Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina to Governor ..., for the scholastic years ... |
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BIENMAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OP PUBLIC INSTRUCTION OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR THE SCHOLASTIC YEARS 1914-1915 AND 1915-1916 RALEIGH Edwards & Broikjhton Printing Compamv State Printers 1917 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION J. Y. JoYXEii Superintendent of Public Instruction W. H. PiTTMAN Chief Clerk A. S. Brower .Statistical Secretary, Clerk of Loan Fund E. E. Sams Supervisor of Teacher Training N. W. Walker State Inspector of High Schools L. C. Brodgen State Agent Rural Schools N. C. Newbold State Agent Rural Schools T. E. Browxe Agent Agricultural Extension Miss Annie Travis Stenographer W. C. Crosby Secretary Community Service Bureau STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Locke Craig Governor, President J. Y. JoYNER Superintendent Public Instruction, Secretary E. L. Datjghtridge Lieutenant Governor J. Bryan Grimes Secretary of State B. R. Lacy State Treasurer W. P. Wood State Auditor T. W. BiCKETT Attorney General STATE BOABD OF EXAMINERS J. Y. Joyner Chairman ex officio W. H. PiTTMAN Secretary, Raleigh H. E. Austin Greenville N. W. Walker '. Chapel Hill J. H. HiGHSMiTH Wake Forest L. N. HicKERSON Wentworth B) LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL State of North Carolina, Department of Public Instructiox. Raleigh. December 10, 1916. To His Excellency. Locke Craig, Governor- of North Carolina. Dear Sir:—According to section 4090 of The Revisal of 1905 I have the honor to transmit my Biennial Report for the scholastic years 1914-15 and 1915-1916. Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyxer, Superintendent of Puhlic Instruction. 53G.il TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I Summary in Brief Outline of Two Years' Progress in Education. Recommendations. Work to Be Done and How to Do It. Statistical Summary of Two Years' Progress. Statistics for 1914-15. Statistics for 1915-16. PART II PART III Report of State Inspector of Public High Schools, 1914-15. Report of State Inspector of Public High Schools, 1915-16. Report of Supervisor of Teacher-training. Report of State Ageni Rural Schools. Report of State Agent Rural Schools. Report of Colored Normal Schools, 1912-13 and 1913-14. Report of Cherokee Normal School. Circular Letters of State Superintendent. PART I SUMMARY AND BRIEF OUTLINE OF TWO YEARS FROfiRESS IN EDUCATION. REC0M3IENDAT10NS. WORK TO BE DONE AND HOW TO DO IT. STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF TWO YEARS PROGRESS. SUMMARY AND BRIEF OUTLINE OF TWO YEARS PROGRESS IN EDUCATION The following summary and brief outline of the progress in education for the biennial period beginning July 1, 1914, and ending June 30, 1916, is based on the official reports on file in the office of the Superintendent of Public In-struction and can be verified in detail by the published statistical reports of this biennial period. Increase in School Funds:—The total available school fund for the year ending June 30, 1916, was $7,272,887.70. This is an increase of $1,153,284.98 over the total available school fund for 1914. Of this total available school fund for 1916, $3,377,039.13 was raised by State and county taxation and ap-propriation, and $1,640,985.^0 was raised by local taxation in syecial-tax dis-tricts of which $937,385.29 was raised in urban districts and $703,600.51 was raised in rural districts. This is an increase in 1916 over 1914 of $159,018.03 in the amount raised by local taxation in rural districts and $114,019.12 raised by local taxation in urban districts. Of the total available school fund for 1916, $4,573,931.62 was the rural school fund and $2,698,956.08 the urban school fund. In percentage there has been an increase of 29 per cent in the funds raised by local taxation in the rural districts, and 14 per cent in the funds raised by local taxation in the urban districts, and 18 per cent in the annual available fund raised by general State and county taxation and appropriation in 1916 over 1914. Excluding bonds, loans, State appropriations, and the balance from the previous year, the whole amount raised by county and local district taxation for public schools during 1916 was $4,191,472.76, an increase of $184,693.25 over 1914. These figures show that during 1916 $8.80 was raised for each child of school age enumerated in our State school census, $6.90 for each child outside the cities and towns and $16.49 within the cities and towns. This was a per capita increase in 1916 over 1914 of 93 cents for each child, an increase of 51 cents for each county child of school age and $2.46 for each city child of school age. These comparisons are made between the last year of this biennial period, 1916, and the last year of the preceding biennial period, 1914, so as to indi-cate the progress of the period. The figures for the year 1915 and the rela-tive progress in 1916 over 1915 can be easily ascertained from the published statistical reports found elsewhere in this report. For What Money Was Spent.—^^'ith this increase in available funds for educational purposes, there has been during the year a corresponding in-crease in those things that can be provided only by increased funds. There has been an increase of $1,104,350.16 in the value of rural school property and 1,306,828.34 in fhe value of urban school property, making a total increase of $2,411,178.50 in the value of the public school property of the State. There has been spent during the period $2,155,984.27 in building, improving, and equipping public schoolhouses. Eight hundred and forty-five new rural schoolhouses have been built at an average cost of $1,109.95. There has been an increase of 822 in the number of rural schoolhouses equipped with patent 8 Two Years Educational Progress desks, and $154,045.96 has been expended during the biennial period for furni-ture for rural schoolhouses and $86,202.96 for furniture for urban schools. Two and eight-tenths days have been added to the average annual school term of the white schools of the State, and the average annual school term of the colored schools of the State has remained the same; 2.2 dajs to the white rural school term; 4.5 days to the white urban school term. There has been an increase of 1,007 in the number of white teachers employed, and 269 in the number of colored teachers employed. There has been an increase in the average annual salary of white teachers of $25.26 and $2.23 in the average annual salary of colored teachers. The average annual salary of rural school teachers has been increased $18.45 or 21 per cent. There has been a necessary increase in the expense of collecting, administering, and expending a larger fund, and an increase in the current expenses for longer terms with more schoolrooms and teachers. The total expenditures for all schools during 1916 was $6,561,646.84, which represents an increase of $994,653.95 over 1914, an increase of $655,473.55 in the expenditures of rural schools, and $339,180.40 in the expenditures for city schools. Of this increase, rural teachers and superintendents received $433,- 920.78 and urban teachers and superintendents received $192,504.22. There was a decrease in the expenditures for administration in the rural schools, which includes expenses of county board, treasurers' commissions, school committeemen, attendance officers, teachers" institutes, postage, stationery, etc., of $6,271.88, and an increase in the urban schools of $4,629.40. The in-crease in the expenditures for repaying borrowed money, i. e., money bor-rowed temporarily for paying teachers' salaries between the time of the opening of school and the collection of taxes for money repaid State Loan Fund, payments on bonds, and errors and overcharges in taxes, was $323,- 861.21 for the rural schools and $237,092.65 in the urban schools. The ex-penditures for public high schools showed a reasonable increase. In this report the expenditures for rural high schools have been included with the other rural school expenditures, and will not be found listed separately as heretofore. The detailed report of the high school expenditures will be found in the report of the State Inspector of Public High Schools, found elsewhere in this report. There was a slight increase in the amount spent for buildings and furni-ture. Taking collectively the gain in the expenditures under each head, there was a net increase in the expenditures for the State for public schools of $994,653.95 in 1916 over 1914. This shows a gain in the expenditures for schools of 17 per cent in 1916 over 1914. Increase in Value of School Property.—^In 1916 the total valtie of school property of the State was $11,489,881.77. Of this amount, the value of rural school property was $6,135,060.18 and the value of city school property was $5,354,821.59. This is an increase in 1916 over 1914 of $2,411,178.50 in the total value of all school property, of which $1,104,350.16 is the increase in the value of rural school property and $1,306,828.34 the increase in the value of city school property. The value of white school property in 1916 was $10,205,859.77, of which $5,467,795.61 was rural and $4,738,064.16 was urban. The percentage of increase in the value of school property during the biennial period was 26 per cent, 22 per cent rural, 32 per cent urban. In 1916 there were 8,088 schoolhouses in the State—7,743 rural and 345 urban, 5,449 rural white and 2,294 rural colored, 225 urban white and 120 Two Ykaks Ei)rt'ATioKAL Fk()<;kkss 9 urban colored. The average value of each rural white schoolhouse was $1,003.45, the average value of each urban white schoolhouse was $21,058.06; the average value of each rural colored schoolhouse was $290.90, the average value of each urban colored schoolhouse was $5,137.98. There has been an increase of $151.90 in the average value of each rural white schoolhouse, and $43.42 in the average value of each rural colored schoolhouse in 1916 over 1914. During the biennial period $943,421.55 was spent for white rural school buildings and sites, and $729,067.03 was spent for white urban school build-ings and sites, and $83,235.29 was spent for colored rural school buildings, and $125,437.13 was spent for urban colored school buildings. Taken collec-tively, this means that $1,026,456.84 was spent for rural school buildings and sites, and $854,504.16 was spent for urban school buildings and sites. Isfeio Rural Schoollwitses Built.—As will appear from the table found else-where in this report 845 new rural schoolhouses have been built during the biennial period, 639 white and 206 colored, valued at $937,904.23. This means an average of one rural schoolhouse built for every day in the year, and including the city schoolhouses built, the average runs considerably over one per day. This pace of building at least one new schoolhouse for every day in the year according to approved plans of modern school architecture prepared by competent architects under the supervision of the State Depart-ment of Education and distributed from the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, has been maintained for the past fourteen years— a total of 5,624 new rural schoolhouses having been built during this time — in 5,114 days. This also means that two-thirds of all the schoolhouses in the State have been built or rebuilt within the last fourteen years. Improvement in Scliool Furniture and Equipment.—During the biennial period $240,248.92 has been spent for school furniture and necessary equip-ment. In 1916 there w-ere 4,268 rural schoolhouses equipped with modern school furniture—3,711 white and 557 colored—an increase of 662 white and 160 colored over 1914; 2,6.26 rural schoolhouses were equipped with home-made desks—1,436 white and 1,190 colored. Increase in Local-Tax Districts and Funds Raised by Local Taxation.— During the period 205 local-tax districts have been established by voluntary vote of the people in rural communities and small towns, an average of more than two districts per week for each week in the two school years. This made a total of 1,834 districts in the State at the end of the school year. In 1916 $1,640,985.80, or more than 22 per cent of the entire school fund of this State, was raised by local taxation, $703,600.51 in rural districts and $937,385.29 in urban districts. All the counties of the State now have from one to 67 local-tax districts each, levying special taxes therein to supplement their apportionment from the State and county funds for longer terms, better schoolhouses and equipment, better teachers paid better salaries, and for better schools. Increase in Attendance and Lengtliening of School Term.—The increase in the school census in 1916 over 1914 was 48,037—35,600 white and 12,437 colored. The increase in the school enrollment was 49,599—39,709 white and 9,890 colored. The increase in the average daily attendance, 37.727—30.083 white and 7,644 colored. These figures indicate a most remarkalile increase in the enrollment and attendance when it is remembered that the compulsory attendance law went into effect in 1914, and there was at that time an in- lU Two Years Educational Progress crease in thq attendance of 75,919. This means that in four years the num-ber of children attending the public schools of the State has been increased by 113,646, or more than 30 per cent. In 191C the average length of school term in the white rural schools was 117.6 days, in the city white schools 170.5 days, in all white schools of the State 127 days, in the rural colored schools 104 days, in the city colored schools 166 days. This is an increase in 1916 over 1914 in the average term of rural white schools of 2.2 days. The average increase in the term of all rural schools was 2 days. The increase in 1916 over 1914 in the average term of urban white schools was 4.5 days. As stated above, there has been an increase of 1,276 in the number of teachers employed, white and colored. Improvement in Teachers' Institutes and Other Facilities for Teacher-training.— Under amendments to the school law by the General Assembly of 1909 a two-weeks' teachers' Institute was made mandatory in every county biennially. Teachers' institutes were held in twenty-nine counties in 1915 and in sixty-two counties in 1916. Institutes were arranged for in Ashe and Wilkes but could not be held on account of flood conditions. The number of institutes conducted in 1916 was smaller than in 1914 because the General Assembly of 1915 amended the law so as to equalize the number of counties having institutes in 1916 and 1917. This change took eighteen counties from the 1916 group and put them in the 1917 list. Special arrangements were made in Durham, Craven, Guilford, Jackson, McDowell, Orange, Pitt, and Watauga for the training of the teachers in summer schools or otherwise to take the place of institute work. With the aid of the Supervisor of Teacher-training, also made possible by an amendment to the law in 1909, the work of the county teachers' institutes and the county teachers' associations has been organized and systematized, and through teachers' reading circles, a valuable course for home study and home training for the professional improvement of the rank and file of the teachers is being successfully conducted. Teach-ers' associations, holding monthly meetings, are in successful operation in more than ninety counties. Most of these associations have also organized teachers' reading circles for pursuing the prescribed course of professional reading. A trained man and a trained woman have been appointed to conduct each of these county teachers' institutes. All institute workers have been required to attend a conference of three or four days with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Supervisor of Teacher-training, for the discus-sion of their work and the arrangement of uniform and definite plans of work before beginning the institutes, and have been furnished with bulletins containing definite outlines and approved suggestions for the work of the institutes. Under this plan there has been marked progress in the organiza-tion and the direction of this institute work. It has been uniform, practical, and progressive, with more teaching and demonstration and less lecturing, with more emphasis on the essential subjects and less on the frills. The reports received from these institutes have been the most encouraging ever received by the State Superintendent. They have been more largely attended and the teachers have been more interested and benefited than ever before. A fuller report of this institute and teacher-training work, by the Supervisor of Teacher-training, is printed elsewhere in this report. An attempt has been made, with encouraging success, to correlate and coordinate Two Years Educational Pkogress 11 the work of these agencies for home study and professional improvement of teachers—the teachers' institute, the county teachers' association and reading circles, to plan the work so as to make it more progressive and continuous .from year to year. North Carolina Education, our official State teachers' journal, is heartily cooperating and rendering valuable assistance in carrying on this work. Improvement in County SuperviHion.—There has been an increase in the number of county superintendents giving their entire time to the work of supervision and an increase in the time devoted to their work by nearly all the superintendents. Seventj'-five county superintendents now devote their entire time to the work. The county superintendents are thoroughly organ-ized into State and district associations, holding annual meetings for the discussion with each other and with the State Superintendent of their com-mon problems, for an exchange of views and experiences, for mutual counsel and advice and for forming plans for carrying on more uniformly and suc-cessfully the great work of educating all the people in the schools for all the people. It has seemed to me that during this biennial period the county superintendents have shown an unusual improvement in the efficient and intelligent discharge of their duties and that on the whole they have mani-fested a fine spirit of loyalty and devotion to their work. Much progress has been made in the organization, training, and directing of their teaching force and in systematization, classification and gradation of the work in the rural schools. As will appear elsewhere from the reports of Mr. Brogden and Mr. New-bold, the State Agents for Rural Schools, there has been during the year marked progress in a number of counties in closer and more efficient super-vision of rural schools. At least 18 counties employed during the year com-petent, trained women to assTst in the supervision of their rural schools. Progress in Rural Public High Schools.—During the biennial period seven new public high schools have been established, making a total of 212 stich schools in ninety-six counties of the State. There are, therefore, only four counties that do not have one or more of these schools. The annual State appropriation for their maintenance is $75,000, and has not been increased since 1911. During the biennial period $503,505.32 has been expended for the maintenance of these schools. The total enrollment of country boys and girls in them was 8,986 in 1915 and 10,379 in 1916, a total of 19,365 for the biennial period—9,406 boys and 9,959 girls. This is an increase of 3,103, or 19 per cent., in the total enrollment in 1916 over that of 1914. There has been an average daily attendance of 6,773 in 1915 and 7,873 in 1916. The percentage of the enrollment in average daily attendance for the past two years was 75 per cent. In connection with some of these high schools dormitories have been built and equipped, in which high school students may secure board at the actual cost and pay for it in money or in provisions at the market price. These figures show an encouraging increase in enrollment and attendance upon these public high schools, indicating a commendable growth in public sentiment among the rural population for high school education, for the ele-vation of the average of intelligence, and for better preparation for citizen-ship and service. A fuller report of these public high schools, prepared by the State Inspector of Public High Schools, is printed in another section of this report. 12 Two Years Educational Progress Increase in Rural Libraries.—During the biennial period 493 new libraries have been established costing approximately $14,790.00, containing an aver-age of about eighty-six volumes each of well selected books which are lent to the pupils of rural communities for their use; 248 new supplemental libraries have beeii added to the libraries formerly established, costing $3,720.00, and adding about thirty-five books to each of these original libra-ries. The total number of rural libraries in the State at the close of the biennial period was 4,102, the total number of supplemental libraries 1,773. Almost one-half of all the school districts in the State, white and colored, are now provided with rural libraries. Loan Fund for Bidlding SchooUwuscs.—During the biennial period the total amount of new loans made from the State Loan Fund for Building and Im-proving Public Schoolhouses was $208,985, an increase of $1,538 over the preceding biennial period, to seventy-four counties for building and improv-ing houses valued at $781,796. The total amount of loans made from this fund since its establishment in 1903 aggregates $1,105,008.50 to ninety-eight counties for building and improving 1,772 houses valued at $3,193,296. This means that nearly one-fourth of all the schoolhouses in the State have been built with the aid of this fund. The total amount of outstanding loans unpaid November 30, 1916, was $524,963.80. This fund continues to be of incalculable service in building and improv-ing public schoolhouses; the loans from it often make possible at once much needed new houses where they would not otherwise be possible without clos-ing the schools and using the entire apportionment for one or more years for building. A timely loan from this fund also often means to a district the difference between a pooi* cheap house and a good properly constructed one. By the method of extending the payments over a period of ten years and charging such a small rate of interest a district can take care of the repayment of a loan from this fund without seriously hampering the effi-ciency of the school, or materially shortening the school term. Loans from this fund are made only for houses constructed in accordance with plans approved by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the plans for any house not constructed in accordance with one of the plans issued by the State Department must be submitted to the State Superintendent for his approval before the application will be filed or the loan made. A fuller and more detailed report of the loan fund will be found elsewhere in this report. Boys' and Girls' Club Work, An Increased Interest in Agricultural Educa-tion.— With the aid of Mr. T. E. Browne, agent for Agricultural Extension "Work, his corps of able assistants, Mrs. Jane McKimmon, agent in charge of Girls' Demonstration Work, and with the active cooperation of the county superintendents and teachers, boys' corn clubs, pig clubs, poultry clubs, baby beef clubs, and girls' tomato clubs have been organized in many communities in the State. The growth of this work has been most remarkable, and it is doubtless doing much toward giving the country boy and girl real practical instruction in agriculture and home economics. A report of the work of these clubs will be found elsewhere in this report. Farm-Life ScJwols and Rural Uplift Movement.—Since the amendment to the farm-life school law, allowing any county that will provide the required equipment and an annual maintenance fund equal to the amount received from the State to avail itself of the State appropriation not to exceed a maxi-mum of $2,500 for instruction in agriculture, sewing, cooking, household Two Years Educational Progress 13 economics and other farm-life subjects in connection with one or more of its rural high schools, nine new farm-life schools have been established during the biennial period, making a total of twenty-one such schools in seventeen counties of the State. No part of the annual maintenance fund for these schools or of the funds for their necessary equipment is allowed to be taken out of the regular school funds and to shorten the regular public school term until those funds are sufficient to provide a minimum of six months. The significant and hopeful fact about their establishment through the cooperation and sacrifice of the people of the communities in which they are located is the evidence that it furnishes of intense interest in the education of country boys and girls for country life, and of the faith of the country people in a sort of education and school that can and will provide better preparation for more profitable, more comfortable, more healthful, more joyous and more contented living in the country. The farmers, individually and through their various organizations, have lined up enthusiastically behind this movement. All the rural uplift forces of the State and county, educational, agricultural, public health, have actively cooperated in the movement. These schools are in successful operation now, and their results more than justify the wisdom and the expense of their establishment and maintenance. In cooperation with the A. and M. College, arrangements have been completed for supervision and aid in the direction of the vocational and extension work of these schools by trained specialists in these subjects who are connected with the State Department of Public Instruction also as supervisor of these schools and of this sort of work in other public schools, devoting such time to that work as may be necessary. As will be seen from the reports of Mr. Brogden and Mr. Newbold, found elsewhere in this report, a number of consolidated rural schools with three or more teachers are also doing some excellent work in instruction and practical training in farm-life subjects without State aid under the direction of the county superintendents and. the rural school supervisors. I regard the establishment of these schools and the remarkable increase in the number of them through the efforts and demands of the country people themselves as perhaps the most significant, practical, and far-reaching single forward step of this decade. In my opinion, it marks the beginning of a new era in rural education and in the adaptation of the work of the rural schools to the life and needs of the country people that is destined to result in increased efficiency of the rural population and in a redirection and a reorganization of rural life and a revolution of rural conditions within one or two generations. Community Service Work.—One of the most hopeful, successful, and stimu-lating movements for rural uplift was the inauguration and observance of Community Service Week in 1914. So gratifying was the result that the idea was extended in 1915 to include a month, which was devote:l entirely to the elimination of adult illiteracy and was known as Moonlight School Mouth. Again success was marked. But the feeling grew that community service should mean not a spasmodic, or periodic, but a continuous and permanent effort. The final culmination of this feeling was the formation, in 1916, of the State Bureau of Community Service, supported and directed cooperatively by the State Department of Public Instruction, State Board of Health, State Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural and Mechanical College, State 14 Two Years Educational, Progress Experiment Station, State Normal and Industrial College, and State Farmers' Union. Through this bureau community service has been made a permanent part of our work by means of the organization and registration of local com-munity service leagues under the following plan of organization and work: 1. The area covered by a Community Service League should consist of one school district of at least sixty white families. 2. Before a community is organized under this plan, it shall be visited by a representative of the State Bureau of Community Service and a report made indicating that conditions favor the success of the organization. 3. Each local league shall adopt its own method of electing officers and new members. 4. The officers shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary-treasurer, and an executive committee consisting of the president and the secretary of the league, and the chairman of each of the five permanent committees named below. 5. The president and secretary of each local league shall keep in touch with and report to the State Bureau of Community Service, Raleigh, and circulars and literature from the bureau shall be sent to them. 6. The five permanent committees of the local league, and their duties, shall be as follows: I. Committee on Education. Objects: (1) Increasing efficiency of community school in teaching, studies, at-tendance, etc. (2) Improving school grounds, buildings, equipment, and library. (3) Cooperative extension work: corn, pig, poultry, cooking, sewing, and canning clubs, traveling libraries; increasing book and newspaper reading among the people; teaching adult illiterates; making school community center, etc. II. Committee on Farm Progress. Objects: (1) Better farm methods, aiming especially at richer lands and crop diversification so as to make a self-feeding community, with "money crops" as surplus crops. (2) Increasing interest in live stock, dairying, poultry-raising, canning, and home industries. (3) Getting better tools and machinery and better breeding sires, with cooperation to effect this result. III. Committee on Cooperative Marketing. Objects: (1) To secure standardization of sales products, scientific grading, warehousing, and pooling. (2) To promote economical buying on cash basis, and encourage thrift, credit unions, cooperative associations, etc., as aids to this end. (3) To encourage good roads as aids to economical marketing. IV. Committee on Healtu. Objects: (1) To study local health conditions and promote community and home sanitation. (2) To teach individuals, adults and children, methods of disease pre-vention. (3) To combat agencies of fraud and superstition in treatment of disease. Two Years Educational Progress 15 V. Committee on Okganizatioxs and Social Life. Oiwixts: (1) To promote and assist the local farmers' organization, farm women's club, young people's debating society, and community fair. (2) To encourage lectures, debates, musicals, entertainments, local plays, picnics, celebrations, etc., and to make community surveys and maps. (3) To promote wholesome sports and recreation, outdoor and indoor games, and a community playground, and to cooperate with the committee on education in making the school the social and intellectual center of the community. 7. The executive committee of the local league, in consultation with the State Bureau of Community Service, will determine upon the specific and strategic lines of progress it is desirable to stress each year, selecting from the general and permanent aims of each committee some particular and urgent problem on which attention should be centered. 