-tables, bird charts, maps, unframed pictures, five grades, 55 pupils enrolled, average 3 1-2 miles southwest to Mr. Airy School; 2 miles northeast to Zion. 3. Mt. Airy School. C. T. Luncef ord, Teacher. Church building, with- out equipment, enrollment 27. NOTE— Mt. Lebanon school is reasonably accessable to the patronage of these three schools. Two teachers there receiving the pay of three at the separate schools should render twice as efficient service to each child of the three communities. A little supple- mental fund added through local taxation or otherwise could quickly make Mt. Lebanon a Standard School serving well the edurational demands of the enlarged school district. 55 1. Fair View. 2. Coosa. 3. Mt. Pleasant. 1. 3. Fairview School. W C. Sullivan, Teacher. 2 miles southeast to Coosa, 2 1-2 miles east to Blairsville, 2 1-2 miles west to Center Hill, 3 miles west to Bunker Hill. Building in very bad repair; no equipment. Enrollment 32, 4 grades. Coosa School. Miss Docia Lance, Teacher. Good building, paint- ed, ceiled, insufficiently lighted. Long benches, 2 maps, chart, blackboards, teachers' desk. Enrollment 38. Mt. Pleasant School. W. T. Sullivan, Teacher. 2 miles northwest to Coosa School; mountains to the Southward. Church build- ing; no school equipment. Enrollment 37; 5 grades. NOTE — One good school located at or near the central one of this group, and more liberally supported than either of the three can possibly be under present conditions, would be enabled to serve the educational demands of the communities far better than any present service. The improved school facilities ought no.t to be withheld longer from the children. None of them would be greatly inconvenienced thereby. 56 1. Smyrna. 6. Antioch. 2. Bell. 3. Ebeneezer. 4. Fair View. 5. Russell. 57 1. Smyrna School. Miss Bessie Mauney, Teacher. Two and one- half miles southwest to Ebenezer School. Very small un- finished church building; unceiled. No school equipment. Long benches. Seven grades; enrollment 32. 2. Bell School. Miss Belle Mauney, Teacher. Three miles southwest to Ebenezer School; mountains between. Unfinished build- ing, long benches; no equipment; six grades, enrollment 34. 3. Ebenezer School. I. V. Rogers, Teacher. Building 30 x 40 x 8 feet, ceiled, unpainted, in bad repair. Long benches, maps sand table, poor blackboards, teacher's desk. One teacher, seven grades, enrollment 33. 4. Pleasant View School. Miss Callie Hill, Teacher. Two miles northwest to Ebenezer School. Delapidated building; no school equipment. One teacher, enrollment 20. (Four pupils present on day inspected.) 5. Russell School. Miss Queen Henson, Teacher. Two and one- fourth miles northeast to Ebenezer School. Log building in very bad repair, poorly lighted. No school equipment. One teacher, enrollment 20, seven grades. 6. Antioch School. W. N. Clements, Teacher. Three miles north to Ebenezer School Good church building, painted, ceiled, com- fortable. No school equipment, long benches. One teacher, enrollment 45, seven grades. NOTE — This group calls loudly for consolidation. See also map. The mountain barriers perhaps would exclude the Bell School from participation, and possibly Antioch would better group in another direction, but there could be no objections urged against a consolidation of the other four. All the benefits arising from consolidation could be easily available to a very large number of children who now have very meager educational opportunities. 58 1. Corinth. 2. Mt. Pleasant. 1. Corinth School. Clarence Rich, Teacher. Church building in bad repair, uncomfortable. No school equipment whatever; long, uncomfortable benches. One teacher; enrollment 30; 5 grades. Three miles south to Mt. Pleasant. 2. Mt. Pleasant. Miss Mary Maulden, Teacher. Nearly centrally located between Corinth and Pleasant Valley. Good church building, painted, poorly lighted. No school equipment; long benches. One teacher; enrollment 24; 6 grades. 3. Pleasant Valley School. Miss Janie Carder, Teacher. One and one-half miles northeast of Mt. Pleasant School, four miles from Corinth School. Good church building, painted, com- fortable, poorly lighted. No school equipment; long benches. One teacher; enrollment 56; 6 grades. NOTE — A central location near Mt. Pleasant would be easily accessa- ble to all of the patrons of these three schools. If the expenses of maintenance for the three schools was devoted intelligently to the one central school it would afford to all of the children three times better educational advantages than they now get. 59 1. Track Rock. 2. New Liberty. 3. Pine Top. 4. Old Liberty. 5. Choestoe. 6. Hood. 60 A PROBLEM OF CONSOLIDATION. STUDY THE MAP. 1. Track Rock School. Miss Ida Self, Teacher. Two and one-half miles west to New Liberty, three miles southwest to Old Lib- erty. Good church building, ceiled, painted, insufficiently lighted. No school equipment; long benches. One teacher; 6 grades; enrollment 54. 2. New Liberty School. J. W. Twiggs, teacher. One and one-half miles north to Old Liberty School, one and one-half miles southeast to Pine Top School, three miles southwest to Choes- toe School. Building of heavy hewed logs, weatherboarded with good poplar lumber, and ceiled with walnut ceiling, very small windows let in but little light; poorly seated with benches. One teacher; 6 grades; enrollment 40. 