SURVEY OF Educational Conditions in Fairfield County, Ohio BY F. C. LANDSITTEL HALF-TIME HIGH SCHOOL INSPECTOR OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PUBLISHED BY VERNON M. RIEGEL SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION AS DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION 1921 SURVEY OF Educational Conditions in Fairfield County, Ohio BY F. C: LANDSITTEL HALF-TIME HIGH SCHOOL INSPECTOR OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PUBLISHED BY VERNON M. RIEGEL OF PUB )R OFlE 1921 superintendent of public instruction asIdirector ofIeducation Columbus, Ohio : The F. J. Heer Printing Co. 1921 Bound at the State Bindery. LIBRARY Of CONGRFSS JAN 18 19^:^ FOREWORD It is suggested that this bulletin be used as a guide for county superintendents in the study and survey of school conditions in their respective counties. Knowledge of things as they are is a necessary condition precedent to the realization of ideals. Hoping that this publication may be helpful to all who desire to make an intensive study of rural school, conditions the same is respect- fully submitted. (3) PREFATORY The survey reported in the following pages was undertaken at the request of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction largely for his information, but primarily for the benefit of the county surveyed. Being an almost purely individual piece of work, some doubt may be en- tertained as to whether the term survey may with propriety be applied to it. Little or no opportunity was afforded for conference or counsel upon the subjects with which it deals, and hence the conclusions reached are not advanced with high claims as to their finality. They are, however, based upon carefully recorded and substantial evidence. The field work occupied a total of twenty-three days in the months of September, October, and November, 1920. Eleven days were spent in visiting teachers in company with district superintendents of schools, in the course of which time forty- four one-room rural schools were in- spected. Two meetings of the rural and village superintendents were at- tended, at which features of the survey were discussed and certain facts incorporated in this report were brought out. One meeting of the county board of education was attended for the purpose of urging upon this board reorganization of the county administrative system. A regular meeting of the Walnut rural board was attended, also, with the idea of furthering consolidation of the schools of the district. All of the high schools of the county, with the exception of Lan- caster city, were regularly inspected in the course of the survey, al- though very limited space is given to them in this report. A considerable part of the information obtained in the course of the survey was drawn from reports furnished by the superintendents. In this and in every other point of their relationship to the survey, the super- intendents showed a most obliging and courteous spirit. The same may be said of board members and teachers, so far as the surveyor was brought into contact with them. All of this is gratefully acknowledged. (4) CONTENTS Page I. Background 7 II. School Population and Attendance 11 III. The Curriculum IB IV. Buildings and Grounds __ 25 V. The Teacher and His Work 26 VI. Supervision 37 VII. Financial Support -1' VIII. Reorganization ■j2 (5) CHAPTER I I. Background The Fairfield lies at the south-eastern corner of a group of Land agricultural counties of central Ohio. Its area is 470 Situation square miles, approximately six-sevenths being cultivable land. The one-seventh not under cultivation represents wood-lots and scattered spots of waste land aggregating approximately 4,000 acres. These both, for the most part, are located in the south- eastern part of the county. The only unproductive soil worth consider- ing is to be found on the hills and ridges of this same section. These hills represent what may be termed a point in the south-eastern edge of the glaciated area of Ohio. The land elsewhere thruout the county is gently rolling, and covered to varying depths with rich glacial de- posits. Besides wide-spread fields of drift there are to be found further evidences of early glacial work in the form of boulders and moraines. An especially conspicuous glacial earthwork is Mt. Pleasant, an eminence of sandstone with almost vertically cut sides, located within the limits of the city of Lancaster. Political The political divisions of the county embrace thirteen Division townships, fifteen villages, and the county seat city of Lancaster. Most of the townships are laid out on the regulation United States Land Survey basis, six miles square. Excep- tions are as follows : Madison, 5 by 6 miles ; Richland, 4 by 6 ; Violet, 5 by 8; with two odd square miles projecting toward the west at the north-west corner; and Liberty, Walnut, and Berne, each 6 by 8 miles. The city of Lancaster is located only a little distance south of the exact center of the county. Bodies No bodies of water of material consequence are to be of found in the county or immediately contiguous to it. Water Buckeye Lake in the extreme north-east is the site of a not unimportant pleasure resort, but it does not afifect appreciably the life of the population of the county as a whole. Clear Creek, which has its source in the mid-western part of the county, fol- lows a winding course thru three south-western townships, passing out of the county at about the middle of the southern boundary. On the opposite side of the county is Rush Creek which flow^s almost due south thru the two eastern-most townships. The extreme upper course of the Hocking River is in the county, the source being toward the western border a little north of midway from north to south. Its course (7) 8 is south-easterly, touching the city of Lancaster and crossing the south- ern border a little east of mid-way. All three of these streams have had somewhat to do with the topography of the southern half of the county, particularly in. the production of considerable flood plains along their courses. Railroads Three railroads traverse the county. The Toledo and Ohio Central runs in a north-west to south-easterly direction thru the three northern and two eastern townships, with a division extending northward from the town of Thurston. The Hocking Valley Railroad crosses diagonally from a point on the western border six-and-a-half miles from its north limit to approximately the south- eastern corner. This road is paralleled from Lancaster northward by the Lancaster division of the Scioto Valley traction line. The Trinway- Cincinnati division of the Pennsylvania railroad system extends from a point about two miles from the south limit of the western border in a direction a little north of east to a point somewhat south of the middle of the eastern border. This latter line intersects the Hocking Valley at Lancaster and the Toledo and Ohio Central at Bremen. All are single- track roads, but substantial and serviceable. The first of these railroad lines, the Toledo and Ohio Central, affords access to the cities of Co- lumbus, Newark and Toledo to the north, and to the south, to New Lexington, Athens, Gallipolis, Pomeroy and Charleston, W. Va. The Hocking Valley, besides furnishing an outlet to the cities already named, is a means continuously used by the people for reaching other southern towns, such as Logan, Jackson, Wellston, and indirectly Portsmouth. The Pennsylvania line establishes communication eastward beyond New Lexington with Zanesville and Trinway, a junction point on a through line of the Pennsylvania system, and in the opposite direction with Circleville, Washington Court House, Wilmington, and Cincinnati. Wagon Fairfield county is well provided with main market Roads roads. These are well distributed over the county, their tendency toward centering at Lancaster being properly quite pronounced. Roads of the lately conceived inter-county highway type radiate from Lancaster in five directions. Inter-communicating roads between those of main travel follow section lines only in part. The extent to which this is true gradually diminishes from north to south until the middle of the county is passed, when it becomes scarcely at all perceptible. The total mileage of roads is 1009, all but 324 miles of which are improved. With a proportion of less than one third of un- improved or dirt roads the county is in a highly favorable position, com- pared with other counties of the state. Twenty-five miles of brick, cement, and macadam roadway are maintained by the state. Gravel and macadam roads to the extent of 235 miles have been improved and are being maintained by tbe county, wbile the townships have improved and are maintaining 425 miles of such roads. Agricultural As previously intimated the j)aramount source of Wealth wealth is agriculture. The surveyor can not refrain from commenting upon the evidence practically every- where encountered of abounding prosperity on the farms. There were literal miles of shucked fodder rows with full-crop heaps of corn lying by ; mountains of lately threshed stacks of straw ; apples flushed with stored-up crimson and gold snatched from summer sunsets, seen still swaying upon heavily burdened, well nourished trees or piled high in orchards ; pumpkins ; peaches ; potatoes ; grapes ; pears, — everything in fact that the horn of plenty could hold. Best of all, as the countryside was traversed, there were observed nearly everywhere not only sub- stantial barns but peacefully attractive, indeed beautiful, country homes. The whole situation seems almost to defy everything like money valua- tion. The place which Fairfield County holds in the agriculture of Ohio is shown by statistics to be found in the Ohio Annual Crop Report for 1919. The production of corn in that year was 2,581,763 bushels, the county ranking twenty-third among the counties of the state. In winter wheat the production was 1,375,210 bushels, the rank being third; in oats 114,100 bushels, rank eighty-second; potatoes 55,427 bushels, rank fifty-fourth; hay 56,178 tons, rank twenty-fifth. The production of some of these crops for 1920, according to the federal census was as follows : Corn 2,646,000 bushels ; wheat 538,200 bushels ; oats 148,200 bushels. Land Land values range from sixty and seventy-five dollars Values an acre in the less productive parts to two and three hundred dollars elsewhere. Two hundred dollars is the prevailing valuation thruout mos|: of the county. The total value of land and buildings in the county, exclusive of the city of Lancaster and the villages, as reported by the last federal census is $39,124,641. This represents an acreage of 307,007 or nearly $130 an acre as the average valuation. From the auditor's tax list it appears that about one-fifth of farm values is attributable to buildings. Deducting in this proportion, it appears that the average valuation of the naked land is $104 an acre. During the progress of the survey the judgment was formed from what seemed to be reliable evidence, that real estate in Fairfield County is hsted for taxation at about 60 per cent of its true value. Taking such a percentage of the federal valuation of farm lands and buildings as given above, we get $23,474,785, which comes interestingly close to the county auditors total of $26,148,780. for the same class of property. When it is remembered that the census valuations are almost certain to be conservative, the figures seem to run together still more closely. 