USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Melrose > City of Melrose annual report 1908 > Part 4
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While the provisions of the regulation seemed to be as advanced as it was wise to adopt at the time, I am inclined to think that present conditions warrant a regulation to the effect that no teacher shall be employed as a regular grade teacher who is not a Normal School graduate.
C. Method of Appointment of Teachers .- Among the. standing sub-committees of the School Board is the Com- mittee on Teachers and Salaries. In defining the duties of this Committee, Sec. 24, of the Rules and Regulations of the Board states :- "This committee shall consider all recom- mendations for the election or promotion of teachers made by the Superintendent, make such inquiry as seems best, and.
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CITY OF MELROSE
report to the Board for final action." In accordance with this requirement, whenever a vacancy occurs in the corps, the Superintendent places before the sub-committee on Teachers the names of such persons as seem best qualified to fill the vacancy, with the facts regarding their fitness for the posi- tion, and the party approved by the sub-committee is reported to the Board for confirmation or rejection.
D. Salaries of Teachers .- By vote of the Board a regu- lar schedule of salaries has been established for teachers and principals below the high school grade.
The amount that a teacher ultimately may receive under this schedule depends in part upon length of service, and in part upon merit, as evidenced by class-room results and pro- fessional growth.
The main features of the schedule are as follows :-
1. In grades I to 6 inclusive the minium yearly salary is fixed at $400, and the regular maximum at $550. In ad- dition to this general maximum, which is attainable for length of service, there is a special merit maximum of $650 open to all teachers who have received a salary of $550 for two years provided (a) that they have satisfactorily completed a line of professional study approved by the Superintendent of Schools, and (b) that they are unanimously indorsed by the Principal under whom they may serve, the Superintendent of Schools, and the Committee on Teachers.
II. In grades VII and VIII the minimum salary is $400 per year, the maximum attainable by all for length of service is $600, and there is a special merit maximum of $700 attainable under the principle set for grades I to VI.
III. In grade IX the minimum salary is $400 per year, the maximum attainable by all for length of service is $650, and there is a special merit maximum of $750 attainable under the principle set for previous grades.
IV. The regular annual increase in all grades is $50.
In order that our citizens in general may understand better than possibly they do at present the necessity for recog- nizing merit as an element in the determination of the salaries of our teachers, I am led to quote a few paragraphs from a
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SCHOOL REPORT
recent report upon "Merit Salaries for Teachers" which it was my duty to write as Chairman of a Committee for the Middlesex County Convention.
"The fundamental and paramount consideration in the determination of all policies of administration with respect to the public schools is what will contribute most to forward the purpose for which these schools are organized, viz.,- the training of young people for effective social units. Social efficiency is the end for which education at public expense is maintained; and the necessity and worth of any policy of public school administration must be judged with reference to that end.
"A discussion of the subject of "Promotional Examina- tions" in the December number of "Education" for 1907, in which the writer opposes the policy of merit incentive for teachers, contains the following statements: 'Reverence for the truth and love for the boy,-these are the essential charac- teristics of true teachers in all lands and in every age. With- out them no outside pressure can make even an imitation. Given these qualities, no other incentive is needed to spur to the highest endeavor those who would find a place in that goodly company.'
"These statements contain the substance of the writer's argument, which may fairly be defined as follows.
"The ideal teacher has subjectively the necessary incen- tive to academic and professional growth. Any other teacher cannot be improved by external influences to the point of even a decent imitation. Therefore external incentives to profes- sional and academic growth on the part of teachers are not only unnecessary but unprofitable.
"It may be admitted that the ideal teacher needs no external incentive to highest efficiency and fullest develop- ment. Unfortunately, however, the supply of ideal teachers is not and never will be adequate to equip the schools. More- over, it does not follow, necessarily, because the ideal teacher needs no external incentive to increased efficiency and growth, that such incentive may not be useful under conditions as they exist and may be expected to continue.
