PUBLIC HEARINGS

The assembly concurred in the resolution, a committee, of which Senator Stout was made chairman, was organized, and public hearings were held in various cities of the state. The subjects to be considered at these public hearings were prepared in the shape of bills and published beforehand. Thus ample opportunity was afforded all persons interested to appear and present arguments for or against the proposed measures. The hearings of the committee were well attended by representatives of the various educational interests of the state, and a typewritten stenographic report of the arguments was filed in the state legislative reference library.

Upon Senator Stout's death, which occurred in December, 1910, Edward W. Le Roy, vice chairman of the committee, became chairman, and he arranged to have the writer assist the committee in the preparation of their report. The report was submitted to the governor December 17, 1910.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE

According to this report the committee went on record as favoring the Wehrwein Bill, the County Board of Education Bill and several other minor educational bills, and urged the legislature to enact these bills into laws, since they had been duly considered and public opinion appeared to be decidedly in favor of the measures. The committee reported against the measure eliminating the state board of university regents, the state board of normal school regents, and placing the entire public school system under one state board of education.

According to the report, the hearings developed the fact that there were many important educational questions that demanded careful study and deliberation. For these reasons the committee report also recommended the passage of a bill creating a commission to codify the school laws and to embody recommendations of new laws which would bring the entire public school system into harmonious relationship.

However, the death of Senator Stout and the fact that most of the other members of the special legislative committee did not stand for re-election to the legislature resulted in the legislature giving the findings of the committee only passing attention. The only bill recommended by the committee which

was considered by the legislature of 1911 was the county board of education bill and that was defeated with a "whoop," and this in spite of the fact that Governor McGovern in his message strongly urged definite legislation to reorganize the public school system, particularly the independent district system.

2. INVESTIGATIONS MADE BY THE COMMITTEE OF FIFTEEN

COMMITTEE APPOINTED BY STATE SUPERINTENDENT C. P. CARY

Soon after the close of the legislative session of 1911 State Superintendent C. P. Cary appointed a committee of fifteen men and women to study into rural school conditions. The creation of the committee was not authorized by law and its members served without compensation and without the reimbursement of traveling expenses. The committee issued a printed report in December, 1912.

RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE COMMITTEE

The following are some of the more important recommendations made by the committee:

(1) That there be provided a county board of education having powers of general supervision over the schools of the county. This board should appoint the county superintendent, and furnish his office with the equipment and assistance needed. (2) That the consolidation movement should be encouraged wherever possible.

(3) That the area for local school tax levy should be made larger thereby equalizing the tax burden.

(4) That the course of study for the country schools should be revised and reorganized in order to better meet the needs of the schools in fitting children for life on the farm.

(5) That after January 1, 1915, all teachers should be required to have at least one year of definite professional training as preliminary to securing a teacher's certificate.

(6) That more state aid should be given the elementary schools, the aid granted to be dependent upon the maintenance of certain standards.

(7) That additional help should be provided for the state superintendent's office.

STATEMENT BY THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT

State Superintendent C. P. Cary was not a member of the Committee of Fifteen but he wrote a valuable and interesting introduction to the report submitted by the committee. The following are a few excerpts from the introduction:

Necessity for Making Country Life Attractive. There are many farsighted men who see clearly that we must be alert to prevent the degeneracy that has fallen upon country life in some of the older sections of our country. Deterioration over rural areas is a slow and generally unobserved process. Wisconsin is still young and flourishing and our country population is making more or less steady progress. It is of the utmost importance that every good citizen of the state, whether a resident of the country or the city, should devote thought and energy to the problem of keeping country life attractive, wholesome and progressive. In some portions of our state the farms are already falling into the hands of renters with short leases, whose self-interest requires not the slow building up of the soil but the skimming of the cream from the soil. Gradually, one by one, farmers in the older settled portions of the state are leaving the land and moving into the city in order that their children may secure an education and they themselves have the advantage of more congenial social surroundings. Such changes are to some extent inevitable, but the better the social conditions in the country, including schools, churches and the like, the less tendency there is for such changes to take place.