10 The total of taxable wealth in the county as shown by the duplicate for the current year is $74,223,000. The city of Lancaster furnishes $19,000,000 of this, which is approximately $1400 per capita of the total population. The total outside of the city of Lancaster is $55r 223,000, or $1,364 per capita. When the same percentage is applied here as in case of land values above, a percentage that in all likelihood is far too low as regards personal property, we arrive at a per capita wealth in the city of Lancaster of $2,330 and $2,270 outside. Population The total population of the county as shown by the census is 40,484. This represents an increase of 3.3 per cent over the census of 1910, as against an increase for the state at large of 20.8. Thirty-five counties grew more rapidly ; but in every one of these cases excepting four the growth of population within the decade can clearly be ascribed to large or small industrial centers. At least twenty other predominately agricultural counties in the state actually declined in population during the same period. The growth of the county has ever been gradual but substantial. Character Conservatism may be said to be a characteristic of the of the county generally. Its founders, hailing as they do from Population England and Kentucky, bestowed in the beginning a heritage of sturdiness, sobriety, and moderation in all things. Later a stream of emigrants came from eastern Pennsylvania, a goodly proportion of whom were of mixed English, Irish, and Dutch ancestry. The present population of the country as a whole embraces a considerable element descended from these pioneer stocks. Economic success, operating in conjunction with a native interest in settled rural life, has made the population up to the present generation willing in gen- eral to live their lives thru on the farm. Land tenantry and absentee landlordism has grown considerably, to such an extent in fact as to affect in a marked way the welfare of the county in general. There are in the county at present 1,080 tenants, as against 2,357 owners. This represents a gain in tenantry of 17.9 per cent in the last ten years, the corresponding gain for the state at large being less than 3 per cent. Industries The most important form of industry, aside from farm- ing, is the manufacture of glass and glass products, all of which is carried on in the city of Lancaster. There are two plants producing window glass, two that make miscellaneous glassware, and one that makes lenses. These five establishments, employ in all 143 1 per- sons. Another small window glass plant located at the village of Pleasantville was recently destroyed by fire. Manufacturing of shoes is the second industry in importance. This is centered in one large plant, also in Lancaster, with 1074 employes. Manufactories of metal products II are found on only a small scale, there being seven plants, devoted for the most part to the making of small types of agricultural and other machinery, and engaging a total of 351 employes. A rubber tire manu- facturing concern, established three years since, enjoyed a thrifty growth until checked by the recent depression in the automobile business. Flour milling is of sufficient importance to deserve mention, establishments of the kind being found in practically all of the smaller towns as well as in the city of Lancaster. Business Connected with the flouring mills as well as operating in- dependently, are numerous grain elevators scattered over the country, thru which the immense annual grain product is handled. Other types of merchandizing to be found center around the business of farming. The marketing of live-stock is a conspicuous example. II. School Population and Attendance School The total population, according to the federal census of Population 1920, is 40,484. As previously stated this represents an and Size increase in ten years of 3.3 per cent. The 1920 school of Schools census shows an enumeration of 10,461 youth between six and twenty-one years of age. The net enrollment in the public schools in the year 1919-20 reached a total of 8092. Includ- ing an enrollment of 495 in parochial schools the grand total of pupils enrolled in the schools of the county is 8587. It appears, therefore, that 25.8 per cent of the total population are of school age, and 21.2 per cent are in school. The school enrollment, moreover, represents a little over 82 per cent of the enumeration, which is a fairly good showing. Rural schools are in general of satisfactory size, the average number of pupils to each teacher being 22. The corresponding average for the villages is 24, and for the city of Lancaster 29. Returns made by super- intendents did not cover completely the situations as to schools having an average daily attendance of fewer than ten pupils ; four were reported which figure, the surveyor Has reason to believe, represents about half of the total number. The public school enrollment by grades is shown for the month of October, 1920, in Table I. 12 TABLE I Enrolment by Districts and Grades, October, 1!)20 Rural Districts 1 Grades 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Totals Amanda Tp Berne 27 63 48 48 20 71 21 48 36 17 29 26 40 35 38 44 26 27 51 25 30 25 11 30 26 48 34 41 29 25 31 40 15 25 24 14 34 36 37 24 31 32 37 27 27 18 27 17 18 26 23 48 23 58 35 29 25 42 33 39 24 10 40 38 49 34 33 41 25 17 61 24 24 14 15 19 26 36 25 32 33 33 15 25 19 24 13 9 28 30 38 25 19 28 20 12 18 21 20 19 15 23 17 46 227 13 5 6 5 344 290 Clearcreek 18 10 12 4 287 174 Hocking 335 176 237 172 Richland 109 229 Violet 28 29 18 15 11 12 9 11 288 Walnut 409 Totals 4!)4 21 28 14 34 11 12 15 14 416 23 31 7 26 8 8 12 11 3'85 23 31 11 30 7 17 11 8 355 17 26 10 17 3 11 7 17 445 17 25 16 33 2 10 7 15 369 24 26 6 38 ' 11 13 14 12 324 15 17 9 22 4 15 7 12 283 19 29 9 22 7 12 8 10 88 26 31 14 41 4 26 14 27 48 23 26 21 32 41 11 17 10 17 29 16 23 15 24 3,277 Village Districts Amanda 235 Bremen 310 142 Liberty Union* . . . 336 57 Pleasantville Rushville Union* ... Sugar Grove 27 11 4 25 17 15 11 8 3 187 131 148 Totals 149 126 1381 108 1 125 144 101 116 183 144 112 100 1,546 Totals— Village and Rural City of Lancaster. . 643 322 542 265 523 243 463 239 570 244 513 256 425 225 399 200 271 202 192 142 153 100 129 88 4,823 2,526 Grand Totals . . . 965 807 766 702 814 i 769 650 599 473 334 253 217 7,349 * Liberty Union is a joint district embracing Baltimore and Basil villages, together vi^ith attached rural territory. Rushville Union was similarly formed by agreement between East and West Rushville. 13 Relation Abnornicilly laro;c first grade enrollments appear in sev- of High eral instances due to the practice still obtaining to some School to extent of admitting pupils wb.o have not yet attained Elementary the age of six. These early entrants usually repeat, re- Enrolment— suiting in a piling up of the enrollment here. There are Rural districts, too, showing evidence of irregular progress Districts thru the grades, due, in all probability to irregular at- tendance, inefficient teaching, lack of pro[)er supervision, or a combination of these causes. The percentages of the high school enrollment on total enrollment in the townships maintaining high schools are as follows: Berne Township, 8.4; Clear Creek, 5.3; Violet, 22.9; Walnut, 16.5. For the total of all rural districts the percentage is 6.3. This last figure is of little significance, inasmuch as a number of pupils resident in each of the townships that are without- high schools are in attendance at village high schools, at high schools maintained by other township districts, or at the Lancaster city high school. Berne Town- . ship contributes a considerable contingent to this last named school and a few to Sugar Grove, while a number from Clearcreek Township attend high sc^iool at Amanda village, because of readier access, and because of the further fact tliat the township has in the past not offered attractive advantages in its own school. Reorganization of the township system is now being effected, however, which will rectify this situation. Violet township stands in marked contrast to Walnut, altho the latter has two high schools, nominally of first grade. The explanation lies in the fact that Violet is centralized, whereas Walnut by permitting division of the energies which it devotes to secondary education has nothing that is at all in keeping with its possibilities. Relation la the villages the percentages of all pupils in high of High school are as follows; yVnianda, 32.4; Bremen, 31.3; School tO' Carroll, 42.3; Liberty Union, 33.9; New Salem, 7; Elementary Pleasantville, 47.6; Rushville Union, 38.2; Sugar Grove. Enrolment — 33.1. For all villages combined the percentage is 34.2. Villages For the city of Lancaster it is 21. i. Deducting non- resident pupils the percentage of high school pupils en- rolled in the xAmanda village high .school, based on the enrollment in all grades of the village schools, is 12.2. The like percentage for Bremen is 15.2; Carroll, 27.4; Liberty Union. 19.9; New Salem, 7; Pleasantville. 31.8; Rushville Union. 22.9; Sugar Grove, 33.1; for all village districts combined 19.5; and for the city of Lancaster, 18.6. Making similar deductions in the cases of the rural high schools, there appears to be a net enrollment in Berne Township high school of pupils resident in the township of only 5.8 per cent of the whole enrollment in all grades thruout the township. In Clearcreek 15 per cent of all locally resident pupils enrolled are in high school; in Violet 2T.9 ])er cent; in Walnut 14 • i6.5 per cent; and in all rural districts maintaining high schools 14.3 per cent. These figures indicate quite closely the extent to which the respective school systems are holding pupils thru high school ; and yet they are not absolutely correct for the reason that small deductions should be made also from the elementary enrollment on account of tuition pupils. Data on this ix)int unfortunately were not obtained. New Salem with its 7 per cent high school enrollment is a striking in- stance of the folly of maintaining an impotent third grade high school when good first grade high school advantages are accessible to residents of the locality. Length of As will be observed by reference to Table II the num- the Annual ber of days school was in session during the last school School year ranges from 154 in Berne and Rushcreek town- Term ships to 179^ in the city of Lancaster. The average for the rural elementary schools is 162 days, while for the village schools, elementary and high, it is 174. The average for rural high schools is 164 days. Even in the case of the highest, Lancaster city, the number of school days to the year might well be increased. Only twenty-three more than half of the working days of the year are here devoted to pursuit of education, while in the rural districts only eleven more than half are so employed. While children out of school in rural localities are not exposed to the moral and physical hazards of the city, they do fail in even greater degree to meet with forms of stimulus to mental growth such as the school supplies. Furthermore the relative absence of social contact during vacation is distinctly to the dis- advantage of rural children. Defective social training may be pointed out as psrhaps the most glaring deficiency in the life equipment of the average rural adult. To inflict upon the child during most of his child- hood years the order of life of a near recluse means inevitable perpetua- tion, of this deplorable rural weakness. Country children stand distinctly in need of enlargement of their opportunity for widely varying, relatively free contact with other children, a kind of experience that .is indispensable to their proper socialization. The peculiar dangers to which child life in vacation time is exposed in the urban communities, moreover, are to be obviated most effectively by extending here also the period, in terms of both days of the year and in years, during which it is under the control of the guiding hand of education. 