New Ideals in Rural Schools

OUTLINE

I. THE RURAL SCHOOL AND ITS PROBLEM

• The General Problem of the Rural School

  1. The general problem of the rural school identical with that of all schools1
  2. The newer concept measures education by efficiency2
  3. This efficiency involves (1) knowledge,(2) attitude, (3) technique, or skill3
  4. The purpose of the school is to make sure of these factors of efficiency4
  
  

  The Special Problem of the Rural School

  1. Each type of school has its special problem5
  2. The rural school problem originates in the nature of the rural community5
  3. Characteristics of the rural community6
  4. 1. Its industrial homogeneity6
     2. Its social homogeneity7
     3. Fundamental intelligence of the rural population8
     4. Economic status and standards of living10
     5. Rural isolation and its social effects10
     6. Rural life and physical efficiency11
     7. Lack of recreations and amusement12
  5. Recent tendencies toward progress in agricultural pursuits12
  6. The loss of rural population to the cities13
  
  
• The Adjustment of the Rural School to its Problem
  
  
  1. Failure in adjustment of the rural school to its problem17
  2. The rudimentary education received by rural children17
  3. Failure of the rural school to participate in recent educational progress18
  4. The rural school inadequate in its scope19
  5. Need of better organization in the rural school20
  6. Inadequacy of rural school buildings and equipment21
  7. The financial support of the rural school22
  8. Summary and suggestions23

• 
  

  II. THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE RURAL SCHOOL

  The Rural School and the Community

  1. The fundamental relations of school and community25
  2. Low community standards of education25
  3. The rural community's need of a social center26
  4. 1. Its social isolation a serious drawback27
     2. Grave moral dangers arising from social isolation28
     3. Rural environment more dangerous to youth than city environment29
     4. Effects of monotony on adults30
  5. The rural school as a social center30
  6. The ideal rural school building and equipment32
  7. Social activities centering in the school33
  8. Reorganization needed to make the rural school effective as a social and
     intellectual center34
  
  

  The Consolidation of Rural Schools

  1. Consolidation the first step toward rural school efficiency35
  2. Irrationality of present district system36
  3. Obstacles in the way of consolidation37
  4. The present movement toward consolidation38
  5. Effects of consolidation40
  6. 1. On attendance41
     2. On expense41
     3. On efficiency42
  7. The one-room school yet needed as a part of the rural system42
  
  

  Financial Support of the Rural School

  1. Lack of adequate financial support of rural schools43
  2. Difference in city and rural basis for taxation44
  3. Low school tax characteristic of rural communities45
  4. State aid for rural schools46
  5. Safeguards required where the principle of state aid is supplied47
  6. Summary and conclusion48
  
  

  The Rural School and its Pupils

  1. The spirit of the pupils as a test of the school50
  2. The negative attitude of rural pupils toward their school51
  3. Causes of this defection to be sought in the school51
  4. The problem of poor rural school attendance52
  5. The consolidated school as a cure for indifferent attitude and poor attendance53

• 
  

  III. THE CURRICULUM OF THE RURAL SCHOOL

  The Scope of the Rural School Curriculum

  1. The modern demand for a broader education57
  2. The meagerness of the rural school curriculum58
  3. The rural child requires full elementary and high school course60
  4. Disadvantages of sending rural child to town school60
  5. Necessary reorganization in rural school offering broadened curriculum62
  6. General nature of the new curriculum62
  
  

  The Rural Elementary School Curriculum

  1. Relation of the curriculum to social standards and ideals64
  2. The mother tongue65
  3. 1. Necessity for its mastery65
     2. Learning the mechanics of the language66
     3. Developing the art of expression, oral and written67
     4. Creation of love for reading67
     5. Formal grammar out of place in the elementary school 68
  4. Number69
  5. 1. The prominent place occupied by arithmetic69
     2. Importance of development of the number concept69
     3. An undue proportion of time devoted to arithmetic70
     4. Desirable changes in the teaching of arithmetic71
  6. History and civics71
  7. 1. The right and duty of every person to know the history and government
        of his country72
     2. History not to deal chiefly with war and politics, but to emphasize the
        social and industrial side72
     3. The library of historical books73
     4. Functional versus analytical civics73
  8. Geography and nature study74
  9. 1. Advantage of the rural school in this field74
     2. The social basis of geography75
     3. Application of geography and nature study to the farm75
  10. Hygiene and health76
  11. 1. Criticism of older concept of physiology for the elementary school76
      2. Content of practical course in hygiene77
      3. Application of hygiene to the child's health and growth77
  12. Agriculture78
  13. 1. Adaptability to the rural elementary school78
      2. Content of the elementary course in agriculture79
      3. Relation to farm life79
  14. Domestic science and manual training79
  15. 1. Place in elementary rural school80
      2. What can be taught80
      3. Its practical application80
  16. Music and art81
  17. 1. Necessity in a well-balanced curriculum81
      2. Appreciation rather than criticism the aim81
  18. Physical training81
  19. 1. Need of physical training of rural children82
      2. Rural school athletics82
  
  

  The Rural High School Curriculum

  1. Rural high schools not yet common83
  2. The functions of the rural high school84
  3. English in the rural high school84
  4. 1. Its aim85
     2. Points of difference from present high school course86
  5. Social science to have an applied trend86
  6. The material sciences as related to the problems of the farm87
  7. Manual training and domestic science89
  8. A modified course in high school mathematics89
  9. Foreign language not to occupy an important place90
  10. The high school course to include music and art90
  
