Public School Administration

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOLS. . 3

Early attitudes-Schools at first community undertakings —

-The district unit - Evolution of district organization
Early district officers — Rise of state systems - Early state or-
ganizations - The first school laws - The change in attitude -
The present conviction Questions for discussion.

CHAPTER II. STATE AUTHORIZATION AND CONTROL . 14

Court decisions

The State the unit-

Delegated author-

ity-The recovery of state sovereignty Examples of such

transference- Advantages of state control - Disadvantages of

state control The State's proper functions — A state educa-

tional policy - Questions for investigation and discussion.

CHAPTER III. STATE EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION

Evolution of forms of control Chief state school officer -

The office an evolution -Duties of such an official - New de-
mands for leadership — State boards of education - Types of
state boards-Good state educational organization — The
problem at hand - Questions for investigation and discussion.

The county in school administration - Evolution of a county

school officer-Early duties of the office-New and changed

duties - New demand for educational leadership - County

boards of control — The educational problem involved — Ques-

tions for investigation and discussion.

County subdivisions for administration - The town

Marked features of the town system - The township - Disad-

vantages of the township unit- The township unit not funda-

mentally necessary- The school-district unit - Bad features

335

A funda-

of the district unit - District system not necessary ·

mental reorganization needed — Questions for investigation and

discussion.

CHAPTER VI. THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

The city district a special case The city district an evolu-

tion Recent rapid growth of city school systems - Promi-

nence of city administrative problems — The city's distinctive

contribution-State vs. city control of the school district-Pro-

tection instead of bureaucracy Other problems of relation-

ship-To study the city first Questions for investigation and

discussion Selected references covering Part I.

PART II. THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

AND ITS PROBLEMS

CHAPTER VII. EVOLUTION OF CITY SCHOOL ORGANIZATION

AND ADMINISTRATION

The original town control-Subtracting powers from the

towns - Rise of the school committee - Two centuries of evo-

lution — Massachusetts a type - Types of development else-

where - The separate school board — Development of the ward

and committee systems Evolution of professional supervision

- Further differentiation of executive functions - Present con-

ceptions as to school control- Selected references.

CHAPTER VIII. ORGANIZATION OF BOARDS FOR SCHOOL

CONTROL

Recent reorganizations

Tend-

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Special governing boards

encies in recent reorganizations Size of school boards-Basis

of selection, wards vs. at large- - Appointment vs. election

Term of office, and elections - Pay for services Origin of pay

proposals Commission form of government and the schools -

Dependence on vs. independence of the city government — The

ordinary citizen and the schools Disadvantages of city control

Questions for discussion - Topics for investigation and re-

port Selected references.

CHAPTER IX. FUNCTIONS OF BOARDS FOR SCHOOL CONTROL 109

The board as a body - Boards continuous and changing

Types of school-board members - The committee form of con-

trol Committee control applied to hospital management -

Committee service time-consuming — Committee action illus-

trated-A confusion in functions - The real work of the board
- Legislative and executive functions Selection of executive
officers - Bases for selection - Types of board members - Re-
sults of faithful service — Questions for discussion — Topics for
investigation and report - Selected references.

CHAPTER X. THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

A new profession - Importance of this official — Large duties
of the office-Education and training - The years of appren-
ticeship - Learning and working - Dangerous pitfalls - Per-
sonal qualities necessary- The qualities of leadership - Ques-
tions for discussion Selected references.

CHAPTER XI. THREEFOLD NATURE OF THE SUPERINTEND-

ENT'S WORK

Three types of service - Time for the larger problems - Loss

of balance and perspective.

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1. The superintendent as an organizer — A policy for develop-
ment - Educating a board · Importance of such service.
2. The superintendent as an executive - Proper personal and

official relations - Mutual trust and confidence

to the community — Relations with the community.

Appealing

3. The superintendent as supervisor - Dangers faced by the

superintendent Questions for discussion

- Selected references.

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142

CHAPTER XII. CITY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION 160

Size and distribution of cities-The small city school system

The comprehensive type of superintendent - Dangers of such a

position - Organization in a small city The place of the super-

intendent in the scheme - Expansion as the city grows - Proper

administrative organization for the larger city. Guaranteed

powers - Educational organization in the large city - Central

position of the educational department Executive heads of

departments-Faulty educational organization - Questions

for discussion Topics for investigation and report - Selected

references.

The superintendent as a department head-He gives charac-

ter to the department-Sensitiveness of teachers to leadership-

Characteristics of a good supervisory organization-Responsi-

bility of all for successful work - A weak supervisory organiza-

tion-Personnel of the supervisory organization Assistant

177

superintendent and supervisor - Cabinet solidarity - The per-
sonal equation - Relations of superintendent and assistant
The special supervisors — The school principals — Increasing
their effectiveness Underlying purposes of supervisory organ-
ization - Questions for discussion Topics for investigation

198

-Defects of

1. The selection of teachers — The early method

this method - Importance of guarding appointments - Funda-

mental principles of action · Standards which should prevail ·

Methods of selecting teachers - Right rules of action-Bases

for selecting teachers - The competitive examination — Electing

applicants vs. hunting teachers

2. The tenure of teachers - The usual plan - The uncertain

tenure of teachers - The life-tenure movement - Effect of life-
tenure on the schools-A middle ground-Terminating the
contract-Supervisory officers and tenure Assistant superin-
tendents - Assignment of the teaching staff - Questions for
discussion Topics for investigation and report - Selected ref-

erences.

CHAPTER XV. THE TEACHING CORPS

II. TRAINING AND SUPERVISION.

1. The training of teachers-Leavening the teaching corps

·Professional standard for entrance The local training-

school Limitations to such training - Effect of such courses

on the school system — Training vs. attracting teachers — Train-

ing of teachers in service-Teachers' meetings — Reading-circle

work Leaves of absence for study.

2. The supervision of teachers - Deficient supervision

Supervision of the wrong type-Need for helpful supervision
-Purpose of all supervision-Means to this end - Distribu-
tion of time and effort - Demonstration teaching - Placing
for effective work - Questions for discussion - Topics for
investigation and report Selected references.

CHAPTER XVI. THE TEACHING CORPS

III. PAY AND PROMOTION.

Low standards and compensation - Adequate pay necessary

What such pay is worth- Reasonable salary demands

Automatic increases Rewards for growth and efficient service

- Stimulating industry and individual improvement.

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1. Graded salaries based on positions- Defects of such sched-

ules.

2. Additional salary grants for study.

3. Salary grants based on grades in service-Promotions on

recommendation - Promotional examinations.

4. Salary grants based on efficiency - Criticism of the plan —

Plan right in principle — Type plans for estimating efficiency
Incentives to growth-Essential features of a good salary sched-
ule - Questions for discussion Topics for investigation and
report-Selected references.

CHAPTER XVII. THE COURSES OF INSTRUCTION

I. CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES.

The superintendent and the courses of study - The superin-
tendent's guiding hand - The construction of courses of study.
1. Information or knowledge courses Dependence on text-

books The administration of such courses Effect on the

instructing body.

2. The development type of courses The principal and
teacher in such a school system - Such courses growing courses
Coöperation of all needed- Variations between schools
Experimental rooms or schools Study of local problems and
needs Economy of time in education - Questions for discus-
sion-Topics for investigation and report - Selected references.

CHAPTER XVIII. THE COURSES OF INSTRUCTION.

II. ADJUSTMENTS AND DIFFERENTIATIONS.

1. Retardation and acceleration - The average course of study

- A poorly adjusted course of study-The results of non-pro-

motion-The effect of such conditions. The super-normal

child.

2. Promotional plans

Batavia plan