Many Country School Problems. There is not one country school problem-there are many. They are all easily comprehended, and are understood by all school men who have come into vital contact with country life. The most fundamental difficulty of all may be stated as follows:

With many noteworthy exceptions, it may be said that in a given school district there are too many people who support the school in their community in a half-hearted way. They do not appreciate as fully as they should what it costs in time, money, effort, and good will to make the school of vital significance in the life of the community. In such districts there are usually a few who greatly desire to improve the local school, but they meet with so many discouragements, and are so frequently outvoted in their efforts to bring the school to the higher level that they often weary in well doing. A united community is the prerequisite of a good school.

The Duty of the State. There can be no question that in a democracy it is more in conformity with our ideals and doubtless better in the long run to educate communities up to their

duty rather than to compel them by external authority to give their children the educational opportunities they need. This theory, however, need not be carried to extremes, but may be reversed in aggravated cases, since the state is always more concerned about the proper education of its young than any other one function it has to perform. The duty to see that the rising generation is properly educated is fundamental, and in the last analysis the responsibility of the state can not be shifted.

3. SURVEY OF THE RURAL SCHOOLS

Late in 1911 the Wisconsin State Board of Public Affairs arranged with the New York Bureau of Municipal Research to make a survey of the rural school conditions in Wisconsin. The survey was made by S. G. Lindholm, A. N. Farmer, Edward A. Fitzpatrick, H. L. Britain and F. S. Staley, under the general direction of William H. Allen.

REPORT ON THE NEEDS OF RURAL SCHOOLS

The findings of the study were based upon an examination of general conditions in over one-third of the counties of the state, and upon special investigations in 131 schools in 13 counties. The preliminary report on the conditions and needs of the rural schools was issued by the State Board of Public Affairs in August, 1912. The more important proposed remedies for improving rural schools, made in the report, were as follows:

(1) That a County Board of Education be elected at the general school election, this board to consist of three members to serve six years, and without salaries. The board should have the power to appoint the county superintendent and his assistants from an approved list made up by the civil service commission, to pass upon the consolidation of school districts, and to control county schools of agriculture and county training schools for teachers.

(2) That state aid be given to county boards of education to assist in the proper maintenance of the office of the county superintendent of schools.

(3) That there be state supervision of the use of school

money.

4. THE NORMAL SCHOOL SURVEY

At the request of the Board of Normal School Regents the State Board of Public Affairs began a cooperative survey of the Normal Schools in the fall of 1912. The survey was made by A. N. Farmer, the director, who was assisted by Wm. H. Allen, S. G. Lindholm, and Edward A. Fitzpatrick, the presidents and faculties of the normal schools, J. B. Tanner, accounting director of the State Board of Public Affairs, and the Department of Public Instruction. The State Board of Public Affairs transmitted its report to the legislature December 29, 1914. The following is a brief summary of the report, together with the recommendations made:

RELATION OF NORMAL SCHOOLS TO EACH OTHER

The normal schools of Wisconsin fail to utilize and to derive benefit to any considerable extent from each other's experience. Each school works independently and frequently spends much time and effort upon problems which have been or are being successfully solved in other schools.

THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF NORMAL SCHOOLS

As in the case of most administrative boards, the Board of Regents of Normal Schools has decided without adequate information questions of administration such as detailed appropriations, salary increases, course of study, and many other matters vitally affecting normal school work and interests. The board recognizes this situation as a defect and has taken steps to make available for itself definite information upon which to act.

The emphasis which has been placed too generally on enrollment in the normal school system has proved a great handicap to efficiency in most of the schools. Size and numbers have become an end in many normal schools.

COURSES OF STUDY

College Courses Apt to Create Aristocracy. The college course has not been maintained alone for those desiring to do college work. Students preparing to teach have been forced to take some of these courses. The subject matter taught in