Jasper County Democrat, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1902 — GREAT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF INDIANA AND HOW IT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED [ARTICLE]

GREAT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF INDIANA AND HOW IT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED

By Frank L. Jones,

■tats Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The moat Important (act In Indiana's •chool system is its Integrity. The perfect operation of the machinery of the schools with remarkably few officers, the whole producing uniformity in administration and mutual understanding in professional training. Is not so apparent In other stats*. Our uniform sxamlnatlons. uniform course of study, uniform system of teachers' yearly study, uniform gradation and uniform text books make It possible for on# part of the state to be always in aioee touch with every other part. ▲ prominent cltiaen of the state recently moved his family to another county than'the one in which he had resided for many years. He marveled at a system which made it possible for his children to enter the school In the new home without loss of time or money, each child continuing at once from the point of his previous attainments In the same grade# and the same text books as those In his former school. Ths perfect co-or-dination of the parts of our system from the primary grade to the doee of the university course is the distinct feature of the system. Our excellent schools of today are the result of an evolution continuing through US years. From the Introduction to Indiana's school law, liKtt. { take the following; Operation of Law. Indiana’s compulsory education law has been In successful operation for three years. In this time, something of Its merits end demerits may be seen. In the ftrst place, we can say that In view of Its newness. Its weaknesses, and In a few place# Its ln'operatlon due to local opposition or neglect of officer*. It has done more for the schools than Its promoters anticipated. A careful study of the school statistics collected by the department of publio Instruction, rof, however, with a view of testing the law, shows the following: Per cent, of enrollment based upon the enumeration during the operation of the law 74.8 Per cent, of enrollment baaed upon the enumeration during the nine years previous to its enactment.... 87.8 Gain In percent, during the operation of the law 8.5 Per cent, of attendance based upon the enumeration during the operation of the law 57.5 Per cent, of attendance baaed upon the enumeration during the nine years previous to Its enactment ... 48.1 Gain in per cent, during the operation of the' law 8-4 Per cent, of gttendance based upon the enrollment during the operation of tho law 78.5 Per cent, of attendance based upon the enrollment Curing the nine years previous to Us enactment.... 70.2 Gain in per cent, during the operation of the law 8 8 The showing In per cents for the first full years of the law's enforcement Is the most satisfactory, this being due to its newness and a consequent lack of sufficient w ledge of Its weaknesses to enable uuants to take advantage of them.

v, H d «4 o „ - o 83 « e o oj>b«j *ll3 Sit* sill ill f £cat c * jiy n*\° g * ‘■P** ' The showing made by makes It Impossible to diet** J. that the law has effected 4 ka^' e Increase in school attendant”. reports of attendance based upon the enrollment shows an addition of twenty-five thousand to the rolls of tl* school, which number accords with the item. ‘The unmber of pupils brought Into school. In the summarised reports of the truancy officers to the state board of The larger per cent, of gain In atendance based upon thw enumeration, compared With the gain In attendance basM upon the enrollmeyt. the former being *4. the latter 8.3. is due to the

character of the pupils added to the schools. Ths law brought many pupils Into ths enrollment whose attendance it could not wholly regulate, therefore there was a very large Increase In the enrollment but not a corresponding Increase In the attendance. One-of the strongest features of the law Is Its provision for a state board of truancy. Tlie following have been members: A. W. Butler and D. M. Geetlng. A. W. Butler and D. K. Goss. A. IV. Butler and F. L. Jones. A. W. Butler and W. T. Btott. The reports of the board, together with the last annual statement of Its secretary, Mr. Butler, are exhibited In the following tables: —Summary for the Tear Ending July, 189*— (Close of the First Year.) Number of pupils brought Into school through the law's enforcement 0,477 Number of these attending private schools 1.839 Number of these attending publio schools 30,108 Number who remained in school longer than twelve weeks, the maximum time required under the first law 13,588 Number of children who received assistance * 7,634 Total cost of assistance (15,808 43 Allowance made to truancy offl-, cere (per diem) 85,544 61 Total number of officers 830 The following summary will give briefly the results of last year's work under ths compulsory education law: Number truant officers In state.... 106 Number days spent In service 13.957 H Total amount salaries paid 827,781 87 Number visits made 67,218 Number pupils brought Into school 28,974 Number attending public schools. 27,617 Number attending private or parochial schools 1.557 Number who received aid 9,620 Number aided , attending pubJlo schooole 9.508 Number aided attending private or parochial schools 11l Total oost of assistance given 820,562 94 Number prosecutions 272 Number prosecutions successful.. 156 Number prosecutions not sucoees ful 116 Salaries 327.751 37 Assistance 20,562 94

Total cost of administering 1aw..*48,344 31 Future legislation will be directed to the following: (a) The needs of the rural schools; (b) revision of the county institute system; (c) high school Inspection; (d) closer supervision; (e) free text books. Higher Institutions.

Indiana is fortunate In having so many excellent universities colleges and normal schools maintained by religious denominations or private parties. In nearly all of these the grade of Instruction la very high, and a large number of our young people are trained by them to enter the professional and business avenues of life. The more prominent among these Institutions are: Delauw university. Greencoatl* Butler college, Irvington. Franklin college, Franklin. Wabash college, CrawfordsvllU. Hanover college, Hanover. Taylor university. Upland. Moore's Hill college, Moore's Hill. Northern Indiana normal school, Valparaiso. Marlon normal college, Marlon. Central normal school, Danville. Rochester normal university, Rochester. Rose polytechnic, Terre Haute. —School Officers.— Department of Publio Instruction-Su-perintendent, Frank L. Jones; deputies, W. A. Lower, F. D. Hester, Clyde Woodfill. State Board of Education. Frank L. Jones, president, state superintendent public instruction, Indianapolis, Ind. William W. Parsons, secretary, president State normal school, Terre Haute, Ind. W. T. Durbin, governor, Indianapolis, Ind. Joseph Swain, President Indiana university. Bloomington, Ind. W. E. Stone. President Purdue university. Lafayette. Ind. J. J. Mills, president Earlham college, Richmond, Ind. W. T. Stott, president Franklin college, Franklin, Ind. C. N. Kendall, superintendent Indianapolis schools, Indianapolis, Ind. W. A. Hester, superintendent Evansville schools. Evansville. Ind. J. N. Study, superintendent Ft. Wayne schools. Ft. Wayne. Ind. George W. Worley. superintendent Kosciusko county schools, Warsaw, Ind.