Q Ufl 361 .T3 Copy 1 BULLETIN of the Imii^raitg of f>0utl| darnltna Country Scnool Movements ana Ideals m South Carolina BY W. K. TATE State Supervisor of Elementary Rural Schools Reprinted from the Forcy-Fiftt Annual Report of the State Superin- tendent of Education. 1913. (Pages 41-61) ISSUED QUARTERLY BY THE UNIVERSITY No. 36 Part II January, 1914 COLUMBIA. S. C. Second-Class Mail Matter Wonograph TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. Statement of Activities 5 Field Work 6 Office Work 7 Teaching 8 Miscellaneous Activities 9 II. Rural School Progress 10 State One-Mill Tax 10 Special District Taxes 11 The Rural Graded School 11 School Buildings 12 Progress in Supervision 12 Salary of County Superintendents 12 Supervising Teachers for Country Schools 14 Consolidation 15 Conveyance of Children 16 The County Fair and Field Day 16 Agricultural Work 17 Manual Training, Domestic Science and Household Arts 17 County Teachers' Associations 18 III. Recommendations 18 IV. A Suggested Organization of the State and County Departments of Education for the Better Adminis- tration or Supervision of the Rural Schools 23 Country Sckool Movements and Ideals IN South Caroli ma BY W. K. Tate State Supervisor Elementary Rural Schools 1914 Tht State Company, Printers Columbia, S, C, J3 ^ Report of the State Supervisor of Elementary Rural Schools. ^ To the /State Superintendent and /State Board of Education. Gentlemen: June 30th completed the third year of my Avork us State Supervisor of Rural Schools. The fact that my position is a comparatively new one in South Carolina and that there are still many people in the State who may wish to know the scope of its activities induces me to describe somewhat in detail the methods of work which have been pursued during the year. Mj office has little to do with statistics or fiscal statements con- cerning the rural schools. These are found in the general report of the State Superintendent of Education. It is not possible to state with any exactness the tangible results of the work which has been undertaken. There are many forces now co-operating for the upbuilding of the country school in South Carolina. It is the privilege of the State Supervisor of Rural Schools to work as one of these forces. It is impossible to tabulate the results accomplished in any one year, to forecast the ultimate harvest of our united labors, or to say who is responsible for any special achievement. We are all workers together for the common good. I. STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES. Number counties visited 34 Number days spent with County Superintendents 60 Number days spent wnth Rural Supervising Teachers .... 8 Number community meetings attended 60 Number local tax movements aided 50 Number consolidation movements assisted 36 Number new buildings stimulated 25 Number meetings with trustees 25 Number schools visited 90 Number meetings with teachers 10 Number articles for newspapers 40 Number public addresses 85 Number illustrated lectures 45 Number circular letters sent out 500 6 Number pamphlets mailed 10,500 Miles travelled by rail, approximately 15,000 Miles travelled by other conveyances, approximately 1,200 FIELD WORK. During the year the State Supervisor has visited the follow- ing counties: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Dorchester, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Green- wood, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Williamsburg. York. These visits have usually been made at the request of the County Superin- tendents of Education, the County Teachers' Associations, o'r the local school boards and teachers. The Supervisor has been compelled to decline three or four times as many invitations as he has accepted. Whenever it has been possible, the visits among the schools of the county have been made in company with the County Superintendent of Education or with the Rural Super- vising Teacher. On the more extended visits the County Super- intendent has usually planned the itinerary to include typical schools in his county, especially thosie in which he wished to accomplish some definite improvement, such as, the voting of a special tax, the erection of a new building, a consolidation, the establishment of a rural graded school, or the settlement of com- munity differences. The State Supervisor has continued the method of "demonstra- tions in supervision" with the County Superintendent and the County Supervising Teacher as the most fruitful line of effort, since it is through these officials that any plans which he may have in mind must be carried to the school and the teacher. The work with the County Superintendent usually includes a visit to two or three schools each daj^, work with the teacher, confer- ence with the Superintendent en route, a community meeting and illustrated lecture at night, and a general meeting of the county trustees and teachers on Saturday. At the Saturday meeting the Supervisor discusses the conditions which he has found on his visits among the schools and suggests plans for improvement. A summary of his observations and recommendations is usually addressed to the County Superintendent of Education and is also sent to the newspapers of the county for general information. I OFFICE WORK. The office work of the State Supervisor is steadily increasing in volume. This includes: 1. Correspondence with County Superintendents and Super- vising Teachers with reference to plans and methods of work. 2. Each County Superintendent and Supervising Teacher has been asked to send to the office of the State Supervisor copies of plans of work, circular letters to teachers and trustees, Field Day programs and any other material showing special lines of effort, and these are distributed by the State Supervisor to all other Superintendents and Supervisors. 3. From the State Supervisor's office last year were distributed to the district trustees of the State 8,000 copies of his annual report containing suggestions on supervision of rural schools; 2,500 copies of other circulars and pamphlets issued by the State Department of Education, by the United States Government, by Clemson College, Winthrop College, and the University of South Carolina have been distributed among the teachers and school officers of the State. 4. The office has distributed among the schools of the State on request of the County Superintendent or the Supervising Teacher a large number of United States maps furnished through the courtesy of Senator Tillman, Senator Smith, and our Repre- sentatives in Congress. 