15 TABLE II ' Attendance, ]!)li»--2ii Rural Districts Qc '< < ^< (L) * Oh u vr: 1 (U 1- O 'H H c U u < u < 6 c u Ph Rank, Basis of Over-Ageness Amanda Tp Berne 2:5 1 27 17 25 11 28 1 3 37 24 14:) 222 .196 198 138 197 152 177 139 78 174 208 273 55 121 07 I i 30 113 13 32 32 28 55 43 112 227 344 290 287 174 335 170 237 172 109 229 288 409 10 9 6 7 6 12 3 13 6 60 05 68 67 79 59 86 75 82 71 70 72 07 21 35 23 27 21 34 8 13 18 20 24 15 27 8 13 Bloom 6 Clearcreek Greenfield Hocking 11 5 12 Liberty Madison 1 2 Pleasant Richland Rushcreek Violet Walnut 4 9 7 3 10 Totals 1!)7 30 48 12 1 15 27 25 1(10 1 1 357 [ 170 2,290 159 208 109 311 30 153 73 99 784 46 54 21 24 50 24 3,277 235 310 142 336 57 187 131 148 13 16 •8 26 14 1 17 70 08 07 77 93 03 82 55 07 24 19 17 15 7 11 4 44 16 Village Districts Amanda Bremen 7 Carroll 4 Liberty Union New Salem 3 1 Rushville Union Sugar Grove 8 5 Totals 1 , 148 3,444 1,944 238 1,022 412 1,546 4,823 2,526 10 7 7 74 72 77 16 21 16 Village and Rural City of Lancaster Grand Totals 527 5,388 1,434 7,349 1 7 73 20 i8 Corrective What are these corrective measures? Briefly, they are MeSisures of two kinds: (i) close study of the age-grade situation with a view to discovering to what extent over-ageness may be due to repeating grades as against mere late entrance into school ; and (2) investigation as to the workableness of the curriculum as to both adaptation of materials assigned to the different grades and its elasticity, by virtue of which the needs of rather widely differing abilities in the same grade are met. The first of the two foregoing lines of study would suggest such measures as the following: determination of ages upon a definite uniform basis; working up age-grade data as far back as records will permit ; instituting a uniform cumulative system of pupil accounting thruout all the schools ; taking note of the extent of late and early entrance and of non-promotion ; making use of the best available means of measuring abilities of pupils. The second field of study 'would of necessity involve the whole instructional force in analysis of the curriculum in the light of proximate and ultimate objectives to be at- tained; weighing of subject matter on the basis of rationally chosen criteria of values; and working out the irreducible minimum of essentials for each grade to be taken by pupils of minimum ability to pass the grade, with supplementary material answering to the needs of those of varying higher capacities. It should be borne in mind in all this that the boy or girl of superior powers is the one whose advancement it is, of most importance to safeguard. HI, The Curriculum Basic Altho there is nominal uniformity in the work covered Curricular in the various grades and subjects, both elementary and Organization secondary, it is not regulated on the basis of a well worked out curriculum. The supervisory force has in view the development of a detailed elementary curriculum, but there is no organized study going on in the direction of such an ultimate achieve- ment. Assignments in the various elementary grades are made on the basis of the text-books in use, a certain section of each book being marked out as the alloted work to he covered in a given grade during a given period of time. There are no printed or mimeographed syllabi m the hands of the teacliers for their guidance. In view of the limited contact with teachers which superintendents, aside from those in the village and consolidated schools, can maintain, owing to the number under each one's charge and their scatterment, the present arrangement should be per- mitted only for such a minimum length of time as may indispensably be required for completion of the curricular organization which the super- intendents have in view. 19 Cooperation The making- of a complete curriculum will necessitate of Forces in the enlistment in co-operative work of all of the in- Curriculum structional forces, including teachers as well as super- Making intendents,- if the result desired is to he attained. By reason of their constant and intimate contact with chil- dren, the teachers are in position to contribute invaluable aid, particularly on the point of the selection of workable classroom materials and de- vices. Committees of teachers should be organized, therefore, on the basis of grades and subjects, each one to cover a subject or a limited number of subjects for a certain grade or group of grades. These com- mittees may be expected to produce worth-while results only if their work is permitted to spread over a maximum of three grades to each committee. Exception to this may be justified in minor subjects but cer- tainly not in the fundamentals. The function of these committees will be, not to turn out a finished product, but to recommend material. Their contributions should be put into the hands of a final reviewing committee, composed again in part of teachers, the county superintendent as chair- man of this committee being the final arbiter as to what shall go in and in what form. Obviously only select teachers in point of competency should attain membership on these committees. It will not necessarily defeat this end if all other teachers are given some voice in committee selections. In fact the opposite is likely to result if mutual acquaintance among teachers has been furthered properly, and if the process of selec- tion is made to involve full discussion of the qualities of fitness required. Adoption of some such plan of co-operation, besides being in the interest of a creditable kind of finished product, will furnish occasion to teachers for serious study of curriculum problems. The teachers themselves, and likewise the school system, may be expected to reap benefits accordingly. It will all tend, at the least, toward their more intelligent use of subject and grade syllabi when these are ultimately ]nit in their hands. Vocational Aside from agriculture and home-making no vocational Life and the pursuits in communities outside of the county seat are Curriculum of sufiicient importance to claim any considerable recog- nition, unless it may be business. Indeed the elements of business would merit consideration in curriculum making for these communities by virtue of its essential relation to education for the farm and the home. These types of vocational demand are not as yet suffi- ciently reflected in what the schools ofifer in their upper-grade and high- school courses. Marked expansion in the offerings of the high schools in agriculture and household arts took place at the opening of the current school year, but only here and there does there appear to l)e any con- sistent attempt to relate instruction in the higher grades to these dom- inant community interests. In the contemplated revision of the ele- mentary curriculum these interests should be kept constantly in the fore- 20 • front as a principal criterion for judging the worth of subject matter to be offered. Texts and There is complete uniformity of textbooks in all the Reference schools in the county school district. Lancaster texts Books are different, but not wholly so. The uniform list in use thruout the county was selected by the superintend- ents, and on their recommendation adopted by the various district boards of .education. The list in general is a commendable one. With very infrequent exceptions pupils are supplied with the required texts. Widely varying conditions obtain as regards the supply of supplementary texts that are at hand for the use of pupils. Six one-room schools visited were found without supplementary readers of any kind. Libraries Unabridged dictionaries, usually well worn and in many instances altogether out of date, are to be found in, more than half of the schools, while the rest are supplied with dictionaries of smaller sorts. The latter, if not too small, are usually more serviceable in the average elementary school, hence this point is brought out for commendation rather than the opposite. Other reference works are found in very limited degree. Nearly all schools are supplied with some sort of cyclopedia, but it is scarcely ever an up-to-date standard work and all too frequently is in utterly dilapidated condition. Of the forty- four one room schools visited six were found to be without any libraries whatsoever, while eight were fovmd to possess only very poor ones. One of the schools without libraries has a neat bookcase but there is not a library book in it. The remaining thirty may be regarded as only barely sufficient for even the most necessary purposes, excepting two cases. The libraries in these instances contain some books suitable for use by adults of the district, but not by any means a wealth of ma- terial contributory to classroom work. There is particular dearth of material, practically everywhere, relating to elementary science, agricul- ture, and rural life. There is general need, also, of an increased supply of history stories and of books furthering good citizenship. Libraries with few exceptions are kept in cases of acceptable sort. In these ex- cepted instances open shelves are used, and books are thus wastefully ex- posed to accumulations of dust. One school was found where books were thrown upon the book case shelves in the worst imaginable jumble. The victrola owned by this same school was out in the neighborhood, the teacher knew not where. Such negligence on the part of a teacher would seem to be the signal for pointing him. to the way of quickest exit from his position, and from the profession. Instructional Schools are generally supplied with maps in numbers Supplies each ranging from one to eight. A few have none, while a limited numl)er have only such as have been ol)tained free of cost, prol)ably by the teachers, from the state or national 21 government or from issues by business firms for advertising purposes. Approximately half of the schools have ample sets that are of good quality. None, however, have been provided as yet with maps showing territorial readjustments in Europe or elsewhere occasioned by the World War. Schools without maps, and a few others, are also without globes. Only such instructional supplies as must be regarded as in- dispensable are at hand. Part of these, such as paper, (examination paper excepted) pencils, and rulers, are furnished by the pupils them- selves. Busy work material, number frames, mensuration blocks, ordin- ary measures of weight and capacity, illustrative pictures and models, victrolas or phonographs, or materials for handwork of any kind are rarely to be found in the schools. An organ, singularly, was found in each of 24 schools, or more than half of all visited. Due to the fact that a number of the one room schools of the county were "standardized" under former laws, these are supplied with small sets of apparatus for teaching agriculture, but unfortunately there is evidence that they are little used in most instances and in some not at all. A good part of some of these sets, in fact, seems to have been lost or destroyed. Daily A uniform schedule of daily exercises, worked out by Schedules the superintendents, is in use thruout all the one-room schools excepting those of Walnut Township. Two other schools visited were found not to be conforming to it; one of these was in Rushcreek Township and the other in Pleasant. This regulation schedule is given below. The placement of subjects is to be commended ; but certain questions are raised by throwing the time ap- pointments into the form of a weekly time table as given also below in Table V. D-^ILY SCHEDULE Forenoon — Minutes Allotted Exercises 10 Opening Exercises 1-5 r)th and 6th History and Hygiene If) 7th and 8th History and Sanitation 10 1st Reading 10 2nd Reading IT) 3rd and 4th Reading 15 Writing Every Day -15 Recess -15 5th and 6th Arithmetic -15 7th and 8th Arithmetic -15 1st and 2nd Arithmetic -15 3rd and 4th Arithmetic - 7 5th and 6th Spelling - 8 7th and 8th Spelling, 22 Afternoon — Minutes Allotted Exercises 5 Study 5 3rd and 4th Spelling 15 5th and 6th Language 15 7th and 8th Grammar 10 1st Reading 10 ■2nd Reading 15 3rd and 4th Reading 15 5th and (Jth Geograpliy 15 Recess 15 7th and 8th Geography and Agriculture 15 1st and 2nd Language 15 3rd and 4th Language 15 5th and Cth Reading 15 7h and 8th Reading and Civics Fifth and Sixth History will recite on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Hygiene in the same grades on Thursdays and Fridays. Seventh and Eighth Grade History and Physiology will alternate in the same way. Seventh and Eighth Grade Geography will alternate with Agriculture. Agri- culture to be given on Thursdays and Fridays. Seventh and Eighth Grade Reading will alternate with Civics which will recite on Fridays. Alternate Plan: In 1!)20, '22, '24, '2(), etc., the work outlined for the 3rd, 5th and 7th grades will be given; in li»21, '23, '25, '27, etc., the work outlined for the 4th, 6th and 8th grades will be given. Music, Drawing and the study of pictures should be given some study during the week. 23 > w < kJ CQ w < ^ H H SUUO|y[ scInoa£) •fqns o; IJDE3 01 ^133 J3cl O w CIh »o fM • -r CO c~ • ,_, C5 CO CO • -0 ""^ ^ coo'^ooOQOCiOt-o OOCO-*'C-.COr-HC--lOT-H O t~ O" Oi C- i-O 10 C>3 oa t- CO CO CM CCi ^H '— I (M C<3 r-^ ccixHw H« H« Hc-i Ot-OCiC~iOiO Q . c)?