44 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



alent among the teachers in our schools. This again may be seen most 

 clearly by contrasting the situation in Germany. Once appointed to a 

 position in Germany, with few exceptions, the teacher remains in the 

 same school until he dies or is retired on pension. The following sta- 

 tistics of the Prussian secondary schools for 1894 are cited by Bolton 

 ("The Secondary School System of Germany," p. 119) : 



Total number of positions 7.302 



Number of new teachers 233 



New teachers first position held 225 



New teachers from other positions 8 



Total number leaving 209 



Called to other positions 2 



Choosing other occupations 42 



Number retiring 8 



Eetired on pension 98 



Number of deaths 59 



This remarkable permanency of tenure is made possible by the exact- 

 ing methods of testing candidates which prevents the unfit from secur- 

 ing positions in the schools. Conditions in our schools are in marked 

 contrast. Dr. Jessup in a paper recently read at the secondary-school 

 conference of the University of Chicago reported recent investigations 

 bearing on this point. In Indiana for 1912 the median tenure of 186 

 superintendents was 2.16 years, and for the past fifty years in that state 

 about half the positions were open every other year. In Iowa for 1912 

 the superintendents of 250 accredited schools had a median tenure of 

 two years, and 40 per cent, were new to their position that year. Includ- 

 ing schools not on the accredited list, the condition was still more stri- 

 king, showing that of 768 schools considered, 46 per cent, of the posi- 

 tions were open last year, and 70 per cent, of the superintendents of these 

 schools had been in their positions two years or less. High-school princi- 

 pals show the same tendency to short tenure. Bolton declares that in 

 Wisconsin about one third of the high-school principals change position 

 every year. Jessup states that of 183 principals in Indiana high schools 

 in 1912, 45 per cent, were new to their positions. In towns of 25,000 

 population or over, one third of the principals were new to their posi- 

 tions. The same condition holds among high-school teachers. That it 

 is not confined to small schools or particular states is seen from the fol- 

 lowing statistics of schools on the list of the North Central Association 

 for 1912 : In Wisconsin 46 per cent, were new to their positions; in Colo- 

 rado, 44 per cent. ; in Missouri, 37 per cent. ; in Iowa, 37 per cent. ; in 

 Indiana, 40 per cent. 



In a recent study of "The Social Composition of the Teaching 

 Population" (Teachers College Contributions to Education, No. 41) 

 based upon reports of 5,215 teachers from twenty- two states, including 

 rural, town and city schools, Dr. Coffman finds the median number of 

 years men teachers have taught, irrespective of location and of position, 