5. There is a steadily increasing volume of correspondence with trustees and County Superintendents who desire to secure teachers. The recommendation of teachers is confined to those whose work the Supervisor has had an opportunity to know. 6. There is also a voluminous correspondence with teachers, especially with those whose schools have been visited, with refer- ence to the various questions arising in the school work. The Rural Graded School Act and the establishment of schools under its provisions have greatly increased the volume of this corre- spondence. 7. Correspondence with trustees and County Superintendents relative to proposed building plans. 8. Miscellaneous corespondence, including every phase of edu- cational work. 9. During the year newspaper articles have been prepared and distributed to the State and county papers. A special expression of appreciation is due the newspapers for the generous space and hearty support which they have given the rural school work. Largely through this instrumentality the best thought of all the workers and the successful experience of all of the schools of the State have become our common property. TEACHING. In the University: During the year the State Supervisor offered a course at the University consisting of one lecture per week entitled, "A Study of Social and Educational Conditions in South Carolina." The aim of this course of lectures was to give the students of the University a comprehensive idea of their State and to help them arrive at a solution for the educational and social problems which will confront them both as teachers and civic leaders. An idea of the course may be obtained by noting the topics upon which themes were submitted by the young men who participated in the course : 1. ''The Prevalence and the Effects of Tenantry in South Carolina." 2. "The Causes of Tenantry in South Carolina. Proposed Remedies." 3. "Race Problems in the Economic and Educational Life of South Carolina." 4. "The Advantages and Disadvantages of Race Segregation in the Country. Present Tendencies in South Carolina." 5. "The Proper Education for the Negro in South Carolina." 6. "The Causes of Race Prejudice in South Carolina." 7. "The Water-Power of South Carolina. How may it be Used to Advance the Economic and Social Condition of our People?" 8. "Prevalent Methods of Securing Farm Credit in South Carolina. Effects on Prosperity of the Farmer and of the State." 9. "The Problems of the Cotton Mill Village in South Caro- lina." 10. "Social and Educational Work in Mill Villages." 11. "The Possibilities of the Rural School as the Center of Community Life." 12. "The Advantages and Disadvantages of an Ungraded Country School." 9 13. "The Possibilities of the Country Church as a Center of Community Life." 14. "Forces and Movements for Improvement of Rural Life in South Carolina." 15. "How Shall We Secure a Greater Respect for Law in South Carolina?" 16. "What are the Amusements and Recreations of the Young People in the Country in South Carolina? How Could These Be Made more Satisfying?" 17. "The Causes of Political Bitterness in South Carolina. Suggested Remedies." 18. "An Ideally Organized Country Community." In Winthrop College: A course of lectures on Rural School Conditions was also given to the Senior Class at Winthrop College during the closing weeks of the school year. The presentation of the country school as a field of service to the young men and young women in our col- leges results in an increased number of college graduates in the country schools. In the Summer School: During the past summer the State Supervisor offered two courses in the Summer School at Winthrop College. These courses related directly to the work of the country school and enrolled more than 100 country teachers. During the Summer School a special conference of the County Superintendents was held for the discussion of plans of work for the year. The Summer School also offered an excellent opportunity for personal conferences with 400 country teachers. MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES. The work of the Rural School Supervisor touches in one way or another every phase of the social and economic life of South Carolina. The Supervisor has, therefore, availed himself freely of every opportunity to co-operate with the constructive forces of the State. It was a special pleasure during the summer to work with a large group of patriotic men and women in a Conference for the Common Good, which held its sessions in Columbia on August 6th and 7th. This Conference was attended by 400 peo- 10 pie Avho discussed together the vital and fundamental questions on which the permanent welfare of the State depends. A STUDY OF THE SWISS SCHOOL SYSTEM. Last fall the State Supervisor accepted a special commission from the United States Commissioner of Education to visit and study the schools of Switzerland and to report on any phases of the Swiss system which might offer helpful suggestions to the United States. This report entitled, "Some Suggestive Features of the SavIss School System," is now in the hands of the United States Commissioner of Education and will shortly be issued by the bureau for distribution. II. EUKAL SCHOOL PROGRESS. The most important fact in rural school progress in recent years is the fact that the whole State is coming to realize the significance of the rural school as a factor in the general pros- perity. Even the Chambers of Commerce and the Bankers' Asso- ciations in the cities of the United States and of South Carolina have, during the past year, devoted considerable attention to a discussion of the country school and its needs. This attitude of friendly interest and co-operation is being reflected in educational legislation. INCREASED FUNDS FOR MAINTENANCE. State 1-Mill Tax: The most significant educational Act of the legislative session of 1913 was that levying the 1-mill State tax for the maintenance of the public schools. This Act is a tardy recognition of the responsibility of the whole State for the education of all the chil- dren. Through the operations of this Act, those counties and sections more favorably situated, and in which the corporate and private wealth of the State is largely concentrated, may con- tribute something to the support of the schools in the poorer sec- tions from whose development they must look for future growth and prosperity. It is to be regretted that a modification of the measure made in the rush of the closing days