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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



a State Superintendent. There are also several 

 officers whose business it is to visit the schools 

 of the State, to inquire into their condition, to 

 hold conferences with teachers and school com- 

 mittees, and to lecture on educational subjects. 

 The board has also a director of art education, 

 who superintends the State Normal School of 

 Art, and aids, either personally or by deputy, in 

 the art-training of the teachers of public schools 

 in all cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants. 1 



In the State of New York there is a " Board 

 of Regents of the University" with twenty-three 

 members — nineteen being elected by joint ballot 

 of the two Houses of Legislature, and the remain- 

 ing four being the Governor, the Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, the Secretary of State, and the Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction. The board has a 

 general supervision of the literary and medical 

 colleges of the State, of the special schools in 

 which students are prepared for these colleges, 

 of the State Museum and the State Library, and 

 of the institutions for the training of teachers in 

 common schools. 



The duties of the Superintendent in the State 

 of New York illustrate, I think, the extreme lim- 

 its of the control which the State authorities, in 

 any instance, exercise over the local school ad- 

 ministration. He is elected, like the " regents," 

 by joint ballot of both Houses of Legislature ; 

 holds office for three years ; receives an annual 

 salary of £1,000, with £100 more for traveling- 

 expenses ; and is allowed £600 for a deputy and 

 £1,800 for clerks. He has " a general supervi- 

 sion of the schools of the State, with advisory 

 control of their management, discipline, and 

 course of instruction ; and determines, finally, 

 on appeal, all controversies arising under their 

 local administration." He apportions and dis- 

 tributes the educational funds not derived from 

 local sources — of these I shall have something to 

 say in another paper — and he is responsible for 

 securing the application of these funds by the 

 local authorities to legitimate objects. He issues, 

 upon examinations instituted by himself, certifi- 

 cates of qualification to approved teachers, valid, 

 until revoked, in all the counties of the State ; 

 he also issues temporary licenses to teach ; and 



1 "Report of the Commissioner of Education for the 

 Year 1875," pp. 184, 185. The commissioner is Mr. Ea- 

 ton. As I shall have occasion to quote this report 

 several times, partly for the sake of the brief and con- 

 venient descriptions of the organization of the various 

 school boards— descriptions which need supplement- 

 ing, however, from the reports and regulations of the 

 several boards — and partly for the 6ake of other in- 

 formation, I shall quote it, in order to prevent mis- 

 take, as " Mr. Eaton's Report." 



he has power to revoke licenses, whether granted 

 by himself or others. " It is his duty to visit, as 

 often as is consistent with his other duties, the 

 common schools of the State, to inquire into their 

 course of instruction, management, and discipline, 

 and advise and encourage pupils, teachers, and 

 school-officers, though he may delegate to citi- 

 zens of a county this duty of visitation for the 

 schools of that county, they reporting to him the 

 result. He is charged, too, with the general con- 

 trol, visitation, and management, of teachers' in- 

 stitutes in the several counties, the employment 

 of teachers and lecturers therein, and the pay- 

 ment of the expenses incurred by the district 

 commissioners in conducting the exercises of 

 them." He has other duties in relation to chil- 

 dren sent by the State to schools for the deaf, 

 the dumb, and the blind, and in relation to Indian 

 schools. He has further to compile abstracts of 

 the reports of the local authorities in the several 

 school-districts, and is required to submit " an 

 annual report to the Legislature of the condition 

 of the schools and institutions subject to his su- 

 pervision, said report to contain recommenda- 

 tions of such measures as will, in his judgment, 

 contribute to their welfare and efficiency." J 



In Pennsylvania there is a State Superintend- 

 ent appointed by the Governor, with the advice 

 and consent of the Senate ; and there are county 

 superintendents, elected at a triennial convention 

 of the local school authorities. The duties of 

 the State Superintendent in Pennsylvania are 

 practically the same as those of the similar offi- 

 cer in the State of New York ; the county super- 

 intendents discharge similar duties in their re- 

 spective counties, and are required to report to 

 the Superintendent of the State. 2 In Illinois the 

 State Superintendent is elected by the people of 

 the State, and the county superintendents are 

 elected by the people of each county. 



In all the States the local educational authori- 

 ties have a much larger amount of freedom than 

 is permitted to school boards in this country. 

 The constitution and powers of these authorities 

 are determined by a general State law, or, as in 

 the case of many of the great cities, by special 

 acts of the State Legislatures. During the last 

 ten years the constitution of some of the boards 

 has undergone considerable changes. Since the 

 publication of Dr. Fraser's report, there has 

 been, for instance, a complete revolution in the 

 organization of the boards of New York and 

 Boston. In some districts the local board is 



1 Quoted and summarized from Eaton's "Report." 

 pp. 289, 290. 2 Eaton's " Report," p. 353. 



