once a month, and in addition have a one week's institute, in the summer months. This, in brief, is the outline of the plan of organization of the schools of which I assumed charge thirteen years ago. That it has its defects of management and its grave faults I am prepared to admit. These I need not enumerate at this time. Suffice it to say that no one knows what they are, and that they are, more surely than do I. What institution devised and controlled by an imperfect humanity is without the faults that are incident to us as men? That our system is projected upon the proper theory, for all our population, and for all the boys and girls under our tuition, I firmly believe. There are two other systems in Georgia organized upon a similar plan, one for Savannah and the County of Chatham, and the other for Macon and the County of Bibb. CHAPTER X THE RURAL SCHOOL PROBLEM THIS is only another phase of the problem of county educational reorganization. In attempting to solve the difficulties which present themselves to those interested in improving rural education, a number of devices and plans have been tried, some of which will be illustrated here. One which has been tried, with some good results, has been that of the approval and standardization of rural school buildings. Illinois and Missouri have tried this device, with some success. The nature of the device is well shown by the following statement and score card, taken from the Missouri State School Report. I. THE APPROVAL OF RURAL SCHOOLS [From the 63d An. Rept. Supt. Publ. Instr., Mo., 1912, pp. 35-37.] The first plan for the approval of rural schools was promulgated in 1909. It led at once to increased interest, on the part of many communities, in the grading of the school, in attendance, and in better buildings and grounds. Nearly three hundred schools have been placed on the approved list, and many others are taking such steps as will lead to their approval in the near future. Before a school will be approved it must comply with the following requirements: (1) The term must be at least eight months in length. (2) The teacher must hold a certificate higher than a third grade county. (3) The salary paid the teacher must be at least forty dollars per month. (4) The board must have complied with the library law, Sec. 8186, R. S., 1909. (5) The State Course of Study must be followed. (6) The organization and classification of the school must be definite and systematic. (7) The instruction and discipline must be satisfactory. (8) The school buildings, grounds, and outbuildings must be adequate, cleanly, and sanitary. (9) The room must be heated by other means than radiation. (10) The teacher must be a regular attendant at county and township meetings. (11) A satisfactory program of recitation and study periods must be posted conspicuously. (12) A total credit of 80 points out of a possible 100 must be earned. It is, therefore, suggested in order that rural-school approval shall mean something, that the State offer a bonus of, say $20 a year to each district that maintains an approved rural school. This could well be done and the districts should then continue to improve by additions to the library, furnish apparatus for teaching agriculture, etc. * * * When new schoolhouses are built, separate cloak rooms should be arranged for boys and girls. All books purchased for the library should be from lists given after each subject in the Course of Study. Every good library should contain not only these books, together with supplementary readers and necessary reference books, but also the books of the Pupils' Reading Circle. Below is the score card used. The teacher will do well to study it carefully that her school may be brought up to the standard. SCALE OF POINTS POSSIBLE POINTS ALLOWED CONDITION OF SCHOOL BUILDING 20 points! Ventilation, provisions for lowering windows at top Heating, by good stove properly jacketed and lo- 442 3 POSSIBLE POINTS SCALE OF POINTS APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT of Building 17 points or painted board, easily reached by smallest pupil Desks, well preserved and well adapted to the sizes of the children Teacher's desk and chair, suitable to use Broom, erasers, individual drinking cups, etc., 2 311 2 1 1 1 4 in 1 Grounds, well-shaded, drained, fenced, good size, and neatly kept Cistern, good walls and top, with pump and conveniently situated 4 5 Outbuildings, strongly built, properly situated, nicely painted, and well kept 4 25 points COURSE OF STUDY AND ORGANIZATION Course of study, State and county followed Number of recitations, not exceeding 24 Quarterly and final examination questions used Attendance, regular, and prompt Tardies, few or none System of records, well kept and accurate TEACHER, THE - 25 points Certificate, second grade or higher Salary, $40 per month or more Associations, county, township and state attended regularly Instruction, careful and accurate Discipline, kind but firm Reading Circle, member of, for present year Reports to district clerk and county superintendent promptly made Total points 2 100 year. A school is held on the approved list but one year at a time, and must be reinspected to see that all the requirements are fully met each So long as these requirements are met, the school continues on the list, but when it fails in any one requirement it must be omitted. It is to be regretted that several schools have been dropped from the list this year, owing to a failure to comply with the standard. II. SOME RURAL SCHOOL DIFFICULTIES The difficulties which the one-teacher rural school has to contend with are too numerous to be more than slightly helped by such approval, useful as it is in itself. The following statement of "The Situation in Texas," taken from a bulletin issued by the University of Texas, illustrates well some of the difficulties with which the one-teacher school has to contend. The Situation in Texas [From Bedichek and Baskett, The Consolidation of Rural Schools, Bul. 43, Univ. Texas, 1904.] With over 6000 one-teacher white schools, with more than 600 schools enrolling less than twenty pupils, and over 100 enrolling less than ten, Texas would seem to offer a large field for Consolidation of Schools. If, in connection with this fact, one but considers the utter absence of equipment and the interminable list of lessons which must be heard each day by the teacher in each of the oneteacher schools, the need for consolidation becomes too obvious for discussion. For the enlightenment of those not familiar with the hopeless task now set many of our rural teachers, we give here two samples of the daily programs in actual operation. A MILAM COUNTY ONE-TEACHER SCHOOL, DAILY PROGRAM |