of the session diverted half of the fund from its original purposes and trans- 11 formed it into a county tax. Every well-wisher of the country schools in the poorer counties will look to the coming session of the Legislature to remedy this defect in the measure. SPECIAL DISTRICT TAXES. The movement on the part of school districts to levy special taxes to supplement the regular school fund continues unabated. Of the 1,934 districts in South Carolina, 1,212 now levy special taxes. During the year 250 districts have either made a new levy or increased a levy already in force. This movement has been greatly stimulated by the Term Extension Act and the Rural Graded School Act. In the counties of Dorchester, Darlington and Dillon every district now levies a special tax. The receipts from special taxes shown in the following comparative table shows the strength of the movement : Receipts from Special Tax. 1900 $112,254 07 1905 236,109 21 1909 462,820 09 1910 494,666 05 1911 574,450 87 1912 687,628 80 ■ 1913 842,322 44 THE RURAL GRADED SCHOOL. When the Legislature two years ago passed the Rural Graded School Act, few comprehended its real significance for the coun- try school. During the scholastic ^''ear closing June 30th, 130 districts had voted the required 4-mill special tax and had com- plied with the other requirements for recognition under this law. The success of this law is another justification of the legislative policy which offers the assistance of the State to communities which are willing to help themselves in securing better school facilities. There is now no needy school district which is Avithout the stimulus of a State appropriation in accordance with this principle. The High School Act gives State aid to high schools in the small towns and country communities where limited resources would render it difficult to maintain high school courses. The Term Extension Act enables a poor district with a small 12 school to receive as much as $100 from the State with which to increase the teacher's salary and extend the school term. The Rural Graded School Act is adapted to a country community thickly populated with white people and with a school enrollment which makes necessary the employment of two or more teachers. SCHOOL BIULDINGS. The failure of the last Legislature through inadvertence to renew the State Building Appropriation has seriously crippled the building operations of the year. In spite of this handicap many new buildings have been erected and most of these have been built in accordance with the State plans or designs furnished by competent architects. One of the strongest features in the Building Act is the fact that the small State contribution to the district building fund insures the examination of the plans by a competent authority and the avoidance of the serious errors into which country carpenters and building committees are prone to fall. I desire again to express my appreciation of the services of Clemson College in furnishing plans and specifications for school buildings to country communities. PEOGRESS IN SUPERVISION. It is a source of gratification to all friends of the rural schools that most of our counties are showing a disposition to pay an annual salary to the County Superintendent which will enable him to give all his time to the duties of this office. Several of the County Superintendents who receive beggarly salaries are never- theless putting into their work an earnestness and enthusiasm which should demand recognition by their constituents. The progress which has been made and the necessity for further improvement may be seen from the following comparative state- ment : Salary of County Superintendents. County. 1907. 1913. Abbeville $700 $700 Aiken 700 1,200 Anderson 900 900 Bamberg 5 5 Barnwell 800 1,200 13 County. 1907. 1913 Beaufort 400 600 Berkeley 400 600 Calhoun 900 Charleston 1^000 1,500 Cherokee 600 850 Chester 600 750 Chesterfield 500 1,000 Clarendon 625 1^200 Colleton 500 'eoo Darlington 800 1,500 Dorchester 45O 800 Dillon 800 Edgefield 600 700 Fairfield 500 550 Florence 900 1,800 Georgetown 700 900 Greenville 700 900 Greenwood 600 900 Hampton 550 700 Horry 400 800 Jasper 400 Kershaw 700 1,200 Lancaster 600 600 Laurens 750 750 Lee 600 1,200 Lexington 600 800 Marion 800 800 Marlboro 700 700 Newberry 800 900 Oconee 700 700 Orangeburg 850 . 1,000 Pickens 700 900 Richland 1,200 1,500 Saluda 450 550 Spartanburg 1,200 1,200 Sumter 900 1,200 Union 500 900 Williamsburg 600 1,000 York 800 900 14 The Auditor of Bamberg County is ex-officio County Superin- tendent of Education. Omitting this county from the list, the average salary in 1907 was $684.37>^ ; in 1913 it is $919.75. SUPEEVISING TEACHEES FOR COUNTRY SCHOOLS. During the past year the following counties have employed supervising teachers for country schools to assist the County Superintendent : Aiken Miss Mary Eva Hite Calhoun Miss Madeline Spigener Colleton Miss Georgia Ackerman Darlington Miss Elizabeth Dickson Dorchester .Miss Caroline L. Dickinson Horry Miss Lettie Harrelson Laurens Miss Wil Lou Gray Lexington Miss Ethel Dreher Marlboro Miss Lizzie Rogers Newberry Miss Elizabeth Hawkins York Miss Leila Russell For the coming year the following counties have been added to this list : Anderson Miss Maggie Garlington Dillon Mrs. J. N. Hargrove Greenville Miss Bruce Hough Kershaw Miss Kate Simpson Newberry Miss Sadie Goggans Oconee Miss Annie McMahan Sumter Miss Mary Lemmon Williamsburg '. Miss Mamie McLees Chesterfield Miss Alexina Evans We were fortunate enough to secure $2,500 from the Peabody Fund and have assisted ten counties to pay the expense of this additional supervision. The results which have attended the work of the Supervising Teachers have amply justified the small expenditure for their services. With the final distribution of the Peabody Fund the State should make an appropriation to stimu- late this work. The County Supervising Teacher spends her time in the field going from school to school, helping the teachers in the organization of their schools and in the methods of teaching 15 the school subjects. As a part of her work, she organizes the parents and children into School Improvement Associations and suggests manual training suited to the community. In several counties the Supervising Teacher is also the organizer of the Girls' Canning Club. CONSOLIDATION. The County Superintendents have reported the following con- solidations during the year: Schools County. Consolidated. Aiken 2 Anderson 3 Barnwell 2 Calhoun 2 Cherokee 2 Darlington 9 Dillon 2 Florence 2 Georgetown 3 Greenville 4 Hampton 7 Horry 2 Jasper 3 Kershaw 4 Laurens 2 Marlboro 5 Orangeburg 2 Richland 7 Sumter 2 Williamsburg 2 York 8 Schools Discontinued on Account of Consolidation. 