^ < ph < o K u < ;§ 24 Some- of the questions which the foregoing distribution of time suggests are these: Is it justifiable that more than a fourth of all in- struction time should be devoted to reading? Should the English group occupy more than three-fifths of- it? Is it defensible to provide no time at all for art or motor activities? Are the studies having paramount socializing effect sufficiently emphasized? These questions are not to be answered in the same breath with the asking, to be sure, when the peculiar difficulties attending administration of the curriculum in the one-room school are kept in mind. Despite these difficulties, however, it seems that some readjustments are called for. Compare with the foUowinsr: DISTRIBUTION OF TIME AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL" SUBJECTS The question of how much time to allot to the various subjects taught in the elementary grades is always pertinent. Every superintendent and teacher in Ohio is deBnitely concerned with this question. The practices followed when schedules a«e constructed are often the result of personal opinion rather than being based on usages. For its suggestive value a table is presented below, based upon the prac- tices in between fifty and sixty cities of the United States. The figures used repre- sent the per cent of school time devoted to each subject in each grade from one to six. Two percentages are given in each instance to show the average range. It can be stated with a reasonable degree of assurance that if your time distribution for elementary subjects falls within the ranges indicated or close to either of the two figures, you are following the best accredited practice. It will be observed that reading. in the first grade claims in the neighborhood of one-third of the school time (30% — 35%). Reading decreases in amount in each succeeding grade while language increases in its share of attention from the first grade to the sixth, as does arithmetic also, although these two subjects hold a comparatively uniforfm level from the fourth grade on. Many school programs do not follow this orderly sequence of increase or decrease. Other points need to be noted. Consider a first grade schedule, for instance, which gives spelling and language 20 minutes each out of a 220 minute school day. This is about 9% for each. Reference to the table below shows this to be normal for language but about double the ordinary allotment for spelling. Not all the subjects taught are listed below. At any rate, most interest will center in the first five. Many schools disregard geography in the first two or even the first three grades. Subjects Per cent of total time alloted to each subject Grade i Grade I I II Grade Grade Grade III IV V Grade VI Reading ! 30-35 i 25-80 Language 8-10 ! 8-11 4-6 6-7 5-7 9-U 5-6 5-6 6-7 6-7 5-6 5-6 i-1 4-1 Language Spelling Arithmetic Writing Drawing Music Geography History Physical Training 4-5 4-5 20-25 10-12 6-7 14-16 5-6 6-7 5-6 2-5 3-5 15-20 11-13 6-8 15-17 5-6 6-7 5-6 8-10 5-8 3-5 13-15 12-13 5-7 15-17 4-6 6-7 5-6 10-12 5-8 3-5 12-14 12-13 4i-6i 15-18 4-5 6-7 5-6 10-13 7-10 3-5 25 School The limitations just referred to would seem to con- Credit for stitute urgent reason for utilizing to the utmost extent Out-of-School i)ossible outside activities of i)upils as means of sup- Work planting the school curriculum. Supervised home project work, for which school credit is given, is the soundest way of accomplishing this end. Thus far nothing of the kind seems to have been attempted in Fairfield County. This departure in educational work, along with boys' and girls' club work and credit for private iii- structiOn in music, may well enlist the serious consideration of the super- visory force. IV. Buildings and Grounds Buildings The school buildings of the county have not been given detailed study in the course of the survey; especially is this true of those in the county seat and the villages. The Lancaster city high school building and the ward building known as the North School are creditable structures. The same may be said of the buildings hous- ing both grades and high sldiool at Liberty Union, Stoutsville, Sugar Grove, Amanda, Rushville, Union, Pickerington, Millersport. and Car- roll, and of the consolidated grade schools at Oakland in Clearcreek Township and Cedar Heights in Hocking township, and the grade build- ing in Bremen. Aside from three modern attractive instances; the one- room buildings stand in marked contrast to about everything seen out- side of schools thruout the county in the course of the survey. This is not to say that every other country school building is in decrepit state, for about half are in good repair and otherwise cared for at least as well as they deserve. None beyond the three excellen.t new buildings previously mentioned, are at all attractive, or constructed in keeping with fundamental principles of school architecture. Twelve of the forty- four observed are so bad as to excite wonder at the tolerance respecting them of the people whose children must sit in them thru what can not under such physical surroundings be otherwise than dreary school months. They are unquestionably a reproach to the intelligence, and the execrable outside toilets connected with them in many instances to the decency, of the people amongst whom they are suffered to survive. There are 93 one-room school buildings in the county, hence, if the same proportion holds thruout as amongst those observed, a total of 25 should be wrecked without delay or else used as places for storing farm machin- ery or housing other farm animals than children. Applying the propor- tion jjrinciple once more, 87 buildings throuout the entire county are indicated as being of the roofed-in-box type, with cross lights in every case ; a satisfactory outfit of window shades in not more than three- fourths of the cases; double desks in one building in nine, and desks seldom sufficiently varied in size or properly placed ; blackboards only infrequently placed suitably for small children ; unjacketed stoves in a 26 third of the cases, and heater-ventilator apparatus in only a third. The situation as to buildings in Fairfield County is such as to suggest not re- construction, but rather, in view of road conditions and the general pros- perity of the county, complete abandonment for schools of the cen- tralized type. School The interior appearance of school houses is in general Beautification only fairly satisfactory. Walls, if decorated at all, are painted or papered, frequently without regard to hy- gienic requirements as to color. Good pictures in most cases adorn the walls, however, and in a few instances attractive and educationally sig- nificant displays of pupils' work. The good pictures evidently have not seldom suggested doing away with the poor ones still found here and there in conjunction with the good. Only one single room school was found where any serious attempt seems to have been made in the direc- tion of beautifying the school grounds, altho soil conditions are highly favorable practically everywhere. The fact that rare landscaping pos- sibilities in some situations have not been utilized is greatly to l)e de- plored. V. The Teacher and His Work Qualifications The basic intelligence and personality factors among the cf Teachers teachers, as judged by general estimate only, are not by any means so high as is to be desired. On this basis they stand on a distinctly lower plane than other professional classes. The spirit of sincerity in which they devote themselves to their work, with noticeable exceptions, is, however, to be warmly commended. The situation as regards education of the teachers is shown by Table V. This table is based upon reports made by the superintendents. It shows that 34 out of 151 teachers, 22^^ per cent, in the rural districts have not completed standard four years high school courses. The corresponding proportion for the villages is 9 out of 64, or 14 per cent, while for the city of Lancaster it is 7 out of 86, or 8 per cent. The fact that a total of eighteen teachers at work in the rural and village districts hold only temporary or emergency certificates would indicate that this number, or 8.4 per cent of the two groups combined have not the minimum of thirty weeks of professional training required by law at the time of issuance of their certificates. The fact that only seven of the rural teachers have high school and college credits amounting to at least six years would indicate that not more than this number out of the 75 holders of diplomas are graduates of two-year normal courses, the remaining 68 having come from the local county normal school or from county normals in bordering counties. On the basis of similar reasoning there appear to be 8 holders of two-year diplomas among village teachers and 27 22 in Lancaster. In view of the critical conditions as regards teacher sni>ply thru which we have been passing", this showing is not cUscrechtahle. The superintendents show a commendaljle interest in obtaining teachers of the best possible preparation for their work, and their intiuence ujjon boards of education and the puiblic with respect to this im])ortant jjoint is showing results. 28 < < ? H S W BUlOjdlQ JBUUOJV^ O W >1Ue; suEipaj^ siB^oj^ 01 "^MX 6 u^HX ssaq "S-iA 8 8 "^MX ssaq "SJA i 2, "^HX u^HL 8 u^HX SS3T "sjA 8 gu^HX ssaq 'JH9A I -*Olt~iO«OOC;. CCO^iX>00»0 CI O' ^H ^H 'tt' Oj lO 00 t- CO 1-H CO CM GOCOOaOiCOCOCOCDC-'^'lLOCOitO co-*i»o>io":)-*iO'*^iC'-*oaio ■^ • r-l ^ (M •«.— ICOCOQOCO-^-*-^ -co t~ co-f(M •cooa-^tM -co -CM oo JB3A t UEqx ssaq « H CO 1—1 (TO CO •1— i(M CO oa >0 CO CO '^ t~ CTj t— >0 CO CO IC lO CO CO -^ 00 (M C- CO CO CO t— I c>]co aj (u oc n t; ^^ , o 5 g I- -q O OS JJ u OJ-O niJ='5-7:;-5 O u ^ o -^ rt_^ '-J p.Sj'* H P^ > c O "5 E Did •73 C— > _ OJ ' — ' C c O t. 03 n :^ O fe c oj u. X J" C 1- rtn: Of 29 Cvl CM ^ 05 •CO i.O CM CO 00 (>] 00 (M O OCOl^ C5 0i0 Ol o l-O'X) CO O CO o CO CJ CO -Tt< t> O-lfO 00 CO lO 00 CO '"' •^ 00 00 ^:; '-' • oo »0 CM CO CO Oi (>a-* T— ( CO o oa ^H • CO Cl <» CO T— I Ci 03 r-H CO -f »o O] CM -f CO ■-( '^ JLJ > o o ni "a O H > 3 u b/ rt > "re O H u n C U o •a rt 30 • Classroom An attempt was made to rate all teacliers visited on a Efficiency of general merit basis. Five classifications wtre used, Work which may be designated A, 11, C, D, and E, the.highest group being the "A" group. Teachers appearing to show rather exceptional merit were thrown into this group. Those scarcely worthy of being tolerated in classroom work were put in the lowest or "E" class ; those doing acceptably good work in class "C" ; and those appearing to be intermediate in point of excellence between the middle and the extreme groups in class "B" or class "D". The distribu- tion of the 44 teachers cb.^erved. and the proportionate grouping of all rural teachers came out as follows : Group J Group B Group C Group D Group E Tolals o 7 l(i !) 