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CITY OF MELROSE
"The great majority of teachers are faithful, professionally earnest, and fairly efficient; but they are far from ideal, and that condition will always be. The problem confronting those who administer school systems is how to arrange so that such teachers as are obtainable may be stimulated to the maximum of their possible usefulness to the schools; and to argue that external incentives may not be used so as to contribute to such a result seems absurd.
"Growth in professional and academic lines while in ser- vice is a necessity to continued efficiency on a teacher's part; but, without some external incentive, there is a strong ten- dency after a few years of service for the average teacher to cease to put forth systematic effort for improvement in pro- fessional and academic lines.
"So far as the teachers of the elementary grades are con- cerned,-and these constitute approximately 93 per cent. of our public school teaching corps,-this tendency may be accounted for, in part at least, by a limited initial equipment. Although a large per cent. of the teachers in these grades have a degree of professional training, they begin their work at best with only a superficial academic equipment. Having no exhaustive understand ng of any one subject, they hardly appreciate the importance to the schools of broadening and intensifying the knowledge which they already possess. It is natural, therefore, that they should manifest little ambition for growth in scholarship after service begins unless moved by some external incentive.
"So far as this tendency reveals itself in high school teachers, it is due, in part probably, to the fact that, although the majority enter upon their work with a broader academic equipment than characterizes teachers in the lower grades, they are largely without special professional training. Failing, naturally, to appreciate the value of such training, they are inclined to put forth relatively little voluntary effort in this line after they begin service
"Fairness to the interests which she is employed to serve should cause a teacher to realize that, before she is entitled to be placed upon the highest salary schedule, it is
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proper for her to manifest conscientious and ambitious effort to advance her professional attainments; and to do this re- quires, not only faithful effort in the classroom for a series of years, but also systematic study and active participation in associated educational work.
"It is believed that the practice of paying all teachers holding similar positions in a corps a uniform wage, which is determined by length of service primarily, does injustice to the ambitious and efficient teacher because it ignores the wide differences that exist in personality, educational equipment, and teaching power.
"It is further believed that a wisely devised and well administered system of merit recognition in the remuneration of teachers will tend to render the public more sensitive to the differences between them and more willing to indorse the payment of such salaries as are necessary to secure and to retain the best manhood and womanhood for the work of teaching,-a condition that is absolutely essential if our schools are to measure up to the maximum of their potential efficiency in the development of good citizenship."
The schedule of salaries for principals of the grades below the high school fixes the maximums as follows,- principals of 4-room primary buildings, $700; principals of 4-room grammar buildings, $800; principals of 8-room build- ings, $1,100; principals of 12-room combinations, $1,300; principals of 16-room combinations, $1,500.
Thus far no definite schedule of salaries has been adopted for high school teachers, although I have twice declared to the Committee my belief that the time has come when such action would help the efficiency of our administration of the schools.
Again I submit for your consideration not only that the salaries of the teachers in the high school be regulated by a definite schedule but also that such schedule be in part a merit schedule, similar in principle to that in accordance with which the schedule for the elementary grades has been ar- ranged.
The policy in force regarding the salaries of teachers
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CITY OF MELROSE
who may be absent necessarily from work is indicated in the following regulation of the Board:
"Regular teachers who are absent not more than three days on account of the death or serious illness of some nem- ber of their immediate family shall suffer no loss of pay.
"Regular teachers who are absent from school on account of personal illness of a temporary nature shall suffer no loss of pay, provided such absence does not aggregate more than five days in any school month or fifteen days in a school year.
"When a regular teacher has been absent from school on account of personal illness of a temporary nature in excess of the above, a sum equal to two-thirds of the salary of that teacher shall be deducted from the next payment due such absentee.
"In case of the absence of a regular teacher on account of personal illness of a continued nature, one third of the salary of such a teacher shall be paid the absentee for the first four weeks of such absence, but not for a longer time, unless, upon the written recommendation of the Committee on Fi- nance, the Board shall vote otherwise."