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 2 2 5 1 2 2 1 2 1 4 1 1 5 It is the policy of the State Supervisor not to force a consoli- dation. The people are awakening to the advantages of the larger school and the process will proceed slowly but surely. There are many schools in the State containing less than ten children which are in easy reach of larger schools. Short-sighted trustees some- times insist on maintaining these schools at great expense for 16 selfish reasons. We need a law authorizing a County Board of Education to close a school which enrolls fewer than ten pupils when the board provides transportation to another school for all children living more than two and a half miles from this school. CONVEYANCE OF CHILDEEN. There is a slow but steady increase in the number of school wagons used in conveying children to school. The status at the close of the year was as follows: Number Districts County. Using Wagons. Aiken 2 Barnwell 1 Beaufort 1 Calhoun 1 Charleston 2 Clarendon 1 Darlington 1 Dorchester 2 Fairfield 1 Georgetown 1 Hampton 1 Kershaw 2 Newberry 2 Orangeburg 2 Richland 3 Sumter 5 Union 1 York 1 30 45 685 The Supervisor does not recommend a wagon route longer than five miles. Trustees should have a care to the comfort of the wagons. Some of our wagons are poorly adapted to their pur- pose. THE COUNTY FAIR AND FIELD DAY. During the past year 25 counties in South Carolina conducted a successful County School Fair and Field Day. This co-opera- Number Children Wagons. Conveyed. 2 24 1 8 3 27 1 12 3 17 3 25 1 17 2 25 1 12 1 16 3 50 2 40 2 7 2 47 8 155 7 133 1 15 2 55 17 tive enterprise, organized by the County Superintendent and teachers, has resulted in welding the country schools into a better organized system, and in stimulating the boys and girls to in- creased effort in the school work, as well as in manual training, cooking, sewing, and athletic exercises. During the coming yeaT other counties will take up this form of work. AGRICULTURAL WORK. During the past year the schools have continued a hearty co- operation with the Corn Clubs and Canning Clubs. The support of the teacher is necessary to the success of these organizations. The trustees and teachers have entered heartily into the plan insti- tuted by State Director W. W. Long to establish at five schools in each county a three- acre demonstration plot to test the effects of crop rotation. The whole country is watching this experiment with interest. MANUAL TRAINING, DOMESTIC SCIENCE, AND HOUSEHOLD ARTS. There is evident and increasing interest in manual training, domestic science, and household arts. Several schools have intro- duced cooking and elementary manual training into the course of study. The workroom, which forms a part of all the State build- ing plans, is a constant suggestion in this direction. The County School Fairs have also proved an effective stimulus to home work in manual training and domestic arts under the supervision of the schools. "The Homekeepers' Club Bulletin," which has just been issued by Miss Mary E. Frayser of Winthrop College will be of great assistance in directing this work. Even more significant is the tendency of the country school to give country activities a more important place in the school program. An increasing number of teachers are using the farm arithmetic, studying home geography, and making the occupations of the country the basis for their work in the common school subjects. The iFarm Life School at Winthrop College, which is endeavoring to devise a course of study based on country activities, has attracted the atten- tion of the nation. 18 COUNTY TEACHERS' ASSOCIATIONS. During the year most of the counties have held regular meet- ings of the County Teachers' Associations. The increased attend- ance at these association meetings is an indication of a stronger professional spirit in the teaching corps. Several counties have also held County Institutes for two or three days at the opening of the schools in the fall. III. EECOMMENDATIONS. My reports for the last three years contain several recom- mendations which I should iike to reiterate. I. That the 1-mill State tax be made permanent, and that it be used for the following purposes under the provisions of the Law and the Regulations of the State Board of Education ac- cording to a schedule of apportionment similar to the following : 1. Term Extension Act 20% 2. Rural Graded School Act 20% 3. High School Act 20% 4. Building Fund 15% 5 Contingent Fund to be expended by the County Super- intendents under the regulations of the State Board of Education for especially needy rural districts..., 15% (5. Libraries 1 % 7. Rural School Improvement Associations for prizes.... 1% 8. State Board of Examiners 2% 9. To stimulate industrial courses 3% 10. To encourage teacher-training in high schools 3% 100% The following are my reasons for this recommendation: 1. Such an Act would establish and declare a State educational policy. The education of a child extends through a period of years. The building of a school system is a continuing process. An appropriation for a single year will not enable State and county authorities to make their plans with any assurance of their consummation. In the hurry of the last legislative day an item may be inadvertently omitted from the appropriation bill, and all our plans set at naught. We have a shining example of this in the fate of the Building Appropriation last year. This 19 Act and appropriation had been for three years one of the most powerful forces for the improvement of the rural schools. The people were becoming generally acquainted with its provisions. The Rural School Supervisor and the County Superintendents had confidently promised its aid to country trustees, and through these promises sixty or more schoolhouses were in process of erec- tion. As far as the writer could learn, there was no opposition to this appropriation in the House. A fight was made in the Senate on the one-mill tax which was to provide for this appropriation. The half mill left for State purposes was not sufficient to cover this item, there was no time to put it in the general appropriation bill, and as a result many school districts are sorely embarrassed, and many people have lost confidence in the stability of our edu- cational policies. 