USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Palmer > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Palmer, Massachusetts 1922 > Part 7
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Report of Superintendent of Schools
To the School Committee of the Town of Palmer:
Gentlemen :- I herewith present my twelfth annual report as Superintendent of Schools in Palmer. This is the thirtieth in the series of reports issued by the super- intendents of the town.
INTRODUCTION
There is no line of work which presents greater dis- couragement to those who are engaged therein than school work. The limitations of human nature are many. This is equally true of all connected therewith-superin- tendents, teachers, and pupils. The average school em- ployee is fully conscious of his limitations. He feels it, as a rule, to be his incumbent duty, if at all conscientious, to make the most out of the opportunity presented him in preparing for his life's work each individual child under his control. He realizes his inability to get from the aver- age child the sort and kind of work that he desires. There is no field of endeavor where what one feels he should do and what he realizes he actually can do are so divergent.
Many people entertain the idea that all children have equal ability and, therefore, if properly instructed, can do equally good work. Needless to say, this idea is very er- roneous. Nothing, since the early days of education, has so strongly and emphatically shown the baselessness of such a conclusion as have the intelligence tests of recent years.
Many such tests have been devised whereby the men- tality of a child can be, to a certain extent, ascertained. These tests are not absolutely accurate. They do not furnish conclusions that can be accepted without any
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reservation. They are, neverthless, a step in the right direction and, if used with wisdom and understanding, can determine certain factors which should be recognized by all-citizen, parent, and teacher. Such tests are being given in the local schools. When given, a fairly definite gruge of the mental capability of the pupils will be fur- nish d. With the large amount of money that is being expa ided annually throughout the United States for ed- ucational purposes and with the strong criticism that now exists, and will continue to grow in intensity as the financial burden becomes heavier and heavier, it is neces- say that the public be frankly and fully acquainted with the fact that all people are educable to a certain degree only. Every person has his maximum educational ab- sorption point. Some reach it early ; some, late.
Professor Giddings of Columbia University, a fore- most authority, gives these statistics :-
"41/2% of American people have minds capable of fol- lowing the calling of civil engineer, physician, biologist, pathologist or surgeon.
"91/2% more are capable of taking college course.
"161/2% more are capable of taking high school course.
"691/2% are incapable of following high school stud- ies."
Professor Giddings is not infallible in his judgment; nevertheless, as a result of his work and experience, he probably can make as fair an estimate of such facts as any one. It may not he a pleasant experience to realize such conditions as existing; nevertheless, it is a fair proposi- tion for all concerned. With such knowledge in the posses- sion of those who are directing the schools, it becomes an increasing necessity that they attempt to shape the work of the schools along such lines as to develop the individual "alents and bents of pupils to the greatest possible degree. Because of the widely diverging abilities-diverging in scope as well as limitation-this problem is one of great complexity.
This thought will be developed later in this report.
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PERPLEXING PROBLEMS
An outstanding perplexing and vital problem in school administration is how to adapt the work of the schools upon an individual, rather than group, basis of handling pupils. The child should be dealt with as an in- dividual rather than as a member of a group-in fact, he must be if he is to be always at his best.
The traditional method has been to require a definite achievement from all pupils, irrespective of ability, en- vironment, individual differences, and other factors. A minimum has been set up which all must meet. The min- imum holds back the superior, and is too "stiff" for the in- ferior, pupil. The results are unsatisfactory in both cases.
The group plan-and with a vengeance-has been the necessary mode of operation, necessary because the money made available for education has required mass ed- ucation. The public now groans at the expense of educa- tional operations and always has. As a result, large clas- ses have been the rule. Under such conditions, individ- ual basis of operation is impossible; in many instances, with the size of classes, even group education has been difficult of attainment. Any suggestion that a change from mass to individual education is necessary, in view of past and present methods, seems like rank heresy.
The individual method carried out in full is too ideal for attainment. It is one, nevertheless, that can be ob- tained to a far greater extent than it is now being at- tained. Groups can be cut down in size and classified up- on a more nearly equal basis of mentality. Pupils of su- perior, average, and inferior ability can be segregated and given work in accordance with their ability. Rates of progress can be increased or lessened as necessity dic- tates, tempered, of course, by the physical or nervous strain involved. Where such rapid progress in grade pro- motion is in danger of being made that a group would ad- vance to such an extent that immaturity of certain mental sorts would endanger ultimate success, an enrichment of curriculum could be made.
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Even this suggestion has its advantageous and dis- advantageous features. There is no panacea for all educa- tional ills. This scheme is an approximation of what ideal- ly should be done.
It involves tests and measurements-intelligence tests and tests covering certain defined achievements in school subjects. This is a field of work calling for certain expert knowledre, for there are many factors entering in- to sane and successfu application and conclusion-drawing.
GRADING
The question of promotion is always a problem that seemingly defies wise solution.
Many factors demand consideration, as :- How hard and fast shall the requirements for promotion be? How many years of repetition of same grade shall be required of those not able to do the work of the grade? What pro- vision shall be made for those unable to make a grade, no matter how often they try? Shall promotion be based upon daily work, or examination, or upon both ?
These questions are but a few of those that puzzle and perplex. They are, nevertheless, pertinent, and upon their answer much will depend.
The drawing of hard and fast lines means that a pro- cess of segregation will per se take place; also, further segregation must be deliberately and definitely made. Provision for pupils along the line of that made in our Op- portunity Class must be made. Many pupils not three or more years mentally retarded are unable to do the work of pupils of their chronological age. They, therefore, "clutter up" the grades. They, personally, gain less than they should in these grades, and they hold back others. They would profit more and be happier if doing work which they could do.