7 U 17 24 55 31 24 151 Inasmuch as group "C" represents teachers the least efficient of whom are barely acceptable, it would appear that, according to the judgment of the surveyor, 55, or more than one-third of all, of the teachers in the service of the schools are good enough to be retained only until such time as better ones can be secured to take their places. The "A" group on the other hand are doing rather admirable work, demon- strating cjuite conclusively that, even under the severe handicap of eight grades to one teacher, it is possible to show the children the way of hai)py achievement in their school life. As the surveyor's observations of teachers went on, and ever since they were concluded, the wish has recurred over and over, that every citizen of Fairheld County might be afiforded opportunity to see with his own eyes Iwxv iitticJi actual difference there is bctiveen, the work of a class "A" teacher and that of a class "E". It is very much to be desired, too, that those of class "E" should be per- mitted to observe some out of class "A" at work; it might have a tend- ency to make them at least a little less hopeless cases. That such kind of opportunity might be afforded is the reason for the provision in the law authorizing a county-wide schedule of inter-visitation among teachers. Cooperation There is a rather pronounced tendency in the teacher of Teachers toward individualism in the lives they lead, from the standpoint of both their professional consciousness and their social contacts. The relative isolation involved in working in the one-room school is in all probability tb.e principal cause. The tendency is more pronounced, too, in teachers of little or no training, which fact would seem to point to lack of training as a second cause. Teachers are usually fairly open-minded in their reception of suggestions of superin- tendents or others competent to advise them ; and yet, in some cases suggestions appear to be only courteously listened to, and in still others, happily only a few, however, they are apparently warded off. Among these last are a few individuals who seem to arrogate to themselves a 31 good deal of iniportancc by virtue of tlieir being clerks of the boards of education employing them, as well as teachers. Creation on the part of boards of education of this dual relationship is distinctly bad policy, and besides it has been held by the Attorney (General of the state to be illegal. Clerks can not legally draw and sign board of education warrants for their salaries as teachers; and as a consequence they stand a chance of being required at some time to repay money drawn on warrants so issued. While no serious criticism seems called for, generally speaking, as regards teachers' willingness to work in harmony with their superin- tendents and their aliility to i)rotit from criticism, it is quite obvious that they get little or nothing in the way of helpful influence from one an- other. There is clear need of the fostering of association of teachers with one another for purely social ends as well as for professional dis- cussions. Experience Tal)le number VI showing experience of teachers, like of Teachers that for training' and for salaries, is made up on the basis of reports rendered by su];erintendents. The pres- ent year is counted as one full year, if service l)egan at the opening of schools in the fall. The medians, computed for districts individually and for groupings as in the case of training and of salaries, furnish basis for interesting comparisons. The central tendency in experience runs lower in the rural districts than elsewhere, as was true of training. The ex- perience medians of seven rural districts is below, and six above the similar median for all rural teachers ; in village districts five are below and three above. 32 >11IB^ c^rot- - i-H CO 'C0> O] -rf CO 00 l-O ■— 1 -* iQ CM CO 00 t> siiHipajAj t- CO CO Ov. CO «5 O] CM CO CO t- .I9A0 .— I • '-' ; CO .-1 ^H • r— ( 00 ■ 08 "^HX ss3t: '-sja OS r-H • T— i rH • ^ : •-^ CO (M • "^ : OS "^HX ^(M • CO.-K • '-' : 00 --I • I— 1 ssaq "SJA 01 CO --^ C>1 CO --H • 1—1 ^H O] ■ ^t* .— ( .— 1 CO i-H I/) G u'^MX ssaq '-saA 8 (N rHrHOaCM 1— 1 ,-1^^ CM .— ( — > H 8 "^HX O] ^H (M ^ ^ : t- 1— ( TABLE Experience of I UEl|X ssaq '-SJA 9 ^ ■— 1 '-^ ^ -* --H 9 ^'^HX SS3T '-SJA 5 t— 1 CM 1— 1 CM C>5 '"' CO -t< <0 r-H ,— 1 1— 1 (M 5 "^HX (MCO oacM^ C5 '-* CM I— 1 CM '-' T-H CM r-fOar-H-rH ^ (M(M (M 8 "^^X ssaq '"SJA ? CO .-H ^ ,— ( o;i CM -< r-( CM ■■'A I i :^ :^ Ol ; ^^ en i5 i ] < 3 : : I - 5 IP = c 3P • < ■ 4 : c 3 a 3L 3 i t H h- ►. c J T 3^ 3 ^ 5 r 3 a 55 i i i I :^ J i. iP -1 r- ^ "3 C : 5 5 E 5l J 1- 3L 5 t ^ c 'P J ! J 33 o '"' Hm HO -fin -^1 (M t- CO «5 ~r oo -H »o O ^H O s 00 CO CO CO ^ T— 1 C>1 CM CD CO fO CO o CO ■^ >— 1 Ol -t CI o o CO (M CM . -HOI -+ 'O -f ^, ?! ^H CM o: lO -* "^- It CO T— ( Lt o5 t- 00 rH .-H cc lit co CO (M oc f>" L— c-.. oa CM CMC : > ;- = o m ^ 1-. OJ -O • •-* OS 03 ^ t« ^« rt O o u en be 3 3 H H nj o Oiiin H-1 34 Salaries The distribution of teachers on the basis of their annual of Teachers salaries is shown in Table VII. All teachers are in- cluded regardless of whether they serve in the grades or high schools, or in regular or special subjects. Medians have been cal- culated for all the districts individually and for four different groupings. The fact that all teachers are included raises somewhat the medians in districts maintaining high schools, but only by small amounts. They may be accepted, therefore, as indicating in the main the salary status of ele- mentary teachers. It is not surprising to find that none of the districts have seen fit to employ teachers at less than $800 a year and thereby forfeit under the law percentage-of-salary distributions out of state and county funds. Altho the salaries paid in the rural districts are still some- what lower than elsewhere, the situation in this respect is considerably improved over former times. The country people are apparently at last coming to understand that it does not pay to buy their teaching service in the cheapest market. Still, the largest salary group in the case of the rural districts is the one nearest to $800, with the median at $922. The median salary of village teachers is seventy-two dollars higher and of city teachers two hundred twenty dollars higher. The exceptionally high figure paid in Violet township is due, not to the fact that the schools of this township are centralized, but that this community has learned that it pays to attach to its teaching positions salaries that are consistent with "right of choice". Adoption of the same policy is signified in the case of the village of Sugar Grove. Eight rural districts show lower, and five higher salary standards than that indicated by the median for all teachers combined. Similarly four villages are lower and four are higher than the central tendency in all village teachers' salaries. 35 in > >IUE^ S CI "*' ^ QOCOt- 2 iO-f o "^ c-i COi -t Ol " L^ 00 suEipa]^ 1 Or-HO-rHOOOO-rtHO^Or-H crs t- o QO O >o o lO '^ o CM c- 00 0000O500CiCiCi00O5O5O3O>ai r-l (M OOOOCXJIO CM O O' IQ lO GO t- oi o O o Cj 00 00 FloX Oit-CvlOQOCOCviaiCilO.— ICOCO r-H .— 1 I— ( 1— I T— I T— t T— 1 (M .-4 00 (M C~ CO I- CO J3A0 P"^ OO'-'S* OOl-o* "^HX SS3X "oOtSii! -* I— I o • OOt^Sl »^HX SS3T 'oob'S* o • 0085$ u'^HX "3X 'OUSol o OOSo* "^HX SS31 'OOTSl o 00 IS* "^HX ssaq 'OIlUc-* ^ : -< .—1 0005* "^HX SS3T 'OOfJl* o OiHil* "^4X SS3X '008T* 1— ( ^ — :- 1-1 1— 1 • OOb'I* "^HX ssaq 'OOil* OOil* "^HX SS3X '0091* 0091* "^HX SS31 '0051* o CM 1 CM : ;i-l CM 1— 1 T-H • ^ . . rH . 0051* u^HX SS91 'iiotl* ^^ (M '-Hr-H 001^1* "^HX i;s3i 'oo£i* o '"':'"* 0081* u^HX SS31 '0051* 1—1 CM CO T-H .T-HM* 0051* "^HL ssaq '0011* rH 03 CM ^,-, c~ CO • • i-H 1-1 0011* "^HX SS91 '0001* CM - CM loco CO ■— 1 .— 1 ^H --f 0001* "^HX SS31 '006* >-l(M'» •'^lOCO ooioc-'-H 00 CO -rf CD rH ^H 006* "i^qx SS3T '008* T— 1 •r}< CM iO -* o •CM<»^ -H CM ^ Oi CO 0091* "^MX ssaq 'oo^il* .—1 . (M CO CM 00 0051* «^MX ssaq 'OOtT* (M -* CD CO CM 1— I OOtT* "^HX ssaq '008T* CM CM C£i 00 008T* "^MX SS31 'OOoT* T— 1 . L- O CM CM OOST* "«MX SS31 '001 T* -H 1 CO CO CM OOII* u^HX ssaq 'ooojl CO CO -* o CM 0001* u^HX ssaq '000* ■-HCO CO c;. ^ o ^H CO '-H CO OOfi* "^HX SS31 '008* CO • 00 008* UEiix ssaq o o Rural Districts o u O nS be 3 in Totals, Village and Rural City of Lancaster a C H c 03 o 37 Living Only the most casual kind of in(|uiry was made into this Conditions phase of the teacher situation, (jeneral satisfaction with of Teachers living conditions obtains so far as expressions elicited from teachers on the subject show. The homes gener- ally are good, and teachers, whether living at home or not, seem to be satisfactorily housed. VI. Supervision The Super- All of the supervisory functions are vested' in the county visory Corps and local superintendents, assisted by principals in the high schools, the consolidated grade schools, and the Lancaster ward buildings. Each of the villages has its local superintend- . ent, some of whose time is devoted to teaching. The districts made up for the most part or entirely of one-room schools are supervised by four district superintendents, and in the case of one township directly by the county superintendent. Aside from those working in this one township the teachers receive not more than one or two visits by the county super- intendent in the course of the yearly term of school. Considering the fact, however, that the county superintendent must carry the responsibil- ity for dealing successfully with the larger administrative problems, and that he must of necessity deal officially with large numbers of individuals in the course of time, besides attending meetings and conferences of various kinds almost without number, his visits to schoolrooms can not possibly be frequent. The districts in order of their sizes are given be- low with the approximate area of each. 1. Berne, Rushcreek, Richland, Pleasant, New Salem; 144 sq. mi. 2. Amanda, Bloom, Clearcreek, Madison; 138 sq. mi. 3. Liberty, Greenfield. Liberty Union; 84 sq. mi. 4. Walnut ; 48 sq. mi. Restricting Table VII shows important conditions as regards super- Conditions vision in all districts, including the city of Lancaster. In estimating the average number of hours monthly to each teacher, twenty is taken as the number of working days per month and six as the number of hours per day. No allowance has been made for time consumed in going to and from schools, which with the super- intendents of scattered rural schools is a large factor. Just what pro- portion of time is required for travel is difficult to determine, but in the largest supervision districts it would probably serve to reduce by one- third the estimated time available to each teacher. This would of neces- sity mean that about a third of the cost per teacher is attributable not to supervision but to travel. It should be pointed out, however, that the loss of time here referred to is reduced somewhat by the fact that super- intendents as a rule use intermission periods for travel from one school 38 to another. The proportion of time devoted I)y superintendents to teach- ing is based upon the assumption that six high school class periods of teaching in conjunction with the time required for preparation constitute a working day. It is coming to be generally accepted that this is an ex- cessively heavy day's work. The point to be noted here is that if a super- intendent teaches as many as hve periods; preparing as he should day by day for his teaching, he will tind it necessary to give to supervision less than the one-sixth of his whole time which is allowed in such a case. This narrowly limited amount of time, furthermore, is encroached upon in almost fatal degree by clerical work and petty incidents of manage- ment. Fairfield County is by no means an exception in the need here revealed of education of the public on the point of the waste involved in permitting these lesser responsibilities to draw upon the time of the more highly paid school employes. Clerical help, if kept in the superin- tendent's offices for only part time, can satisfactorily take care of such matters as writing letters and other communications, making out orders and reports, hearing minor complaints and answering questions, most of which do not require the attention of an expert, and dispensing supplies. The services of advanced pupils are available for this purpose everywhere at light cost and they can readily be trained to meet the requirements in altogether satisfactory fashion. The larger schools nearly everywhere supplement their clerical force by occasional student help ; why can not the smaller ones avail themselves of it more generally also? From the student's standpoint the experience proves educative always, besides bringing in compensation which, although small, is often needed. It is nothing short of folly to permit the continuance of conditions requiring that the time of superintendents, costing at the rate of a dollar an hour, should be consumed in a form of service that can be supplied usually at less than half as much. The time thus freed may then be devoted, as it should be, to work on the larger administrative problems and to real, constructive supervision of classroom teaching. 