2. The whole tax should be directed to State purposes. To retain half of it in the respective counties merely increases the disparities which the original measure sought to relieve. Some of the counties need this additional fund, others do not. Why should Aiken or Charleston County be compelled to levy an addi- tional county tax which they do not need? The policies already adopted by the Legislature will demand for their continuance practically the entire proceeds of a one-mill tax. 3. The announcement of a policy, and the fixing of the per- centage to be devoted to each purpose, would automatically de- termine the special appropriations, fix a limit to demands, and enable the State Department of Education to formulate rules of apportionment which would bring the expenditures within the appropriation. Any unexpended balance from any item should become a part of the Contingent Fund designated under item 5. 4. The Proposed Items: Items J, 2, 2, 4i and 6 are already contemplated under the stat- utes now in force, and the amounts indicated will be necessary to carry out laws which have already been passed. These will re- quire 77 per cent, of the total tax. Item 5. Contingent Fund for Especially Needy Country /Schools : While items 1, 2, 3, and 4 are ordinarily sufficient to stimulate self-help and meet the needs of every type of school, it is impossi- 20 ble to devise a law which will fit every case, and it is sometimes advisable to extend special assistance to a district which is espe- cially weak or burdened. There are districts in South Carolina where a special tax of 2 mills will produce less than $20. After such a district has exhausted the resources of the law in self-help, it may be necessary to render additional assistance to insure an efficient school. IteTTh 8. /State Board of Examiners : This item contemplates the passage of a bill introduced by Senator Nicholson, of Edgefield, and now on the Legislative Cal- endar. The necessity for the State Board of Examiners was dis- cussed at length in my report of 1911. Such a 5oard is justified by every argument which has already prevailed in the appoint- ment of a State Board of Examiners for physicians, dentists, and lawyers. The examination questions for teachers' certificates are now prepared by the State Board of Education, who have no op- portunity to see the answers, and the papers are graded by 44 different County Boards, each with a different standard. As the result, the conditions, especially in the country, are chaotic. The city superintendent can usually get college graduates for his teaching force, or can, at least, make a searching investigation of the candidate's record. The country trustee has limited facilities for investigation. He should at least be able to rely on the at- tainment of scholarship indicated by the certificate. The chief opponents of the measure are those who fear that the presence of an official roster of the qualified teachers of the State in the office of the Examining Board will make possible a non-commercial medium of communication between teachers and school boards. Item p. To StiTYhulate Manual^ Vocational^ and Industrial Courses : The educational world is in substantial agreement as to the desirability of manual training, domestic science, and introduc- tory forms of vocational work in the school. The concrete con- tent of these courses retains in school many a pupil who is re- pelled by the more abstract work. These courses dignify labor, reveal to the boy or girl capacities which might otherwise remain undiscovered, bring about closer co-operation between home and school, and tend to a better adaptation of the whole course of study to the special community needs. Large appropriations are 21 not necessary to secure substantial results. The Province of On- tario, in Canada, has established hundreds of school gardens and experiment plots in country schools by a grant of $30 per year to each school board which would maintain a garden, and $30 addi- tional salary to the teacher in such a school who, through a spe- cial course, would secure a certificate of fitness to teach elementary agriculture. The writer found hundreds of industrial and voca- tional courses in the Swiss schools, which were made possible by a State appropriation of less than $100 each. Many of our new schoolhouses are provided with workrooms. The tactful use of a small State appropriation would result in the furnishing of these rooms with the tools and equipment for simple, practical manual training and cooking. The high schools would naturally intro duce more advanced work of decided vocational value. The wood work shop at Marion, the school dairy at Rome, the Industrial School at Charleston, and the Cooking Course at Whitmire, Pros- perity, Andrews and many other places in the State are types of possible courses to be stimulated by such an appropriation. Item 10. High School Training Courses for Elementary Teachers: The necessity for such courses for the instruction of our rural teaching force in school methods and management was presented at length in my report of 1911. Less than 20 per cent, of our country teachers have attended college, and only a few of this number have had normal training. One-third of the States of the United States have adopted this method of giving a measure of special preparation to the rural teachers; $9,000 per year ex- pended in this way will produce a greater increase in the effi- ciency of the rural teacher than will $50,000 spent in any other way. II. I respectfully recommend that the term of the County Superintendent of Education in all the counties be fixed at four years, and that the term begin in all counties on July 1st. The reasons for this suggestion are patent. No County Superintendent can in the short space of two years execute any plan for the im- provement of the schools. A majority of the counties now have the term fixed at four years. The term of office should begin at the beginning of the school j^ear. The scholastic year closes on June 30th. The outgoing Superintendent should make report on his entire official term, and 22 his successor should have the summer months in which to famil- iarize himself with his office duties, so that he may begin his field work as soon as the schools open in the fall. The term now begins in July in all but 18 counties. The sensible plan should be made universal. III. Allow me once more to urge the passage of a law which will make the district board of trustees a continuing body. At present