8. An official registration card shall be furnished free to each local league (one each for officers and chairmen of committees and one for filing in State Bureau). The registration card shall set out name of community, county, regular meeting place, names and addresses of all officers and chairmen and secretaries of committees, and the definite line of work each committee is to carry on for a given period, as agreed on under section 7. 9. All the services of the State Bureau of Community Service, including lectures, lantern slides, literature, etc., shall be rendered free to communities registered under this plan. 10. The executive committee of each league so organized and registered shall sign the following agreement: We, the executive committee of Community Service League, in consideration of the aid offered by the State Bureau of Community Service in working out our community problems, hereby join the officials of said bureau in agreement to all of the articles of organization above set out. The object of a Community Service League is to organize permanently the combined strength of a community. The purpose of such leagues is for each community to find ways to increase the happiness of country life; to improve the educational, social and moral conditions of the community; to conserve the health of the community dwellers; to lighten their labors by the intro-duction of home conveniences and farm inachines; to add economically to the productivity of their farms; to encourage community thrift and saving, and in general to promote community welfare by united effort. Poor schools and churches, pathetic loneliness, poverty of soil and soul, tenantry, isolation, bad roads, bad health, joyless drudgery in home and field—these are a few of the rural ills to be combatted by the organization of community service leagues. During 1916, 33 communities were organized and registered through this bureau. Annual reports already in hand from 20 of these leagues show that, although the first was not organized until March, and the last in November, an aggregate of 152 meetings were held with an average attendance at each of 47. 16 Two Years Educational Progress In addition to the regular work of organizing and registering community service leagues and directing their activities, two great county-wide com-munity service schools were held, one in Union County and the other in Samp-son, where all the community service leagues of a county gathered in a great five-day school, and where the grown-ups were taught along the line of their everyday problems and the youngsters were given special instruction by experts. Practical Instruction in Pul)lic Health and Hygiene.—With the valuable assistance and cooperation of the State Board of Health and its efficient and energetic secretary and assistant secretaries, much valuable work has been done in the public schools in increasing interest and giving instruction in public health and hygiene. Bulletins, dealing in a concise, simple, and prac-tical way with the simple hygienic laws affecting the everyday life of the child and the people, have been prepared under the direction of the Secretary of the State Board of Health, and printed and distributed to teachers of the State by the State Department of Public Instruction. A list of these bulletins will be found under Educational Literature. Directions have been given to the teachers, through the county superin-tendents, to make use of these bulletins for the systematic instruction of the children of their schools in public health and hygiene, and to give to the entire school at least three brief health talks a week, the information for which, progressively and logically arranged, has been furnished them in the Health Talks Bulletins. Another one of these bulletins, enlarging some-what on the first ideas, is now in the course of preparation. This health and hygiene work is a long step forward toward the improve-ment of sanitary conditions and public health in the rural districts. County superintendents and public school teachers have responded intelligently and enthusiastically to the call for it. Emphasis was laid upon this work in the county teachers' institutes, and special attention is being given to it in the county teachers' associations. By addresses and talks to the teachers and to the general public, the secre-tary and assistant secretary to the State Board of Health and the physicians of the State generally are aiding greatly in this campaign for the instruction of the children and the people of the State in public health and hygiene and in the cultivation of public sentiment therefor. It is impossible to calculate how much can be done, through simple instruction, line upon line, precept upon precept, for the rising generation in the public schools for the preven-tion and eradication of typhoid fever, tuberculosis, hookworm disease, scarlet fever, smallpox, diphtheria, and other preventable diseases that constitute the chief scourges of our population. The sentiment is rapidly growing and the demand rapidly increasing that such instruction shall be made an essen-tial and organic part of our educational work. Whole-time health officers have been employed in a number of counties, and with their cooperation and the cooperation of the State Board of Health an excellent beginning has been made in several counties in medical inspec-tion of school children. Camimign for Education.~The campaign for education, by bulletins, through the press, and by public addresses, has been carried on without cessa-tion. The State Superintendent has used all the time that he could spare from his work in the office for field work and educational campaign work. Two Years Educational Pkogkess 17 In this work he has also been assisted bj^ the State Agents for Rural Schools and the State Inspector of Public High Schools and other members of his staff. In many counties, of course, enthusiastic and consecrated county superin-tendents have carried on almost continuously effective campaigns for public education and school improvement, by personal work, public addresses, circu-lar letters, newspaper articles, etc. In this work many of them have been assisted by consecrated teachers and public spirited citizens of all classes and vocations. After all, the most effective part of this campaign is that carried on from year's end to year's end, without blare of trumpets, in the county, under the direction of an efficient county superintendent of common sense and consecration. Wo7na?i's Association for the Betterment of Public Schoolhoitses and Grounds.—Through the unselfish work of the patriotic women of the State, county and local associations, thousands of dollars have been raised for the improvement of schoolhouses and grounds, and much valuable voluntary service that cannot be measured in dollars and cents has been rendered in making the schoolrooms and school grounds more beautiful and attractive, and in cultivating public sentiment and public interest for the betterment of the public schools. Many county superintendents, public school teachers, county boards of education, and school committeemen have given their hearty cooperation to the women in this work. County Commencements.—Another significant and distinctive forward step in the educational progress of the period has been the increased number of county commencements held and the Increased Interest and improvement in these events. Successful county commencements have been held in most counties in which thousands of school children participated in parades, con-tests, school exhibits, school fairs and other events and hundreds of children received certificates after examination for the completion of the work of the seven elementary grades. These commencements have come to be, perhaps, the most effective educa-tional rallies and the most popular public gatherings in the counties in which they have been held. They have proved one of the most effective agencies for the stimulation of county pride, school spirit, community emulation, for the cultivation of public sentiment for public education, and for the encour-agement of children to remain in the public schools for the completion of the elementary grades and to enter the rural high schools and the farm-life schools. A bulletin on the county commencements, containing accounts of some of them, typical programs and valuable suggestions for their organiza-tion and successful conduction, has been issued from the State Department of Public Instruction, and a copy of the same can be obtained from any county superintendent. MOONLIGHT SCHOOLS FOR TEACHING AMLTS TO KEA1> AND AVRITE In response to the appeal of the State Superintendent, about five thousand public school teachers volunteered their services, without additional com-pensation, to teach night schools to instruct adults that could not read and write. The North Carolina press actively and generously joined in the cam-paign for the elimination of illiteracy, the State Council of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics appropriated fifteen hundred dollars to aid the work, and its State Councilor, Col. Paul Jones, unselfishly devoted much time Part 1—2 18 Two Years Educational Progress and effort to assisting in the work. The State Federation of Women's Clubs, local women's clubs, and other organizations in all parts of the State re-sponded to the call and rendered most valuable assistance. To ascertain the results of these schools in the reduction of adult illiteracy, a careful survey in two typical counties, Pasquotank in the East and Caldwell in the West, was conducted for the Department of Public Instruction by Mr. W. C. Crosby, Secretary of the Bureau of Community Service, in cooperation with the county superintendents of those counties. The report of those surveys reveal the remarkable facts that in those counties white illiteracy has been reduced fifty per cent—one-half—since the census of 1910; that practically all illiterates under eighteen years of age in 1910 have since been taught to read and write in the public schools; that practically every one of the illiterates remaining at the time of the survey were past thirty years of age. These facts justify the belief that, with a proper enforcement of the compulsory attendance law, illiteracy in the present and in future generations can be prevented and that, with a well organized and properly directed system of night schools, practically all adult illiterates can be reached and taught to read and write in a few years. I did not feel that it would be right to call upon the poorly paid, hard-worked public school teachers of the State to continue to give their services, without compensation, to this work of teacning night schools for adults, nor did I believe that this work could be efficiently and permanently conducted under a volunteer plan, therefore I have earnestly recommended for its con-tinuation an appropriation by the State to be duplicated by the county and the community. With the aid of such an appropriation I confidently believe that adult illiteracy can be practically wiped out within the next few years. Below is given a brief report of the surveys in Pasquotank and CaldAvell counties: A list of the white illiterates ten years of age and over, by name, age, and voting precinct, as found by the Federal census takers in 1910 in each of these counties, was secured from the United States Census Bureau. With this list in hand, a representative of the Bureau of Community Service visited each county and, with the aid of the local school officials, made can-vasses and secured definite and, it is believed, accurate information concern-ing each illiterate. In this manner the following significant facts were obtained: Pasquotank County.—Nearly half, or 253, of the 569 illiterates reported in 1910 can now read and write—have learned to read and write since 1910. Thirty-six had moved away from the county, 68 could not be found at all, 51 are dead, and only 28 per cent, or 161, were definitely established as still being illiterate. Caldwell County (five townships and town of Lenoir).—Six hundred and seventy-five of the 1,598 reported in 1910 can now read and write, 137 have moved away, 138 could not be found, 105 are dead, and 30 per cent, or 543, are still illiterate. Granting that the reduction in illiteracy among those who moved away and those who could not be found is approximately the same as among those accounted for, and deducting from the number those who have died, we find that 62 per cent in Pasquotank County and 55 per cent in Caldwell have definitely passed from the illiteracy class. In Pasquotank County the per-centage of the white population illiterate in 1910 was 7.5. According to the Two Years Educational Progress 19 above it would now be less than 3 per cent, while Caldwell County, which in 1910 had 18.8 per cent of the white population illiterate, there now would be only 8.5 per cent illiterate. A most striking fact, and one that will be of especial interest to school folk, is that, almost without exception, it was found in both counties that those illiterates who were under 18 years of age in 1910 have since been taught to read and write in the public schools. Further, practically every one of the 704 illiterates remaining in the two counties was past thirty years of age. And here lies the task of the Moonlight Schools. If these people are to be reached at all, they must be reached either by these schools or by personal workers. The facts disclosed by this survey are especially interesting and valuable, since they form a concrete basis upon which some idea of the present condi-tion of illiteracy in the whole of North Carolina can be based. Surveys are planned for two more counties—Lincoln and Catawba. The lists have been secured and the results will be published as soon as the sur-veys are completed. Following will be found the tabulated results of the surveys in Pasquotank and Caldwell counties: Results in Pasquotank County by Townships. Township Elizabeth City (proper) Elizabeth City Providence Mount Hermon Newland Nixonton Salem Totals o o 20 Two Years Educational Progress Imiiortant Educational Legislation.—Yo\\o^\ms is a summary of the edu-cational legislation enacted by the General Assembly of 1915: State-wide Bond Act for School Buildings.—This act enables any county, township, or school district which embraces an incorporated town or public high school, to vote upon the question of issuing bonds for building school-houses. The rate of interest shall not exceed 6 per cent, and the maximum amount that may be voted by any county is $100,000, or by any district or township f25,000. A sinking fund and interest are provided for by means of a special tax, and the bonds cannot be sold for less than par. Census.—Section 4148 was amended so as to place the taking of the census in the hands of the school committee, and provides that they may employ the teacher or some other competent person in each district to take the census. Compulsory Attendance.—The compulsory attendance law was amended so as to require monthly reports of absences from teachers instead of weekly, and also to require the teachers to ^notify the parents of absences of children. Further provides for attendance officer requiring parents to report on a certain day in each month to render excuse for unexcused absences of children. High Schools.—The public high school law was amended so as to require an average daily attendance of 20 pupils to entitle the school to appropriation from the State. The minimum apportionment possible from the State was reduced to ?200 from $250, and the maximum possible apportionment was raised to $600 from $500. Educational Literature,—During the two years the following new educa-tional literature has been prepared, published, and sent out from the office of the Superintendent: Program for North Carolina Day, 1915, 40 pages. Program for North Carolina Day, 1916, 16 pages. Handbook for High School Teachers, 1916, 30 pages. Public School Law, complete edition, 136 pages. Public School Law, short edition, 93 pages. Directory of School Officials, 1915, 48 pages. Directory of School Officials, 1916, 48 pages. Teachers' Reading Circle, 1915, 12 pages. Teachers' Reading Circle, 1916, 50 pages. Seventh Annual Report of the Inspector of Public High Schools, 1914, 96 pages. Eighth Annual Report of the Inspector of Public High Schools, 1915, 96 pages. Proceedings and Addresses of the North Carolina Teachers' Assembly, 1915, 347 pages. Proceedings and Addresses of the North Carolina Teachers' Assembly, 1916, 279 pages. Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1914-1916, 485 pages. Daily Schedule of Work for Teachers' Institutes, 1915, 36 pages. Daily Schedule of Work for Teachers' Institutes, 1916, 48 pages. Song Collection for Teachers' Institutes, 1915, 56 pages. Song Collection for Teachers' Institutes, 1916, 56 pages. Public School Register, 48 pages. Two Yeaks Educatio^stal Progress 21 Arbor Day, 1915, 36 pages. Arbor Day, 1916, 32 pages. How to Teach Spelling, 1916, 16 pages. Uniform Gradation and Certification of Teachers, 1916, 16 pages. Adult Illiteracy in North Carolina, 1916, 32 pages. Twelve Lessons for Moonlight Schools, 1916, 40 pages. Corn Bulletin, 1916, 96 pages. Rules and Regulations of State Board of Examiners, 8 pages. Course of Study for Farm-Life Schools, 1916, 50 pages. Approved List of Books for Rural Libraries, 1916, 45 pages. Reports of the Colleges of North Carolina. 1916, 13 pages. How to Teach Reading, 1916, 104 pages. Various pamphlets containing extracts from school law and other matters of interest. In addition to these, a supply of the most valuable bulletins heretofore pub-lished and reported has been kept on hand and will continue to be kept on hand for distribution. Besides the foregoing, blanks covering every phase of school organization and work have been sent out. These have aided all school officials in keeping their records and making accurate reports of "the work done. A new and improved system of accounting has been introduced throughout the State to aid in keeping record of school funds. A new system of statistical records of the county superintendents has been provided during this biennial period. The efforts along this line have aided greatly in the gradation of rural schools, which means a great saving of time to the children who attend these schools by enabling them to do more consistent and con-secutive work. A card index system for the statistical record of the schools has also been devised and furnished the counties where desired. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLICINSTRUCTION In accordance with my duty under the law, I beg to submit the following recommendations and statement of the reasons therefor: I. The Establishiueiit of a State Board of Exaniiuers and Institute Conductors. For the uniform certification, by examination and by accrediting without examination, of all public school teachers, principals, and superintendents, rural and urban, except second and third grade teachers, the examination and certification of whom will be left iu the hands of the county superintend-ents, by some equitable, definite, uniform plan for examination, gradation, and accrediting. For the conduct, in cooperation with county superintend-ents, of county teachers' institutes and the supervision and direction of other work in the county for the professional improvement of the rank and file of public school teachers. The need of a better method of examining, accrediting, and certificating teachers and superintendents in North Carolina is apparent from the follow-ing explanation of the present method that has been in operation in this State, almost without the crossing of a "t" or the dotting of an "i," since 1S81: 1. All teachers in the elefnentary rural public schools are required to be examined and certificated by the county superintendent of the county in which they teach: first grade teachers biennially, second and third grade teachers annually. There is no provision for them to secure exemption from this endless round of examinations on the same subjects. Their certificates ai'e valid only in the county in which they are issued. The same teacher may be legally required to be subjected to a new examination on the same subjects in every other county to which he removes and desires to teach. There is no legal provision for the renewal of certificates without further examination, for the issuance of permanent or life certificates, or for allow-ing credits towards certification without examination for work done in stand-ard colleges, normal schools, or high schools, or for successful experience. Previous preparation and successful experience count for nothing toward certification. All must be subjected to the same examination on the same subjects for all grades of certificates in the elementary rural schools. 2. All teachers in all city, town, and other public schools operated under special acts of the General Assembly are exempt from examination or certifi-cation of any sort by anybody. 3. Each county superintendent is authorized to prepare his own examina-tion questions and grade his examination papers. With a hundred county superintendents, some rigid, some lax, all differing temperamentally and intellectually, it is possible to have a hundred different standards for the same grade of certificate in North Carolina; it is impossible to establish any uniform standard of qualification or certification for teaching or any State standard that will command or deserve the respect of the public or of the profession, or that will afford reasonable protection in either. 24 . Recommendations 4. Some rural high school teachers, only those in State-aided rural high schools, are .required to be examined and certificated; others are not. No high school teachers in city and town schools are required to be examined or certificated. 5. Under the present law there are no required qualifications in scholar-ship, professional training, or experience for superintendents of city and town schools, and only the glittering generalities of a liberal education and two years experience in teaching within the five years preceding their elec-tion for county superintendents. 6. The tyro just entering the work of teaching, often as a stepping-stone to something else or as a mere temporary means of making a little money to do something else, is placed upon the same footing as the professional teacher. Under such a system there can be no adequate protection to the teaching profession or to the public against incompetents and charlatans; without professional protection there is no adequate inducement to strong men and women to enter it as a life work, and no guarantee to the public and to the taxpayers against the waste of money and the sacrifice of the precious time and the interests of their children by the employment of incompetent, untrained, and inexperienced teachers on the same footing and practically at the same salaries in unjust competition with competent, trained, and experienced teachers. Every other profession in North Carolina has been granted by the General Assembly the professional protection that it asked for itself and for the public against incompetents and charlatans in the profession. From the above explanation of the present law regulating the examination and certification of teachers in North Carolina, its injustice, its inconsistency, its lack of uniformity, though Article IX, sec. 2, of the Constitution of North Carolina explicitly directs the establishment of a uniform system of public schools, its. inadequacy to meet the changed conditions in the State and to conform to the progress in education along other lines, and to the demand for a better guarantee for better trained teachers and better service for largely increased expenditures for teaching, ought to be evident to every-body. A law enacted thirty-six years ago, fairly well adapted, perhaps, to the needs of that time, could hardly be expected by any reasonable man ac-quainted with the changed conditions since that time to be adequate to the needs of this time. It is out of date, a half-century behind progressive legis-lation upon this subject in many other States and out of harmony with pro-gressive educational thought everywhere upon this subject. For these and other reasons, in the name of a long suffering profession, and a long suffering public, I earnestly and confidently recommend to this General Assembly the enactment of a law for the uniform certification of teachers and superintendents, urban and rural, by examination, and without examination, by a proper accrediting for previous preparation and successful experience, by a competent representative State Board of Examiners in co-operation and consultation with county and city superintendents. Forty-five of the 48 States of the United States already have State examination and certification of public school teachers. After an investigation of the methods of examination and certification of teachers in many other States, I beg to suggest the following outline of the plan that I would recommend as best adapted to our needs at this time in this State: Recommkndations 25 (a) That the work of examinins;', accrediting, and certificating all super-intendents and public school teachers, except second and third grade teach-ers, and tlie work of conducting county institutes and of supervising and directing other work in the counties for the professional improvement of the rank and file of public school teachers, and for allowing them proper credits for such work, be combined under one board to be known as "The State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors." That the work of this board shall be conducted in cooperation and consultation with the county super-intendents. (b) Tliat the Board shall consist of not less than six appointive members— three men and three women—who shall devote their entire time to its work, and who shall conduct in person—one man and one woman to each county — the two weeks biennial county institutes for teachers. These members of the Board can devote to the county institute work thirty-two weeks each annu-ally, thereby holding institutes in lialf of the counties of the State each year. This will leave twenty w'eeks annually to be devoted by the members of the Board to certification of teachers and to the other work of the Board. The members of the Board in this Avay will be brought into close, sympathetic touch with the county superintendent and with the rank and file of the public school teachers of every county at least two weeks every two years. The knowledge and sympathy thus acquired by them at first hand will fit them better for planning wisely, sympathetically, and conservatively the work of examination and certification, and for planning and successfully carrying out a continuous, progressive, systematic course of work and study through county teachers' institutes, teachers' associations, reading circles, etc., for the professional improvement of these teachers. This w'ill largely remove the serious objection and the possible danger of a Board of Examiners that might become too unsympathetic, exacting, and theoretical because of a lack of practical knowledge of the educational needs and conditions of the differ-ent counties of the State by personal acquaintance with county superintend-ents and teachers, and of an appreciation of the difficulties under which so many of these in so many counties are compelled to labor. By providing a whole-time stenographer and a whole-time secretary for this Board, and mak-ing provision for tlie employment of competent help in the grading of exami-nation papers when found absolutely necessary, such a board will, in my opin-ion, be able to handle with ease all this certification, county institute, and teacher training work, to correlate it all, and to have it all done much more efficiently, expeditiously, and, in the long run, economically. The money re-quired to be appropriated biennially by every county for institute work to in-stitute workers working at it only a few weeks each summer and constantly changing, could be used far more wisely for paying the salaries and expenses of the members of the State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors, who could give their entire time and thought to the work, and would certainly be able to render more valuable service. From $10,000 to $12,000 is now annually spent for this desultory and, in many respects, unsatisfactory and uncorrelated county institute work. About $1,000 is annually expended for the work of the present State Board of Examiners for the certification of high school teachers in 214 State rural high schools, and for the certifi-cation of a comparatively small number of first grade elementary public school teachers. Not more than $10,000 additional would be needed for the 2G Recommendations salaries and the expenses of this combined Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors. It is evident, without argument, that such a whole-time board could do all of this work far more satisfactorily, systematically, and pro-fessionally, with little additional cost to the State, and that the increased efficiency of the work would far more than compensate for the small increase in cost. (c) That this Board shall be authorized to establish a uniform standard, scholastic and professional, for the certification of all public school teachers, superintendents and principals, rural and urban, by examination, or without examination in accordance with a uniform plan of accrediting applicants for satisfactory work in standard colleges, normal schools, and high schools. (d) That the certificates issued by it upon examination or upon credits and successful experience without examination shall not be valid until signed by the county superintendent or the city superintendent for the county or city in which the applicant resides, or by whom the examination is con-ducted, who shall have authority to pass upon the personality, character, and general qualifications, other than scholarship, of all such applicants for the work of teaching, and to withhold for valid reasons his approval of such certificate, with- the right of appeal by the applicant, however, to the county board of education, or the city board of trustees, and from them to the State Board of Examiners for review and investigation of the causes of such re-fusal and for final determination of the matter. (e) That certificates so issued and validated shall be valid without further examination in every county in the State, subject, however, to revocation by the State Board of Examiners for good and sufficient cause. (f) That examinations prepared by the Board shall be conducted by the county superintendents and the town and city superintendents under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed, and the papers transmitted to the State Board for gradation. (g) That the State Board shall arrange a uniform plan for the classifica-tion of certificates and for the promotion of teachers from one class to another, for the renewal of certificates and for the issuance of life certifi-cates that shall encourage and reward successful experience, professional training, and advanced scholastic attainment. (h) That all certificates heretofore issued shall be valid until the date of their expiration without further examination, and that the State Board shall provide for issuing certificates without examination, upon satisfactory evi-dence of character and qualification to all teachers now engaged in teaching in town and city schools in which certificates to teach have npt heretofore been required, and for the renewal and extension of such certificates. (i) That the Board shall m.ake similar provisions for certificating, without examination, all county, city, and town superintendents and assistant super-intendents now in service. The Board shall fix a uniform minimum profes-sional and scholastic requirement for each class of certificates issued by it upon examination or without examination, for all teachers and superintend-ents entering the work hereafter, and shall gradually and conservatively raise this minimum standard of requirement after due notice in advance. (j) That the Board shall require at least the same minimum qualifica-tions in scholarship, professional training and experience for county and city superintendents hereafter entering that work qs shall be required for the highest grade teachers whom they supervise. IvECOMMENDATIONS 27 (k) That the examination or certification of second and third grade ele-mentary teacliers shall be left in the hands of the county superintendent of each county as at present, thereby preventing a dearth of teachers in any county until more first grade teachers can be prepared, and leaving open the door of entrance to the profession to all worthy aspiring young men and women of limited means and limited opportunity for preparation for first grade work, with ample opportunity to fit themselves later for such work. The advantages of this proposed plan for examination and certification of teachers and for the organization and efficient direction and correlation of the county institute work and the whole teacher training work in the counties for the professional improvement of the rank and file of the public school teachers over the present plan ought to be evident without further argu-ment to any thoughtful person who wall take the time to compare the two plans. Some of Its Advantages May Be Summed Up As Follows: 1. It will establish a uniform standard of qualifications for all public school teachers, urban and rural, without special privileges to any. 2. It provides reasonable protection to the profession and the public and to the children against incompetents and charlatans. 