39 TABLE VIII Conditions Attending Supkkvision Rural Districts r^ ^ imo w a. 3 1) c o o o u O c S o-r, B Ph UTS XS-c <; b 3 (u 5 > « a3 .S ^„ O -^ 4^ W Supervision Dist. No. 1 — Berne, Pleasant, | Richland, Rushcreek I Tps. and New Salem | Village I Supervision Dist. No. 2 — Amanda, Bloom, ] Clearcreek and Mad- ison Twp 3 — Greenfield, Liberty Twps. and Liberty Union Supervision Dist. No. 4 — Walnut Twp Hocking Violet Total Total *'J,40<) 2. GOO Village Districts Amanda Village .... Bremen Carroll Pleasantville Rushville Union . . . Sugar Grove City of Lancaster City Superintendent ... I *Other superintendence! Total superintendence] 7i 4.5 40 3 m\ 3 7/111 Total I 2,400| I I Total i 2,500| ] 23| 5^ Supervised by county superintendent 333 $1,667 I Total I t2 11/121 462 400 563 1,500 250 1,412 3,300 5,248 1,388 1.600 1 1 , 1271 3001 1,250 1 70(), 13 6 8 86| 86 17/13 2 5 5/7 2 6/7 3i 10 1§ • 41/14 t3 11/121 18. 5481 I $86| 5i $53 65 73 100 26 58 83 80 43 42 177 38 61 * Rendered by one high school principal and four grade principals. jTo be read as equivalent to 2 11/12 times, and 3 11/12 times respectively, the full time of one person. Cooperation The fact that district men are practically independent of cf Superin- the county superintendent as regards their tenure of tendents position, has resulted in some counties in pronounced lack of team-work in the corps of superintendents. Looseness of organization in the county administrative corps is con- trihuted to, also, jjy tlie provision in the law, which has hecotne familiarly known 1)y the section number "forty-seven-forty", authorizing the with- drawal of certain districts from district supervision as regularly con- stituted. No sooner does this withdrawal take place in many cases than the districts assume to have withdrawn also from jurisdiction of the county superintendent and the county board of education. This miscon- 40 ception, fortunately, does not appear to atTect at all seriously the situa- tion in Fairfield County. Aside from one or two bits of contrary evi- dence coming to the notice of the surveyor, everything seemed to point to rather complete co-operation and good will. The superintendents seem to consult together freely with due frequency, and their meetings give evidence of their ability to develop agreement to such extent as results m a satisfactory degree of concert of effort in the field. Efficiency of The degree to which the superintendents of village and Sui>ervisioin consolidated schools really help the teachers was not ascertained. The supervision of rural teachers, on the other hand, was studied to an extent sufficient to reveal noteworthy features of merit, and certain aspects, also, with regard to which im- provement should be attempted. Faithfulness Supervision so far as it was observed is strong as re- to Duty gards the closeness of contact maintained by superin- tendents with classroom work^ and with the trend of thought amongst board members and the public. Schools are visited with due frequency, quite creditable frequency, in fact, considering the distances that in many instances have to be covered. Superintendents, moreover, attend regularly the meetings of all of their boards of educa- tion. A great saving of time is effected in connection with both of these types of service by virtue of the fact that all the district men own their own automobiles. Contrary to assertions loosely made by citizens here and there, the district superintendents of schools, in Fairfield County at least, may. truly be said to be hard-working men. Intelligent The superintendents may be commended, moreover, on and Tactful the helpful character of the suggestions, which they offer Suggestions to teachers in the course of visitations. These show discriminative insight into the processes of instruction and ability to help teachers toward correction of erroneous methods. All criticism, too, seems to be oft'ered in a spirit and manner which ought to awaken only warmth of endeavor on the part of teachers. The con- formity of teachers to curricular assignments is properly noted by super- intendents, altho strict regulation on this point is impracticable in the ab- sence of sufficient subject-matter syllabi. One superintendent, in spite of this administrative want, seems to know quite intimately the state of progress in all subjects of the various schools and grades under his charge. Standardized tests of pupils' achievements have been used hitherto only occasionally as a matter of experiment. The superintend- ents are to be commended for their decision to apply them in a systematic way during the current year year at least in the subjects of reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic. 41 Acceptance of Jii matters of discipline and in difficulties arising from Responsibility otlier causes, the superintendents show a disposition to sustain their full share of responsibility. In one school, badl}^ behaved thru a year or two past, a teacher was saved from failure in pupil control by virtue of unstinted support on the part of the super- intendent. Another promising young man teacher was stimulated to manly acknowledgement of excessive use of corporal punishment in a certain instance, thus averting serious trouble with an irate parent and doubtless preventing withdrawal from the profession of the young man himself. In a third case the superintendent was observed to be helping in yeoman fashion toward allaying a condition of factionalism, arising largely from the influence of a mischievous ex-teacher of the sort having earned enforced retirement. Less conspicuous points of evidence, in addition to the instances just cited, show abundantly that superintendents are exercising a satisfactory degree of moral courage in their support of teachers. Their moral courage comes into evidence further in their dis- position to discontinue the services of teachers who show a rather hope- less lack of merit. In this respect they frequently stand in marked con- trast to boards of education. Need of Pre- The superintendents generally owe it to themselves and arrangement to the schools to curtail somewhat expenditure of their energies in doing relatively petty errands of boards of education and others. The disposition to be as useful as possible, out of which this shortcoming arises, merits commendation ; but more discrim- inating care should be exercised in electing always the highest forms of usefulness. There should be a greater amount of effort put forth, also, toward anticipating conditions and needs, or working according to pre- arranged plans. Otherwise there is danger of being involved in a mad rushing about in meeting arising eventualities. There is particular need of application of this policy to the procuring of needed equipment and supplies. Books should be at hand and needed apparatus and materials for the year should be bought and put where needed by the opening day of school, so that classes may not be put to the necessity of doing little more than to mark time while awaiting the arrival of things needed in successful prosecution of their work. Teachers* It appears also that more serious attention should be Meetings given to teachers' meetings and teachers' study groups. The latter would include classes in college or university extension work, of which the two classes of about twenty members each meeting weekly at Lancaster and Bremen are examples. These classes naturally include largely teachers living in the county seat, or Bremen, or in contiguous localities. Some few travel long distances to attend these classes while others residing within easy reach are not enrolled. 42 Smaller groups, pursuing studies calculated to promote general scholar- ship and improved methods of work, should be developed in all parts of the county. This form of etTort might very well constitute a feature of the regular teachers' meetings. Schools are dismissed, it appears, for the purpose of holding meetings of teachers usually at the rate of six or more a year. Difficulty has arisen from this in one township, wherein the board of education has seen fit to pass a resolution against the prac- tice. Superintendents would be acting entirely within their legal rights to ignore such a short-sighted action ; and yet conflict on the point at issue should be avoided if possible. The attitude of this board, which is shared to some extent by the public in the rural districts, at least, im- poses the responsil)ility, if it were not recognized from other considera- tions, of seeing to it that these meetings do not fail to be productive of real benefit, and that the public comes to know this. To this end, would it not be worth while to procure the attendance occasionally at teachers' meetings of board members and other citizens? If it is not a mere spirit of niggardliness regarding use of the teachers' time that actuates hos- tility to teachers' meetings, it should prove curable through observation of what goes on there. At any rate, if the conversion of objectors can not thus be brought about, the measures of active support coming from others can be increased to such extent as to render an objecting minority of little consequence. Would not the study of home project work, the need of which has previously been pointed out, prove to be a field promis- ing almost certain success in enlistment of the interest and support of par- ents? Would not, too, the teachers and parents consulting together be more likely to reach a basis of mutual understanding that would tend to insure the success of the project work itself? Specific subjects of study like project work, or Americanization (everywhere needed), or super- vised study, or measurement of results of school work, or important topics of the day, should become sul:)jects for series of discussions run- ning through consecutive meetings. Observation The growth of teachers in working power is promoted of Teaching in no greater degree, save through their own experience, by any other agency than observation of the work of others. The schedule of intervisitation amongst the teachers of the county, which is authorized by law, has never been put in eftect as yet in Fairfield County. This should be done. In addition, use should be made continuously of demonstration teaching in connection with teachers' meetings. The lessons taught for demonstration purposes should ex- emplify specific processes of instruction always, and should be followed by discussions bringing out the essential principles involved. Opportunity should be afl^orded the teachers, moreover, to pursue readings relating to the types of work that are observed, else intelligent participation in dis- cussions will not likely take place. A wealth of pedagogical literature 43 exists relating to every problem of teaching that may be attacked, some of the best of which should be made available to the teachers. To this end a circulating pedagogical library should be maintained at the county superintendent's office, possibly with branches at other points. The count}- I)oar(l of education could make no more productive outlay of funds than to provide for such a library. The various district boards might be prevailed upon to supplement the county board appropriations, and still further support might be secured through voluntary contribu- tions of teachers and public spirited citizens. Obviously the list of books annually recommended by the Ohio Teachers Reading Circle should find their way into this library. It is essential that teachers should he stim- ulated to continuous and serious study of their work; and boards of edu- cation and superintendents should not hesitate to impress this nccessitx upon the minds of all iti the se'nnce. Business The superintendents as a rule are the agents of the Administra- various boards of education in conducting the ordinary tion business affairs of the various districts. This respon- sibility is shared, however, in some measure l)y the school district clerks. In matters involving considerable outlay of funds such as construction or repair of buildings the boards usually act thru committees. School supplies of all kinds are purchased by local boards of education acting separately, excepting examination paper, report cards, and school registers, which are furnished by the county board. Orders for supplies are placed by the superintendents, as *a rule, seldom without specific authorization by their boards. In a few cases neither formal nor in- formal ratification of purchases is required, the school executive being ])ermitted to procure things that in his judgment are needed, and in due time reporting the bills. Such Irl^erty of action is desirable and wise in practically every situation. It opens the way to immediate action when necessary and yet not in any appreciable degree toward lack of care in the expenditure of funds. If a superintendent cannot be trusted to this extent he is not to be considered worthy of the position he holds. There are reference books and more or less worthless school appliances to be found in the schools of the county tending to show the greater mistake in judgment of making purchases without the advice of a superintendent, as against entrusting him with rather full authority in such matters. The idea would seem worthy of serious consideration on the part of the district boards, either of depending in larger measure upon the county board for supplies which are necessary in all schools, or else act- ing jointly in their purchase. If such things as library books, papef, pens, ink, pencils, chalk, and erasers, were purchased in quantities for the entire countv, a verv material saving could doubtless be effected. 