the trustees are appointed by the County Board of Educa- tion for a term of two years, and all are appointed at the same time, the terms expiring on June 30th of odd years. We have also a very proper law which forbids a board to make a contract which shall extend beyond its term of office. The resulting con- dition is opposed to the best interests of the country school. When the school term closes in April the Board should be able at once to re-elect the teacher for another year. On odd years they can not now legally hold this election before July 15th, and the long period of uncertainty is a material cause of the shifting of teach- ers, which is the greatest curse of the country school. The law should provide for the appointment of one trustee each year to serve for a term of three years. This would give us a continuing board competent to act at any time. IV. In my opinion the law should be amended so as to make it the duty of the County Board of Education to fix or approve the location of all new schoolhouses. Those of us who are acquainted with the facts know that the location of a schoolhouse can start more kinds of trouble than any other question which can be pro- posed in a coimtry school district. The writer knows a com- munity which is hopelessly deadlocked educationally on the ques- tion as to whether a schoolhouse shall be placed on the right or the left of a certain pine tree. Sometimes a selfish trustee will locate the house on an inconvenient site near his oAvn home, or a conscientious trustee will be embarrassed by the correct location of a house because it happens to be more convenient to him than ';o some other patrons. The County Board is charged with the luty of dividing the county into suitable districts; it is just as im- . portant that this same board locate the school. V. Allow me also to recommend the passage of a law author- izing and requiring the school boards to take each year a census of the children of school age in their respective districts. South Carolina is now the only State in the United States which does not take such a census. The first step toward getting the children 23 in school is to find out who they are and where they are. There are now thousands of children in South Carolina growing up in ignorance simply because the school authorities have not discov- ered their existence. The school census will form a necessary part in the compulsory attendance law which, I trust, may soon adorn our statutes, but we need the school census whether or not the more comprehensive law is passed. IV. A SUGGESTED ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE AND COUNTY DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION FOR THE BETTER ADMINISTRATION AND SU- PERVISION OF THE RURAL SCHOOLS. There are two responsibilities resting on every man who occu- pies an official educational position. In the first place, he should try to meet the immediate demands of the hour by working whole-heartedly with the organization and conditions as he finds them. In the second place, he should endeavor from his experi- ence and observations to assist in the formulation of a policy of development which will be more conducive to the stability, growth, and efficiency of the public school system. The following outline of organization is respectfully presented for the criticism of the friends of education. The limits of this report will not allow the amplification of the topics. GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 1. A State common school system should be democratic. It should be responsive to the deliberately expressed will of the peo- ple. 2. Since the administration and supervision of a school system require certain abilities and training, the law should give the people a reliable method of selecting their school officials. They should not be limited in their choice to men who seek positions, but through their authorized agents should be allowed the privi- lege of seeking the man who will perform the duties of his office most efficiently. 3. Since the education of a child and the development of a school are processes which require several years for their comple- tion, the school system should possess a stability Avhich would enable its officers to make plans which they may hope to execute. 24 4. The State, as a whole, should guarantee an educational op- portunity to all her children, regardless of the wealth or poverty of the particular county or district in which they live. I. The State Board of Education. The administration of the State common school system should be vested in a State Board of Education which should be a con- tinuing body. It should, perhaps, be composed of the Governor, the Chairman of the Committee on Education in the Senate, the Chairman of the Committee on Education in the House as ex- oficio members, and six other members to be selected by the Leg- islature for terms of six years, the terms of two members expiring every second year. 1. This method of selecting an administrative board has been adopted for all the educational activities of the State, except the common schools, and in all other cases has proved satisfactory. 2. It prevents a centralization of authority and provides for a continuing board which may formulate a progressive policy. II. The State Superintendent of Education. The State Superintendent of Education should be elected by the State Board of Education for a term of four years, and his salary should be fixed by this Board. 1. The State Superintendent would thus become the execu- tive officer of the State Board of Education just as the col- lege president is the executive officer of the college board of trustees. 2. It would remove the State Superintendency of Educa- tion one step from the contingencies of partisan politics, and would give a stability and continuity of administration not possible under our present plan. 3. The State Board of Education could thus deliberately seek for the man best qualified for the office of State Super- intendent. At present the people are limited in their choice to those who seek the office. 4. The State Board of Education should be authorized to offer a salary to the State Superintendent commensurate with 25 the duties and responsibilities of his office as the head of the State common school system. Is there any reason why the State Superintendent of Education, entrusted with the man- agement of the public schools of the State, should receive only half the salary paid to a college president, and less than that paid to some of our city superintendents? III. In addition to an adequate office force, the State Superin- tendent should have the following assistants: 1. A State Inspector of High Schools. This officer has alread}' been supplied in South Carolina, and in the other Southern States, through the assistance of the General Education Board. 