3. It provides for the rational certification of teachers with or without examination, and the classification of certificates according to the work to be done and the subjects to be taught. 4. It provides for academic and professional credits for work done on the basis of scholarship and training and successful experience. 5. It gives relief from the everlasting round of senseless examinations of the same teachers on the same subjects for the same grade of certificate by making provision for renewals of certificates without examination and for permanent and life certificates. 6. It will protect the members of the teaching profession from unjust com-petition with inexperienced, unqualified, and untrained teachers, and make it possible to develop and maintain a real teaching profession in North Carolina. 7. It will gradually eliminate incompetent teachers, stimulate professional pride, and encourage better preparation, scholastic and professional, by put-ting a premium upon this. 8. It will relieve superintendents from the embarrassment of personal and political influences in behalf of local applicants and from criticism and an-tagonism, injurious to the schools, from the friends and relatives of appli-cants refused certificates by them for lack of scholarship and for other good reasons. 9. It takes care of all the worthy among the present teachers and super-intendents and throws proper safeguards around entrance to the profession in the future. 10. With little additional cost it provides a much more efficient and system-atic plan for examination and certification of teachers and for the conduct of teachers' institutes and all other teacher training work of the counties for the improvement of the rank and file of teachers. 11. It leaves open for those who are not qualified for first grade certificates and high school certificates, second and third grade certificates, so that no worthy person need be deprived of his means of livelihood. In the meantime 28 Recommendations he is afforded a better opportunity for professional improvement and for qualifying for higher and better paid work in the profession. The Success and Practicability of State Certification Already Demonstrated. In 1907, when the rural State high schools were established, in order to safeguard them against unqualified high school teachers, a State Board of Examiners was established for the certification of teachers in these schools by examination and by accrediting without examination for satisfactory work in standard colleges and normal schools. This Board was also empowered to issue five-year State-wide first grade elementary Certificates. The work of this Board has been most successful and has resulted in maintaining a high standard of efficiency for teachers in these high schools and in encouraging and stimulating higher scholastic and better professional preparation. What such a board has accomplished for this limited number of schools and teachers can be accomplished for all the schools and all the teachers of the State by the State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors under the plan recommended. In fact, the establishment, under this recommendation, of a larger and better equipped State Board of Examiners to have charge of the certification of all superintendents, high school teachers, and all first grade elementary teachers would be simply an enlargement and improvement of a plan already in successful operation for the past ten years for a limited number of such teachers. The success and practicability of such a plan has already been demonstrated, therefore, in the State. Under the present law, however, the chief clerk in the Department of Public Instruction is secretary of the State Board of Examiners, and the stenographer of the State Super-intendent has been compelled to do the stenographic work of the Board. The work of the Board and the necessary correspondence has increased so greatly that at least one-half or more of the time of the chief clerk and the stenogra-pher in the State Superintendent's office is now required to attend to the work and the correspondence of the Board of Examiners. In the meantime the regular work of this office has greatly increased also. The work of the State Superintendent's office has consequently suffered greatly, necessitating unavoidable and sometimes annoying delays in the work of the office and imposing much work upon the chief clerk and the stenographer, with no additional compensation. It is impossible for this arrangement to continue. Unless this recommendation for a Board of Examiners and Institute Con-ductors with a whole-time secretary and stenographer to take charge of all the work of examination and certification of teachers is adopted, it will be absolutely necessary either to abolish the present State Board of Examiners or to provide an additional secretary and stenographer for it. Resolutions of the I^. C. Teachers' Assembly and the State Association of County Superintendents fob State Examination and Certification. At the annual business meeting of the North Carolina Teachers' Assembly, held in Raleigh, December 1, 1916, the following resolution was unanimously passed: That we renew our pledge of support to the efforts being made by the State Department of Education to improve the standards of the teaching profession. We request the Legislative Committee of the Assembly to strive vigor- Recommendations 29 ously in assisting the state superintendent to induce tlie Legislature to enact a uniform plan of examination and certification of public school teachers. At the annual meeting of the State Association of County Superintendents the following resolution was unanimously passed: Resolved, That we heartily endorse the bill for the establishment of a State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors for the uniform examination and certification of teachers and general direction of the county institutes and other teacher training work, respectfully and earnestly petition the Gen-eral Assembly of North Carolina to enact it into law for the protection and elevation of our profession and the advancement of the cause of education, and pledge ourselves to use all honorable means to secure its passage. Similar resolutions in favor of State certification and examination of teach-ers have been passed by teachers assembled in the summer schools and by many County Teachers' Associations, and hundreds of personal petitions from individual teachers for its adoption are already on file. All of these will be presented to the General Assembly later. II. The Appointment of an Educational Commission. My second recommendation is for the appointment of an educational com-mission of three or five members to make a thorough study of the school laws and the entire educational system of the State and a careful survey of the educational conditions, and to report to the General Assembly of 1919, with a view to codifying the laws, and recommending such amendments as will give the State a complete, correlated, coordinated public school system that shall in all respects be modern and effective. For forty years we have been gradually amending and improving our school laws and improving and enlarging our school system a little at a time. We started with the University and the elementary schools. One by one at different times the A. and M. Colleges and the Normal schools were added. In 1907 a general system of public secondary schools was started; in 1911 the first provision was made for starting a system of vocational secondary schools. Each of these necessary and important parts of a com-plete educational system has been started at different times and developed more or less independently of the other and more or less disproportionately, according to the influence and activity of its respective advocates and friends. .Naturally in a system that had to be developed in this way there are some duplications of work and some lack of uniformity, correlation, and coordination. In my opinion, the time has come for a thorough study of the whole system, a careful survey of thfe State's educational conditions and needs, and a com-parative study of the best in the school systems of other States by a compe-tent educational commission in cooperation with the State Department of Public Instruction, with authority to call to its assistance in this work any expert help that may be available either from public or private foundations. I have the assurance of such assistance from some of these foundations, if desired and requested. As State Superintendent, I should welcome the assistance of such a commission. With its aid a much more thorough and comprehensive study can be made of the whole educational system, its con-ditions and needs, in two years than would be possible in many years by the State Superintendent and his corps or workers, each busy with his special work and with the numerous executive details thereof. The report and 30 Eecommendations recommendations of such a commission ought to form a safe basis for pro-gressive educational legislation in the State in 1919, that would at once set the State forward educationally many years and make it possible for North Carolina to have one of the most modern, complete, and efficient public school systems in this whole country. Such commissions have proved successful and helpful in other States, notably so recently in the State of Maryland. After investigation of the cost of this work in Maryland, I feel sure that with such assistance as can be easily obtained from outside sources, if desired, the cost of this work to this State need not exceed $5,000. III. County Boards of Education. The present plan of selecting county boards of education has, in my opinion, some serious defects. In the first place, it is not uniform. Six counties of the State are allowed by special acts of the General Assembly to elect the members of their county boards of education, and three of these counties are also allowed to elect their county superintendents. County boards of education in all other counties of the State are appointed by the General Assembly, and county superintendents of these counties are elected by the county boards of education. Section 2, Article IX, of the Constitution directs the General Assembly to provide for a general and uniform system of public schools. To have elected boards of education in some counties and elected superintendents in some counties and appointive boards of edu-cation with authority to select county superintendents in all other counties, in my opinion, is a violation of the spirit of this mandate of the Constitu-tion; and whether this be true or not, it is certainly unwise and has become a constant source of agitation and irritation. Experience everywhere has demonstrated that partisan and factional poli-tics cannot be mixed with the management of the public schools without proving disastrous to their best interests. Both political parties in North Carolina profess to favor removing the public schools from politics. The present plan of appointing county boards of education by the General As-sembly has not removed the public schools from politics, and, from the very nature of the method of appointing the chief administrative officers of the county school system by a political body upon recommendation of political and sometimes partisan factional representatives, or of the executive com-mittee of a political party, cannot remove them from politics. It has not been satisfactory mainly because these appointments have been too subject to factional and political influences and have sometimes been thus con-trolled, to the injury of the schools. The law inaugurating this plan of appointing counfy boards of education was enacted by the Democratic General Assembly of 1901, before the present State Superintendent came into office. It is not his plan, and is not the plan that he has recommended or that he now recommends. He has advocated the appointive plan in preference to the plan of electing county boards of education by popular vote advocated by the Republican Party in its plat-form, in its campaigns, strenuously fought for by its representatives in every General Assembly for the past ten or fifteen years, and favored by some Democrats, because he believed and still believes it to be a better plan, in that it removes the selection of the chief administrative officers of the county school system, and, therefore, the county schools, farther from politi-cal and factional influences and wrangles. Recommendations 31 Election of County Boards of Education by Popular Vote. The election of county boai-ds of education by popular vote would neces-sarily make the co.unty school system and the county schools more subject to political influences, political prejudices, political and factional discontent, and political and factional revenge than the appointment of them. It would make it easier to revolutionize the educational policy of the county every two years, more difficult to secure a reasonable degree of stability, perma-nency, and continuity of progressive educational policies in the county, found by experience here and everywhere to be absolutely necessary for getting the best results in educational work and for permanent growth and development in that work. From the very nature of education its growth and development must be comparatively slow; the results of educational policies cannot be fairly tested in a few years. The election of county boards of education would finally mean the indirect election of the county superintendent, who would generally be the main issue in the election of the board. This would make it difficult and almost impossible to maintain a proper professional standard of qualification for this position, and would reduce the position of county superintendent to the plane of a political oflftce instead of a profes-sional position. The best qualified men for county boards of education and county superintendent, the most important and, at present, the most poorly compensated positions in the county, would not be willing to enter a politi-cal scramble for these offices. I can conceive of no greater disaster that could befall the schools of any county than the adoption of a plan of elec-tion that would make possible and almost unavoidable the selection of the county superintendent, the head of the county school system, for political rather than professional qualifications. The election of county boards of education by popular vote W'Ould always place the county school systems of a considerable minority of the counties of the State under the control of the minority political party of the State and render it practically impossible to secure uniformity and harmony in administering the State system and in enforcing the State educational poli-cies of the majority party. The constant temptation to play the county system in these counties in antagonism to the State system and policies for which the majority political party is held responsible for political gain to the minority party would, I fear, be too great for political nature to resist. A business, like education, that is mainly professional can never be "most successfully administered under a method of selecting its chief administra-tive ofllicers that is mainly political. The minority party in its recent platform and political campaign made the election of county boards of education by popular vote in each county and the administration of the public schools the chief issue, and was defeated by an overwhelming majority. For these reasons, and others that might be mentioned if time and space permitted, I cannot recommend the election of county boards of education by popular vote. I believe that the present plan of appointment by the Gen-eral Assembly is preferable to that plan. Suggested Plan for Selection of County Boards of Education. I believe that the public schools of North Carolina are very close to the hearts of the people, and that a great majority of our people honestly desire 82 Recommendations that the administration of their schools shall be removed as far as possible from partisan politics and factional bitterness. The leaders and campaign speakers of both political parties in their discussion of this subject with the people have vied with each other in their advocacy of keeping the public schools out of politics. The Republican Party definitely proposed to do this by election of county boards by popular vote; but the people had sense enough to see that the schools could not be taken out of politics by a plan that necessarily threw them into the turmoil of partisan or factional politics in everj^ county every two years. Have not the people by an overwhelming majority in the recent election) declared that election of county boards of education by popular vote is not the remedy that they desire or approve? In my opinion, the wisest way to select county boards of education would be through a State board or council of education appointed by the Governor or the General Assembly, or by the Governor confirmed by the Senate, com-posed of representative men, teachers, farmers and men of other professions and vocations, at least one or more from every congressional district of the State, acquainted with the conditions and needs and with the people of the various counties of those districts. This board or council should be non-partisan, having, like the State Board of Elections, minority representation of the minority party of the State. Every county board of education should have at least one representative of the minority party of the State, where a suitable representative can be found. The members of this board for the selection of county boards of education and the members of the county boards of education should be chosen because of their known interest in education and their known fitness in character and intelligence for this position. Since the schools are maintained by the taxes of all the people, patronized by the children of all the people, irrespective of their political views, and need for their success the hearty support and interest of all the people, they should be removed as far as possible from partisan politics and directed by a board of education as nonpartisan as is consistent with the constitutional require-ment for a uniform system of education and with the responsibility of the majority political party of the State for the successful administration of the system in every county of the State. It is wise, fair, and just that wherever well qualified men can be found in the minority party, representation should be given to both of the leading political parties upon the county boards of education in every county. If the two political parties, their leaders and their representatives in the General Assembly of 1917, are honest in their protestations and their advo-cacy of taking the public schools out of politics, they have an opportunity of showing it. Let them advocate and enact into law a plan that will remove the selection of county boards of education, the chief administrative officers of the county school system, farthest from political and factional influences. There is a division in the Democratic Party upon this question of the selec-tion of county boards of education, manifesting itself in almost bitter dis-sension in the last General Assembly and in several previous General As-semblies, to the injury of the party and to the injury of the educational interests of the State. Would it not be wise for the representatives of the Democratic Party in the General Assembly of 1917, responsible for State educational policies, to meet in the early days of the session, to call to tneir Recommendations 33 counsel, if necessary, some of the wisest and most representative citizens and leaders of the party in the State to consider carefully and discuss freely this whole question, in the hope of finding and agreeing upon a plan for the selec-tion of county boards of education that will remove their selection as far as possible from the turmoil of partisan and factional politics, and that will be more satisfactory than the present plan of appointing them by the General Assembly, inaugurated by the Democratic Party, or the proposed plan to elect them by popular vote, advocated by the Republican Party and rejected by the people? I believe that the plan I have recommended, or some similar plan for a nonpartisan representative State board for the appointment of nonpartisan county boards of education with a majority control of the majority party of the State of each board, would remove the administration of the schools as far as is possible in a democracy from partisan and fac-tional politics and would add greatly to the efficiency of our public school system. IV. County Supervision. In every county the county superintendent is necessarily the business and professional head and director of the county school system. No big business can be permanently successful without a competent head devoting his entire time and ability to the organization and direction of the business in all of its departments. The education of thousands of children through scores of schools and teachers in each county is the biggest and most important busi-ness in that county. The business has been growing bigger and more impor-tant in every county every year. The expenditures for it by State, county, and district taxation have been rapidly increasing every year until in 1916 they were in the State at least five times what they were in 1902. The business has grown most rapidly and its success along all lines has been greatest in those counties that have employed competent whole-time superintendents at a living salary and have given these superintendents adequate assistance where needed. Increased expenditures, increased attendance, increased teaching force, lengthened school terms, demonstrated successful results in counties that have tried it as set forth elsewhere in my biennial report, seem to me to make the conclusion irresistible that the time has come for the employment of a competent whole-time county superintendent at a living salary in every county, and, in the larger counties for the employment of such additional assistance, clerical and professional, at the expense of the county, as efficient administration and supervision of the work may demand. I, therefore, recommend for more efficient supervision : (a) That the law be so amended as to require the county board of educa-tion of each county to employ for his entire time a competent superintendent, who shall be required to give his entire time to the direction of the educa-tional work of the county and the visitation and supervision of the schools while in session and who shall be forbidden to engage in any other profession or regular business while superintendent. (b) That county boards of education in the larger and wealthier counties be specifically authorized to employ such additional clerical and profes-sional assistance for the county superintendent as may be deemed necessary for the greater efficiency of the work; provided, however, that each county Part 1—3 34 Recommenbations shall provide the additional expense necessary for such assistance out of its special levy, or its regular county school funds, and that no part of the same shall come directly or indirectly from the State Equalizing Fund. It is, of course, apparent that the additional expense necessary for the em-ployment of a whole-time superintendent in counties employing only part-time superintendents now, will be provided by the special levy for necessary expenses for a four-months term, or out of the "State Equalizing Fund" in counties in which such a levy is unnecessary. As the State, therefore, bears directly or indirectly this additional expense for whole-time county superin-tendents, as the school term in the county will not be shortened thereby, as the smaller and weaker counties, because of their lack of them heretofore, need them worse now, I can conceive of no valid objection to providing whole-time county superintendents for these counties as well as for larger and stronger counties, practically all of which now have them at State expense. Nor can I see any reasonable objection to authorizing specifically any county to provide at its own expense additional assistance for its superintendent, if it is able to do so and needs it. V. Increase in State Appropriation for Rural Hi;?h Schools. I urgently recommend an increase of at least $25,000 annually in the State appropriation for rural high schools. There has been no increase in this appropriation since 1911. The enrollment and daily attendance have rapidly increased, and will continue to increase. In 1911 the enrollment in these high schools was 6,514 and the daily attendance 4,716. In 1916 the enroll-ment was 10,379 and the daily attendance 7,873. These schools are the only means of placing high school education within the reach of the vast majority of the country boys and girls, of giving them preparation for college and better preparation for citizenship and life. The cities and towns of the State have public high schools, and the country people ought not to be compelled to move to town to get high school advantages for their children. Without an increase in the State appropriation for these rural high schools it will be Impossible to meet the increasing attendance and the increasing demands upon those- already established, or to establish others where they are badly needed, for the establishment of which numerous applications are on file. For fuller information about the very successful work and growth of these rural high schools and the need of increased appropriations for their future development, I beg to ask your careful consideration of the report of Prof. N. W. Walker, State Supervisor of Rural High Schools, contained in my bien-nial report. VI. Compulsory Attendance. I recommend that the compulsory attendance law be amended so as to extend the compulsory attendance age from 12 to 14 years, and so as to strengthen the provisions for its enforcement. VII. Health Inspection and Medical Inspection. I recommend an amendment to section 4116 of the Public School Law that shall authorize the county board of education to make an appropriation out of the public school fund not to exceed $500 annually to be used in coopera-tion with the State Board of Health and the county board of health, for health Recommendations 35 instruction and medical inspection of the cliildren of the public schools, and to include such appropriation in the budget of annual necessary expenses, for which a special tax shall be levied. YIII. Increase in Salaries of Clerks and Stenographer. In consideration of the largely increased cost of living, their constantly increasing work, their efficient and faithful service, and the inadequacy of their present salaries to the work required and the responsibility imposed, I earnestly and urgently recommend an increase of the salary of the stenogra-pher of the Department from $900 to $1,500 a year, and an increase of 25 per cent in the salaries of the Chief Clerk and of the Statistical and Loan Fund Clerk. WORK TO BE DONE AND HOW TO DO IT Notwithstanding the encouraging progress along all former lines and the encouraging beginning along new lines of educational work during the past two years, as revealed by the official reports, the w-ork to be done and the ways and means of doing it have not been materially changed since my pi-eceding report. As I discussed most of these subjects somewhat fully and to the best of my ability in that report, basing my discussion and suggestions on the most careful study of our educational conditions that I have been able to make, I have deemed it wise to bring forward, with some changes and addi-tions, parts of my previous biennial report. This is the work to be done, as I see it; these are the ways and means of doing it, as I see them. I can do no better than to cry aloud and spare not until the General Assembly and the people hear and heed the suggestions or in their wisdom find and adopt some better ways of doing this needed work. Thoroughness in Essentials.