Chapter VIII

THE REORGANIZED STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND ITS REPORT OF 1913; THE STATE SUPERINTENDENCY REESTABLISHED; THE MOST RECENT LEGISLATION.

The general assembly of 1911, after providing for the reorganization of the State board of education, outlined the phases of educational endeavor which it was desired the new board should seek to advance. First and foremost it was to make a report on the condition of the schools, together with a revision of the school law; the other two requirements were added by joint resolution: (1) To prepare and present to the next legislature a revised charter for Delaware College and (2) to evolve a feasible plan for the higher education of women in Delaware. The second and third of these duties concern us but indirectly, for the scope of the present study confines itself in the main to the evolution of the public school.

Gov. Pennewill approved the bill providing for the reorganization of the State board of education on March 14, 1911. In accord with the terms of that act he appointed as members of the new board Dr. George W. Twitmyer, of Wilmington, who became chairman; Henry Ridgely, of Dover; George S. Messersmith, of Lewes, who became secretary pro tem.; Prof. Harry Hayward, of Newark; Henry Clay Davis, of Laurel; John W. Hering, of Milford; and Frederick Brady, ot Middletown. These gentlemen organized in Dover on May 2, 1911, and entered upon the duties of their office. Committees were appointed to consider the educatior al needs and problems of the State, among which were mentioned the grading of schools, improvement and sanitation of school buildings, unifying of courses, aid to normal students, and the examination and certification of teachers. The work which they have already accomplished has been such that it may be fairly characterized as epoch-making, while the report which they have issued as a result of their survey of the educational development, progress, and position of the State will entitle them to rank among the chief educational statesmen of the Commonwealth.

This report was published in 1913, and as it is addressed to the gen-eral assembly it may be taken as substantially the last official word

from the State on the subject of the public schools. The subjects discussed by the board include graded ar d rural schools; better supervision; the larger school unit, or the "representative district" plan versus the school district plan; the assessment and collection of taxes: the need of more money for the rural schools; State aid; the salaries of teachers; sanitation of schoolhouses ard summer schools for teachers.

This was the first report of the new State board as reestablished and constituted by the act of March 14, 1911, and it is remarkable in that it boldly and frankly faces the educational conditions which it firds and reports them as they were without glozing or extenuation; no earlier report had ever presented the situation with such frankness, and it may be assumed that it gives a true picture of the situation in 1913; for this reason large extracts from the report are presented here.

I. THE REPORT OF THE STATE BOARD IN 1913.

One of the first duties of the board was to work out a new scheme for the examination of teachers. It was adopted and the first examinations held on April 6, 1912. The scheme provides that all teachers in the State shall be examined in the same subjects on the same day. The grade of the certificate issued is conditioned upon the nature and quality of the examination passed and the experience of the candidate. There is liberal provision for granting permanent certificates, and for validating normal school and college diplomas upon evidence of successful experience. All certificates are now valid in any county in the State when properly countersigned by the county superintendent. In connection with these examinations, and as preliminary to them, there has been outlined a course in professional reading for teachers.

The results of this readjustment have been to make examinations uniform throughout the State and to make certificates interchangeable between the counties. Examinations and certificates have now been reduced to a State basis.

The board reports that there has been "a marked increase in the quality of the work of the graded schools," ard says that it is due to the unusual interest taken by the towns in their schools:

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Perhaps at no time in the history of our State have the people of the urban communities known so much about the actual state of instruction and discipline and been more keen in their desire that the schools should adequately serve the community * there are few towns in which additions have not been built or improvements installed. The instruction has increased in efficiency.

These improvements have been due to a more careful selection. of teachers; among these teachers there have been more who are college or normal graduates; the supervision in the graded schools

has been closer; the amount of money raised by incorporated schools has increased and has been used in providing better salaries and increased facilities:

The increase in the efficiency of the graded schools is especially seen in the changed character of the high schools. Every town of over 1,000 people has a high school with a course of three or four years, and some of the smaller towns maintain creditable schools. The quality of the teaching in the high schools has improved materially in recent years and the courses are being strengthened and rationalized.

The condition of the graded schools was said to be satisfactory. They showed a healthy growth. What they then needed most was a "flexible, sensible, and modern course of study with a minimum requirement in every subject." This would help standardize the work of both the high and graded schools and make it easier for pupils to pass from one school to another in the State. For these reasons it was thought that the incorporated schools were not in need of legislation.

While the work in the graded schools was satisfactory and that of the incorporated school needed no legislation, such was not the case with the rural schools, for "those most familiar with the actual work of these schools know that they are deplorably inefficient in many respects." It was said that the blame for their condition was not to be laid on individuals nor on the executive school officials, for "'under the existing conditions, as determined by our school laws, the most earnest official could accomplish little." The system under which they were operated was antiquated, the pay was poor, and bills proposed by the board in 1911 for their improvement were not enacted into law:

Leaving Wilmington out of consideration, the great majority of the pupils in our State attend rural ungraded schools. Measure after measure has been passed for the improvement of the graded schools, but the rural school has been allowed to remain under an antiquated system of administration and under what, to most people, appears an unjust system of taxation.

Some of the existing ill conditions which could not be changed under the law then in force were poor supervision; the small school unit; the compulsory assessment of real property at rental values and of personal property at real value; poor collections and large cost; separate school assessment in every single district; inexperienced teachers who have no supervision by commissioners; inequalities in taxation in adjoining districts; poor schoolhouses, bad sanitation; inadequate supplies in the matter of books and illustrative apparatus; no definitely outlined courses of study; poor home accommodations of teachers.