2. A State Swpermsor of Elementary Country Schools. This officer has also been made possible in South Carolina and a number of other Southern States through the contribu- tions of the Peabody Board and the Southern Education Board. 3. A State Supervisor of Negro Schools. If the amount of money spent annually for negro ele- mentary schools in South Carolina is to be spent intelligently and productively, such an officer is necessary. The white people of South Carolina have in their hands the administra- tion and supervision of the negro common schools. We have it in our power to neglect these schools, and allow the money spent for their maintenance to be largely wasted, or we may, through proper supervision, make them contribute to better race relations, and to increased productive power on the part of three-fifths of our population. We place in the hands of the untrained negro teachers of the State a course of study and text books suited to the longer term white schools, and we expect these teachers, many of them ignorant, to adapt this course and these text books to the needs of an immature race, whose best interests demand instruction in agriculture, manual training, cooking, sewing, hygiene, and the essentials of the elementary school. 26 4. A /State Director of Elementary Agricultural Education. This officer should direct the Corn Club work of the boys, and the school gardening and experimental work. Through him the United States Government, Clemson College, and the State Department of Education should work jointly for ele- mentary agricultural education in the common school. It is impossible for any one of these agencies, without the third, to achieve the best results. In order to reach the boys, the school system is the agency through which the other two must work. 5. A State Director of Homemaking Activities for the Girls. In this officer the work of the United States Government, Winthrop College, and the State Department of Education must be co-ordinated. The other two agencies must work through the State and county machinery, the schools and the teachers, in order to be effective. 6. A State Board of Examiners Consisting of Three Members. This board should prepare all questions for teachers' ex- aminations, and should grade all papers and issue thereon certificates valid for the whole State. a. The Secretary of the Board should keep a roster of the qualified teachers of the State, and should constitute a non-commercial medium through which County Superin- tendents and trustees may secure competent teachers. b. One member of the board should serve as school building inspector for the inspection of school buildings to which the State has contributed. c. The third should act as school auditor, and through an annual inspection of the County Superintendents' books should insure uniform school accounts throughout the State. These officers should be elected by the State Board of Educa- tion. This proposed organization would give us a co-ordination of forces and would prevent waste and duplication of effort. 27 IV. The County Board of Education. The administration of the county school system should be vested in a County Board of Education, consisting of three mem- bers, one to be elected by the people every two years for a teyn of six years. This would give us a continuing Board of Education, deriving its powers directly from the people. The present County Board is appointed by the State Board of Education. V. The County Superintendent of Education. The County Superintendent of Education should be elected by the County Board of Education for a term of four years. His salary should be fixed by the Board. There is no city in South Carolina, or in the United States, in which the city superintend- ent of schools is elected by popular vote. It will be readily granted that such a method would be highly undesirable. How- ever, there is no reason for electing a County Superintendent by popular vote which would not be equally valid when applied to a city superintendent. The election by a Board chosen by the people would merely give the people a sensible way of finding the best man. At pres- ent the choice of the people is limited to those who seek the place. The people of a county should have the privilege of hunting for the best man. In spite of the appeal to democracy, which is some- times raised to justify the present system, our lack of confidence in its merits is reflected in the meager salaries which we are will- ing to pay to those whom we have chosen. VI. Assistants to the County Superintendent. No County Superintendent, however efficient, can adequately supervise the country schools of a large county. He needs the same kind of assistants which the city superintendent now has. He should have : 1. A County Supervising Teacher for Country Schools, who will visit the untrained teachers in their school rooms, show them how to organize and manage their schools, and how to teach the common school branches. These Supervis- ing Teachers should have charge of the School Improvement Organization as it has been carried on in this State. 28 2. A County JSupervisor of Negro Schools. As stated above, the negro schools of South Carolina are, most of them, absolutely without supervision of any kind. We are not even able to check up in any way the enrollment of the schools, Although the equitable distribution of the 3-mill tax depends on the correctness of this enrollment. Through the assistance of the Jeanes Fund negro supervisors of industrial and agri- cultural work have been employed by several of the County Superintendents. This work should be extended to all the counties. 3. A County Director of Elementary Agricultural Work. This position will correspond to that of the organizer of the Boys' Corn Club. The County Superintendents and County Demonstration Agents will, no doubt, agree that the boys' work demands all the time of one man. This officer would work under the direction of the County Superintendent of Education and the State Director of Elementary Agricul- tural Education. 