—The foundation of all education is, of course, a mastery of the rudiments of knowledge—the elementary branches of read-ing, writing, arithmetic, and spelling. A knowledge of these and the training and development which comes from the effort necessary for the acquisition of such knowledge are absolutely essential for every human being. It is folly to talk about higher education or special training along any line for any useful sphere of life or work until the children have secured at least this much instruction. According to the United States Census of 1910 12.3 per cent of the white population and 31 per cent of the colored population over ten years of age in North Carolina could not read and write. While I have no doubt that we have reduced this per cent of illiteracy during the past six years, it is still painfully true that there is yet a large number of illiterates among us and a large number of children on the straight road to illiteracy. A large majority of our country schools are still one-teacher schools. The average length of our white rural school term is still only 117.6 days. Our chief attention should, therefore, be given to doing thoroughly this founda-tion w^ork and making adequate provision for it. If the foundation be not well laid first, the entire educational structure must fall to pieces. The law now wisely forbids the teaching of any high school subjects in any school having only one teacher. It requires, however, the teaching of thirteen subjects in these one-teacher schools. It is absolutely impossible for one teacher, with as many children as are to be found in the average rural school in seven grades, to do thorough work in so many subjects. It seems to me that the number of required subjects should be reduced, that the teacher In every one-teacher school should be required to devote more time—in fact, most of the time—to teaching thoroughly these fundamental essentials-reading, writing, arithmetic, and spelling. It is folly to attempt the impos-sible. In my opinion, at least the first four years of the elementary school with only one teacher should be devoted almost exclusively to these four sub-jects, sandwiching in just enough of geography, mainly in the form of nature study, talks on everyday hygiene, etc., to give a little variety to the course and to furnish some foundation for a little more extensive work in these and kindred subjects later. 38 WoEK TO Be Done and How to Do It There is more educational value, more acquisition of power and of correct intellectual habits in a thorough mastery of a few subjects than in a super-ficial knowledge, a mere smattering, of many. The one lays the foundation for real culture; the other lays the foundation for nothing better than veneer-ing. I am satisfied that there is great need for a substantial reform along this line in the required course of study in our elementary schools. The sensible teachers in the one-teacher schools are not attempting to teach this multiplicity of required subjects, and those who are attempting to teach all of these are failing to teach any as they should be taught. The law ought not to require a vain and foolish thing. Public High Schools.—Every child has the right to have the chance to develop to the fullest every faculty that God has endoAved him with. It is to the highest interest of the State to place within the reach of every child this chance. By the evidence of the experience of all civilized lands of the past and the present, the study of the higher branches is necessary for the fullest development of these faculties. Unless provided in the public schools, in-struction in these cannot be placed within reach of nine-tenths of the children of North Carolina. If the great masses of our people are to be limited in their education to the etementary branches only, we cannot hope for any material improvement in their intelligence and power and any material in-crease in their earning capacity. This State cannot expect to compete suc-cessfully with those States that have provided such instruction in their public schools for the highest and fullest development of all the powers of all their people. "The old idea that instruction in the public schools must be confined to the rudimentary branches only, or the three R's, as they were called, was born of the old false notion that the public schools were a public charity. This notion put a badge of poverty upon the public school system that was for many years the chief obstacle to the progress and development of public edu-cation in North Carolina. The notion still lingers in the minds of the few that at heart do not believe in the power and rights of the many. It has no place in a real democracy. It must give place to that truer idea, accepted now in all progressive States and lands, that public education is the highest governmental function—in fact the chief concern of a good government. This was the conception of our wise old forefathers when they declared in their Constitution that 'Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of educa-tion shall forever be encouraged,' and when they wrote into their Bill of Rights, 'The people have a right to the privilege of education, and it is the duty of the State to guard and maintain that right.' "No man in this age will dare maintain that instruction in the mere rudi-ments of learning can be called an education or that the people have been given the right to an education when instruction in these branches only has been placed within their reach. Under this broader democratic conception of public education and its function the obligation of the Government to the poorest is as binding as its obligation to the richest. The right of the poorest to the opportunity of the fullest development is as inalienable as the right of the richest. Good government and the happiness of mankind are as depend-ent upon the development of the fullest powers of the poorest as upon the development of the fullest powers of the richest. Where the Creator has hid-den the greatest powers no. man can know till all have been given the fullest Work to Be Done and How to Do It 39 opportunity to develop all that is in them. Every taxpayer, rich or poor, has an equal right to have an equal chance for the fullest development of his children in a public school with the fullest course of instruction that the State in the discharge of its governmental function is able to provide. "Public high schools constitute a part of every modern, progressive system of public education. If our system of public schools is to take rank with the modern, progressive systems of other States and other lands, to meet the modern demands for education and supply to rich and poor alike equal edu-cational opportunity, instruction in these higher branches, whereby prepa-ration for college or for life may be placed within the easy reach of all, must find a fixed and definite place in the system." Under the act of the General Assembly appropriating $75,000 from the State Treasury to aid in the establishment of public high schools, 212 public high schools in 96 counties of the State have been established, and applica-tions for the establishment of many others have had to be refused each year on account of the insufficiency of the appropriation. A report of these schools by Prof. N. W. Walker, State Inspector of Public High Schools, is published elsewhere in this report. I commend it to your careful attention. Under the law and the rules adopted by the State Board of Education, not more than four of these schools can be established in any one county. No public high school can be established except in connection with a public school having at least two other teachers in the elementary and intermediate grades, and the entire time of at least one teacher must be devoted to the high school grades. No public high school can be established in a town of more than twelve hundred inhabitants. Each district in which a public high school is established is required to duplicate by special taxation or subscription the amount apportioned to the school from the State appropriation; each county is required to apportion to each public high school out of the county fund an amount equal to that appor-tioned to it out of the State appropriation. The minimum sum that can be apportioned annually from the State appropriation for the establishment and maintenance of any public high school is ?200 and the maximum sum $600. The total sum annually available for any public high school established under this act ranges, therefore, from $600 to $1,800. The high school funds can be used only for the payment of salaries of the high school teachers and the necessary incidental expenses of the high school grades. No teacher can be employed to teach or can draw salary for teaching any subjects in any public high school who does not hold a high school teacher's certificate covering at least all subjects taught by said teacher in said public high school, issued by the State Board of Examiners, of which the State Superintendent is ex officio chairman. The course of study is prescribed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. As indicative of the need and demand for these schools, I beg to call your attention to the fact that there have been applications for many more such schools than could be established with the appropriation, and that the number of such applications would have been greatly increased had it not been under-stood that the appropriation was already exhausted. As a further striking indication of the need for them, of the desire among the masses of the country people for higher instruction, and of their willingness and determination to avail themselves of the opportunities placed within their reach for such in-struction, I beg to call your attention to these significant facts, taken from 40 Work to Be Done and How to Do It the official reports of these schools, all of which are in country districts or small towns of less than twelve hundred people: 10,379 country boys and girls were enrolled in the high school grades of these schools during the ninth year, and of these 7,873 were in average daily attendance. Do not the large enrollment and the remarkable average daily attendance of more than 76 per cent of the enrollment in these high schools indicate almost a pathetic eagerness of the country boys and girls for high school in-struction, and a commendable willingness on the part of their parents to make the sacrifices necessary to give their children a chance to avail them-selves of the opportunities to get it? Is it not more than probable that per-haps nine-tenths of all these boys and girls enrolled in all the grades of these high schools would never have had an opportunity for any higher instruction or better preparation through higher instruction for service and citizenship had not these public high schools been established within their reach and means? The State and county cannot afford to ignore this demand and need. An adequate system of public high schools will be found to be a part of every modern system of public education in all progressive cities and States in the country and in the most progressive and prosperous countries of the world. It Is a need and demand of the age. By no other means than by the public high school can high school instruction be placed within the reach of the children of the many. By no other means than by the rural public high school can it be placed within the reach of the great majority of the country boys and girls. The private high school cannot meet this demand, because the tuition and other necessary charges for its maintenance place it beyond the means of the majority of the country boys and girls, and because the number of country parents who are able to bear these necessary expenses of instruction in private high schools for their children is far too small to maintain enough of these private high schools to be within reasonable reach of more than a very small minority of the country boys and girls. No one church is able to support enough of these high schools to place high school instruction within reasonable reach or within the financial ability of more than a mere handful of boys and girls in the rural districts. The church high school could hardly hope for the patronage of more than the children of the families accepting its tenets or inclined to its doctrines. For a complete system of high schools, therefore, that would reach all the children, it would seem to be necessary for each denomination to maintain a system of high schools in every county and to have as many systems of high schools in each county as there are denominations in that county. The im-practicability and expensiveness of meeting adequately the demand for high school instruction among the masses of the people, especially in the rural districts, by private high schools or by church high schools must be apparent, therefore, to any thoughtful student of rural conditions. The task of placing high school instruction within reasonable reach of all the children of all the people, irrespective of creed or condition, is too great and too complicated, it seems to me, ever to be successfully performed by church, private enterprise or philanthropy. If performed at all, it seems to me, it must be by all the people supporting by uniform taxation a system of public high schools of sufficient number to be within the reasonable reach of all the children of every county and community, with doors wide open Work to Be Done and How to Do It 41 to the children of the poor and the children of the rich, irrespective of creed or condition, affording equality of educational opportunity to all the children of a republic, of which equality of opportunity is a basic principle. The church high school and the private high school will still find a place and an important work in our educational system, but they can never take the place or do the work of the public high school for the masses of the people. There will always be those among us who will prefer the church or private high school, and who will be able to indulge this preference, but the main dependence of the many for higher education must still be the public high school, supported by the taxes of all the people, belonging to all the people, within reach of all the people. God speed the work of the church and the private high school in this common battle against ignorance and illiteracy. There is work enough for all to do; but surely in a republic like ours, one of the cardinal principles of which is and must ever be the greatest good to the greatest number, friends of the church high school and of the private high school will never undertake to say that all the people must get out of the way of a few of the people, and that the many public high schools, supported by all the people for the benefit of all the children, must get out of the way for a few private and church high schools that can at best hope to reach but a few of the children of the people. Future Developnient of Public High Schools.—There are now from one to four public high schools in each of 96 counties of the State. There are, there-fore, four counties in which no public high schools have yet been established. For the proper maintenance and development of these high schools more money will, of course, be required. It is our hope to be able to select the best high school in each county, taking into consideration the location, the accessibility, the environment, etc., and develop this into a real first-class county high school, doing thorough high school work for four full years and some vocational work in agriculture, sew-ing and cooking and other rural life subjects. Around this school should be built a dormitory and a teachers' home. The dormitory, properly conducted, would afford an opportunity for the boys and girls from all parts of the county to board at actual cost. Many of these could return to their homes Friday evening, coming back Monday morning. Many of them who do not have the money to spare to pay their board would probably be able to bring such provisions as are raised on the farm and have them credited on their board at the market price. A small room rent could be charged each student. The principal's home would make it possible to secure a better principal and keep him pi'obably for years, thereby giving more permanency to the school and more continuity to the work, making a citizen of the teacher and enabling him and his family to become potent factors in the permanent life of the com-munity, contributing no small part to uplifting it, morally and intellectually, by their influence. It is my hope to be able to secure the development of a number of these central county high schools in the most favorable counties, equipped with dor-mitories and teachers' homes, and demonstrate the practibility, success and the value of them. Having done this, it will be easy to secure their establish-ment and development in other counties. We should gradually develop in every county of the State at least one first-class county high school with dormitory and teacher's home. Then the other high schools in different sec-tions of the county should be correlated with this central school, and the 42 Work to Be Done and How to Do It course of study in these should be limited probably to not more than two years of high school work, requiring all students desiring to pursue the last two years of the four-year course to attend the central county high school, which will be fully equipped in all respects for thorough high school work. The central county high schools, as they grow and develop, should become also the nuclei for successful industrial and agricultural training. Parallel courses of study for the last two years might be arranged, one course offering thorough preparation for college of the small number of students desiring such preparation and the other offering practical industrial and agricultural training for the large number whose education will end with the high school. The dormitory would afford a splendid equipment for practice work for the girls in cooking, domestic science, household economics, etc.; while the boys, during the last two years, could have training in agricultural subjects that will fit them for more intelligent and profitable farming. The practical side of this work could be supplied by acquiring by purchase or lease a small farm in connection with the high school. All this development must, of course, be a gradual and perhaps a some-what slow growth. It is best that it should be. We must be content with the day of small things. We cannot far outrun the desire, demand, and ability of the people. Our schools must have their roots in the life and needs of the people and grow out of these. They must not be lifted at once so high above these that their roots cannot touch them and that the people will be unable to reach up to them. They must connect with the life and conditions as they now are, and grow upward slowly, changing these gradually and lifting them upward with them as they grow. The best colleges of the State are raising their entrance requirements with a gradual elevation of their courses of study to standard colleges, thereby em-phasizing the necessity for the development of more high schools prepared to give a full four years course of high school instruction, in order to prepare students at home for entering these higher institutions. The demand for vocational work in agriculture, sewing, cooking, household economics and other rural life subjects for preparation of country boys and girls at home for country life is increasing, and becoming more insistent every year, thereby also emphasizing the necessity for the establishment and maintenance of more rural high schools with a full four years course of study including instruction in these rural life subjects. If these demands are to be met, there must be an increase in the State, county, and district appropria-tions for the establishment and maintenance of more of these central rural high schools, prepared in faculty and material equipment, to give a full four years course of study for preparation for college and for vocational prepara-tion for country life. Industrial and Agricultural Education.—"Every complete educational sys-tem must make provision also for that training in the school which will give fitness for the more skillful performance of the multitudinous tasks of the practical work of the world, the pursuit of which is the inevitable lot of the many, for that training which will connect the life and instruction of the school more closely with the life that they must lead, which will better pre-pare them for usefulness and happiness in the varied spheres in which they must move. All these spheres are necessary to the well being of a complex life like ours. The Creator, who has ordained all spheres of useful action, has not endowed all with the same faculties or fitted all for the same sphere of action. Work to Be Done and How to Do It 43 "We are all hut parts of one stuvendous whole, Whose hody Natu7-e is, and God the soul!" "Every wise system of education, therefore, must, beyond a certain point of educational development, recognize natural differences of endowment and fol-low to some extent the lines of natural adaption and tastes, thus cooperating with Nature and God. The education that turns a life into unnatural chan-nels and into the pursuit of the unattainable fills that life with discontent and dooms it to inevitable failure and tragedy. In recognition of these established laws of Nature and life, manual training and industrial education are begin-ning to find a fixed and permanent place in systems of modern education. They have already been given a place in some of the higher institutions of our public school system—in the A. and M. College for the white race at Raleigh, in the State Normal and Industrial College for women at Greensboro, in the A. and M. College for the colored race at Greensboro, and in our county farm-life ^schools. Under the new supervision industrial training is empha-sized in the State Colored Normal Schools at Winston, Fayetteville, and Eliza-beth City. Some of the city graded schools, notably those of Durham, Ashe-ville. Wilmington, Winston, Greensboro, Charlotte, and Raleigh, have intro-duced manual training and industrial education. "This sort of education, however, must come as a growth, a development of a general school system that provides first for the intellectual mastery of those branches that are recognized as essential for intelligent citizenship and workmanship everywhere. It must be remembered that the first essential difference between skilled labor and unskilled labor is a difference of intelli-gence as well as of special training; that a skilled farmer must be first of all a thinking man on the farm; a skilled mechanic, a thinking man in the shop; that a skilled hand is but a hand with brains put into it and finding expres-sion through it; that without brains put into it a man's hand is no more than a monkey's paw; that without brains applied to it a man's labor is on the same dead level with the labor of the dull horse and the plodding ox; that a man with a trained hand and nothing more is a mere machine, a mere hand. The end of education is first to make a man, not a machine. "It will be well to remember, also, that industrial education is the most ex-pensive sort of education, on account of the equipment necessary for it and the character of the teachers required for it. Teachers prepared for success-ful instruction in this sort of education must, of course, be in some sense specialists in their line, and always command good salaries. For the majority of the public schools of the State, therefore, with one-room schoolhouses with-out special equipment and with one teacher without special training, with the present meager salary, and barely money enough for a five months term and for instruction in the common school branches, with more daily recitations already than can be successfully conducted, industrial education and technical training are at present impracticable. "A study of the history of this sort of education will show that it has come as a later development, after ample provision had been made for thorough in-struction in the lower and in the higher branches of study, in those schools that were provided with school funds sufficient for instruction in the ordi-nary school studies, for the expensive equipment and for the teachers trained especially for industrial and technical education. In fact, I think it will be found that such education has been provided first in towns and cities and 44 WouK TO Be Done and How to Do It great centers of wealth and population or in institutions generously sup-ported by large State appropriations or by large endowments. To undertake such education in the ordinary rural schools of the State in their present con-dition, with their present equipment and with the meager funds available for them, would result in burlesque and failure, and would, in my opinion, set back for a generation or two this important work." We can and should, however, continue to give in all our public schools elementary instruction in agriculture, and to encourage nature study in these schools. An admirable little text-book on agriculture has been adopted for use in the public schools, and in the course of study sent out, nature study has been provided for every grade. In a number of counties, with the aid of the county superintendents and their assistants in rural school supervision, many public schools with three or more teachers have been organized by consolidation and enlargement of small districts. In these schools, without interference with thorough instruction in the required elementary school subjects, some efficient instruction is being successfully undertaken in sewing, cooking, gardening, agriculture,* and other subjects adapted to country life. We must reduce to a necessary minimum, as rapidly as possible, the one-teacher schools, and multiply as rapidly as possible the number of schools with three or more teachers if we expect to place more thorough instruction in the prescribed elementary branches and any sort of efficient industrial and agricultural education within close reach of the majority of the country children. I beg to call special attention to the fuller reports of the work of the elementary rural schools of this type and to the encouraging results thereof, contained in the reports of the State Agents in Rural Supervision published elsewhere in this report. I beg to call attention, also, to the discussion of these subjects contained in the address of the State Superintendent to the State Association of County Superintendents published elsewhere in this report. The longest and most successful step in the direction of efficient industrial and agricultural education for preparation of country boys and girls for country life yet taken, is the establishment of the county farm-life schools, a fuller discussion of which will be found in the first part of this report. Illiteracy and 'Nonattendance. and How to Overcovie Them—Compulsory Attendance.—With 131,992 native white illiterates over ten years of age, or 12.3 per cent, according to the United States Census of 1910; with only 79 per cent of the white children between the ages of six and twenty-one enrolled in the public schools and only 57 per cent of them in regular daily attendance; with about 115,000 white children between these ages unenrolled in the public schools; with North Carolina still standing in the United States Census of 1910 near the last in the column of white illiteracy; the urgent need of finding and enforcing some means of changing as rapidly as possible these appalling conditions must be apparent to every thoughtful, patriotic son of the State. Two means suggest themselves: (1) Attraction and persuasion. (2) Com-pulsory attendance. Attraction and Persuasion.—"Much has been done, much more can be done, to increase attendance through the attractive power of better houses and grounds, better teachers, and longer terms. An attractive schoolhouse and a good teacher in every district, making a school commanding by its work public confidence, respect and pride, would do much to overcome nonattend-ance. The attractive power of improved schools and equipment to increase "Work to Be Done and ITow to Do Tt 45 attendance is clearly demonstrated by the statistics of this Report, which show, with few exceptions, the largest per cent of attendance in consolidated districts, rural special tax districts and entire counties that have the largest school fund, the longest school terms, and the best schools. 'The general rule seems to be, then, that attendance is in direct proportion to the efficiency of the schools and the school system. I have already called your attention to the fact that with the improvement in the public school-house and schools, and the increased educational interest during the past few years, has come also an increase in the per cent of enrollment and at-tendance in the public schools. "Much can also be done to increase the attendance upon the public schools by earnest teachers, who will go into the homes of indifferent or selfish parents whose children are not in school, and by persuasive argument and tact and appeals to parental pride induce many of these parents to send their children; who will seek out children in homes of poverty, and remove, through quiet, blessed charity, the causes of their detention from school. From the census and from the report of the preceding teacher recorded in the school register each teacher can ascertain at the beginning of the session the names of all illiterates and non-attendants of school age in the district and reported cause of nonattendance. Under the rules recommended by the State Superintendent and adopted by many county boards of education the teacher is required to spend two days immediately preceding the opening of the school in visiting the parents and making special efforts to get these children to attend school. I have no doubt that many of these can be and will be reached by these efforts. Much can be done, also, by active, efficient school committeemen and other school officers who will take an interest in the school and aid the teachers in finding and bringing- in the children. "The compelling power of public opinion will do much to bring children into the school. Logically, as public sentiment for education increases, public sentiment against nonattendance will increase. Public opinion might, in many communities, be brought to the point of rendering it almost disgrace-ful for parents to keep children at home without excellent excuse during the session of the schools. Self-respecting parents would be loath to defy such a public opinion and run the risk of forfeiting the esteem of the best people of the community. "It is the tragic truth, hoAvever, that there are some parents so blinded by ignorance to the value and importance of education, and others so lazy, thrift-less or selfish that they cannot be reached by the power of attraction and persuasion, or the mild compulsion of public opinion." It is the sad truth that those whose children most need the benefits offered by the public schools are hardly to be reached by any other means but compulsion. Comindsory Attendance.—The tendency of illiteracy is to perpetuate itself. The majority of illiterate children are the children of illiterates and perhaps the descendants of illiterates. It is natural that ignorance and illiteracy, being incapable of understanding or appreciating the value and the necessity of education, should be indifferent and apathetic toVvard it—just as natural as it is for the children of darkness to love darkness rather than light. The intervention of the strong arm of the law is the only effective means of saving the children of many illiterates from the curse of illiteracy. The intervention of the strong arm of the law is, in my opinion, the only hope of saving, also, 46 Work to Be Done and How to Do It the children of literate, and sometimes intelligent, parents from the careless-ness,
Object Description
Description
Title | Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina to Governor..., for the scholastic years... |
Other Title | Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina to Governor, summaries and recommendations |
Creator | North Carolina. Department of Public Instruction. |
Date | 1914; 1915; 1916 |
Place | North Carolina, United States |
Description | Part 1 of 3 |
Publisher | Raleigh :Dept. of Public Instruction,1907- |
Agency-Current |
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction |
Rights | State Document see http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,63754 |
Physical Characteristics | v. :ill., ports., maps (part fold.) ;23-25 cm. |
Collection |
North Carolina State Documents Collection. State Library of North Carolina |
Type | Text |
Language | English |
Format | Reports |
Digital Characteristics-A | 88 p.; 5.09 MB |
Digital Collection |
Ensuring Democracy through Digital Access, a North Carolina LSTA-funded grant project North Carolina Digital State Documents Collection |
Digital Format | application/pdf |
Audience | All |
Pres File Name-M | pubs_biennialreportof19141916nort.pdf |
Pres Local File Path-M | \Preservation_content\StatePubs\pubs_edp\images_master\ |
Full Text | BIENMAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OP PUBLIC INSTRUCTION OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR THE SCHOLASTIC YEARS 1914-1915 AND 1915-1916 RALEIGH Edwards & Broikjhton Printing Compamv State Printers 1917 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION J. Y. JoYXEii Superintendent of Public Instruction W. H. PiTTMAN Chief Clerk A. S. Brower .Statistical Secretary, Clerk of Loan Fund E. E. Sams Supervisor of Teacher Training N. W. Walker State Inspector of High Schools L. C. Brodgen State Agent Rural Schools N. C. Newbold State Agent Rural Schools T. E. Browxe Agent Agricultural Extension Miss Annie Travis Stenographer W. C. Crosby Secretary Community Service Bureau STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Locke Craig Governor, President J. Y. JoYNER Superintendent Public Instruction, Secretary E. L. Datjghtridge Lieutenant Governor J. Bryan Grimes Secretary of State B. R. Lacy State Treasurer W. P. Wood State Auditor T. W. BiCKETT Attorney General STATE BOABD OF EXAMINERS J. Y. Joyner Chairman ex officio W. H. PiTTMAN Secretary, Raleigh H. E. Austin Greenville N. W. Walker '. Chapel Hill J. H. HiGHSMiTH Wake Forest L. N. HicKERSON Wentworth B) LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL State of North Carolina, Department of Public Instructiox. Raleigh. December 10, 1916. To His Excellency. Locke Craig, Governor- of North Carolina. Dear Sir:—According to section 4090 of The Revisal of 1905 I have the honor to transmit my Biennial Report for the scholastic years 1914-15 and 1915-1916. Very truly yours, J. Y. Joyxer, Superintendent of Puhlic Instruction. 53G.il TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I Summary in Brief Outline of Two Years' Progress in Education. Recommendations. Work to Be Done and How to Do It. Statistical Summary of Two Years' Progress. Statistics for 1914-15. Statistics for 1915-16. PART II PART III Report of State Inspector of Public High Schools, 1914-15. Report of State Inspector of Public High Schools, 1915-16. Report of Supervisor of Teacher-training. Report of State Ageni Rural Schools. Report of State Agent Rural Schools. Report of Colored Normal Schools, 1912-13 and 1913-14. Report of Cherokee Normal School. Circular Letters of State Superintendent. PART I SUMMARY AND BRIEF OUTLINE OF TWO YEARS FROfiRESS IN EDUCATION. REC0M3IENDAT10NS. WORK TO BE DONE AND HOW TO DO IT. STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF TWO YEARS PROGRESS. SUMMARY AND BRIEF OUTLINE OF TWO YEARS PROGRESS IN EDUCATION The following summary and brief outline of the progress in education for the biennial period beginning July 1, 1914, and ending June 30, 1916, is based on the official reports on file in the office of the Superintendent of Public In-struction and can be verified in detail by the published statistical reports of this biennial period. Increase in School Funds:—The total available school fund for the year ending June 30, 1916, was $7,272,887.70. This is an increase of $1,153,284.98 over the total available school fund for 1914. Of this total available school fund for 1916, $3,377,039.13 was raised by State and county taxation and ap-propriation, and $1,640,985.^0 was raised by local taxation in syecial-tax dis-tricts of which $937,385.29 was raised in urban districts and $703,600.51 was raised in rural districts. This is an increase in 1916 over 1914 of $159,018.03 in the amount raised by local taxation in rural districts and $114,019.12 raised by local taxation in urban districts. Of the total available school fund for 1916, $4,573,931.62 was the rural school fund and $2,698,956.08 the urban school fund. In percentage there has been an increase of 29 per cent in the funds raised by local taxation in the rural districts, and 14 per cent in the funds raised by local taxation in the urban districts, and 18 per cent in the annual available fund raised by general State and county taxation and appropriation in 1916 over 1914. Excluding bonds, loans, State appropriations, and the balance from the previous year, the whole amount raised by county and local district taxation for public schools during 1916 was $4,191,472.76, an increase of $184,693.25 over 1914. These figures show that during 1916 $8.80 was raised for each child of school age enumerated in our State school census, $6.90 for each child outside the cities and towns and $16.49 within the cities and towns. This was a per capita increase in 1916 over 1914 of 93 cents for each child, an increase of 51 cents for each county child of school age and $2.46 for each city child of school age. These comparisons are made between the last year of this biennial period, 1916, and the last year of the preceding biennial period, 1914, so as to indi-cate the progress of the period. The figures for the year 1915 and the rela-tive progress in 1916 over 1915 can be easily ascertained from the published statistical reports found elsewhere in this report. For What Money Was Spent.—^^'ith this increase in available funds for educational purposes, there has been during the year a corresponding in-crease in those things that can be provided only by increased funds. There has been an increase of $1,104,350.16 in the value of rural school property and 1,306,828.34 in fhe value of urban school property, making a total increase of $2,411,178.50 in the value of the public school property of the State. There has been spent during the period $2,155,984.27 in building, improving, and equipping public schoolhouses. Eight hundred and forty-five new rural schoolhouses have been built at an average cost of $1,109.95. There has been an increase of 822 in the number of rural schoolhouses equipped with patent 8 Two Years Educational Progress desks, and $154,045.96 has been expended during the biennial period for furni-ture for rural schoolhouses and $86,202.96 for furniture for urban schools. Two and eight-tenths days have been added to the average annual school term of the white schools of the State, and the average annual school term of the colored schools of the State has remained the same; 2.2 dajs to the white rural school term; 4.5 days to the white urban school term. There has been an increase of 1,007 in the number of white teachers employed, and 269 in the number of colored teachers employed. There has been an increase in the average annual salary of white teachers of $25.26 and $2.23 in the average annual salary of colored teachers. The average annual salary of rural school teachers has been increased $18.45 or 21 per cent. There has been a necessary increase in the expense of collecting, administering, and expending a larger fund, and an increase in the current expenses for longer terms with more schoolrooms and teachers. The total expenditures for all schools during 1916 was $6,561,646.84, which represents an increase of $994,653.95 over 1914, an increase of $655,473.55 in the expenditures of rural schools, and $339,180.40 in the expenditures for city schools. Of this increase, rural teachers and superintendents received $433,- 920.78 and urban teachers and superintendents received $192,504.22. There was a decrease in the expenditures for administration in the rural schools, which includes expenses of county board, treasurers' commissions, school committeemen, attendance officers, teachers" institutes, postage, stationery, etc., of $6,271.88, and an increase in the urban schools of $4,629.40. The in-crease in the expenditures for repaying borrowed money, i. e., money bor-rowed temporarily for paying teachers' salaries between the time of the opening of school and the collection of taxes for money repaid State Loan Fund, payments on bonds, and errors and overcharges in taxes, was $323,- 861.21 for the rural schools and $237,092.65 in the urban schools. The ex-penditures for public high schools showed a reasonable increase. In this report the expenditures for rural high schools have been included with the other rural school expenditures, and will not be found listed separately as heretofore. The detailed report of the high school expenditures will be found in the report of the State Inspector of Public High Schools, found elsewhere in this report. There was a slight increase in the amount spent for buildings and furni-ture. Taking collectively the gain in the expenditures under each head, there was a net increase in the expenditures for the State for public schools of $994,653.95 in 1916 over 1914. This shows a gain in the expenditures for schools of 17 per cent in 1916 over 1914. Increase in Value of School Property.—^In 1916 the total valtie of school property of the State was $11,489,881.77. Of this amount, the value of rural school property was $6,135,060.18 and the value of city school property was $5,354,821.59. This is an increase in 1916 over 1914 of $2,411,178.50 in the total value of all school property, of which $1,104,350.16 is the increase in the value of rural school property and $1,306,828.34 the increase in the value of city school property. The value of white school property in 1916 was $10,205,859.77, of which $5,467,795.61 was rural and $4,738,064.16 was urban. The percentage of increase in the value of school property during the biennial period was 26 per cent, 22 per cent rural, 32 per cent urban. In 1916 there were 8,088 schoolhouses in the State—7,743 rural and 345 urban, 5,449 rural white and 2,294 rural colored, 225 urban white and 120 Two Ykaks Ei)rt'ATioKAL Fk()<;kkss 9 urban colored. The average value of each rural white schoolhouse was $1,003.45, the average value of each urban white schoolhouse was $21,058.06; the average value of each rural colored schoolhouse was $290.90, the average value of each urban colored schoolhouse was $5,137.98. There has been an increase of $151.90 in the average value of each rural white schoolhouse, and $43.42 in the average value of each rural colored schoolhouse in 1916 over 1914. During the biennial period $943,421.55 was spent for white rural school buildings and sites, and $729,067.03 was spent for white urban school build-ings and sites, and $83,235.29 was spent for colored rural school buildings, and $125,437.13 was spent for urban colored school buildings. Taken collec-tively, this means that $1,026,456.84 was spent for rural school buildings and sites, and $854,504.16 was spent for urban school buildings and sites. Isfeio Rural Schoollwitses Built.—As will appear from the table found else-where in this report 845 new rural schoolhouses have been built during the biennial period, 639 white and 206 colored, valued at $937,904.23. This means an average of one rural schoolhouse built for every day in the year, and including the city schoolhouses built, the average runs considerably over one per day. This pace of building at least one new schoolhouse for every day in the year according to approved plans of modern school architecture prepared by competent architects under the supervision of the State Depart-ment of Education and distributed from the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, has been maintained for the past fourteen years— a total of 5,624 new rural schoolhouses having been built during this time — in 5,114 days. This also means that two-thirds of all the schoolhouses in the State have been built or rebuilt within the last fourteen years. Improvement in Scliool Furniture and Equipment.—During the biennial period $240,248.92 has been spent for school furniture and necessary equip-ment. In 1916 there w-ere 4,268 rural schoolhouses equipped with modern school furniture—3,711 white and 557 colored—an increase of 662 white and 160 colored over 1914; 2,6.26 rural schoolhouses were equipped with home-made desks—1,436 white and 1,190 colored. Increase in Local-Tax Districts and Funds Raised by Local Taxation.— During the period 205 local-tax districts have been established by voluntary vote of the people in rural communities and small towns, an average of more than two districts per week for each week in the two school years. This made a total of 1,834 districts in the State at the end of the school year. In 1916 $1,640,985.80, or more than 22 per cent of the entire school fund of this State, was raised by local taxation, $703,600.51 in rural districts and $937,385.29 in urban districts. All the counties of the State now have from one to 67 local-tax districts each, levying special taxes therein to supplement their apportionment from the State and county funds for longer terms, better schoolhouses and equipment, better teachers paid better salaries, and for better schools. Increase in Attendance and Lengtliening of School Term.—The increase in the school census in 1916 over 1914 was 48,037—35,600 white and 12,437 colored. The increase in the school enrollment was 49,599—39,709 white and 9,890 colored. The increase in the average daily attendance, 37.727—30.083 white and 7,644 colored. These figures indicate a most remarkalile increase in the enrollment and attendance when it is remembered that the compulsory attendance law went into effect in 1914, and there was at that time an in- lU Two Years Educational Progress crease in thq attendance of 75,919. This means that in four years the num-ber of children attending the public schools of the State has been increased by 113,646, or more than 30 per cent. In 191C the average length of school term in the white rural schools was 117.6 days, in the city white schools 170.5 days, in all white schools of the State 127 days, in the rural colored schools 104 days, in the city colored schools 166 days. This is an increase in 1916 over 1914 in the average term of rural white schools of 2.2 days. The average increase in the term of all rural schools was 2 days. The increase in 1916 over 1914 in the average term of urban white schools was 4.5 days. As stated above, there has been an increase of 1,276 in the number of teachers employed, white and colored. Improvement in Teachers' Institutes and Other Facilities for Teacher-training.— Under amendments to the school law by the General Assembly of 1909 a two-weeks' teachers' Institute was made mandatory in every county biennially. Teachers' institutes were held in twenty-nine counties in 1915 and in sixty-two counties in 1916. Institutes were arranged for in Ashe and Wilkes but could not be held on account of flood conditions. The number of institutes conducted in 1916 was smaller than in 1914 because the General Assembly of 1915 amended the law so as to equalize the number of counties having institutes in 1916 and 1917. This change took eighteen counties from the 1916 group and put them in the 1917 list. Special arrangements were made in Durham, Craven, Guilford, Jackson, McDowell, Orange, Pitt, and Watauga for the training of the teachers in summer schools or otherwise to take the place of institute work. With the aid of the Supervisor of Teacher-training, also made possible by an amendment to the law in 1909, the work of the county teachers' institutes and the county teachers' associations has been organized and systematized, and through teachers' reading circles, a valuable course for home study and home training for the professional improvement of the rank and file of the teachers is being successfully conducted. Teach-ers' associations, holding monthly meetings, are in successful operation in more than ninety counties. Most of these associations have also organized teachers' reading circles for pursuing the prescribed course of professional reading. A trained man and a trained woman have been appointed to conduct each of these county teachers' institutes. All institute workers have been required to attend a conference of three or four days with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Supervisor of Teacher-training, for the discus-sion of their work and the arrangement of uniform and definite plans of work before beginning the institutes, and have been furnished with bulletins containing definite outlines and approved suggestions for the work of the institutes. Under this plan there has been marked progress in the organiza-tion and the direction of this institute work. It has been uniform, practical, and progressive, with more teaching and demonstration and less lecturing, with more emphasis on the essential subjects and less on the frills. The reports received from these institutes have been the most encouraging ever received by the State Superintendent. They have been more largely attended and the teachers have been more interested and benefited than ever before. A fuller report of this institute and teacher-training work, by the Supervisor of Teacher-training, is printed elsewhere in this report. An attempt has been made, with encouraging success, to correlate and coordinate Two Years Educational Pkogress 11 the work of these agencies for home study and professional improvement of teachers—the teachers' institute, the county teachers' association and reading circles, to plan the work so as to make it more progressive and continuous .from year to year. North Carolina Education, our official State teachers' journal, is heartily cooperating and rendering valuable assistance in carrying on this work. Improvement in County SuperviHion.—There has been an increase in the number of county superintendents giving their entire time to the work of supervision and an increase in the time devoted to their work by nearly all the superintendents. Seventj'-five county superintendents now devote their entire time to the work. The county superintendents are thoroughly organ-ized into State and district associations, holding annual meetings for the discussion with each other and with the State Superintendent of their com-mon problems, for an exchange of views and experiences, for mutual counsel and advice and for forming plans for carrying on more uniformly and suc-cessfully the great work of educating all the people in the schools for all the people. It has seemed to me that during this biennial period the county superintendents have shown an unusual improvement in the efficient and intelligent discharge of their duties and that on the whole they have mani-fested a fine spirit of loyalty and devotion to their work. Much progress has been made in the organization, training, and directing of their teaching force and in systematization, classification and gradation of the work in the rural schools. As will appear elsewhere from the reports of Mr. Brogden and Mr. New-bold, the State Agents for Rural Schools, there has been during the year marked progress in a number of counties in closer and more efficient super-vision of rural schools. At least 18 counties employed during the year com-petent, trained women to assTst in the supervision of their rural schools. Progress in Rural Public High Schools.—During the biennial period seven new public high schools have been established, making a total of 212 stich schools in ninety-six counties of the State. There are, therefore, only four counties that do not have one or more of these schools. The annual State appropriation for their maintenance is $75,000, and has not been increased since 1911. During the biennial period $503,505.32 has been expended for the maintenance of these schools. The total enrollment of country boys and girls in them was 8,986 in 1915 and 10,379 in 1916, a total of 19,365 for the biennial period—9,406 boys and 9,959 girls. This is an increase of 3,103, or 19 per cent., in the total enrollment in 1916 over that of 1914. There has been an average daily attendance of 6,773 in 1915 and 7,873 in 1916. The percentage of the enrollment in average daily attendance for the past two years was 75 per cent. In connection with some of these high schools dormitories have been built and equipped, in which high school students may secure board at the actual cost and pay for it in money or in provisions at the market price. These figures show an encouraging increase in enrollment and attendance upon these public high schools, indicating a commendable growth in public sentiment among the rural population for high school education, for the ele-vation of the average of intelligence, and for better preparation for citizen-ship and service. A fuller report of these public high schools, prepared by the State Inspector of Public High Schools, is printed in another section of this report. 12 Two Years Educational Progress Increase in Rural Libraries.—During the biennial period 493 new libraries have been established costing approximately $14,790.00, containing an aver-age of about eighty-six volumes each of well selected books which are lent to the pupils of rural communities for their use; 248 new supplemental libraries have beeii added to the libraries formerly established, costing $3,720.00, and adding about thirty-five books to each of these original libra-ries. The total number of rural libraries in the State at the close of the biennial period was 4,102, the total number of supplemental libraries 1,773. Almost one-half of all the school districts in the State, white and colored, are now provided with rural libraries. Loan Fund for Bidlding SchooUwuscs.—During the biennial period the total amount of new loans made from the State Loan Fund for Building and Im-proving Public Schoolhouses was $208,985, an increase of $1,538 over the preceding biennial period, to seventy-four counties for building and improv-ing houses valued at $781,796. The total amount of loans made from this fund since its establishment in 1903 aggregates $1,105,008.50 to ninety-eight counties for building and improving 1,772 houses valued at $3,193,296. This means that nearly one-fourth of all the schoolhouses in the State have been built with the aid of this fund. The total amount of outstanding loans unpaid November 30, 1916, was $524,963.80. This fund continues to be of incalculable service in building and improv-ing public schoolhouses; the loans from it often make possible at once much needed new houses where they would not otherwise be possible without clos-ing the schools and using the entire apportionment for one or more years for building. A timely loan from this fund also often means to a district the difference between a pooi* cheap house and a good properly constructed one. By the method of extending the payments over a period of ten years and charging such a small rate of interest a district can take care of the repayment of a loan from this fund without seriously hampering the effi-ciency of the school, or materially shortening the school term. Loans from this fund are made only for houses constructed in accordance with plans approved by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the plans for any house not constructed in accordance with one of the plans issued by the State Department must be submitted to the State Superintendent for his approval before the application will be filed or the loan made. A fuller and more detailed report of the loan fund will be found elsewhere in this report. Boys' and Girls' Club Work, An Increased Interest in Agricultural Educa-tion.— With the aid of Mr. T. E. Browne, agent for Agricultural Extension "Work, his corps of able assistants, Mrs. Jane McKimmon, agent in charge of Girls' Demonstration Work, and with the active cooperation of the county superintendents and teachers, boys' corn clubs, pig clubs, poultry clubs, baby beef clubs, and girls' tomato clubs have been organized in many communities in the State. The growth of this work has been most remarkable, and it is doubtless doing much toward giving the country boy and girl real practical instruction in agriculture and home economics. A report of the work of these clubs will be found elsewhere in this report. Farm-Life ScJwols and Rural Uplift Movement.—Since the amendment to the farm-life school law, allowing any county that will provide the required equipment and an annual maintenance fund equal to the amount received from the State to avail itself of the State appropriation not to exceed a maxi-mum of $2,500 for instruction in agriculture, sewing, cooking, household Two Years Educational Progress 13 economics and other farm-life subjects in connection with one or more of its rural high schools, nine new farm-life schools have been established during the biennial period, making a total of twenty-one such schools in seventeen counties of the State. No part of the annual maintenance fund for these schools or of the funds for their necessary equipment is allowed to be taken out of the regular school funds and to shorten the regular public school term until those funds are sufficient to provide a minimum of six months. The significant and hopeful fact about their establishment through the cooperation and sacrifice of the people of the communities in which they are located is the evidence that it furnishes of intense interest in the education of country boys and girls for country life, and of the faith of the country people in a sort of education and school that can and will provide better preparation for more profitable, more comfortable, more healthful, more joyous and more contented living in the country. The farmers, individually and through their various organizations, have lined up enthusiastically behind this movement. All the rural uplift forces of the State and county, educational, agricultural, public health, have actively cooperated in the movement. These schools are in successful operation now, and their results more than justify the wisdom and the expense of their establishment and maintenance. In cooperation with the A. and M. College, arrangements have been completed for supervision and aid in the direction of the vocational and extension work of these schools by trained specialists in these subjects who are connected with the State Department of Public Instruction also as supervisor of these schools and of this sort of work in other public schools, devoting such time to that work as may be necessary. As will be seen from the reports of Mr. Brogden and Mr. Newbold, found elsewhere in this report, a number of consolidated rural schools with three or more teachers are also doing some excellent work in instruction and practical training in farm-life subjects without State aid under the direction of the county superintendents and. the rural school supervisors. I regard the establishment of these schools and the remarkable increase in the number of them through the efforts and demands of the country people themselves as perhaps the most significant, practical, and far-reaching single forward step of this decade. In my opinion, it marks the beginning of a new era in rural education and in the adaptation of the work of the rural schools to the life and needs of the country people that is destined to result in increased efficiency of the rural population and in a redirection and a reorganization of rural life and a revolution of rural conditions within one or two generations. Community Service Work.—One of the most hopeful, successful, and stimu-lating movements for rural uplift was the inauguration and observance of Community Service Week in 1914. So gratifying was the result that the idea was extended in 1915 to include a month, which was devote:l entirely to the elimination of adult illiteracy and was known as Moonlight School Mouth. Again success was marked. But the feeling grew that community service should mean not a spasmodic, or periodic, but a continuous and permanent effort. The final culmination of this feeling was the formation, in 1916, of the State Bureau of Community Service, supported and directed cooperatively by the State Department of Public Instruction, State Board of Health, State Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural and Mechanical College, State 14 Two Years Educational, Progress Experiment Station, State Normal and Industrial College, and State Farmers' Union. Through this bureau community service has been made a permanent part of our work by means of the organization and registration of local com-munity service leagues under the following plan of organization and work: 1. The area covered by a Community Service League should consist of one school district of at least sixty white families. 2. Before a community is organized under this plan, it shall be visited by a representative of the State Bureau of Community Service and a report made indicating that conditions favor the success of the organization. 3. Each local league shall adopt its own method of electing officers and new members. 4. The officers shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary-treasurer, and an executive committee consisting of the president and the secretary of the league, and the chairman of each of the five permanent committees named below. 5. The president and secretary of each local league shall keep in touch with and report to the State Bureau of Community Service, Raleigh, and circulars and literature from the bureau shall be sent to them. 6. The five permanent committees of the local league, and their duties, shall be as follows: I. Committee on Education. Objects: (1) Increasing efficiency of community school in teaching, studies, at-tendance, etc. (2) Improving school grounds, buildings, equipment, and library. (3) Cooperative extension work: corn, pig, poultry, cooking, sewing, and canning clubs, traveling libraries; increasing book and newspaper reading among the people; teaching adult illiterates; making school community center, etc. II. Committee on Farm Progress. Objects: (1) Better farm methods, aiming especially at richer lands and crop diversification so as to make a self-feeding community, with "money crops" as surplus crops. (2) Increasing interest in live stock, dairying, poultry-raising, canning, and home industries. (3) Getting better tools and machinery and better breeding sires, with cooperation to effect this result. III. Committee on Cooperative Marketing. Objects: (1) To secure standardization of sales products, scientific grading, warehousing, and pooling. (2) To promote economical buying on cash basis, and encourage thrift, credit unions, cooperative associations, etc., as aids to this end. (3) To encourage good roads as aids to economical marketing. IV. Committee on Healtu. Objects: (1) To study local health conditions and promote community and home sanitation. (2) To teach individuals, adults and children, methods of disease pre-vention. (3) To combat agencies of fraud and superstition in treatment of disease. Two Years Educational Progress 15 V. Committee on Okganizatioxs and Social Life. Oiwixts: (1) To promote and assist the local farmers' organization, farm women's club, young people's debating society, and community fair. (2) To encourage lectures, debates, musicals, entertainments, local plays, picnics, celebrations, etc., and to make community surveys and maps. (3) To promote wholesome sports and recreation, outdoor and indoor games, and a community playground, and to cooperate with the committee on education in making the school the social and intellectual center of the community. 