E. Tenure of Position for Teachers .- In my first annual report upon the work of the schools of this city, which was submitted in February, 1899, I called attention to the de- sirability of adopting a policy of permanent tenure for teachers of approved efficiency, and expressed the hope that the Com- mittee might take action in that direction.
Near the close of that school year the Committee adopted the policy, in accordance with provisions submitted by the Superintendent; and since that time permanent tenure has been in force in the administration of our schools.
The present regulation governing the appointment of a teacher to permanent tenure reads as follows :-
1. Every appointee shall be elected for a probationary period of one year, subject to removal at any time if found to be undesirable.
2. All elections of teachers shall be by ballot, and a majority of the Board shall be necessary for an election.
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3. All elections shall be for the school year or remainder of the school year following the election.
A teacher who has served successfully for four successive years, however, may be elected to a tenure of office during good behavior and efficiency; but such a teacher may be re- moved at any time for cause by a two-thirds vote of the Board.
F. Means to Increase the Efficiency of Teachers .- In my judgment a superintendent of schools can hardly do more valuable work for the schools under his charge than to create in the corps of teachers a well-defined and real professional spirit and to provide opportunities whereby the teachers may be able to secure the necessary assistance to growth, not only in the understanding of the principles of education, but also in the mastery of the application of those principles.
To secure these results the following means are adopted.
(a) By a regulation of the Board, "For the purpose of observing methods in instruction and discipline, teachers may visit other schools for one day in each fall and winter term at such times as may be arranged between them and the Superintendent."
Sometimes such visits are to corresponding grades of work in Melrose. Usually, however, they are made to other school systems. In arranging where teachers shall visit an attempt is made to make suggestions that will enable the special needs of the different teachers to be met. The teachers generally take advantage of this opportunity, and I believe the benefit received by the schools through these observations of the teachers amply justifies the closing of our schools for this purpose.
(b) It has been the custom of the Committee during the time that I have been connected with the schools to vote annually to close the schools for one day in the fall to permit the teachers to attend the sessions of the Middlesex County Teachers' Association. While it means considerable to shut down the entire school plant for a day, I am, nevertheless, convinced that, so long as the Association maintains programs of the helpful nature that has characterized those of the past.
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CITY OF MELROSE
ten years, it is wise to give the teachers the opportunity to attend this Convention.
(c) Other means of assisting the professional growth of our teachers are (1) general meetings held monthly which all teachers are expected to attend and at which topics of interest and value educationally to all classes of teachers are discussed, sometimes by the Superintendent and sometimes by speakers from other places.
Some of the topics which have been considered at these meetings during the year are "Teachers' Relations," by F. E. Spaulding, Superintendent of Schools in Newton; "The Teacher Himself," by Rev. Thomas Sims; and "Waste in Education," "Interest in Education," "Are Our Public Schools Reasonably Efficient ?", and "Thoughts Worth Pon- dering," by myself ;- (2) meetings with the Principals held monthly for the consideration of matters pertaining to the better administration of the schools ;- (3) conferences with individual teachers held by myself on Tuesday afternoons of each week from 4 to 6 o'clock ;- (4) weekly conferences held by the Supervisors of Drawing, Manual Training, and Music with individual teachers, and grade meetings from time to time held by the Manual Training and Drawing Supervisors for instruction in their special subjects ;- special fortnightly evening classes, in connect on with the mer t salary plan, one in English by Mr. Orren H. Smith, head of the English depart- ment in the High School, and one in the History of Education by myself. Over one-half of the teachers in the corps were enrolled in these classes.
(d) Another means not only of assisting the profes- sional growth of the teachers but also of enlisting their active sympathy and of utilizing their experience and professional judgment in the selection of texts for our schools, the deve- lopment of courses of study, etc., is the Teachers' Council This Council is an advisory body of teachers selected from the entire teaching force to represent the corps in conference with the Superintendent upon such matters as he may wish to lay before it. It is made up as follows,-the principals of the various schools, a delegate from each eight-room building
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selected by the teachers of the building, and the Heads of De- partments of Business, English, Science, and History in the High School.