4. A County Director of the Girls' Canning Club and Home Arts. The desirability of this officer has already been proved in South Carolina. In order for her to do her best work she must be directly related to the county school system, which possesses the only organization capable of giving authority • and continuity to her work. She would co-ordinate the county work of the United States Government and Winthrop College directed toward practical homemaking. VII. The District Board of Trustees. The district board of trustees should also be a continuing body composed of three members, one of whom should be chosen each year for a term of three years. This board of trustees should be the local advisory committee of the County Superintendent and County Board of Education. They should hold an annual meet- ing of the school patrons and voters of the district, at which a report should be made of the receipts and expenditures of the year. They should also present their recommendations and the financial budget for the new year. The last item of business at 29 the annual school meeting should be the election of the trustee. If a district fails to avail itself of the privilege of electing a trus- tee, the County Board of Education should fill the vacancy. VIII. School Support. The money for the support of the schools should come from three sources — the State, the county, and the district. At present there are glaring disparities in the per capita of school revenue in the various districts of the State arising from the unequal distribution of wealth, the unequal race distribution, and espe- cially from the presence or absence in the district of railroads, power plants, or other public utilities. 1. In my opinion it is highly desirable that we have a State appropriation or a State tax sufficient to guarantee a school term of three months in every school district. 2. There should be in each county a county tax sufficient to provide for three more months. 3. There should be a special district tax sufficient to provide for the school building and incidental expenses, and secure the additional school term desired by the district. Part of the State appropriation should be used to encourage the local district to help itself by voting a special tax. At present one of the most glaring disparities in district rev- enues arises from the fact that a school district has the right to impose a special tax on public utilities situated within its borders. There are many districts in South Carolina in which the railroad pays half of the total school tax. It is comparatively easy for such a district to maintain a school, while an adjoining district, which the railroad does not touch, is placed at a great disadvantage. For this reason many school districts in the State have been gerrymandered so as to take in the greatest possible railroad mileage. A district which is blessed with a large railroad mileage running through a swamp where nobody can live has sometimes considered itself exceptionally blessed. A minute's thought will convince one that a railroad, a power plant, a telegraph line, a telephone line, or any other form of public utility should not be considered an object of exclusive taxation by the school district through which it passes. On the other hand, it should be an asset of the entire territory which it serves, and from which it obtains its revenues. In practice the present condition works disastrously both for the general public and for the public utility. The more 30 abundant revenue and- the better school facilities which are made possible for the towns on the railroad have a tendency to attract the people from the surrounding farms, and consequently to de- crease farm productivity and the earning power of the railroad which pays the taxes. The only solution which occurs to me is to segregate the property belonging to the railroads, power plants, telegraph lines, telephone lines, and other public utilities, and to levy on all this property a State tax which will provide for the expenses of the State government, including the State school taxes already mentioned. These forms of property should then be exempt from local taxes. This, however, is a phase of the whole tax question which now demands the best thought of our people. IX. The School. While it will be many years before the one-teacher school be- comes a thing of the past in South Carolina, the inevitable tend- ency in the more progressive communities will be in the direction of a school employing at least three teachers. Such a school affords a better classification of the pupils, stronger social in- centives to good school work, and an opportunity to introduce special work in agriculture, homemaking, and manual training designed to secure a better adaptation of the school to the needs of the community. An efficient country school will gradually acquire some of the following distinguishing characteristics: 1. The teacher, or at least the principal, will remain for a term of years in the same position. He will be elected for a period of at least three years, and the country school will follow the lead of our best city systems and adopt a salary schedule un- der which the teacher's salary will be increased with increased experience and efficiency. 2. The school term and the vacations will be arranged to meet the community necessities. The minimum term will be eight months. The teacher will be emploj^ed for the year, and will be given a vacation of six weeks. In sections where it is necessary for the children to work on the farm the school will have a sum- mer term of two months and a winter term of six months, with a fall and a spring vacation. When the school itself is not in session the teacher will still live in the community, and will have charge of the boys' and girls' agricultural and club work. 3. The school will be a community center. In its auditorium 31 the community meetings of fathers, mothers, and young people will be held. Its library will expand into the community library. The school will utilize the knowledge and experience of the whole district in its daily work. 4. In many cases a teacher's home will be built at the school house, and his garden and the school experiment plot will serve as the central agency for the dissemination of agricultural knowl- edge throughout the community. Though the universal attainment of these ideals must be placed indefinitely in the future, there are now many schools in South Carolina which are steadily approaching them. Respectfully submitted, W. K. TATE, State Supervisor Eural Schools. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS e 022 115 569 5 • HoUinger C pH8.5 022 115 569 5 HoUingex Corp,