7. The executive committee of the local league, in consultation with the State Bureau of Community Service, will determine upon the specific and strategic lines of progress it is desirable to stress each year, selecting from the general and permanent aims of each committee some particular and urgent problem on which attention should be centered. 8. An official registration card shall be furnished free to each local league (one each for officers and chairmen of committees and one for filing in State Bureau). The registration card shall set out name of community, county, regular meeting place, names and addresses of all officers and chairmen and secretaries of committees, and the definite line of work each committee is to carry on for a given period, as agreed on under section 7. 9. All the services of the State Bureau of Community Service, including lectures, lantern slides, literature, etc., shall be rendered free to communities registered under this plan. 10. The executive committee of each league so organized and registered shall sign the following agreement: We, the executive committee of Community Service League, in consideration of the aid offered by the State Bureau of Community Service in working out our community problems, hereby join the officials of said bureau in agreement to all of the articles of organization above set out. The object of a Community Service League is to organize permanently the combined strength of a community. The purpose of such leagues is for each community to find ways to increase the happiness of country life; to improve the educational, social and moral conditions of the community; to conserve the health of the community dwellers; to lighten their labors by the intro-duction of home conveniences and farm inachines; to add economically to the productivity of their farms; to encourage community thrift and saving, and in general to promote community welfare by united effort. Poor schools and churches, pathetic loneliness, poverty of soil and soul, tenantry, isolation, bad roads, bad health, joyless drudgery in home and field—these are a few of the rural ills to be combatted by the organization of community service leagues. During 1916, 33 communities were organized and registered through this bureau. Annual reports already in hand from 20 of these leagues show that, although the first was not organized until March, and the last in November, an aggregate of 152 meetings were held with an average attendance at each of 47. 16 Two Years Educational Progress In addition to the regular work of organizing and registering community service leagues and directing their activities, two great county-wide com-munity service schools were held, one in Union County and the other in Samp-son, where all the community service leagues of a county gathered in a great five-day school, and where the grown-ups were taught along the line of their everyday problems and the youngsters were given special instruction by experts. Practical Instruction in Pul)lic Health and Hygiene.—With the valuable assistance and cooperation of the State Board of Health and its efficient and energetic secretary and assistant secretaries, much valuable work has been done in the public schools in increasing interest and giving instruction in public health and hygiene. Bulletins, dealing in a concise, simple, and prac-tical way with the simple hygienic laws affecting the everyday life of the child and the people, have been prepared under the direction of the Secretary of the State Board of Health, and printed and distributed to teachers of the State by the State Department of Public Instruction. A list of these bulletins will be found under Educational Literature. Directions have been given to the teachers, through the county superin-tendents, to make use of these bulletins for the systematic instruction of the children of their schools in public health and hygiene, and to give to the entire school at least three brief health talks a week, the information for which, progressively and logically arranged, has been furnished them in the Health Talks Bulletins. Another one of these bulletins, enlarging some-what on the first ideas, is now in the course of preparation. This health and hygiene work is a long step forward toward the improve-ment of sanitary conditions and public health in the rural districts. County superintendents and public school teachers have responded intelligently and enthusiastically to the call for it. Emphasis was laid upon this work in the county teachers' institutes, and special attention is being given to it in the county teachers' associations. By addresses and talks to the teachers and to the general public, the secre-tary and assistant secretary to the State Board of Health and the physicians of the State generally are aiding greatly in this campaign for the instruction of the children and the people of the State in public health and hygiene and in the cultivation of public sentiment therefor. It is impossible to calculate how much can be done, through simple instruction, line upon line, precept upon precept, for the rising generation in the public schools for the preven-tion and eradication of typhoid fever, tuberculosis, hookworm disease, scarlet fever, smallpox, diphtheria, and other preventable diseases that constitute the chief scourges of our population. The sentiment is rapidly growing and the demand rapidly increasing that such instruction shall be made an essen-tial and organic part of our educational work. Whole-time health officers have been employed in a number of counties, and with their cooperation and the cooperation of the State Board of Health an excellent beginning has been made in several counties in medical inspec-tion of school children. Camimign for Education.~The campaign for education, by bulletins, through the press, and by public addresses, has been carried on without cessa-tion. The State Superintendent has used all the time that he could spare from his work in the office for field work and educational campaign work. Two Years Educational Pkogkess 17 In this work he has also been assisted bj^ the State Agents for Rural Schools and the State Inspector of Public High Schools and other members of his staff. In many counties, of course, enthusiastic and consecrated county superin-tendents have carried on almost continuously effective campaigns for public education and school improvement, by personal work, public addresses, circu-lar letters, newspaper articles, etc. In this work many of them have been assisted by consecrated teachers and public spirited citizens of all classes and vocations. After all, the most effective part of this campaign is that carried on from year's end to year's end, without blare of trumpets, in the county, under the direction of an efficient county superintendent of common sense and consecration. Wo7na?i's Association for the Betterment of Public Schoolhoitses and Grounds.—Through the unselfish work of the patriotic women of the State, county and local associations, thousands of dollars have been raised for the improvement of schoolhouses and grounds, and much valuable voluntary service that cannot be measured in dollars and cents has been rendered in making the schoolrooms and school grounds more beautiful and attractive, and in cultivating public sentiment and public interest for the betterment of the public schools. Many county superintendents, public school teachers, county boards of education, and school committeemen have given their hearty cooperation to the women in this work. County Commencements.—Another significant and distinctive forward step in the educational progress of the period has been the increased number of county commencements held and the Increased Interest and improvement in these events. Successful county commencements have been held in most counties in which thousands of school children participated in parades, con-tests, school exhibits, school fairs and other events and hundreds of children received certificates after examination for the completion of the work of the seven elementary grades. These commencements have come to be, perhaps, the most effective educa-tional rallies and the most popular public gatherings in the counties in which they have been held. They have proved one of the most effective agencies for the stimulation of county pride, school spirit, community emulation, for the cultivation of public sentiment for public education, and for the encour-agement of children to remain in the public schools for the completion of the elementary grades and to enter the rural high schools and the farm-life schools. A bulletin on the county commencements, containing accounts of some of them, typical programs and valuable suggestions for their organiza-tion and successful conduction, has been issued from the State Department of Public Instruction, and a copy of the same can be obtained from any county superintendent. MOONLIGHT SCHOOLS FOR TEACHING AMLTS TO KEA1> AND AVRITE In response to the appeal of the State Superintendent, about five thousand public school teachers volunteered their services, without additional com-pensation, to teach night schools to instruct adults that could not read and write. The North Carolina press actively and generously joined in the cam-paign for the elimination of illiteracy, the State Council of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics appropriated fifteen hundred dollars to aid the work, and its State Councilor, Col. Paul Jones, unselfishly devoted much time Part 1—2 18 Two Years Educational Progress and effort to assisting in the work. The State Federation of Women's Clubs, local women's clubs, and other organizations in all parts of the State re-sponded to the call and rendered most valuable assistance. To ascertain the results of these schools in the reduction of adult illiteracy, a careful survey in two typical counties, Pasquotank in the East and Caldwell in the West, was conducted for the Department of Public Instruction by Mr. W. C. Crosby, Secretary of the Bureau of Community Service, in cooperation with the county superintendents of those counties. The report of those surveys reveal the remarkable facts that in those counties white illiteracy has been reduced fifty per cent—one-half—since the census of 1910; that practically all illiterates under eighteen years of age in 1910 have since been taught to read and write in the public schools; that practically every one of the illiterates remaining at the time of the survey were past thirty years of age. These facts justify the belief that, with a proper enforcement of the compulsory attendance law, illiteracy in the present and in future generations can be prevented and that, with a well organized and properly directed system of night schools, practically all adult illiterates can be reached and taught to read and write in a few years. I did not feel that it would be right to call upon the poorly paid, hard-worked public school teachers of the State to continue to give their services, without compensation, to this work of teacning night schools for adults, nor did I believe that this work could be efficiently and permanently conducted under a volunteer plan, therefore I have earnestly recommended for its con-tinuation an appropriation by the State to be duplicated by the county and the community. With the aid of such an appropriation I confidently believe that adult illiteracy can be practically wiped out within the next few years. Below is given a brief report of the surveys in Pasquotank and CaldAvell counties: A list of the white illiterates ten years of age and over, by name, age, and voting precinct, as found by the Federal census takers in 1910 in each of these counties, was secured from the United States Census Bureau. With this list in hand, a representative of the Bureau of Community Service visited each county and, with the aid of the local school officials, made can-vasses and secured definite and, it is believed, accurate information concern-ing each illiterate. In this manner the following significant facts were obtained: Pasquotank County.—Nearly half, or 253, of the 569 illiterates reported in 1910 can now read and write—have learned to read and write since 1910. Thirty-six had moved away from the county, 68 could not be found at all, 51 are dead, and only 28 per cent, or 161, were definitely established as still being illiterate. Caldwell County (five townships and town of Lenoir).—Six hundred and seventy-five of the 1,598 reported in 1910 can now read and write, 137 have moved away, 138 could not be found, 105 are dead, and 30 per cent, or 543, are still illiterate. Granting that the reduction in illiteracy among those who moved away and those who could not be found is approximately the same as among those accounted for, and deducting from the number those who have died, we find that 62 per cent in Pasquotank County and 55 per cent in Caldwell have definitely passed from the illiteracy class. In Pasquotank County the per-centage of the white population illiterate in 1910 was 7.5. According to the Two Years Educational Progress 19 above it would now be less than 3 per cent, while Caldwell County, which in 1910 had 18.8 per cent of the white population illiterate, there now would be only 8.5 per cent illiterate. A most striking fact, and one that will be of especial interest to school folk, is that, almost without exception, it was found in both counties that those illiterates who were under 18 years of age in 1910 have since been taught to read and write in the public schools. Further, practically every one of the 704 illiterates remaining in the two counties was past thirty years of age. And here lies the task of the Moonlight Schools. If these people are to be reached at all, they must be reached either by these schools or by personal workers. The facts disclosed by this survey are especially interesting and valuable, since they form a concrete basis upon which some idea of the present condi-tion of illiteracy in the whole of North Carolina can be based. Surveys are planned for two more counties—Lincoln and Catawba. The lists have been secured and the results will be published as soon as the sur-veys are completed. Following will be found the tabulated results of the surveys in Pasquotank and Caldwell counties: Results in Pasquotank County by Townships. Township Elizabeth City (proper) Elizabeth City Providence Mount Hermon Newland Nixonton Salem Totals o o 20 Two Years Educational Progress Imiiortant Educational Legislation.—Yo\\o^\ms is a summary of the edu-cational legislation enacted by the General Assembly of 1915: State-wide Bond Act for School Buildings.—This act enables any county, township, or school district which embraces an incorporated town or public high school, to vote upon the question of issuing bonds for building school-houses. The rate of interest shall not exceed 6 per cent, and the maximum amount that may be voted by any county is $100,000, or by any district or township f25,000. A sinking fund and interest are provided for by means of a special tax, and the bonds cannot be sold for less than par. Census.—Section 4148 was amended so as to place the taking of the census in the hands of the school committee, and provides that they may employ the teacher or some other competent person in each district to take the census. Compulsory Attendance.—The compulsory attendance law was amended so as to require monthly reports of absences from teachers instead of weekly, and also to require the teachers to ^notify the parents of absences of children. Further provides for attendance officer requiring parents to report on a certain day in each month to render excuse for unexcused absences of children. High Schools.—The public high school law was amended so as to require an average daily attendance of 20 pupils to entitle the school to appropriation from the State. The minimum apportionment possible from the State was reduced to ?200 from $250, and the maximum possible apportionment was raised to $600 from $500. Educational Literature,—During the two years the following new educa-tional literature has been prepared, published, and sent out from the office of the Superintendent: Program for North Carolina Day, 1915, 40 pages. Program for North Carolina Day, 1916, 16 pages. Handbook for High School Teachers, 1916, 30 pages. Public School Law, complete edition, 136 pages. Public School Law, short edition, 93 pages. Directory of School Officials, 1915, 48 pages. Directory of School Officials, 1916, 48 pages. Teachers' Reading Circle, 1915, 12 pages. Teachers' Reading Circle, 1916, 50 pages. Seventh Annual Report of the Inspector of Public High Schools, 1914, 96 pages. Eighth Annual Report of the Inspector of Public High Schools, 1915, 96 pages. Proceedings and Addresses of the North Carolina Teachers' Assembly, 1915, 347 pages. Proceedings and Addresses of the North Carolina Teachers' Assembly, 1916, 279 pages. Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1914-1916, 485 pages. Daily Schedule of Work for Teachers' Institutes, 1915, 36 pages. Daily Schedule of Work for Teachers' Institutes, 1916, 48 pages. Song Collection for Teachers' Institutes, 1915, 56 pages. Song Collection for Teachers' Institutes, 1916, 56 pages. Public School Register, 48 pages. Two Yeaks Educatio^stal Progress 21 Arbor Day, 1915, 36 pages. Arbor Day, 1916, 32 pages. How to Teach Spelling, 1916, 16 pages. Uniform Gradation and Certification of Teachers, 1916, 16 pages. Adult Illiteracy in North Carolina, 1916, 32 pages. Twelve Lessons for Moonlight Schools, 1916, 40 pages. Corn Bulletin, 1916, 96 pages. Rules and Regulations of State Board of Examiners, 8 pages. Course of Study for Farm-Life Schools, 1916, 50 pages. Approved List of Books for Rural Libraries, 1916, 45 pages. Reports of the Colleges of North Carolina. 1916, 13 pages. How to Teach Reading, 1916, 104 pages. Various pamphlets containing extracts from school law and other matters of interest. In addition to these, a supply of the most valuable bulletins heretofore pub-lished and reported has been kept on hand and will continue to be kept on hand for distribution. Besides the foregoing, blanks covering every phase of school organization and work have been sent out. These have aided all school officials in keeping their records and making accurate reports of "the work done. A new and improved system of accounting has been introduced throughout the State to aid in keeping record of school funds. A new system of statistical records of the county superintendents has been provided during this biennial period. The efforts along this line have aided greatly in the gradation of rural schools, which means a great saving of time to the children who attend these schools by enabling them to do more consistent and con-secutive work. A card index system for the statistical record of the schools has also been devised and furnished the counties where desired. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLICINSTRUCTION In accordance with my duty under the law, I beg to submit the following recommendations and statement of the reasons therefor: I. The Establishiueiit of a State Board of Exaniiuers and Institute Conductors. For the uniform certification, by examination and by accrediting without examination, of all public school teachers, principals, and superintendents, rural and urban, except second and third grade teachers, the examination and certification of whom will be left iu the hands of the county superintend-ents, by some equitable, definite, uniform plan for examination, gradation, and accrediting. For the conduct, in cooperation with county superintend-ents, of county teachers' institutes and the supervision and direction of other work in the county for the professional improvement of the rank and file of public school teachers. The need of a better method of examining, accrediting, and certificating teachers and superintendents in North Carolina is apparent from the follow-ing explanation of the present method that has been in operation in this State, almost without the crossing of a "t" or the dotting of an "i," since 1S81: 1. All teachers in the elefnentary rural public schools are required to be examined and certificated by the county superintendent of the county in which they teach: first grade teachers biennially, second and third grade teachers annually. There is no provision for them to secure exemption from this endless round of examinations on the same subjects. Their certificates ai'e valid only in the county in which they are issued. The same teacher may be legally required to be subjected to a new examination on the same subjects in every other county to which he removes and desires to teach. There is no legal provision for the renewal of certificates without further examination, for the issuance of permanent or life certificates, or for allow-ing credits towards certification without examination for work done in stand-ard colleges, normal schools, or high schools, or for successful experience. Previous preparation and successful experience count for nothing toward certification. All must be subjected to the same examination on the same subjects for all grades of certificates in the elementary rural schools. 2. All teachers in all city, town, and other public schools operated under special acts of the General Assembly are exempt from examination or certifi-cation of any sort by anybody. 3. Each county superintendent is authorized to prepare his own examina-tion questions and grade his examination papers. With a hundred county superintendents, some rigid, some lax, all differing temperamentally and intellectually, it is possible to have a hundred different standards for the same grade of certificate in North Carolina; it is impossible to establish any uniform standard of qualification or certification for teaching or any State standard that will command or deserve the respect of the public or of the profession, or that will afford reasonable protection in either. 24 . Recommendations 4. Some rural high school teachers, only those in State-aided rural high schools, are .required to be examined and certificated; others are not. No high school teachers in city and town schools are required to be examined or certificated. 5. Under the present law there are no required qualifications in scholar-ship, professional training, or experience for superintendents of city and town schools, and only the glittering generalities of a liberal education and two years experience in teaching within the five years preceding their elec-tion for county superintendents. 6. The tyro just entering the work of teaching, often as a stepping-stone to something else or as a mere temporary means of making a little money to do something else, is placed upon the same footing as the professional teacher. Under such a system there can be no adequate protection to the teaching profession or to the public against incompetents and charlatans; without professional protection there is no adequate inducement to strong men and women to enter it as a life work, and no guarantee to the public and to the taxpayers against the waste of money and the sacrifice of the precious time and the interests of their children by the employment of incompetent, untrained, and inexperienced teachers on the same footing and practically at the same salaries in unjust competition with competent, trained, and experienced teachers. Every other profession in North Carolina has been granted by the General Assembly the professional protection that it asked for itself and for the public against incompetents and charlatans in the profession. From the above explanation of the present law regulating the examination and certification of teachers in North Carolina, its injustice, its inconsistency, its lack of uniformity, though Article IX, sec. 2, of the Constitution of North Carolina explicitly directs the establishment of a uniform system of public schools, its. inadequacy to meet the changed conditions in the State and to conform to the progress in education along other lines, and to the demand for a better guarantee for better trained teachers and better service for largely increased expenditures for teaching, ought to be evident to every-body. A law enacted thirty-six years ago, fairly well adapted, perhaps, to the needs of that time, could hardly be expected by any reasonable man ac-quainted with the changed conditions since that time to be adequate to the needs of this time. It is out of date, a half-century behind progressive legis-lation upon this subject in many other States and out of harmony with pro-gressive educational thought everywhere upon this subject. For these and other reasons, in the name of a long suffering profession, and a long suffering public, I earnestly and confidently recommend to this General Assembly the enactment of a law for the uniform certification of teachers and superintendents, urban and rural, by examination, and without examination, by a proper accrediting for previous preparation and successful experience, by a competent representative State Board of Examiners in co-operation and consultation with county and city superintendents. Forty-five of the 48 States of the United States already have State examination and certification of public school teachers. After an investigation of the methods of examination and certification of teachers in many other States, I beg to suggest the following outline of the plan that I would recommend as best adapted to our needs at this time in this State: Recommkndations 25 (a) That the work of examinins;', accrediting, and certificating all super-intendents and public school teachers, except second and third grade teach-ers, and tlie work of conducting county institutes and of supervising and directing other work in the counties for the professional improvement of the rank and file of public school teachers, and for allowing them proper credits for such work, be combined under one board to be known as "The State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors." That the work of this board shall be conducted in cooperation and consultation with the county super-intendents. (b) Tliat the Board shall consist of not less than six appointive members— three men and three women—who shall devote their entire time to its work, and who shall conduct in person—one man and one woman to each county — the two weeks biennial county institutes for teachers. These members of the Board can devote to the county institute work thirty-two weeks each annu-ally, thereby holding institutes in lialf of the counties of the State each year. This will leave twenty w'eeks annually to be devoted by the members of the Board to certification of teachers and to the other work of the Board. The members of the Board in this Avay will be brought into close, sympathetic touch with the county superintendent and with the rank and file of the public school teachers of every county at least two weeks every two years. The knowledge and sympathy thus acquired by them at first hand will fit them better for planning wisely, sympathetically, and conservatively the work of examination and certification, and for planning and successfully carrying out a continuous, progressive, systematic course of work and study through county teachers' institutes, teachers' associations, reading circles, etc., for the professional improvement of these teachers. This w'ill largely remove the serious objection and the possible danger of a Board of Examiners that might become too unsympathetic, exacting, and theoretical because of a lack of practical knowledge of the educational needs and conditions of the differ-ent counties of the State by personal acquaintance with county superintend-ents and teachers, and of an appreciation of the difficulties under which so many of these in so many counties are compelled to labor. By providing a whole-time stenographer and a whole-time secretary for this Board, and mak-ing provision for tlie employment of competent help in the grading of exami-nation papers when found absolutely necessary, such a board will, in my opin-ion, be able to handle with ease all this certification, county institute, and teacher training work, to correlate it all, and to have it all done much more efficiently, expeditiously, and, in the long run, economically. The money re-quired to be appropriated biennially by every county for institute work to in-stitute workers working at it only a few weeks each summer and constantly changing, could be used far more wisely for paying the salaries and expenses of the members of the State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors, who could give their entire time and thought to the work, and would certainly be able to render more valuable service. From $10,000 to $12,000 is now annually spent for this desultory and, in many respects, unsatisfactory and uncorrelated county institute work. About $1,000 is annually expended for the work of the present State Board of Examiners for the certification of high school teachers in 214 State rural high schools, and for the certifi-cation of a comparatively small number of first grade elementary public school teachers. Not more than $10,000 additional would be needed for the 2G Recommendations salaries and the expenses of this combined Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors. It is evident, without argument, that such a whole-time board could do all of this work far more satisfactorily, systematically, and pro-fessionally, with little additional cost to the State, and that the increased efficiency of the work would far more than compensate for the small increase in cost. (c) That this Board shall be authorized to establish a uniform standard, scholastic and professional, for the certification of all public school teachers, superintendents and principals, rural and urban, by examination, or without examination in accordance with a uniform plan of accrediting applicants for satisfactory work in standard colleges, normal schools, and high schools. (d) That the certificates issued by it upon examination or upon credits and successful experience without examination shall not be valid until signed by the county superintendent or the city superintendent for the county or city in which the applicant resides, or by whom the examination is con-ducted, who shall have authority to pass upon the personality, character, and general qualifications, other than scholarship, of all such applicants for the work of teaching, and to withhold for valid reasons his approval of such certificate, with- the right of appeal by the applicant, however, to the county board of education, or the city board of trustees, and from them to the State Board of Examiners for review and investigation of the causes of such re-fusal and for final determination of the matter. (e) That certificates so issued and validated shall be valid without further examination in every county in the State, subject, however, to revocation by the State Board of Examiners for good and sufficient cause. (f) That examinations prepared by the Board shall be conducted by the county superintendents and the town and city superintendents under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed, and the papers transmitted to the State Board for gradation. (g) That the State Board shall arrange a uniform plan for the classifica-tion of certificates and for the promotion of teachers from one class to another, for the renewal of certificates and for the issuance of life certifi-cates that shall encourage and reward successful experience, professional training, and advanced scholastic attainment. (h) That all certificates heretofore issued shall be valid until the date of their expiration without further examination, and that the State Board shall provide for issuing certificates without examination, upon satisfactory evi-dence of character and qualification to all teachers now engaged in teaching in town and city schools in which certificates to teach have npt heretofore been required, and for the renewal and extension of such certificates. (i) That the Board shall m.ake similar provisions for certificating, without examination, all county, city, and town superintendents and assistant super-intendents now in service. The Board shall fix a uniform minimum profes-sional and scholastic requirement for each class of certificates issued by it upon examination or without examination, for all teachers and superintend-ents entering the work hereafter, and shall gradually and conservatively raise this minimum standard of requirement after due notice in advance. (j) That the Board shall require at least the same minimum qualifica-tions in scholarship, professional training and experience for county and city superintendents hereafter entering that work qs shall be required for the highest grade teachers whom they supervise. IvECOMMENDATIONS 27 (k) That the examination or certification of second and third grade ele-mentary teacliers shall be left in the hands of the county superintendent of each county as at present, thereby preventing a dearth of teachers in any county until more first grade teachers can be prepared, and leaving open the door of entrance to the profession to all worthy aspiring young men and women of limited means and limited opportunity for preparation for first grade work, with ample opportunity to fit themselves later for such work. The advantages of this proposed plan for examination and certification of teachers and for the organization and efficient direction and correlation of the county institute work and the whole teacher training work in the counties for the professional improvement of the rank and file of the public school teachers over the present plan ought to be evident without further argu-ment to any thoughtful person who wall take the time to compare the two plans. Some of Its Advantages May Be Summed Up As Follows: 1. It will establish a uniform standard of qualifications for all public school teachers, urban and rural, without special privileges to any. 2. It provides reasonable protection to the profession and the public and to the children against incompetents and charlatans. 