Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 293, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1920 — COUNTRY IN DESPERATE NEED OF TEACHERS [ARTICLE]

COUNTRY IN DESPERATE NEED OF TEACHERS

Between 300,000 and 400,000 children were deprived of schooling last year as a result of the shortage of teachers, according to statements made by P. P. Citxon, Federal Commissioner of Education, in his annual report made Wednesday. No relief for the situation is seen by the commissioner, who added that while from 110,000 to possibly. 150,000 new teachers would be needed during the coming year, ‘,*we shall have at the outside 30,000 prepared teachers to fill vacancies, or a deficijt of at least 80,000.” Of even greater moment than the actual shortage, the report said, was the increase in “substandards” instructors. More than half the 350,000 teachers of the nation, it added, are not prepared according to any reasonable standard for the work of teaching. One-fifth of the approximately 84,000 high school teachers in the country, the report said, is intending to seek other employment, and not more than 9,000 eligibles will be available to fill vacancies, the report estimated. The result will be that in high schools alone, 15,000 to 24,000 of the positions can not be filled by adequately prepared teachers.