It was in accordance with the unanimous decision of this body that I placed before the Committee the recommenda- tion that Frye's Geography be adopted for use in our schools. The Council has adopted a statement of aims to guide the instruction in reading, grammar, literature, language lessons, technical grammar, and composition for the grades below the high school and has under consideration suggestions upon a revision of the entire course in English in the elementary schools and upon text-books best adapted to assist in the realization of the aims set forth. I believe that the possible value to the school system of this Council is great, if the Committee shall give due weight to its sug- gestions.
THE HIGH SCHOOL.
Attendance. The following table gives data covering the period since I became connected with the schools of Melrose.
MEMBERSHIP FOR YEAR AND MAXIMUM REGISTRATION IN SEPTEMBER OF EACH YEAR.
Maximum Registration in September
Year
Gr'de X
Gr'de XI
Gr'de XII
Gr'de XIII
Post Graduates
Total
Average Member- ship for school year ending in June.
1898.
76
62
59
29
6
232
220.49
1899
88
59
47
46
7
247
229 19
1900
116
61
50
40
9
278
250.26
1901
119
95
58
44
9
325
264.89
1902.
155
103
79
51
G
394
301.49
1903.
157
117
93
61
5
433
369.58
1904.
133
110
92
77
6
418
409.60
1905.
154
108
91
78
4
435
397.31
1906.
163
128
89
84
5
469
413.60
1907.
189
136
116
80
2
523
452.02
1908.
158
156
122
92
1
529
496.85
Per Cent. of increase
108%
151%
107%
217%
128%
125%
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CITY OF MELROSE.
From the foregoing tabulation, it will be observed that the maximum registration for September, 1908, was 128 per cent. larger than that for 1898, and that the average membership of the school for the school year ending June, 1908, was 125 per cent. larger than that for the year ending June, 1898. It is significant that during this period of rapid growth in high school attendance the population of the city has increased only 20 per cent.
Not only has the increase of attendance upon the high school been unusually large, as indicated by these figures, but, when it is noted that the senior class of the school has increased in membership, during the above period, twice as fast as the entering class, it appears also, that this growth in attendance has been a very satisfactory growth, in that the administra- tion of the school is holding a much larger percentage than formerly for the full four years' course,-a fact of consider- able significance when one considers that a higher type of educated citizenship means the betterment of the social con- ditions of the community in every respect.
Cost of School. The following tabulation shows the ex- penditure for the high school for the financial year ending December 31, 1908:
I. General Expenditure.
Items.
Expenditure. . $20,033.69
26
Books and Supplies
1,698.08
30
Fuel ..
1,712.60
26
Sundries .
458.72
13
Repairs and Permanent Improvements
452.85
12
$24,355.94
25
2. Per Capita Expenditure.
(Based on the average membership for the financial year, 500.55).
Items.
Expenditure per pupil-
Salaries
. $40.23
Books and Supplies
3.39
Fuel . .
3.42
Sundries .
.91
Repairs and Permanent Improvements
.90
Total for all purposes
$48.85
*Per cent. of the expenditure for all schools for similar items.
*Per Cent.
Salaries (teachers, janitor, engineer)
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SCHOOL REPORT.
Reference to a similar table for 1907 shows that, while the total expenditure for the schools for 1908 is $1,013.06 more than for 1907, the expenditure per pupil has been $.58 less.
Changes in Corps. The effectiveness of the school has been injured to a degree during the past few years by the number of changes that have taken place annually in the teaching staff. In 1907 there were changes in four im- portant positions. At the end of the school year in June, 1908, Horace Kidger, Head of the Department of History, Christine D. Ross, Head of the Department of Modern Lan- guages, and Frederick R. Willard, Teacher of Science and English, resigned, and, in November, C. Ross Appler, Head of the Commercial Department, left us. All of these teachers were doing excellent work and it is obvious that their loss must have been detrimental to the work of the school for a time at least. The resignations were due to offers of higher salaries elsewhere. Mr. Kidger went to the Newton High School, Mr. Willard to the Salem High School, Miss Ross to the Brookline High School, and Mr. Appler to the Girls' High School in Boston.