3. It provides for the rational certification of teachers with or without examination, and the classification of certificates according to the work to be done and the subjects to be taught. 4. It provides for academic and professional credits for work done on the basis of scholarship and training and successful experience. 5. It gives relief from the everlasting round of senseless examinations of the same teachers on the same subjects for the same grade of certificate by making provision for renewals of certificates without examination and for permanent and life certificates. 6. It will protect the members of the teaching profession from unjust com-petition with inexperienced, unqualified, and untrained teachers, and make it possible to develop and maintain a real teaching profession in North Carolina. 7. It will gradually eliminate incompetent teachers, stimulate professional pride, and encourage better preparation, scholastic and professional, by put-ting a premium upon this. 8. It will relieve superintendents from the embarrassment of personal and political influences in behalf of local applicants and from criticism and an-tagonism, injurious to the schools, from the friends and relatives of appli-cants refused certificates by them for lack of scholarship and for other good reasons. 9. It takes care of all the worthy among the present teachers and super-intendents and throws proper safeguards around entrance to the profession in the future. 10. With little additional cost it provides a much more efficient and system-atic plan for examination and certification of teachers and for the conduct of teachers' institutes and all other teacher training work of the counties for the improvement of the rank and file of teachers. 11. It leaves open for those who are not qualified for first grade certificates and high school certificates, second and third grade certificates, so that no worthy person need be deprived of his means of livelihood. In the meantime 28 Recommendations he is afforded a better opportunity for professional improvement and for qualifying for higher and better paid work in the profession. The Success and Practicability of State Certification Already Demonstrated. In 1907, when the rural State high schools were established, in order to safeguard them against unqualified high school teachers, a State Board of Examiners was established for the certification of teachers in these schools by examination and by accrediting without examination for satisfactory work in standard colleges and normal schools. This Board was also empowered to issue five-year State-wide first grade elementary Certificates. The work of this Board has been most successful and has resulted in maintaining a high standard of efficiency for teachers in these high schools and in encouraging and stimulating higher scholastic and better professional preparation. What such a board has accomplished for this limited number of schools and teachers can be accomplished for all the schools and all the teachers of the State by the State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors under the plan recommended. In fact, the establishment, under this recommendation, of a larger and better equipped State Board of Examiners to have charge of the certification of all superintendents, high school teachers, and all first grade elementary teachers would be simply an enlargement and improvement of a plan already in successful operation for the past ten years for a limited number of such teachers. The success and practicability of such a plan has already been demonstrated, therefore, in the State. Under the present law, however, the chief clerk in the Department of Public Instruction is secretary of the State Board of Examiners, and the stenographer of the State Super-intendent has been compelled to do the stenographic work of the Board. The work of the Board and the necessary correspondence has increased so greatly that at least one-half or more of the time of the chief clerk and the stenogra-pher in the State Superintendent's office is now required to attend to the work and the correspondence of the Board of Examiners. In the meantime the regular work of this office has greatly increased also. The work of the State Superintendent's office has consequently suffered greatly, necessitating unavoidable and sometimes annoying delays in the work of the office and imposing much work upon the chief clerk and the stenographer, with no additional compensation. It is impossible for this arrangement to continue. Unless this recommendation for a Board of Examiners and Institute Con-ductors with a whole-time secretary and stenographer to take charge of all the work of examination and certification of teachers is adopted, it will be absolutely necessary either to abolish the present State Board of Examiners or to provide an additional secretary and stenographer for it. Resolutions of the I^. C. Teachers' Assembly and the State Association of County Superintendents fob State Examination and Certification. At the annual business meeting of the North Carolina Teachers' Assembly, held in Raleigh, December 1, 1916, the following resolution was unanimously passed: That we renew our pledge of support to the efforts being made by the State Department of Education to improve the standards of the teaching profession. We request the Legislative Committee of the Assembly to strive vigor- Recommendations 29 ously in assisting the state superintendent to induce tlie Legislature to enact a uniform plan of examination and certification of public school teachers. At the annual meeting of the State Association of County Superintendents the following resolution was unanimously passed: Resolved, That we heartily endorse the bill for the establishment of a State Board of Examiners and Institute Conductors for the uniform examination and certification of teachers and general direction of the county institutes and other teacher training work, respectfully and earnestly petition the Gen-eral Assembly of North Carolina to enact it into law for the protection and elevation of our profession and the advancement of the cause of education, and pledge ourselves to use all honorable means to secure its passage. Similar resolutions in favor of State certification and examination of teach-ers have been passed by teachers assembled in the summer schools and by many County Teachers' Associations, and hundreds of personal petitions from individual teachers for its adoption are already on file. All of these will be presented to the General Assembly later. II. The Appointment of an Educational Commission. My second recommendation is for the appointment of an educational com-mission of three or five members to make a thorough study of the school laws and the entire educational system of the State and a careful survey of the educational conditions, and to report to the General Assembly of 1919, with a view to codifying the laws, and recommending such amendments as will give the State a complete, correlated, coordinated public school system that shall in all respects be modern and effective. For forty years we have been gradually amending and improving our school laws and improving and enlarging our school system a little at a time. We started with the University and the elementary schools. One by one at different times the A. and M. Colleges and the Normal schools were added. In 1907 a general system of public secondary schools was started; in 1911 the first provision was made for starting a system of vocational secondary schools. Each of these necessary and important parts of a com-plete educational system has been started at different times and developed more or less independently of the other and more or less disproportionately, according to the influence and activity of its respective advocates and friends. .Naturally in a system that had to be developed in this way there are some duplications of work and some lack of uniformity, correlation, and coordination. In my opinion, the time has come for a thorough study of the whole system, a careful survey of thfe State's educational conditions and needs, and a com-parative study of the best in the school systems of other States by a compe-tent educational commission in cooperation with the State Department of Public Instruction, with authority to call to its assistance in this work any expert help that may be available either from public or private foundations. I have the assurance of such assistance from some of these foundations, if desired and requested. As State Superintendent, I should welcome the assistance of such a commission. With its aid a much more thorough and comprehensive study can be made of the whole educational system, its con-ditions and needs, in two years than would be possible in many years by the State Superintendent and his corps or workers, each busy with his special work and with the numerous executive details thereof. The report and 30 Eecommendations recommendations of such a commission ought to form a safe basis for pro-gressive educational legislation in the State in 1919, that would at once set the State forward educationally many years and make it possible for North Carolina to have one of the most modern, complete, and efficient public school systems in this whole country. Such commissions have proved successful and helpful in other States, notably so recently in the State of Maryland. After investigation of the cost of this work in Maryland, I feel sure that with such assistance as can be easily obtained from outside sources, if desired, the cost of this work to this State need not exceed $5,000. III. County Boards of Education. The present plan of selecting county boards of education has, in my opinion, some serious defects. In the first place, it is not uniform. Six counties of the State are allowed by special acts of the General Assembly to elect the members of their county boards of education, and three of these counties are also allowed to elect their county superintendents. County boards of education in all other counties of the State are appointed by the General Assembly, and county superintendents of these counties are elected by the county boards of education. Section 2, Article IX, of the Constitution directs the General Assembly to provide for a general and uniform system of public schools. To have elected boards of education in some counties and elected superintendents in some counties and appointive boards of edu-cation with authority to select county superintendents in all other counties, in my opinion, is a violation of the spirit of this mandate of the Constitu-tion; and whether this be true or not, it is certainly unwise and has become a constant source of agitation and irritation. Experience everywhere has demonstrated that partisan and factional poli-tics cannot be mixed with the management of the public schools without proving disastrous to their best interests. Both political parties in North Carolina profess to favor removing the public schools from politics. The present plan of appointing county boards of education by the General As-sembly has not removed the public schools from politics, and, from the very nature of the method of appointing the chief administrative officers of the county school system by a political body upon recommendation of political and sometimes partisan factional representatives, or of the executive com-mittee of a political party, cannot remove them from politics. It has not been satisfactory mainly because these appointments have been too subject to factional and political influences and have sometimes been thus con-trolled, to the injury of the schools. The law inaugurating this plan of appointing counfy boards of education was enacted by the Democratic General Assembly of 1901, before the present State Superintendent came into office. It is not his plan, and is not the plan that he has recommended or that he now recommends. He has advocated the appointive plan in preference to the plan of electing county boards of education by popular vote advocated by the Republican Party in its plat-form, in its campaigns, strenuously fought for by its representatives in every General Assembly for the past ten or fifteen years, and favored by some Democrats, because he believed and still believes it to be a better plan, in that it removes the selection of the chief administrative officers of the county school system, and, therefore, the county schools, farther from politi-cal and factional influences and wrangles. Recommendations 31 Election of County Boards of Education by Popular Vote. The election of county boai-ds of education by popular vote would neces-sarily make the co.unty school system and the county schools more subject to political influences, political prejudices, political and factional discontent, and political and factional revenge than the appointment of them. It would make it easier to revolutionize the educational policy of the county every two years, more difficult to secure a reasonable degree of stability, perma-nency, and continuity of progressive educational policies in the county, found by experience here and everywhere to be absolutely necessary for getting the best results in educational work and for permanent growth and development in that work. From the very nature of education its growth and development must be comparatively slow; the results of educational policies cannot be fairly tested in a few years. The election of county boards of education would finally mean the indirect election of the county superintendent, who would generally be the main issue in the election of the board. This would make it difficult and almost impossible to maintain a proper professional standard of qualification for this position, and would reduce the position of county superintendent to the plane of a political oflftce instead of a profes-sional position. The best qualified men for county boards of education and county superintendent, the most important and, at present, the most poorly compensated positions in the county, would not be willing to enter a politi-cal scramble for these offices. I can conceive of no greater disaster that could befall the schools of any county than the adoption of a plan of elec-tion that would make possible and almost unavoidable the selection of the county superintendent, the head of the county school system, for political rather than professional qualifications. The election of county boards of education by popular vote W'Ould always place the county school systems of a considerable minority of the counties of the State under the control of the minority political party of the State and render it practically impossible to secure uniformity and harmony in administering the State system and in enforcing the State educational poli-cies of the majority party. The constant temptation to play the county system in these counties in antagonism to the State system and policies for which the majority political party is held responsible for political gain to the minority party would, I fear, be too great for political nature to resist. A business, like education, that is mainly professional can never be "most successfully administered under a method of selecting its chief administra-tive ofllicers that is mainly political. The minority party in its recent platform and political campaign made the election of county boards of education by popular vote in each county and the administration of the public schools the chief issue, and was defeated by an overwhelming majority. For these reasons, and others that might be mentioned if time and space permitted, I cannot recommend the election of county boards of education by popular vote. I believe that the present plan of appointment by the Gen-eral Assembly is preferable to that plan. Suggested Plan for Selection of County Boards of Education. I believe that the public schools of North Carolina are very close to the hearts of the people, and that a great majority of our people honestly desire 82 Recommendations that the administration of their schools shall be removed as far as possible from partisan politics and factional bitterness. The leaders and campaign speakers of both political parties in their discussion of this subject with the people have vied with each other in their advocacy of keeping the public schools out of politics. The Republican Party definitely proposed to do this by election of county boards by popular vote; but the people had sense enough to see that the schools could not be taken out of politics by a plan that necessarily threw them into the turmoil of partisan or factional politics in everj^ county every two years. Have not the people by an overwhelming majority in the recent election) declared that election of county boards of education by popular vote is not the remedy that they desire or approve? In my opinion, the wisest way to select county boards of education would be through a State board or council of education appointed by the Governor or the General Assembly, or by the Governor confirmed by the Senate, com-posed of representative men, teachers, farmers and men of other professions and vocations, at least one or more from every congressional district of the State, acquainted with the conditions and needs and with the people of the various counties of those districts. This board or council should be non-partisan, having, like the State Board of Elections, minority representation of the minority party of the State. Every county board of education should have at least one representative of the minority party of the State, where a suitable representative can be found. The members of this board for the selection of county boards of education and the members of the county boards of education should be chosen because of their known interest in education and their known fitness in character and intelligence for this position. Since the schools are maintained by the taxes of all the people, patronized by the children of all the people, irrespective of their political views, and need for their success the hearty support and interest of all the people, they should be removed as far as possible from partisan politics and directed by a board of education as nonpartisan as is consistent with the constitutional require-ment for a uniform system of education and with the responsibility of the majority political party of the State for the successful administration of the system in every county of the State. It is wise, fair, and just that wherever well qualified men can be found in the minority party, representation should be given to both of the leading political parties upon the county boards of education in every county. If the two political parties, their leaders and their representatives in the General Assembly of 1917, are honest in their protestations and their advo-cacy of taking the public schools out of politics, they have an opportunity of showing it. Let them advocate and enact into law a plan that will remove the selection of county boards of education, the chief administrative officers of the county school system, farthest from political and factional influences. There is a division in the Democratic Party upon this question of the selec-tion of county boards of education, manifesting itself in almost bitter dis-sension in the last General Assembly and in several previous General As-semblies, to the injury of the party and to the injury of the educational interests of the State. Would it not be wise for the representatives of the Democratic Party in the General Assembly of 1917, responsible for State educational policies, to meet in the early days of the session, to call to tneir Recommendations 33 counsel, if necessary, some of the wisest and most representative citizens and leaders of the party in the State to consider carefully and discuss freely this whole question, in the hope of finding and agreeing upon a plan for the selec-tion of county boards of education that will remove their selection as far as possible from the turmoil of partisan and factional politics, and that will be more satisfactory than the present plan of appointing them by the General Assembly, inaugurated by the Democratic Party, or the proposed plan to elect them by popular vote, advocated by the Republican Party and rejected by the people? I believe that the plan I have recommended, or some similar plan for a nonpartisan representative State board for the appointment of nonpartisan county boards of education with a majority control of the majority party of the State of each board, would remove the administration of the schools as far as is possible in a democracy from partisan and fac-tional politics and would add greatly to the efficiency of our public school system. IV. County Supervision. In every county the county superintendent is necessarily the business and professional head and director of the county school system. No big business can be permanently successful without a competent head devoting his entire time and ability to the organization and direction of the business in all of its departments. The education of thousands of children through scores of schools and teachers in each county is the biggest and most important busi-ness in that county. The business has been growing bigger and more impor-tant in every county every year. The expenditures for it by State, county, and district taxation have been rapidly increasing every year until in 1916 they were in the State at least five times what they were in 1902. The business has grown most rapidly and its success along all lines has been greatest in those counties that have employed competent whole-time superintendents at a living salary and have given these superintendents adequate assistance where needed. Increased expenditures, increased attendance, increased teaching force, lengthened school terms, demonstrated successful results in counties that have tried it as set forth elsewhere in my biennial report, seem to me to make the conclusion irresistible that the time has come for the employment of a competent whole-time county superintendent at a living salary in every county, and, in the larger counties for the employment of such additional assistance, clerical and professional, at the expense of the county, as efficient administration and supervision of the work may demand. I, therefore, recommend for more efficient supervision : (a) That the law be so amended as to require the county board of educa-tion of each county to employ for his entire time a competent superintendent, who shall be required to give his entire time to the direction of the educa-tional work of the county and the visitation and supervision of the schools while in session and who shall be forbidden to engage in any other profession or regular business while superintendent. (b) That county boards of education in the larger and wealthier counties be specifically authorized to employ such additional clerical and profes-sional assistance for the county superintendent as may be deemed necessary for the greater efficiency of the work; provided, however, that each county Part 1—3 34 Recommenbations shall provide the additional expense necessary for such assistance out of its special levy, or its regular county school funds, and that no part of the same shall come directly or indirectly from the State Equalizing Fund. It is, of course, apparent that the additional expense necessary for the em-ployment of a whole-time superintendent in counties employing only part-time superintendents now, will be provided by the special levy for necessary expenses for a four-months term, or out of the "State Equalizing Fund" in counties in which such a levy is unnecessary. As the State, therefore, bears directly or indirectly this additional expense for whole-time county superin-tendents, as the school term in the county will not be shortened thereby, as the smaller and weaker counties, because of their lack of them heretofore, need them worse now, I can conceive of no valid objection to providing whole-time county superintendents for these counties as well as for larger and stronger counties, practically all of which now have them at State expense. Nor can I see any reasonable objection to authorizing specifically any county to provide at its own expense additional assistance for its superintendent, if it is able to do so and needs it. V. Increase in State Appropriation for Rural Hi;?h Schools. I urgently recommend an increase of at least $25,000 annually in the State appropriation for rural high schools. There has been no increase in this appropriation since 1911. The enrollment and daily attendance have rapidly increased, and will continue to increase. In 1911 the enrollment in these high schools was 6,514 and the daily attendance 4,716. In 1916 the enroll-ment was 10,379 and the daily attendance 7,873. These schools are the only means of placing high school education within the reach of the vast majority of the country boys and girls, of giving them preparation for college and better preparation for citizenship and life. The cities and towns of the State have public high schools, and the country people ought not to be compelled to move to town to get high school advantages for their children. Without an increase in the State appropriation for these rural high schools it will be Impossible to meet the increasing attendance and the increasing demands upon those- already established, or to establish others where they are badly needed, for the establishment of which numerous applications are on file. For fuller information about the very successful work and growth of these rural high schools and the need of increased appropriations for their future development, I beg to ask your careful consideration of the report of Prof. N. W. Walker, State Supervisor of Rural High Schools, contained in my bien-nial report. VI. Compulsory Attendance. I recommend that the compulsory attendance law be amended so as to extend the compulsory attendance age from 12 to 14 years, and so as to strengthen the provisions for its enforcement. VII. Health Inspection and Medical Inspection. I recommend an amendment to section 4116 of the Public School Law that shall authorize the county board of education to make an appropriation out of the public school fund not to exceed $500 annually to be used in coopera-tion with the State Board of Health and the county board of health, for health Recommendations 35 instruction and medical inspection of the cliildren of the public schools, and to include such appropriation in the budget of annual necessary expenses, for which a special tax shall be levied. YIII. Increase in Salaries of Clerks and Stenographer. In consideration of the largely increased cost of living, their constantly increasing work, their efficient and faithful service, and the inadequacy of their present salaries to the work required and the responsibility imposed, I earnestly and urgently recommend an increase of the salary of the stenogra-pher of the Department from $900 to $1,500 a year, and an increase of 25 per cent in the salaries of the Chief Clerk and of the Statistical and Loan Fund Clerk. WORK TO BE DONE AND HOW TO DO IT Notwithstanding the encouraging progress along all former lines and the encouraging beginning along new lines of educational work during the past two years, as revealed by the official reports, the w-ork to be done and the ways and means of doing it have not been materially changed since my pi-eceding report. As I discussed most of these subjects somewhat fully and to the best of my ability in that report, basing my discussion and suggestions on the most careful study of our educational conditions that I have been able to make, I have deemed it wise to bring forward, with some changes and addi-tions, parts of my previous biennial report. This is the work to be done, as I see it; these are the ways and means of doing it, as I see them. I can do no better than to cry aloud and spare not until the General Assembly and the people hear and heed the suggestions or in their wisdom find and adopt some better ways of doing this needed work. Thoroughness in Essentials.