Correlation Between Nature and High School 



George W. Hunter 



Wishing to obtain some first hand information relative to the 

 condition of the teaching of biologic science in the secondary 

 schools of this country the writer sent out to the leading high 

 schools in the cities and larger towns in the United States a 

 questionnaire on the method, purpose and content of biologic 

 science in the high school. This questionnaire went for the most 

 part to cities of 10,000 inhabitants and over. The answers 

 received may be said to fairly well represent the actual conditions 

 in urban high schools the country over. The county or township 

 high school sent answers in the proportion of five to about 300 

 answers received. The subject matter forming the basis for this 

 paper was obtained from the answers sent in to the following 

 question: "Assuming that you have nature study in the grades, 

 to what extent do you correlate the grade work in nature 

 study and human physiology with the biology of the high 

 school?" 



The answers received were grouped geographically under the 

 headings New England, Middle, Southern, North Central, Rocky 

 Mountain and Pacific States.* One hundred and seventy-eight 

 schools, representing thirty states reported on this question. 

 Of those schools no reported no correlation whatever between 

 the nature work of the grades and the high school, 49 report slight 

 correlation, and 19 schools, several of which are private institutions 

 having a continuous course from elementary to high school, 

 report rather complete correlation. 



The following figures show the answers of the state groups 

 reporting. 



Correlation 



Slight 

 Correlation 



No 

 Correlation 



New England . . 



Middle 



Southern 



North Central . 

 Rocky Mountain 

 Pacific 



13 



8 

 15 



3 

 17 



4 



2 



49 



22 



3i 



2 



50 

 4 



1 



no 



352 