  

  IV. THE TEACHING OF THE RURAL SCHOOL

  The Importance of Teaching

  1. Teaching the fundamental purpose of the school92
  2. The child and the subject-matter92
  3. The teacher as an intermediary between child and subject-matter93
  4. Hence the teacher must know the nature of the child94
  5. The teacher must know the subject-matter of education95
  6. Failure to measure up to this requirement97
  
  
• Teaching in the Rural School
  
  
  1. The degree of training of rural teachers in the subject-matter98
  2. Present lack of professional training100
  3. The effects of inexperience101
  4. Short tenure of service in rural schools102
  5. Level of teaching efficiency low103
  6. Improvement through consolidated schools104
  
  

  The Training of Rural Teachers

  1. Inexperienced and untrained teachers begin in the rural schools105
  2. Normal schools supply few teachers to rural schools106
  3. A reasonable demand for training of rural teachers107
  4. Rural teacher training in normal high schools107
  5. The rural teacher's training must be adapted to spirit of rural school108
  
  

  Salaries of Rural Teachers

  1. Salary as a measure of efficiency109
  2. Salaries of rural teachers compared with town and city teachers110
  3. Necessity of increased salaries111
  4. Increase in salary and in efficiency must go together111
  5. Salaries in consolidated schools112
  
  

  Supervision of Rural Teaching

  1. Impossibility of giving district schools efficient supervision112
  2. Obstacle in number of schools and frequent change of teachers113
  3. Comparison of work of county superintendent with city superintendent114
  4. Political handicaps on county superintendent115
  5. The necessity of better educational standards and better salary for the county superintendent116
  6. Women as county superintendents116
  7. Efficient supervision possible only under a consolidated system117

RIVERSIDE EDUCATIONAL MONOGRAPHS

GENERAL EDUCATIONAL THEORY

• Dewey's MORAL PRINCIPLES IN EDUCATION.35
• Eliot's EDUCATION FOR EFFICIENCY.35
• Eliot's TENDENCY TO THE CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL IN MODERN
  EDUCATION.35
• Emerson's EDUCATION.35
• Fiske's THE MEANING OF INFANCY.35
• Hyde's THE TEACHER'S PHILOSOPHY.35
• Palmer's THE IDEAL TEACHER.35
• Prosser's THE TEACHER AND OLD AGE.60
• Terman's THE TEACHER'S HEALTH.60
• Thorndike's INDIVIDUALITY.35

ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION OF SCHOOLS

• Betts's NEW IDEALS IN RURAL SCHOOLS.60
• Bloomfield's VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE OF YOUTH.60
• Cabot's VOLUNTEER HELP TO THE SCHOOLS.60
• Cole's INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.35
• Cubberley's CHANGING CONCEPTIONS OF EDUCATION.35
• Cubberley's THE IMPROVEMENT OF RURAL SCHOOLS.35
• Lewis's DEMOCRACY'S HIGH SCHOOL.60
• Perry's STATUS OF THE TEACHER.35
• Snedden's THE PROBLEM OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.35
• Trowbridge's THE HOME SCHOOL.60
• Weeks's THE PEOPLE'S SCHOOL.60

METHODS OF TEACHING

• Bailey's ART EDUCATION.60
• Betts's THE RECITATION.60
• Campagnac's THE TEACHING OF COMPOSITION.35
• Cooley's LANGUAGE TEACHING IN THE GRADES.35
• Dewey's INTEREST AND EFFORT IN EDUCATION.60
• Earhart's TEACHING CHILDREN TO STUDY.60
• Evans's TEACHING OF HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS.35
• Fairchild's THE TEACHING OF POETRY IN THE HIGH SCHOOL
  
  
• Haliburton and Smith's TEACHING POETRY IN THE GRADES.60
• Hartwell's THE TEACHING OF HISTORY.35
• Haynes's ECONOMICS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL.60
• Kilpatrick's THE MONTESSORI SYSTEM EXAMINED.35
• Palmer's ETHICAL AND MORAL INSTRUCTION IN THE SCHOOLS.35
• Palmer's SELF-CULTIVATION IN ENGLISH.35
• Suzzallo's THE TEACHING OF PRIMARY ARITHMETIC.60
• Suzzallo's THE TEACHING OF SPELLING.60

RIVERSIDE TEXTBOOKS IN EDUCATION

The editor and the publishers have most carefully planned this series to meet the needs of students of education in colleges and universities, in normal schools, and in teachers' training courses in high schools. The books will also be equally well adapted to teachers' reading circles and to the wide-awake, professionally ambitious superintendent and teacher. Each book presented in the series will embody the results of the latest research, and will be at the same time both scientifically accurate, and simple, clear, and interesting in style.

The Riverside Textbooks in Education will eventually contain books on the following subjects:—

1. History of Education.—2. Public Education in America.—3. Theory of Education.—4. Principles of Teaching.—5. School and Class Management.—6. School Hygiene.—7. School Administration.—8. Secondary Education.—9. Educational Psychology.—10. Educational Sociology.—11. The Curriculum.—12. Special Methods.

Now Ready

The HOUGHTON MIFFLIN PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY

For Teachers and Students of Education

THEORY AND PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATION

The HOUGHTON MIFFLIN PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY

For Teachers and Students of Education