—The foundation of all education is, of course, a mastery of the rudiments of knowledge—the elementary branches of read-ing, writing, arithmetic, and spelling. A knowledge of these and the training and development which comes from the effort necessary for the acquisition of such knowledge are absolutely essential for every human being. It is folly to talk about higher education or special training along any line for any useful sphere of life or work until the children have secured at least this much instruction. According to the United States Census of 1910 12.3 per cent of the white population and 31 per cent of the colored population over ten years of age in North Carolina could not read and write. While I have no doubt that we have reduced this per cent of illiteracy during the past six years, it is still painfully true that there is yet a large number of illiterates among us and a large number of children on the straight road to illiteracy. A large majority of our country schools are still one-teacher schools. The average length of our white rural school term is still only 117.6 days. Our chief attention should, therefore, be given to doing thoroughly this founda-tion w^ork and making adequate provision for it. If the foundation be not well laid first, the entire educational structure must fall to pieces. The law now wisely forbids the teaching of any high school subjects in any school having only one teacher. It requires, however, the teaching of thirteen subjects in these one-teacher schools. It is absolutely impossible for one teacher, with as many children as are to be found in the average rural school in seven grades, to do thorough work in so many subjects. It seems to me that the number of required subjects should be reduced, that the teacher In every one-teacher school should be required to devote more time—in fact, most of the time—to teaching thoroughly these fundamental essentials-reading, writing, arithmetic, and spelling. It is folly to attempt the impos-sible. In my opinion, at least the first four years of the elementary school with only one teacher should be devoted almost exclusively to these four sub-jects, sandwiching in just enough of geography, mainly in the form of nature study, talks on everyday hygiene, etc., to give a little variety to the course and to furnish some foundation for a little more extensive work in these and kindred subjects later. 38 WoEK TO Be Done and How to Do It There is more educational value, more acquisition of power and of correct intellectual habits in a thorough mastery of a few subjects than in a super-ficial knowledge, a mere smattering, of many. The one lays the foundation for real culture; the other lays the foundation for nothing better than veneer-ing. I am satisfied that there is great need for a substantial reform along this line in the required course of study in our elementary schools. The sensible teachers in the one-teacher schools are not attempting to teach this multiplicity of required subjects, and those who are attempting to teach all of these are failing to teach any as they should be taught. The law ought not to require a vain and foolish thing. Public High Schools.—Every child has the right to have the chance to develop to the fullest every faculty that God has endoAved him with. It is to the highest interest of the State to place within the reach of every child this chance. By the evidence of the experience of all civilized lands of the past and the present, the study of the higher branches is necessary for the fullest development of these faculties. Unless provided in the public schools, in-struction in these cannot be placed within reach of nine-tenths of the children of North Carolina. If the great masses of our people are to be limited in their education to the etementary branches only, we cannot hope for any material improvement in their intelligence and power and any material in-crease in their earning capacity. This State cannot expect to compete suc-cessfully with those States that have provided such instruction in their public schools for the highest and fullest development of all the powers of all their people. "The old idea that instruction in the public schools must be confined to the rudimentary branches only, or the three R's, as they were called, was born of the old false notion that the public schools were a public charity. This notion put a badge of poverty upon the public school system that was for many years the chief obstacle to the progress and development of public edu-cation in North Carolina. The notion still lingers in the minds of the few that at heart do not believe in the power and rights of the many. It has no place in a real democracy. It must give place to that truer idea, accepted now in all progressive States and lands, that public education is the highest governmental function—in fact the chief concern of a good government. This was the conception of our wise old forefathers when they declared in their Constitution that 'Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of educa-tion shall forever be encouraged,' and when they wrote into their Bill of Rights, 'The people have a right to the privilege of education, and it is the duty of the State to guard and maintain that right.' "No man in this age will dare maintain that instruction in the mere rudi-ments of learning can be called an education or that the people have been given the right to an education when instruction in these branches only has been placed within their reach. Under this broader democratic conception of public education and its function the obligation of the Government to the poorest is as binding as its obligation to the richest. The right of the poorest to the opportunity of the fullest development is as inalienable as the right of the richest. Good government and the happiness of mankind are as depend-ent upon the development of the fullest powers of the poorest as upon the development of the fullest powers of the richest. Where the Creator has hid-den the greatest powers no. man can know till all have been given the fullest Work to Be Done and How to Do It 39 opportunity to develop all that is in them. Every taxpayer, rich or poor, has an equal right to have an equal chance for the fullest development of his children in a public school with the fullest course of instruction that the State in the discharge of its governmental function is able to provide. "Public high schools constitute a part of every modern, progressive system of public education. If our system of public schools is to take rank with the modern, progressive systems of other States and other lands, to meet the modern demands for education and supply to rich and poor alike equal edu-cational opportunity, instruction in these higher branches, whereby prepa-ration for college or for life may be placed within the easy reach of all, must find a fixed and definite place in the system." Under the act of the General Assembly appropriating $75,000 from the State Treasury to aid in the establishment of public high schools, 212 public high schools in 96 counties of the State have been established, and applica-tions for the establishment of many others have had to be refused each year on account of the insufficiency of the appropriation. A report of these schools by Prof. N. W. Walker, State Inspector of Public High Schools, is published elsewhere in this report. I commend it to your careful attention. Under the law and the rules adopted by the State Board of Education, not more than four of these schools can be established in any one county. No public high school can be established except in connection with a public school having at least two other teachers in the elementary and intermediate grades, and the entire time of at least one teacher must be devoted to the high school grades. No public high school can be established in a town of more than twelve hundred inhabitants. Each district in which a public high school is established is required to duplicate by special taxation or subscription the amount apportioned to the school from the State appropriation; each county is required to apportion to each public high school out of the county fund an amount equal to that appor-tioned to it out of the State appropriation. The minimum sum that can be apportioned annually from the State appropriation for the establishment and maintenance of any public high school is ?200 and the maximum sum $600. The total sum annually available for any public high school established under this act ranges, therefore, from $600 to $1,800. The high school funds can be used only for the payment of salaries of the high school teachers and the necessary incidental expenses of the high school grades. No teacher can be employed to teach or can draw salary for teaching any subjects in any public high school who does not hold a high school teacher's certificate covering at least all subjects taught by said teacher in said public high school, issued by the State Board of Examiners, of which the State Superintendent is ex officio chairman. The course of study is prescribed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. As indicative of the need and demand for these schools, I beg to call your attention to the fact that there have been applications for many more such schools than could be established with the appropriation, and that the number of such applications would have been greatly increased had it not been under-stood that the appropriation was already exhausted. As a further striking indication of the need for them, of the desire among the masses of the country people for higher instruction, and of their willingness and determination to avail themselves of the opportunities placed within their reach for such in-struction, I beg to call your attention to these significant facts, taken from 40 Work to Be Done and How to Do It the official reports of these schools, all of which are in country districts or small towns of less than twelve hundred people: 10,379 country boys and girls were enrolled in the high school grades of these schools during the ninth year, and of these 7,873 were in average daily attendance. Do not the large enrollment and the remarkable average daily attendance of more than 76 per cent of the enrollment in these high schools indicate almost a pathetic eagerness of the country boys and girls for high school in-struction, and a commendable willingness on the part of their parents to make the sacrifices necessary to give their children a chance to avail them-selves of the opportunities to get it? Is it not more than probable that per-haps nine-tenths of all these boys and girls enrolled in all the grades of these high schools would never have had an opportunity for any higher instruction or better preparation through higher instruction for service and citizenship had not these public high schools been established within their reach and means? The State and county cannot afford to ignore this demand and need. An adequate system of public high schools will be found to be a part of every modern system of public education in all progressive cities and States in the country and in the most progressive and prosperous countries of the world. It Is a need and demand of the age. By no other means than by the public high school can high school instruction be placed within the reach of the children of the many. By no other means than by the rural public high school can it be placed within the reach of the great majority of the country boys and girls. The private high school cannot meet this demand, because the tuition and other necessary charges for its maintenance place it beyond the means of the majority of the country boys and girls, and because the number of country parents who are able to bear these necessary expenses of instruction in private high schools for their children is far too small to maintain enough of these private high schools to be within reasonable reach of more than a very small minority of the country boys and girls. No one church is able to support enough of these high schools to place high school instruction within reasonable reach or within the financial ability of more than a mere handful of boys and girls in the rural districts. The church high school could hardly hope for the patronage of more than the children of the families accepting its tenets or inclined to its doctrines. For a complete system of high schools, therefore, that would reach all the children, it would seem to be necessary for each denomination to maintain a system of high schools in every county and to have as many systems of high schools in each county as there are denominations in that county. The im-practicability and expensiveness of meeting adequately the demand for high school instruction among the masses of the people, especially in the rural districts, by private high schools or by church high schools must be apparent, therefore, to any thoughtful student of rural conditions. The task of placing high school instruction within reasonable reach of all the children of all the people, irrespective of creed or condition, is too great and too complicated, it seems to me, ever to be successfully performed by church, private enterprise or philanthropy. If performed at all, it seems to me, it must be by all the people supporting by uniform taxation a system of public high schools of sufficient number to be within the reasonable reach of all the children of every county and community, with doors wide open Work to Be Done and How to Do It 41 to the children of the poor and the children of the rich, irrespective of creed or condition, affording equality of educational opportunity to all the children of a republic, of which equality of opportunity is a basic principle. The church high school and the private high school will still find a place and an important work in our educational system, but they can never take the place or do the work of the public high school for the masses of the people. There will always be those among us who will prefer the church or private high school, and who will be able to indulge this preference, but the main dependence of the many for higher education must still be the public high school, supported by the taxes of all the people, belonging to all the people, within reach of all the people. God speed the work of the church and the private high school in this common battle against ignorance and illiteracy. There is work enough for all to do; but surely in a republic like ours, one of the cardinal principles of which is and must ever be the greatest good to the greatest number, friends of the church high school and of the private high school will never undertake to say that all the people must get out of the way of a few of the people, and that the many public high schools, supported by all the people for the benefit of all the children, must get out of the way for a few private and church high schools that can at best hope to reach but a few of the children of the people. Future Developnient of Public High Schools.—There are now from one to four public high schools in each of 96 counties of the State. There are, there-fore, four counties in which no public high schools have yet been established. For the proper maintenance and development of these high schools more money will, of course, be required. It is our hope to be able to select the best high school in each county, taking into consideration the location, the accessibility, the environment, etc., and develop this into a real first-class county high school, doing thorough high school work for four full years and some vocational work in agriculture, sew-ing and cooking and other rural life subjects. Around this school should be built a dormitory and a teachers' home. The dormitory, properly conducted, would afford an opportunity for the boys and girls from all parts of the county to board at actual cost. Many of these could return to their homes Friday evening, coming back Monday morning. Many of them who do not have the money to spare to pay their board would probably be able to bring such provisions as are raised on the farm and have them credited on their board at the market price. A small room rent could be charged each student. The principal's home would make it possible to secure a better principal and keep him pi'obably for years, thereby giving more permanency to the school and more continuity to the work, making a citizen of the teacher and enabling him and his family to become potent factors in the permanent life of the com-munity, contributing no small part to uplifting it, morally and intellectually, by their influence. It is my hope to be able to secure the development of a number of these central county high schools in the most favorable counties, equipped with dor-mitories and teachers' homes, and demonstrate the practibility, success and the value of them. Having done this, it will be easy to secure their establish-ment and development in other counties. We should gradually develop in every county of the State at least one first-class county high school with dormitory and teacher's home. Then the other high schools in different sec-tions of the county should be correlated with this central school, and the 42 Work to Be Done and How to Do It course of study in these should be limited probably to not more than two years of high school work, requiring all students desiring to pursue the last two years of the four-year course to attend the central county high school, which will be fully equipped in all respects for thorough high school work. The central county high schools, as they grow and develop, should become also the nuclei for successful industrial and agricultural training. Parallel courses of study for the last two years might be arranged, one course offering thorough preparation for college of the small number of students desiring such preparation and the other offering practical industrial and agricultural training for the large number whose education will end with the high school. The dormitory would afford a splendid equipment for practice work for the girls in cooking, domestic science, household economics, etc.; while the boys, during the last two years, could have training in agricultural subjects that will fit them for more intelligent and profitable farming. The practical side of this work could be supplied by acquiring by purchase or lease a small farm in connection with the high school. All this development must, of course, be a gradual and perhaps a some-what slow growth. It is best that it should be. We must be content with the day of small things. We cannot far outrun the desire, demand, and ability of the people. Our schools must have their roots in the life and needs of the people and grow out of these. They must not be lifted at once so high above these that their roots cannot touch them and that the people will be unable to reach up to them. They must connect with the life and conditions as they now are, and grow upward slowly, changing these gradually and lifting them upward with them as they grow. The best colleges of the State are raising their entrance requirements with a gradual elevation of their courses of study to standard colleges, thereby em-phasizing the necessity for the development of more high schools prepared to give a full four years course of high school instruction, in order to prepare students at home for entering these higher institutions. The demand for vocational work in agriculture, sewing, cooking, household economics and other rural life subjects for preparation of country boys and girls at home for country life is increasing, and becoming more insistent every year, thereby also emphasizing the necessity for the establishment and maintenance of more rural high schools with a full four years course of study including instruction in these rural life subjects. If these demands are to be met, there must be an increase in the State, county, and district appropria-tions for the establishment and maintenance of more of these central rural high schools, prepared in faculty and material equipment, to give a full four years course of study for preparation for college and for vocational prepara-tion for country life. Industrial and Agricultural Education.—"Every complete educational sys-tem must make provision also for that training in the school which will give fitness for the more skillful performance of the multitudinous tasks of the practical work of the world, the pursuit of which is the inevitable lot of the many, for that training which will connect the life and instruction of the school more closely with the life that they must lead, which will better pre-pare them for usefulness and happiness in the varied spheres in which they must move. All these spheres are necessary to the well being of a complex life like ours. The Creator, who has ordained all spheres of useful action, has not endowed all with the same faculties or fitted all for the same sphere of action. Work to Be Done and How to Do It 43 "We are all hut parts of one stuvendous whole, Whose hody Natu7-e is, and God the soul!" "Every wise system of education, therefore, must, beyond a certain point of educational development, recognize natural differences of endowment and fol-low to some extent the lines of natural adaption and tastes, thus cooperating with Nature and God. The education that turns a life into unnatural chan-nels and into the pursuit of the unattainable fills that life with discontent and dooms it to inevitable failure and tragedy. In recognition of these established laws of Nature and life, manual training and industrial education are begin-ning to find a fixed and permanent place in systems of modern education. They have already been given a place in some of the higher institutions of our public school system—in the A. and M. College for the white race at Raleigh, in the State Normal and Industrial College for women at Greensboro, in the A. and M. College for the colored race at Greensboro, and in our county farm-life ^schools. Under the new supervision industrial training is empha-sized in the State Colored Normal Schools at Winston, Fayetteville, and Eliza-beth City. Some of the city graded schools, notably those of Durham, Ashe-ville. Wilmington, Winston, Greensboro, Charlotte, and Raleigh, have intro-duced manual training and industrial education. "This sort of education, however, must come as a growth, a development of a general school system that provides first for the intellectual mastery of those branches that are recognized as essential for intelligent citizenship and workmanship everywhere. It must be remembered that the first essential difference between skilled labor and unskilled labor is a difference of intelli-gence as well as of special training; that a skilled farmer must be first of all a thinking man on the farm; a skilled mechanic, a thinking man in the shop; that a skilled hand is but a hand with brains put into it and finding expres-sion through it; that without brains put into it a man's hand is no more than a monkey's paw; that without brains applied to it a man's labor is on the same dead level with the labor of the dull horse and the plodding ox; that a man with a trained hand and nothing more is a mere machine, a mere hand. The end of education is first to make a man, not a machine. "It will be well to remember, also, that industrial education is the most ex-pensive sort of education, on account of the equipment necessary for it and the character of the teachers required for it. Teachers prepared for success-ful instruction in this sort of education must, of course, be in some sense specialists in their line, and always command good salaries. For the majority of the public schools of the State, therefore, with one-room schoolhouses with-out special equipment and with one teacher without special training, with the present meager salary, and barely money enough for a five months term and for instruction in the common school branches, with more daily recitations already than can be successfully conducted, industrial education and technical training are at present impracticable. "A study of the history of this sort of education will show that it has come as a later development, after ample provision had been made for thorough in-struction in the lower and in the higher branches of study, in those schools that were provided with school funds sufficient for instruction in the ordi-nary school studies, for the expensive equipment and for the teachers trained especially for industrial and technical education. In fact, I think it will be found that such education has been provided first in towns and cities and 44 WouK TO Be Done and How to Do It great centers of wealth and population or in institutions generously sup-ported by large State appropriations or by large endowments. To undertake such education in the ordinary rural schools of the State in their present con-dition, with their present equipment and with the meager funds available for them, would result in burlesque and failure, and would, in my opinion, set back for a generation or two this important work." We can and should, however, continue to give in all our public schools elementary instruction in agriculture, and to encourage nature study in these schools. An admirable little text-book on agriculture has been adopted for use in the public schools, and in the course of study sent out, nature study has been provided for every grade. In a number of counties, with the aid of the county superintendents and their assistants in rural school supervision, many public schools with three or more teachers have been organized by consolidation and enlargement of small districts. In these schools, without interference with thorough instruction in the required elementary school subjects, some efficient instruction is being successfully undertaken in sewing, cooking, gardening, agriculture,* and other subjects adapted to country life. We must reduce to a necessary minimum, as rapidly as possible, the one-teacher schools, and multiply as rapidly as possible the number of schools with three or more teachers if we expect to place more thorough instruction in the prescribed elementary branches and any sort of efficient industrial and agricultural education within close reach of the majority of the country children. I beg to call special attention to the fuller reports of the work of the elementary rural schools of this type and to the encouraging results thereof, contained in the reports of the State Agents in Rural Supervision published elsewhere in this report. I beg to call attention, also, to the discussion of these subjects contained in the address of the State Superintendent to the State Association of County Superintendents published elsewhere in this report. The longest and most successful step in the direction of efficient industrial and agricultural education for preparation of country boys and girls for country life yet taken, is the establishment of the county farm-life schools, a fuller discussion of which will be found in the first part of this report. Illiteracy and 'Nonattendance. and How to Overcovie Them—Compulsory Attendance.—With 131,992 native white illiterates over ten years of age, or 12.3 per cent, according to the United States Census of 1910; with only 79 per cent of the white children between the ages of six and twenty-one enrolled in the public schools and only 57 per cent of them in regular daily attendance; with about 115,000 white children between these ages unenrolled in the public schools; with North Carolina still standing in the United States Census of 1910 near the last in the column of white illiteracy; the urgent need of finding and enforcing some means of changing as rapidly as possible these appalling conditions must be apparent to every thoughtful, patriotic son of the State. Two means suggest themselves: (1) Attraction and persuasion. (2) Com-pulsory attendance. Attraction and Persuasion.—"Much has been done, much more can be done, to increase attendance through the attractive power of better houses and grounds, better teachers, and longer terms. An attractive schoolhouse and a good teacher in every district, making a school commanding by its work public confidence, respect and pride, would do much to overcome nonattend-ance. The attractive power of improved schools and equipment to increase "Work to Be Done and ITow to Do Tt 45 attendance is clearly demonstrated by the statistics of this Report, which show, with few exceptions, the largest per cent of attendance in consolidated districts, rural special tax districts and entire counties that have the largest school fund, the longest school terms, and the best schools. 'The general rule seems to be, then, that attendance is in direct proportion to the efficiency of the schools and the school system. I have already called your attention to the fact that with the improvement in the public school-house and schools, and the increased educational interest during the past few years, has come also an increase in the per cent of enrollment and at-tendance in the public schools. "Much can also be done to increase the attendance upon the public schools by earnest teachers, who will go into the homes of indifferent or selfish parents whose children are not in school, and by persuasive argument and tact and appeals to parental pride induce many of these parents to send their children; who will seek out children in homes of poverty, and remove, through quiet, blessed charity, the causes of their detention from school. From the census and from the report of the preceding teacher recorded in the school register each teacher can ascertain at the beginning of the session the names of all illiterates and non-attendants of school age in the district and reported cause of nonattendance. Under the rules recommended by the State Superintendent and adopted by many county boards of education the teacher is required to spend two days immediately preceding the opening of the school in visiting the parents and making special efforts to get these children to attend school. I have no doubt that many of these can be and will be reached by these efforts. Much can be done, also, by active, efficient school committeemen and other school officers who will take an interest in the school and aid the teachers in finding and bringing- in the children. "The compelling power of public opinion will do much to bring children into the school. Logically, as public sentiment for education increases, public sentiment against nonattendance will increase. Public opinion might, in many communities, be brought to the point of rendering it almost disgrace-ful for parents to keep children at home without excellent excuse during the session of the schools. Self-respecting parents would be loath to defy such a public opinion and run the risk of forfeiting the esteem of the best people of the community. "It is the tragic truth, hoAvever, that there are some parents so blinded by ignorance to the value and importance of education, and others so lazy, thrift-less or selfish that they cannot be reached by the power of attraction and persuasion, or the mild compulsion of public opinion." It is the sad truth that those whose children most need the benefits offered by the public schools are hardly to be reached by any other means but compulsion. Comindsory Attendance.—The tendency of illiteracy is to perpetuate itself. The majority of illiterate children are the children of illiterates and perhaps the descendants of illiterates. It is natural that ignorance and illiteracy, being incapable of understanding or appreciating the value and the necessity of education, should be indifferent and apathetic toVvard it—just as natural as it is for the children of darkness to love darkness rather than light. The intervention of the strong arm of the law is the only effective means of saving the children of many illiterates from the curse of illiteracy. The intervention of the strong arm of the law is, in my opinion, the only hope of saving, also, 46 Work to Be Done and How to Do It the children of literate, and sometimes intelligent, parents from the careless-ness, |