Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 December 1900 — SCHOOLS OF INDIANA. [ARTICLE]

SCHOOLS OF INDIANA.

SUPERINTENDENT JONES TELLS OF THEIR GROWTH. B. .0 wa How the Compulsory Elocation Daw Operates—Statute Has Its Strong Points and Its Weaknesses—Growth of High Schools in the State. Indianapolis correspondence: An interesting article on the operation of the compulsory education law appears in the biennial report of Superintendent of Public Instruction Junes, which will soon be issued: “Indiana’s compulsory education law hos been in successful operation three complete school years and parts of two other school years. In this time something of its merits and demerits may be seen as to its operation and enforcement. In the first place, we can say that, in view of its newness, its weaknesses and, in a few places, its inoperation, due to loealj, opposition or neglect of officers, it hits'done more for Jthe schools than was originally anticipated. A careful study of the school statistics collected by the department of public instruction, not, however, with a view of testing the law, shows the following; Average per cent of enrollment on enumeration In the State, during the operation of the law ... .... ...74./ Average per cenj of enrollment on enumeration during the nine years previous to the enactment «T.B Gain In per cent during the operation of the law 0.0 Average per cent of attendance on the enumeration In the State during the operation of the law 07.5 Average per cent of attendance on the enumeration in the State during the uine years previous to Us enactment. .48.1 Gain in per cent during the operation of the law 9.4 Average per rent of attendanee on enrollment In the State during the operation of the law ...70.5 Average per cent of attendance on enrollment In the State during the nine years previous to Its enactment 70.2 Gain in per cent during the operation of the law <i.3 “The showing in per cents for the first full year of the law’s enforcement is the most satisfactory, this being due to the law’s newness, and a consequent lack of a sufficient knowledge of its weaknesses to enable truants to take advantage of them. The data is as follows: l’er cent of Per cent of Per cent of enrollment attendance atti'mlan'-e oa enuiuer- on enuiuer- on enrollatlou. at lon. ment. 18118... 75 58 77.5 181 It) 73 st>- 7U 1900 75 07 7(j “The showing made by these figures makes it impossible to dispute the fact that the law has made a remarkable increase in school attendance. The figures on attendance, based upon enrollment, show hn addition of 25,000 to the rolls of the schools, which number is in substantial accord with the reports upon, the item of “number of pupils brought into school,” as exhibited in the reports of the truancy officers to the State Board of Truancy. “The larger per cent of gain of ‘attendance on enumeration,' when compared with gain of ‘attendance on enrollment,’ the former being 9.4; the latter, 6.3, is due to the character of the pupils thus added to the schools. The law brought many pupils into the enrollment whose attendance it could not wholly regulate, thus showing a very large increase in enrollment, but not a corresponding increase in attendance. This exhibits one of the weaknesses of the law. “The Department of Public Instruction publishes for the first time a full table of statistics relative to the high school. From the table, school authorities may obtain data with which to compare their local expenditures, per capita cost, and the salaries of teachers. The most important points for the year closing June 30, 1900, are as follows: Number of graduates fron the eighth grade (the basis of the high s -h-oil. .10,711 Number of township,‘town and city high schools, not Including many grade schools doing s .me U:gUschool work 717 Number of commissi me 1 li'gli school*. 150 Number of graduates from commissioned high schools 2.815 Number of graduates from uuueom-mU-ioncd high schools 1,084 Number of pupil* enrolled tu u ucommlssioned high schools 15,7tK5 Number of pupils enrolled In commissioned high schools 19,450 Average cost per pupil iu none annussioued high schools SlO.tiO Average cost per pupil In commissioned high schools ;. .. .s'_’G.3G Numbers of teachers Iu noncommissioned high schools 815 Number of teachers in cmiurl-sloue l high schools 778 “Average wages per day for high school teachers, from $2.12 to $4.55. (See tabic for average in each county.l”