process, and better prepared children for the duties and privileges of life in a democratic community.

The 1922 events of interest were the opening of the new Cass Technical high school and the first three schools, above the elementary grade, built around a carefully planned school program. These, the first buildings designed exclusively for their exact educational use, marked a new epoch in school house construction. These buildings were the Barbour and Hutchins intermediate schools, and the Southwestern high school.

Summary. The adoption of significant policies and the working out of these policies into actual buildings, organizations, and course of study has made Detroit the most active educational center in the country. It is one of the few large cities now working upon a definite plan and a unified instruction policy conceived as an attempt to translate intelligently the social needs of a democracy into a complete system of public education. These three years of progress have been the brightest in the history of the public schools. The carrying out of such a program has been possible only through the intelligence and foresight of a board of education that wisely set out to consider its function as legislative and appraisal, allowing a responsible superintendent and his staff to meet and solve the general problems of actual administration upon the basis of its adopted program. The result fully justifies the wisdom of the people who decided in favor of such administration in November, 1917, and further expressed their preference by the election of an excellent personnel in the following spring.

The period is, however, just in its infancy. The results of these far-reaching social changes project themselves into the more distant future and will be excellent material for analytical study a generation hence.

CHAPTER XVI

CURRENT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

A general comparison of the beginnings of the public schools with present activities and size is indicative of the tremendous social changes in the habits of thought and manner of living of the community since 1842. These changes were not the work of "faddists" or "cranks," but rather the expression of the needs of a progressive democratic society, expressed through their leaders and through their elected representatives. The small seeds scattered in 1842 have blossomed and born a tremendous harvest because they fell on fertile ground and received the care and attention of a people who appreciated their value in the scheme of popular government.

The board of education now owns land, buildings, and equipment whose acquisition value was $46,004,863.72, or about $46 for every man, woman, and child in the city. In 1842, the total value of the board's property was $2,156.79, or less than 25 cents per capita.

It cost $12,887,394 to operate the schools during 1921-22. For their expenditures the parents of Detroit children received the services set forth in the following pages.

The schools were in operation 193 days, and six hours each day. In addition, there were the summer and evening classes. The total number of instruction hours given to children and adults amounted to 113,099, 612.

Care for 136,930 Children. For six hours each day an average of 136,930 children were cared for in regular sessions. During all this time parents were relieved of their care. In addition to being cared for, they were taught to work, study, and play together, and were given a chance to learn how to be

1As of June 30, 1922. The care of these properties required the services of 729 engineers, janitors, and attendants.

healthy, how to read, write, and figure, how to make things with tools, and how to use their leisure time. Their characters and their ideals were being formed and all human progress was brought before them.

It cost the citizens of Detroit 11 cents an hour for each child for this educational preparation for life.

Forty-five Hundred Teachers. Forty-five hundred teachers and principals are required to give Detroit children their education. The teacher's work consists of teaching and preparation for teaching and this means from eight to ten hours of work

daily. More than half of the teachers, 2,848 exactly, have had two years of teacher training; 978 have spent four or more years in fitting themselves for teaching positions. One-quarter of the teachers have served Detroit nine years or longer. Half of them have served three and one-half years. In 1848 there were eight teachers-four men and four women.2

A statement of current salaries may be found in the appendix.

Detroit teachers known that education asks more of them in professional training each year, and they appreciate that the schools will go forward only as teachers increase their training and keep up to date. Every summer hundreds of them go to school, returning in the fall with fresh ideas and new methods. For the last two winters more than half of the teachers have spent from one to three evenings each week taking courses that would increase the quality of service they give to the children.

Detroit is fortunate in its teachers. In their eagerness to learn and in their willingness to make personal sacrifice for the sake of education, they are striving to give Detroit children the best education in the country.

During the current year these 4500 teachers instructed. 136,930 children daily and 23,936 adults weekly.3

In 1842 there were 780 children in day schools with no demand for adult training.

Kindergarten. The child begins his experience as a member of a social group, outside of home life, in the kindergarten. The

*November, 1921, membership.

instruction is free and informal, beginning here the new tendencies in classroom instruction that have for their purpose the development of mental power. There were in November, 1921, 12,463 children in membership. From 1842 to 1895 there were no kindergartens.

Elementary Schools. Years ago only the favored few went to school. The great mass of children remained without education. They could not afford it. Then knowledge was forced

home by the aid of a whip. The teachers discovered things that the child did not want to learn and made him learn them. The old schools taught the three Rs and little else.

To-day every child attends school. The whip has been put away for all time. The children are taught differently, for careful study has shown us that children do better when they are not pushed, whipped, and compelled to learn just words from a book. True education is that which comes from activity which the child carries on by himself because of his interest and his desire to do things. We know that citizens do not develop over