3. Pine Top School. Allen Dyer, Teacher. Three miles north to Old Liberty, 1 1-2 miles northwest to New Liberty. Church building, comfortable, poorly lighted; benches; no school equipment except blackboard and sand table. One teacher; enrollment 44; 7 grades. 4. Old Liberty School. H. A. Dyer, Principal; Watson Dyer, Assis- tant. One and one-half miles east to New Liberty, 3 miles south to Choestoe, 2 1-2 miles northwest to Track Rock, 3 miles southwest to Henson. Large church building, one room, ceiled, painted; long benches, blackboards; no other school equipment. Two teachers; 7 grades; enrollment 72. 5. Choestoe School. W. J. Sullivan, Teacher. Three miles north to Old Liberty, 3 miles northeast to New Liberty, 3 1-2 miles east to Hood School. Good one-room building, 24 x 50 x 12, painted, ceiled with good poplar lumber; long benches; no school equipment. One teacher; 7 grades; enrollment 37. 6. Hood School. H. E. Jones, Teacher. Three and one-half miles west to Choestoe School. Church building; no school equip- ment. One teacher; 7 grades; enrollment 53. NOTE — It is hardly probable that these six schools can well be con- solidated into one, but very likely two properly located would be accessable to all of the patrons. Certainly the situation can be greatly improved in the interest of better schools. The prob- lem should receive the earnest consideration of county school officials and citizens of community. 61 1. Union. 2. Mt. Zion. 3. Bethany. 62 SOME CONSOLIDATIONS ADVISABLE HERE. 1. Union School. James Patterson, Teacher. Delapidated building, uncomfortable; insufficiently lighted; no school equipment. One teacher; 7 grades; enrollment 33. One and three- quarters miles from Mt. Zion School, 2 miles to Bruce. 2. Mt. Zion School. Miss Myrtle Mauney, Teacher. Large two-story building, Lodge rooms overhead; two school rooms; fairly good repair; painted; home-made desks; no school equip- ment; 7 grades; enrollment 61. One and three-fourths miles to Union School, 2 miles to Olivet, 2 miles to Bruce, 2 1-2 miles to Bethany. 3. Bethany School. Miss Mary McClure, Teacher. Two-story build- ing, Lodge overhead; building in fairly good repair; home- made desks; no other school equipment. One teacher; 6 grades; enrollment 34. Two and one-half miles to Mt. Zion School, 2 miles to Union, 2 1-2 miles to Ivy Log. 4. Bruce School. Miss Flossie Cook, Teacher. Building recently burned; temporary quarters, no equipment. One teacher; enrollment 24. Two miles to Mt. Zion School, 2 miles to Union, 2 miles to Olivet. 5. Mt. Olivet School. J. M. Clements, Teacher. This school being temporarily closed we failed to see it. Described as average in the county. One teacher; enrollment 47. Two miles to Mt. Zion, 2 miles to Bruce, 2 miles to Union. NOTE — It is entirely possible to make consolidations of some of this group to the advantage of all. Efficiency demands it. A business-like study of the situation will solve the problem. 63 1. Bethlehem. 2. Confidence. 3. Camp Ground. 4. Providence. 1. Bethlehem School. W. 0. Kincaid, Teacher. Old building in bad repair; very badly lighted; long benches; good library case with 150 volumes; U. S. map; no other school equipment. Seven grades; enrollment 55. One and one-half miles south to Confidence school. 2. Confidence School. R. L. Sullivan, Teacher. Church building; very large room; long benches; no school equipment. One teacher; 7 grades; enrollment 52. One and one-half miles north to Bethlehem, 2 miles south to Camp Ground, 3 miles east to Providence. 3. Camp Ground School. S. H. Neal, Teacher. Small building in good repair; long benches; no school equipment. One teach- er; 7 grades; enrollment 50. Two miles north to Confidence, 2 1-2 miles east to Young Cane. 4. Providence School. Garnett Brackett, Teacher. Good church building; painted; ceiled; insufficiently lighted; long benches; no school equipment. One teacher; 6 grades; enrollment 38. Three miles west to Confidence, 3 miles northwest to Beth- lehem, 3 miles northeast to Antioch. NOTE — Near this is another group of schools which were tempor- arily closed, so not visited. They, also, are very near to each other, and to some of above. They consist of Young Cane, Bunker Hill, and Center Hill schools. See map. 64 1. Pleasant Hill. 2. Windy Hill. 3. Brasstown Zion. 1. Pleasant Hill School. A. J. Ledford, Teacher. Grounds being- well graded; good building; ceiled; benches; blackboards; no other school equipment; 7 grades; enrollment 41. School building, but used for church services. Three miles from Blairsville. 2. Windy Hill School. Miss Lula Rogers, Teacher. Two miles north- east from Blairsville; good building; seated with long benches; no school equipment; 6 grades; enrollment 22. 3. Brasstown Zion School. Miss Irwin, Teacher. Located very near Towns county line; four miles east of Windy Hill School; good building; sand table; blackboards; map; long benches; 5 grades; enrollment 18. NOTE — At least two of above schools should be consolidated. Windy Hill is too near to Blairsville, and Brasstown Zion is too near the county line. One good school located between the two would better serve the cause and be more convenient to the patronage, except such as could easily reach Blairsville. 