44 Financial There is not anywhere in tlie county a well developed Accountings system of accounting, as respects either pupils or finance, unless it may be in the city of Lancaster, where for lack of time scarcely any information on any phase of the school situation was obtained, aside from that contained in reports kindly supplied by the superintendent. The principal form of evidence respecting financial accounting was the file of annual summarized reports of receipts and expenditures returned by school board clerks to the county auditor. On the basis of these reports the conclusion can not be avoided, that the books from which they are drawn must l)e seriously defective in point of both clearness and accuracy, to say nothing of the matter- of a proper classification of expenditures. It is to be marveled at that the county auditor, even by drawing upon his imagination to the utmost limit of legitimacy, is able to bring order out of the chaos exhibited in these reports. It is greatly to be desired that financial accounts should be handled in a better way. It should be made possible to determine from these financial statements accurate figures covering any phase of schools costs, such as for supervision, equipment, heating and lighting, up-keep, etc., in any district. The outlay for various purposes, moreover, should stand in the reports distributed in proper proportion to elementary schools, high s.chools, night schools, or any other types of educational work that may be maintained. The obvious relation of all this to ui- telligent budget making would seem to prompt eager interest in learning to carry it out. The State Department of Public Instruction has in view the publication of a set of rather 'explicit instructions regartling financial accounts, which should contribute at least in some measure to improve- ment in this important matter. Educational The system of pupil accounting in the various districts Records and was not investigated in detail. Enough was Itarne 1, Reports howe\er, to warrant the assertion that ti;e term "sys- tem" is scarcely applicable' to this phase of the situation. All schools in the county school district use a uniform school register, with pages for entering the names of each pupil belonging, together with age, sex, nationality, place of residence, and name of parent or guardian, attendance, pupils' m'arks in all subjects, visits of superintendents and others, inventories of school property, and term summar'es. Duplicate perforated sheets enable the teachers without extra writing to furnish superintendents with copies month by month of tlic records they keep. This device, rather cumbersome in form, -is commendable as far as it goes. It affords no means of consulting the record of progress of an individual pupil thru the grades without searching thru the leaves of one or more of these large books. A cumulative individual record system, either su])j)lementary to or displacing this register, sliould l)c installed thniont the country. Sugar Grove has a form of cumulative ]ni]^,il 45 record, for which those in charge there are to be commeiKied ; but this could be improved upon in point of compactness and convenience of ac- cess to the data which it carries. All high schools of the county, too, have individual cumulative pupil records either in card form or in the form of a loose-leaf book. The attention of the administrative officials of the county may be directed to the National System of School Records and Reports or the Strayer-Englehart System of School Accounting. The advisability of using either of these in its complete form mav be open to question ; but there is no doubt regarding the superiority for pupil-record purposes of the Fairfield county schools of at least selected essential forms from either system. Reports of teachers and others, of the kinds required by law appear to be regularly made. The school census is taken as a rule in the eld-fashioned, loose way by most any- body who happens to be available for the purpose. Ages are indifferently ascertained, birth dates of youth not being made a matter of record at all. As regards the numbers of youth in gross enumerated as being of school age, however, the reports of enumerators are not seriously open to question. Janitors Persons employed for janitor service are appointed by the boards of education, usually, but not necessarily, on the recommendation of superintendents. Some care is exercised re- garding their moral character, but there are no fixed standards of eligibil- ity as to either this or other qualifications. Some are practical carpenters and resourceful workmen otherwise, but none have any special knowl- edge regarding maintenance of hygienic conditions in schools. The problem of securing janitors for one-room buildings, whose services are at all satisfactory, is one that presents considerable difficulty. In numer- ous instances the teachers for extra compensation assume responsibility for janitoring either employing others to do the work or doing it them- selves. The rate of pay for janitor service in these schools runs from $4 to $5 per month. Schools usually are not well janitored. Rooms are swept without dust absorbent of any kind ; at least some are not dusted at all after sweeping, and others only in careless fashion. Floors are frequently littered with scraps of paper and bits of fuel or ashes, the latter being conspicuously in evidence about the stoves. In numerous instances, however, ^rooms are kept in order and clean. Contrasts in cleanliness, neatness, and order are to be found also in the village and consolidated school situations. Those of this class of schools that are well cared for are easily a majority, but there are at least two cases of the opposite kind that are "horrible examples". These are both new buildings, the interior woodwork and furniture of which are rapidly deteriorating under the peculiarly damaging effects of accumulations of dust. Unless the janitors responsible for this can be taught to improve the character of the service they are rendering, as is not likely to be the 46 case, they should speedily be got rid of, if any one else can by any pos- sibility be obtained. Community Community-building activities of one kind and another Work are taking place from time to time in various parts of the county and in the villages, but there is in evidence nowhere a systemized continuous program of community vv^ork. The teacher of a one-room school in Liberty Township has perhaps the near- est approach to this. Numerous gatherings of the people are held at this school-house, but rather as occasion may suggest than in answer to de- termined needs. That social activities are an established feature in this teacher's yearly program, after all, is evidenced by his having stored in the school-house attic a complete outfit of tables, to be brought out on occasion. The good work which he is doing merits warmest com- mendation. Three other teachers were found in the course of visitation of schools who are at least rivals of this one in the community interest which they are develof>ing. That parent-teacher associations have not found their way more generally into the communities of Fairfield County, urban and rural alike, is occasion for regret. Any well considered com- munity plans would seem of necessity to include, if not center about, the parent-teacher association. There is work for it in every community, and if wisely directed it is capable of bringing almost unlimited benefits. Boys' and Clubs of social or semi-social character among boys and Girls' Clubs girls seem exceedingly limited in Fairfield County. The surveyor was informed of but two boys' pig clubs. These may not represent all there is in the nature of work-study clubs, as par- ticular inquiry was made in but a few of the schools visited regarding this phase of the educational situation. One purely social club of boys and young men came to notice at Clearport in Madison township. This is known by the name of "The Triangle Club". The name suggests the Young Men's Christian Association, which it resembles somewhat in its purposes and activities. The former are reported as follows : ( i ) Bet- ter social spirit; (2) To direct the activities of young men; (3) Proper use of leisure time ; (4) To furnish proper reading material ; (5) To supply games and literary programs. The organization was conceived of as a means of combating the influence of a pool-room in the same community. Its present membership of upwards of fifty embraces men and young men ranging in age from fifteen to fifty-five years. The membership fee is a dollar a year. Its meeting place is a room in the school building, where besides holding social events and giving literary programs from time to time, it furnishes constantly, at least in winter months, an open-house to the men and young men of the community. The only thing to be regretted regarding this admirable organization is that it seems to be relatively unknown in other parts of the county. 47 If intelligence of it were spread about, it might suggest similar under- takings in other localities. Here is something for celebration in the monthly county school bulletin. Other types of young people's organiza- tions should be fostered thru this same organ and by every other avail- able means. VII. Financial Support Resources The problem of financing the public schools in Fairfield County presents no very considerable measure of dif- ficulty, at least not since the laws have come to authorize a special three mills tax beyond all limitations when approved by popular vote. Prior to the present taxing year, when this extra levy first became available, the county seat city, the villages, with the exception of one, and at least one of the township districts were somewhat hampered for lack of funds. The reasons for this situation were, too, — • (i) statutory limita- tions on tax rates, and (2) low valuations put upon property for taxa- tion purposes. No general revaluation seems to have taken place for a period of years ; and the annual revision of the tax lists which is required by law of the county auditor and county board of revision seems to have »been timidly made. Real-estate, according to the testimony of a number of individuals in position to know, is assessed at about 60 per cent of its market value. Any statement as to the proportion of personal property that is being levied upon here, as in most other localities would have to rest almost wholly upon a guess-work basis. The present taxation re- sources of the various districts are set forth in Table IX. The average of taxable wealth per pupil of $9,170 for the county at large is a fairly comfortable average, although it is lower by about a thousand dollars than the corresponding average for the state. It is interesting to note how much lower the average for the city and that for the villages are than the rural average. In spite of this disadvantage in point of wealth a distinctly better quality of schools is being maintained in the munici- palities than in the rural districts. The latter are at some disadvantage in providing good school opportunities by reason of scatterment of the ]X)pulation, but it is more than overbalanced by the difference in wealth. 