The first necessary step in the improvement of this unfortunate situation was thought to be through better supervision: (1) By provision for a State commissioner of education, who shall also be secre

tary of the State board of education; (2) by the election of county superintendents by the State board of education instead of their appointment by the governor.

The board presents an extended and convincing argument in favor of these proposed reforms:

During the last two years the board has been hindered from time to time by the lack of definite actual facts concerning the schools of the State, and they have been compelled by extraordinary efforts to gather information which should have been provided for them by an officer under their direction. The members of the board are all men engaged actively in business or professional work, and though they serve without pay on the board, have held frequent meetings and have undertaken to perform, as far as possible, the duties ordinarily exercised by a paid commissioner of education.

Delaware is unique among the States in that it is the only one which does not have a commissioner of education or State superintendent of schools, who under the State board of education, is the chief educational executive in the State. Those who are most familiar with the school problem in our State have realized for a long time the necessity for an officer who could be held responsible for the full and complete execution of the school law. Until such an office is created by law the State can have ne definite educational policy, no economy of administration, and no absolute and uniform enforcement of the law.

After the most careful consideration of all that is involved in this matter the board urgently recommends the creation of the office of State commissioner of education. This officer should be the secretary of the board and primarily its executive officerf He should formulate a definite educational policy for the State and be its authorized leader. He should be an experienced teacher, having broad scholarship and technical knowledge of educational processes and administrative methods; he should be an adept in school legislation and an easy, forceful speaker; he should be able to harmonize and vitalize all the educational forces and instrumentalities of the State. He would gather statistics and accurate information as to the condition of the schools as a whole and specific information as to the needs of different communities. As secretary of the board he would conduct its correspondence, which up to the present time has been done by individuals on the board at great personal sacrifice, and would as such perform such other duties in relation to the schools (except auditing school accounts) as are now performed by the State auditor. In conjunction with the county superintendents he would see to the closer supervision of the schools and to the enforcement of uniform standards in the schools of the three counties. He would maintain an office in which the school records of the State would be preserved and from which would be issued bulletins for the teachers, giving specific information and suggestions in modern methods of school administration. He would, above all, be responsible for the complete and uniform execution of the school law in the State.

It has long been felt that the office of county superintendent should be removed from politics. So long as this office is appointive by the governor it is only natural that political considerations should enter somewhat into the appointment; but there is a more important reason than this. An appointive officer will, for human reasons, not be as strict in his enforcement of law as he should be. He will be hampered in a measure in the performance of his duty by considerations of expediency. If he is elected by a board which will be cognizant of the fact that he has performed his duties wisely and well, he need have no fear that malcontents for the time being can have him removed from the position in which he is actually doing his proper duty.

It will be shown later how far this earnest appeal was successful in its demand upon the assembly.

In the next place the State board presented the arguments in favor of a larger school unit. The school districts outside of Wilmington then numbered: Unincorporated districts, 73 in New Castle, 81 in Kent, and 136 in Sussex; incorporated districts, 11 in New Castle, 17 in Kent, and 19 in Sussex; colored districts, 24 in New Castle, 31 in Kent, and 32 in Sussex. There were in all 47 incorporated districts.1

The State board then continues:

The boards of education in incorporated districts have from 3 to 12 members and have from 3 to 16 teachers in their employ. These boards are generally made up of representative men in the community, who, in many instances, have children in the school. They hold monthly meetings, have more or less complete reports from the principals in charge of the schools, visit the schools at intervals, and on the whole are fairly well acquainted with the work of the individual teachers and the actual condition of their schools. An examination of the lists of directors of the incorporated schools will show that in most cases the communities show reasonable discrimination in the management of school affairs entrusted to them. The 47 incorporated districts may well be left alone to act under the charters they now hold.

A different situation prevails in the rural districts. There are 290 unincorporated districts in this State, each with a board of 3 commissioners, making a total of 870 commissioners. In 19 of these unincorporated districts 2 teachers are employed, so that in the rural schools there are practically three times as many commissioners as teachers. It is probable that this system was devised to interest more fully each community in its own school, but it has failed completely to accomplish this purpose. We will point out briefly the reasons why a larger unit should be established.

1. The three commissioners in each district hold practically only two meetings during the year-one at the time of the annual school election in June, and one to make the assessment. Once the school is started the commissioners hold no meetings, have no report from the teacher, and the clerk confines his activity to making out the monthly salary check.

A great many of the commissioners are substantial farmers and business men who really want a good school. A great many also are men whose only interest is that the school shall be kept open seven months, so that the State dividend may be secured. In a few instances do they visit the schools, and if they do, many are hardly in a position to judge the character of the work. The whole responsibility of the school devolves on the teacher, who has no assistance or supervision, except in the annual visit of the county superintendent. The result is that the school has no supervision, buildings and outhouses are neglected, and frequently the school sessions are cut short by uninterested teachers. The only argument in favor of a local board of commissioners for every school is that it would carefully look after the home school. The system has been tried in this State for years, and the evidence is conclusive that it absolutely fails to do this.

2. There are 290 separate school assessments in the single districts and 290 collectors. But this does not tend to accurate and close assessments and collection of taxes as might be supposed. The assessment lists in the majority of cases are very carelessly made out, a great deal of property is not assessed, and in some cases, though the instances are few now, no actual assessment is made. The only purpose seemingly is to raise enough money by taxation to secure the State dividend and to keep the school open seven months. A further and more flagrant wrong in this system is the unequal

1 On this subject the governor said in his annual message in 1915 (H. J., 38): “Including the city of Wilmington, this State has 524 school districts. Fifty of these are town schools, which the law terms incorporated (they are practically consolidated). This leaves 474 rural schools, or one-teacher districts."