65 5 Iv 1 ' Lo Sdy ° ale ' 2 ' Berry ' 3 ' Harmon y Grove - 4 - Timber Ridge. 66 1. Shady Dale School. C. J. Dyer, Teacher. Good building; poorly lighted; partly ceiled; long benches; no school equipment; 7 grades; enrollment 49. 2. Berry School. Miss Lou Self, Teacher. Good building; unceiled; very small windows; long benches; 7 grades; enrollment 32. No school equipment. 3. Harmony Grove. Miss Irene Penland, Teacher. Small building; ceiled; poorly lighted; clean and well kept; small lot well cleaned up; long benches; no school equipment; 7 grades; en- rollment 48. Two miles south to Shady Dale, 3 miles southeast to Berry School. 3 miles north to 'Blairsville, 4 miles east to Track Rock. 4. Timber Ridge School. Miss Nellie McClure, Teacher. Small, un- finished, rough building; insufficiently lighted; lot cleaned off and well kept; long benches, map, and blackboard; 7 grades; enrollment 28. Remote from other schools. See map. 5. Ivy Log School. A. L. McClure, Teacher. Church building; no school equipment; 7 grades; enrollment 30. See map for location. 6. New Hope School. Miss Laura Mauney, Teacher. Teaching tem- porarily in a dwelling; no school equipment; 6 grades; en- rollment 34. See map. 7. Spriggs' Chapel School. J. H. Seabolt, Teacher. Church building; seated with long benches; very little school equipment; 7 grades; enrollment 21. This school seems to serve a com- munity that could not easily reach any other school location. 67 Blairsville. (Negro School.) THE ONLY NEGRO SCHOOL IN UNION COUNTY. Teacher: Miss Ruth Lee (Educated at Trinity College, S. C.) Located near Blairsville; small but comfortable building; ceiled; poorly lighted; home-made desks, blackboards, maps, charts; build- ing in good repair and neatly kept; 5 grades; enrollment 13. Chil- dren well supplied with books. According to the census of 1913 there are only 19 negro children in Union County. 68 The following minimum standard of efficiency for rural schools sent to the various counties by the State School Su- perintendent has been largely used as the basis of measure- ment in the survey. Educational results and good teaching generally are not often secured in a shiftless-looking building in which neither patrons, pupils, nor teachers take any pride. In- definiteness has been removed at this point through the standard school. In the larger towns and cities pressure of public sentiment and the comment of visitors will sooner or later force good educational conditions — and they are im- proving constantly. Rural communities need to be shown and inspired by educational leaders and we have sent di- plomas to two hundred forty-six county schools where the superintendents have certified to the fact that they have measured up to the standard in every particular. Fulton, Newton and Hancock have received half of these, and there are a number of localities in the State where the feeling is that no rural community in the county is able to bring its school up to these very reasonable requirements. I cannot help but think that this is a mistaken view and that some standard schools could be secured in every county in Geor- gia and that these would serve to inspire the others to pro- gress. Superintendents have written that the use of this efficiency test has developed more progress in the past twelve months than for years previous in the way of im- provement. The plan is of no value, however, where it is not used or applied and I earnestly hope we will have the effort at least of every Superintendent in the State to have his county represented on this roll of honor. The list will be published in the next Annual Report. The standard is not unreasonably high and no more than the Georgia parent has the right to expect. Copies should be posted in every county school room in the State and can be secured for this purpose at any time on application to the State Department of Education. To be entitled to a diploma a school should measure up to the standard in the following particulars: 69 GEORGIA STANDARD SCHOOL. I. The Teacher. 1. Good Teaching. 2. Good Order and Management. 3. First Grade Certificate. 4. Full, Neat, and Accurate School Register. 5. Daily Program Posted i n Room. 6. Teacher's Manual on Desk. II. Grounds. 1. Good Condition. 2. Playgrounds. 3. School Garden. 4. Two Separate Sanitary Closets. III. Building. 1. Painted Outside. 2. Plastered, or Ceiled and Paint- ed. 3. No Leaks. 4. Windows without Broken Panes. 5. Cloak Rooms. 6. Good Doors with Locks and Keys. 7. Clean and well-kept. IV. Equipment. 1. Patent Modern Desks. 2. At least 20 lineal feet of Blackboard per Room. 3. Building Comfortably Heated and Ventilated. 4. Framed Pictures on the Wall. 5. Dictionary, Maps, and Library. 6. Sanitary Water Supply. V. Associated Activities. 1. Manual Arts, Corn, Canning, Poultry, or Cooking Club. VI. Salary of Teacher. At least $40 per month. VII. Term. At least seven months. 70 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 019 877 509 5 > I