48 TABLE IX Financial Resources o "ncM H 4- Taxable Wealth Per Pupil Enrolled Tax Rates Rural Districts OJ O c i- 3 < 1 Oh m o . C/3 Amanda $2 . 565 . OOO $7,090 10,800 10,300 8.800 19,300 6,780 19.420 4.110 16.410 9.5.30 13.000 12,460 13,480 13.5 15.8 15.7 18.5 14.2 17. 15.2 16.6 15.2 16.5 16.1 17.8 14.9 1.3 2.5 3.7 3.5 1.4 2.0 2.7 7.2 3.0 4.0 2.8 4.9 3. Berne 4,511,000 3,264,000 2,712,000 3,590,000 3,330,000 4.331,000 1.467.000 3,348,000 1,210,000 3,000,000 3,926,000 5,660.000 Bloom Clearcreek 1.6 Greenfield .... Hocking Liberty Madison ll Pleasant (1 Richland Rushcreek V iolet !l Walnut .... Totals .$42,914,000 $2,000,000 2,206,000 1.408.000 1.741.000 521,000 1.182,000 1 . 072 . 000 2.179.000 $11,430 $8,330 7,180 8.860 5,200 10.210 6,. 550 8.000 13.970 *15.9 17.6 18.5 18.1 19.7 16.5 16.2 20.0 18.5 *3.2 5.5 3.0 5.3 7.2 4.0 4.0 7.5, 4.1 *0 2 Village Districts Amanda Bremen 2.5 1. Carroll Liberty Union 1.3 7.2 New Salem Pleasantville .0 .0 Rushville Union ■? 4. 1.4 Totals .$12,309,000 $7,870 *18.1 *5.1 *1.7 $55,223,000 16.000.000 $10,-380 6,850 *16.8 21. *3.9 7.8 *.8 City of Lancaster 1.6 Grand Totals .$74,223,000 $9,170 *17. *4.1 *.8 * Averages. t October figures, not final. Costs School costs for the year of 1919-20 are shown in Table X. These statistics, in certain particulars at least, are such as to excite interest. There is marked variation in per capita ex- penditures in districts of the same general type, also in the percentages of funds expended for instruction. Some of the variant figures are readily explainable. The high per capita for all purposes of Violet township which is almost wholly centralized, is due to the abnormally high cost in these days of transportation of pupils. Walnut is paying heavily for instruction on account of maintenance of two high schools. 49 Five rural districts show an average expendittire for instruction of $25 or less per pupil enrolled, which is one-sixth lower than the average for all rural districts and about one-fifth lower than the average for the county at large. It is a striking fact that the three lowest of these same districts show tax-rates for schools that are much below the average for all rural districts, and that do not approach the maximum allowable b}' law. This constitutes a more serious reflection against these districts when it is remembered that all group averages of the county are low. TABLE X School Costs Aggregate Days Attendance B u C W a! Expenditures, 1!I19-1! 20 fPer Capita Costs Rural Districts tn (U a, u 3 < c u D u ^ c ! U n I- D Oh c .2 D C Amanda Berne 30.123 50.265 33.641 36.363 19,649 55,413 28.952 28. '677 24.485 14.147 26.261 46.333 61.642 262 418 317 307 186 491 223 257 204 127 229 315 420 $7,376 47 18,393 82 13,979 26 13,102 73 7,749 91 15,316 76 11,714 61 7,781 06 14,006 26 6,434 09 12,537 62 33.805 47 26.347 67 1-5,846 37 13,972 86 7,900 00 11,3-59 38 4,2-50 42 10,922 -50 7,270 '00 5,931 -50 6.820 00 3,815 05 7.413,69 9.860 00 18,247 00 79 76 57 87 55 71 62 76 49 59 59 29 69 $28 44 44 43 42 31 52 30 68 51 54 107 63 $22 33 Bloom 25 Clearcreek Greenfield Hocking 37 23 22 Liberty 33 Madison 23 Pleasant 33 Richland Rushcreek Violet Walnut 30 32 31 43 Totals 457.951 37,183 45,032 24,0'68 49,950 7,142 25,910 18.413 23.473 3.756 240 307 159 335 51 182 134 156 $188,545 73 $11,934 58 12.033 53 7.731 11 18,334 09 3,287 02 11,184 30 6,179 90 16,103 71 $113,608 77 $6,816 57 7.600 00 6,1170 29 11,724 09 2.296 05 6.100 00 5.430 00 7. 074 14 60 57 64 83 56 70 55 88 44 $50 $50 39 49 55 64 61 46 103 $30 Village Districts Amanda $29 Bremen 25 Carroll Liberty Union .... New Salem Pleasantville Rushville Union . . Sugar Grove 38 31 45 34 40 45 Totals 231.171 1,564 $86,788 24 $53,171 26 1 61 55 33 Totals. Village and Rural . . . . City of Lancaster. 689,122 404,982 5,320 i 2,772 11275,333 97 129,800 23 $166,780 03 88,106 89 60 $52 47 1 1 $31 32 Grand Totals .. . 1,094.104 8,092 1 $404,634 20 $254,886 92 63 .$50 $31 * Superintendents' salaries are not included in instruction costs. Small items other than teachers' salaries such as textbooks and instructional supplies, are in- cluded under the head of instruction. t Per capita costs are based on net enrolment. *4 p. I. 50 State and The extent of support out of the State Common School County Unit Fund which the county will realize during the current Support taxing year is determined on the basis of the number of young persons of school age residing in the county. The total number of such youth as shown by the enumeration for 1920 is 10,461. This total must according to law be increased or decreased ac- cording to the rate of annual increase or decrease of the population of youth of school age in the county for the last three years, which adjust- ment brings the figure to 10,524. The allotment of funds to the county by the office of the auditor of state will be at the rate of about $12 per enumerated youth. At this rate Fairfield County will draw $126,288. In addition to this allotment from the State Common School Fund there will be available to the schools of the county the proceeds of the county levy for schools of i mill which will amount to approximately $74,223. These two sums combined amount to $200,511. Distribution Each district will draw from this total sum an allotment of State determined on the basis of three factors, — • (i) salaries and County paid teachers, (2) transportation of pupils provided, and Funds (3) aggregate days of school attendance. The intent of the law is that these factors determining the shares of districts in the general funds should offer stimulus in the direction of the following results : 1 . Good salaries to teachers, thus favoring a more competent teach- ing service, which is the paramount factor in determining the measure of real opportunity afforded pupils enrolled in the schools. 2. Regularity and prolongation of attendance of youth at school, in order that preparation for adult responsibilities may be ac- complished with proper thoroughness and within a reasonable period of years. 3. Abandonment of schools too small to be effective, and consoli- dation of schools wherever feasible. The estimated amount to be distributed in the whole county on ac- count of the three determining factors is as follows : 1. Percentage of teachers' salariees .-... $11!), 414 2 . Percentage of transportation costs ' 1 , 365 3. Aggregate dajs of attendance 79,732 Total ' $200,511 The estimate on transportation rests mainly upon expenditure for the school year of 1919-20; hence it is probably somewhat too low. The amount distributable on aggregate days oi attendance is sufficient to pay an average of a little more than seven cents per pupil-day. The scheme of distribution, therefore, offers to school districts compensation at the 51 rate of seven cents per pupil-day for good attendance conditions. The allotment of state and county school support within the county is shown somewhat in detail by Table XI. TABLE XI Distribution of State and County Funds . o tn Ol u 1 U ~' rt -H u o'C 03 co 1 rt 'u O p, 1 H o •0 Apportionments and Tax Payments -a rt 4 00. 2 333 Clearcreek 3.598 9.n 1 344 Greenfield 2.655 00 Hocking 4.593 19 15 OO 5,948 686 Liberty Madison 4,005 00 2,737 50 • 20 66 i 0.138 12,127 00 1 4 X31 ! i 10S no "'.$723' 5,989 Pleasant 3.123 75 1 .050 00 4,911 1 !^374 00 2.683 1 3.3S8 00 4 463 Richland 705 Rushcreek i 3 . 920 62 5,837 « 50fi 8,400 00 10,993 00 15,848 00. 2 563 Violet 4.323 75 8,709 38 800 00 2 487 Walnut 165 00 ! 13,374 1 2,474 Totals Village Districts Amanda Bremen $53,772 88 t $3,558 75 5.356 88 11,115 00 I $200 00 187,234 $6,473 8,644 4,751 8,758 1,656 4.479 3,594 5,027 $120,160 00 $5,600 00 6,177 00 3,942 00 4,875 00 1 1.459 00 3.310 00 3,002 00 6,101 00 $723 $873 2,467 809 3 , 883 $33,649 Carroll 1 4.751 00 Liberty Union | 5,111 25 New Salem | 1.080-00 Pleasantville 2.587 50 I 55 00 197 1 1,169 1 Rushville Union .. 2.250 00 592 Sugar Grove .. 3.313 13 1 $1 , 074 Totals Totals. Village and Rural City of Lancaster. . Grand Totals . . . 1 $25,171 88 1 $255 00 1 I $43,382 $34,466 00 1 $9,990 $1,074 ( $78,944 26 ! 40,470 00 1 i$ 1,365 00 ) 1 ' |$130.616 [$154,626 00 70.034 ■ 53,200 00 $10,713 16,834 $34,723 1 $119,414 26 |$1.365 00 $200,650 $207,826 00 $27,547 $34,723 1 52 Equalization The fundamental reason underlying the great augmenta- tion of the State Common School Fund this year, as compared with what the fund has amounted to in previous years, is that the larger measure of interest properly appertaining to the state in school support might thus be exercised. The county educational fund is sim- ilarly justified. Both are distributed in such a way as to attain in a measure the equalization of school advantages thruout the state, and of the burden of school support also. Examination of the table of dis- tribution will reveal the fact that districts realizing less out of these two funds than they put into them are invariably districts whose wealth per-pupil is relatively high, and whose tax-rates for schools are relatively low. On the other hand those receiving more than they pay are districts having relatively low per-pupil wealth and in practically all cases dis- tinctly higher school tax rates. The flow of funds from the rural dis- tricts to the villages and county seat is due primarily to differences in teachers' salaries and in attendance conditions. Salaries in the rural districts, as shown previously in this report, are low ; and such is the case also with average daily attendance and length of the school year. The rural folk appear, therefore, to have in their own hands the remedy for the disadvantageous position in which they stand with reference to the distributions of general funds. Rural residents should raise with themselves in all seriousness the question as to whether there is any good reason why either salary or attendance conditions should be lower in the country than in the villages and cities. VIII. Reorganiz at ion Community The political divisions of the county have been the de- Basis terming factor in the formation of school districts, which are nearly everywhere co-extensive with civil townships, altho in the cases of village districts and the city of Lancaster they trans- cend considerably the corporate limits of the municipality. It is still true, nevertheless, that some of the village districts are too small. Most of the villages are maintaining creditable school establishments, including high schools, from which the people of the surrounding country profit both directly and indirectly, and in the financial support of which they should sustain a share. The towns together with contiguous rural terri- tory constitute the communities, which as is too apparent to require comment, should be accepted as the basis of school districts. Boundary lines other than the metes and bounds of naturally developed communities should be disregarded. A suggested redistricting of the county on this principle for school purposes is shown on Map II. L 53 Redistricting No attempt has been made to fix delimitations of terri- and Con- tory with perfect exactness. Adjustments, resulting, no solidation doubt, in quite irregular boundary lines would obviously have to be made. The plan presented is designed to show roughly, at least, how the district organization might be improved from the standpoint of community development, which would demand for its realization in full measure consolidation of the schools. Re- districting is recommended urgently to the County Board of Education and to the people of the county as the first step in a program of reor- ganization, which should not be permitted to stop until every child in the county is afforded the advantages of a modern consolidated school. Wealth and roads both favor such a movement. It can only be regarded as inexcusable lethargy if steps are not 'taken promptly to carry it out. FAIRFIELD COUNTY Proposed Redistricting of the County feasant., lie RICHLAND Hushville 5alem Tnion dremen f(U3HCR[[K LEGEND: Proposed district boundary lines Township lines LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 022 166 941 1 ^