Standardization 
 of Rural Schools 
 
 Issued by 
 
 State Department of Education 
 
 Salem, Oregon 
 
 19i5 
 
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 STATE PRINTING DEPARTMENT 
 SALEM, OREGON 
 
 P. Of D<? 
 
A Standard School 
 
 state of Oregon 
 
The Standard Scliool 
 
 A STANDARD SCHOOL 
 
 State of Oregon 
 
 Flag — Must be flying, weather permitting. 
 
 Schoolhouse — Properly lighted. 
 
 Equipment — Teacher's desk and chair; desks for 
 pupils properly adapted and placed; suitable black- 
 boards; window shades in good condition. 
 
 Heating and Ventilating — Jacketed stove properly 
 situated, minimum requirement; window boards or 
 some other approved method of ventilating. 
 
 Rooms — Attractive at all times. 
 
 Standard Picture — One new one, unless three are 
 already in the room, framed. 
 
 Grounds — To be clean, free from paper, etc. At 
 least three features of play apparatus. Walks, 
 if necessary. 
 
 Sanitation — Pure drinking water, either drinking 
 fountain or covered tank and individual drinking 
 cups; individual, family or paper towels. 
 
 Outbuildings — At least two good ones, to be sani- 
 tary at all times and free from marks. 
 
 Teacher — Must maintain good order at all times; 
 supervise the playground; have her work well pre- 
 pared; follow State course of study; take at least 
 one educational journal; have program posted in 
 room; keep register in good condition; be neat in 
 attire. 
 
The Standard School 
 
 Library — Good selection of books from State list. 
 Case for the books. Books kept uprigbt in good 
 condition and recorded according to rules specified 
 by Oregon State Library and required by law. 
 
 Attendance — Average 92 per cent for year and not 
 to exceed two per cent in tardiness for year. 
 
 Length of Term — Not less than eight months of 
 school each year. 
 
 A STANDARD to which each rural district must 
 bring its school, a measuring rod whereby 
 the farmer may be convinced that he has 
 not as a rule been providing house and grounds 
 equal to those for his cattle and horses, that he has 
 not been demanding the same grade of efficiency 
 of the rural teacher as he has of his hired hands, 
 this is the plan which is making the work of the 
 rural school in Oregon effective. It was begun in 
 Polk County some five years ago. 
 
 FIFTEEN requirements were established and 
 any school district fulfilling all of these was 
 declared, after a careful inspection by the 
 county school superintendent, to be standard. These 
 requirements were printed on a large card and one 
 was hung on the front wall of each rural school. 
 The type was so large that the card could be read 
 easily from any place in the room. At each regular 
 visit of the county superintendent he would inspect 
 the school and fasten a gold star opposite each 
 point to which the school was entitled. When all 
 the requirements were earned, a suitable pennant 
 
The Standard School 
 
 was awarded the school by the county superin- 
 tendent. Other counties adopted the plan and 
 finally at a convention of the county school super- 
 intendents, held in the office of the State Superin- 
 tendent of Public Instruction, Salem, Oregon, July 1, 
 1914, the plan of having a standard for the schools 
 of Oregon was adopted for the entire State. In order 
 to help those counties which were just beginning, 
 the requirements were made as simple as possible 
 for the first year. The standard will be raised each 
 year so that there can be no stagnation. The points 
 given on the fourth page of this pamphlet show 
 what a school had to do during the year 1914-1915 
 to become standard. 
 
 IN order to put this plan into operation, a county 
 school superintendent should choose one of the 
 most progressive districts in his county. Through 
 the cooperation of the teacher, a community meet- 
 ing should be called, to which every person in the 
 district must be invited. It is well to have the 
 people feel that this is their meeting. This can be 
 easily accomplished by securing a member of the 
 school board or some prominent person to act as 
 chairman of the meeting, the teacher and the 
 superintendent keeping in the background, but 
 having the organization of the meeting well planned 
 beforehand. If the people of the district are not 
 used to speaking in public, a very simple and 
 effective way to bring them into a discussion is to 
 pass around typewritten questions numbered con- 
 secutively, and when the number is called by the 
 chairman, the person holding the number will read 
 it and answer the same. Such questions as the 
 following might be suitable: "How can we 
 
The Standard School 
 
 change the lighting of this building so that there 
 will be no cross-lights?" "Is it a good plan to 
 hire a different teacher each term, or would it be 
 better to pay a little more and have the same 
 teacher year after year, provided, we can find one 
 who is entirely satisfactory?" "Why should the 
 children have good playgrounds?" At this first 
 meeting there should be a good speaker to explain 
 the whole plan of standardization, point out just 
 what is needed to make the school standard and 
 the cost of same. The result will probably be that 
 the people will vote a local tax sufficient to raise 
 the amount of money necessary to make the 
 changes. In most states, the school district has 
 the power of voting local taxes. The Russell Sage 
 Foundation in its report on the various school 
 systems of this country recommends that the dis- 
 trict should always have this power in order to 
 stimulate its local pride and initiative. After the 
 county superintendent has secured one standard 
 school and the work has been completed, there 
 should be another meeting in the nature of a 
 school rally or celebration. Here it is well to make 
 use of the press. Newspapers are anxious to get 
 live material, and if the story of such work is well 
 written, all the newspapers in the county will give 
 good reports of the first standard school. After 
 this, there will be no difficulty in carrying the 
 work into all the neighboring districts; provided 
 there is at the head of the schools of the county 
 one who is strong, energetic, capable of securing 
 the loyalty of the teachers, and who is willing to 
 work night and day for the betterment of the 
 public schools. 
 
L-ioMMr-iT ur i^uiNUHtba 
 
 021 731 558 A