SCHOOL 



tioned to the schools according to the laws of 

 the respective states. In some states the dis- 

 tribution is based upon school attendance; in 

 others upon the school population of the school 

 unit, as a county, city or school district. 



School Systems. The question ''Has the 

 United States a national school system?" is 

 often asked. There is no legally recognized 

 national system of schools. The organization 

 and management of its schools are left to each 

 state, but these forty-eight independent or- 

 ganizations so closely resemble one another in 

 their scope, courses of study and plans of ad- 

 ministration that it may be said that the United 

 States has a greater unity and similarity in 

 courses of study and methods of administration 

 than exist in any other country in the world, 

 with the exception perhaps of France It is, 

 therefore, not incorrect to speak of an Ameri- 

 -tem of education. The chief agencies 

 in securing this unity are the United States 

 Bureau of Education and the National Educa- 

 tion Association. The Reports and the many 

 other printed documents of the Commissioner 

 of Education have kept the leading school offi- 

 cials and educators informed upon the work 



USE OF SURPLUS REVENUE 

 What became of the $28.000.000 surplus revenue 

 which was distributed among the states for school 

 purposes In 1836-U 



done in all parts of the country, and at the 

 meetings of the National Education Associa- 

 tion methods of instruction and administration 

 and courses of study are discussed and < 

 cizcd by educators representing every state. 

 The Department of Superintendence has been 

 especially influential in unifying courses of 

 study and methods of administration. 



Administration. We have seen that the first 

 schools were established by communities, each 

 community becoming responsible for the sup- 

 port of its own school. This plan was the 

 beginning of the district system of manage- 

 ment still found in many states. Settlers move 



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westward along parallels of latitude, and each 

 state organized a school system similar to that 

 of the state or states from which a majority 

 of its inhabitants came. In this way the New 

 England method of administration was ex- 

 tended to all of the states north of the Ohio 

 River. Later, in New England, the town re- 

 placed the district as the unit of administration. 

 In all the states west of New England the 

 county is the unit for supervision and for 

 certifying teachers, except in a few localities 

 where the state issues the certificates. In the 

 Southern states the county is the unit of ad- 

 ministration. Each state maintains a depart- 

 ment of public instruction whose executive 

 officer bears the title of superintendent of pub- 

 lic instruction, as in Minnesota, or commis- 

 sioner of education, as in Massachusetts. In 

 case the department consists of a state board 

 of education, the executive officer may be 

 styled secretary. In some states much of the 

 work of the department of public instruction 

 is largely advisory; in others it is of an ex- 

 ecutive nature. Incorporated cities are units 

 of administration and their schools are directed 

 by a superintendent or a supervisory principal, 

 who is responsible to the city board of educa- 

 tion. The schools of rural districts are in 

 charge of local boards who engage the teacher, 

 provide the necessary school material and have 

 oversight of the school property. 



City schools are thoroughly graded and every 

 large city has its own course of study. In all 

 states uniform courses of study for the rural 

 schools have been adopted, and manuals of 

 directions for their use placed in the hands of 

 the teachers. This enables pupils in these 

 schools to make systematic progress through 

 the eight grades of elementary instruction. 



Standardization. In all states in which high 

 schools receive state aid. they urc required to 

 reach a standard fixed by the state university 

 or the department of public instruction. This 

 plan was so successful in bringing these schools 

 to a higher standard that in several states a 

 similar plan has been adopted for the one-room 

 rural schools. The department of public in- 

 struction fixes requirements relating to the 

 grounds, school building, furniture, library, 

 course of study, qualifications and salary of the 

 her, and standards of teaching and main- 

 taining discipline. One or more rural school 

 visitors arc appointed by the department, who 

 visit those schools of each county which the 

 county superintendent thinks may meet the 

 requirements. In Illinois, if the school has 