In my judgment the best interests of the young people who attend our high school require that the Committee adopt some policy of remuneration for teachers in this school that will protect us from such heavy annual losses from the staff of teachers, and I believe the adoption of a regular salary schedule for the teachers of the high school, similar to that adopted for teachers in the elementary schools, with a rea- sonab'e maximum for the various positions will help to this end. As the members of the Board are aware I have previous- ly advocated this policy and I renew the recommendation at this time hoping that it may receive serious attention.
It became evident early in the summer vacation that the attendance in September would require an additional in- structor and Helen F. Warren, a graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, was elected for that purpose.
Laura G. Willgoose, a graduate of Radcliffe College, with several years successful experience as a teacher, was elected
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CITY OF MELROSE
Head of the Department of Modern Languages; W. Henry H. Pierce, a graduate of the Melrose High School and Boston University, with experience as a teacher in the Quincy (Mass.) High School, was elected Head of the Department of History, and Robert F. Allen, a graduate of Boston University, with experience as a teacher in Maine Wesleyan Seminary, was elected teacher of English and Science. Harold C. Spencer, formerly Head of the Spencerian Business College, was placed in charge of the Commercial Department as substitute teacher for the school year.
Efficiency of Work. While the phenomenal growth in the membership of our high school during the past few years may be taken as a proof of the efficiency of its work as judged by the community at large, it may be interesting to note the following facts bearing upon this point.
During the past eight years 126 graduates, or 26 per cent. of the total number who have graduated from the school in that period, have gone to higher institutions of learning,- including, Harvard, Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology, Radcliffe, Wellesley, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Dartmouth, Bates, Bowdoin, University of Maine, Boston University, Holy Cross, Simmons, Massachusetts Agricul- tural College, Boston University Law School, Tufts Medical School, Tufts Dental School, Lowell Textile School, Salem Normal School, Bridgewater Normal School, and Fitchburg Normal School.
Of these institutions Harvard, Yale, Radcliffe, and the Institute of Technology admit by examination, and the others admit students upon certificate of the principal from those schools that are on their approved list.
During the eight years mentioned, fifteen graduates o the Melrose High School took the entrance examination for Harvard University. Eight took examinations for Radcliffe one for Yale and twenty-four for the Institute of Technology.
Of those who took examinations for Harvard, four entered with one or more "conditions," eleven entered without any "condition," and seven of the eleven took "honors" in the examinations,-one taking three "honors," one taking six "honors," and five taking four "honors."
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SCHOOL REPORT.
Of the number who took examinations for Radcliffe, all entered without any "conditions" and three of the number took "honors" in the examination.
The graduate who entered Yale not only entered without "conditions" but also completed the four-year college course in three years.
Of the twenty-four who took examinations at the Institute of Technology, five entered with one or more "conditions," nineteen entered without any "conditions," and of this latter number fifteen passed successfully examinations in one or more subjects for advanced standing.
Seventy-eight of the one hundred and twenty-six mentioned above as having entered higher institutions of learning have entered those institutions which admit upon certificate by the Principal, and in no case where the pupil has been certi- ficated in full has there been a failure to maintain standing after admission.
One pupil who entered the Boston University Law School maintained during his course there the highest standing ever taken by any student in that institution.
To ascertain the judgment of business men upon the character of the training that the school is giving pupils who elect to take the business training course, I recently sent out the following circular of inquiry to a considerable number of firms that have employed graduates from the school during the past few years.
Inquiry.
1. Does the efficiency of the service rendered by such graduates of the Business Department of the Melrose High School as you may have employed indicate that their school training was reasonably satisfactory ?
2. How does the service of such parties compare with. that given by others whom you may have employed from private business schools or from business departments of other high schools?
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