Locally, the "unables" have always been promoted, after spending two years in a grade, upon the belief that, if they were ever to be able to do the work, they could do
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it in that time and that what they get in the next grade will do them more good than a continued repetition in the same grade. This method gives the pupil a "squarer deal" under present necessary methods of operation-and he eventually is always the primary consideration. It is not as "square" as regards the system, for such pupils cannot do the work and, therefore, hold back those who can, to a certain degree.
There are many pupils, who, by Nature, are deprived of any chance of doing the work of the grade that they should be in, viewed from the standpoint of their chrono- logical age. In many cases, no intelligence test is neces- sary to discover them. A child at the age of ten or twelve chronologically whose mental years are two to four less stands out distinctly in school work. In life, oftentimes, a man of twenty-five chronological years, possessing the intelligence of a fifteen-year-old boy, doing a kind of work for which he is fitted, will pass unnoticed. In brief, in childhood a few years' mental retardation is seen at once; in adult life, it is not so patent.
EXAMINATIONS
Last year, for the first time, formal examinations were given in the grades. They were, in many ways, fruitful. They furnished us with a distinct awakening to certain shortcomings in our work.
These examinations have been given monthly by the teachers from Grades 4 to 9, both inclusive. A mid-year and a final examination went from the office. These ex- aminations were not severe and, at the same time, were not easy. The results obtained were not as satisfactory as desired.
The examinations have a distinct bearing upon the question of promotion. The monthly examination given by the teacher counts one-half of the monthly mark. In computing the yearly average in each subject, monthly marks count two-thir'ls and the examination marks (the average of the mid-year and final coming from the office) one-third.
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OPPORTUNITY CLASS
The General Court of 1919 passed the following act :-
"SECTION 1. The school committee of each only and town shall within one year after the passage of this act, and annually thereafter, ascertain, under regulations prescribed by the board of education and the director of the commission on mental diseases, the number of children three years or more retarded in arental develop- men't who are in attrlance upon the public schools of its city or town, or who are of school ago and reside therein.
"SECTION 2. At the beginning of the school year of nineteen hundred and twenty, the school committee of each city and town in which there are ten or more children three years or more so re- tarded shall establish special classes to give such children instruc- tion adapted to their mental attainments, under regulations pre- scribed by the board of education."
In passing this act for the enumeration and instruc- tion of children retarded in mental development, the State has recognized an important educational need. The fund- amental purposes of the law, as stated by State author- ities, are :- (1) To discover those children of school age who are so retarded in mental development that they can derive but little benefit from the regular academic work of the schools; (2) to provide for them a practical type of training and supervision which will enable them, so far as possible, to become safe and self-supporting members of society.
In accordance with the provisions of the act, the State Department of Education and the State Commis- sioner of the Department of Mental Diseases drew up a set of inquiries for the examination of children for the purpose of determining whether or not they were three years or more mentally retarded.
The fields of inquiry include the following :-
1). Physical Examination.
2). Family History.
3). Personal and Developmental History.
4). School Progress.
5). Examination in. School Work.
6). Practical Knowle bre and General Information.
7). Social History and Reactions.
8). Economic Efficiency.
9). Mcral Reactions.
10). Mental Fx une.tions.
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The examinations locally and, in fact, practically throughout Hampden County are under the supervision of Dr. Hodskins of the Monson State Hospital. The ex- aminations are very comprehensive and are, to a large de- gree, rather accurate in the matter of determining the ex- act condition mentally of the pupil involved. Conclusions are not drawn from any one of the various types of exam- ination given. Each is corroborative and correlative. Each individual is studied as a human being. When the final estimation of an individual is made, it is the result of the summing up of various elements, such as rate of learn- ing, ease of attention versus each of distraction, modifia- bility, suggestibility, comprehension of situation, rapid- ity of fatigue, etc.
Almost, without question, it is safe to say that few, if any, mistakes are made in the classification of these pupils. The entire intent of the law is to have pupils of this type of mind, who have reached their maximum ab- sorption point as far as regular school work along purely academic lines is concerned, as happy, contented, and properly placed in school as possible, with a distinct and definite thought as to their preparation for life after school days. A child who has been "out of step" prac- tically since he first attended school, who has had a type of work beyond his power of comprehension or doing, has not been happy and has not received much benefit from this school attendance. The attempt of these classes is to accomplish both of these things.
The work is a combination of academic and manual. The academic is taken up in an entirely different way from the formal academic work of the regular grade. Much hand training is given. The boys devote a consid- erable portion of each day to woodworking, where they are taught to handle tools and make a large variety of wooden objects. The girls are given work in sewing, weav- ing of mats, etc.
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Our actual work along this line began in September, 1920. At that time, the pupils in Three Rivers only had been examined. A sufficient number of pupils were found to compel the town to maintain such a class. During the spring of 1922, the examinations were completed for the entire town. As a result, some seventy pupils were found who should be placed in the Opportunity Class. The only available space for such a class was in the Wenimisset School. Owing to various factors, such as becoming of age, the number in attendance in the class at the present time is fifty-six (56).
The class is handled by two (2) full-time teachers and one (1) part-time teacher. An additional teacher should be added at once. An ideal number of pupils with which to work is about fifteen (15) to twenty (20) per teacher.
When this type of class has been in operation for several years and the public has become accustomed to it-its high purposes and its definite accomplishments- the parental objection to pupils' attendance thereat will, in the large, almost entirely cease. Once more, let it be re-iterated that the sole and only object in maintaining such classes is the present and future best welfare of the pupil himself !
DISADVANTAGES
The local schools have been working under a keen dis- advantage for several years. For two or three years, many "shift" classes have been in operation. At times, approximately one-half of our grade enrolment was attending school part-time only. Previous to this condi- tion, ever since my incumbency as superintendent and even antedating that, the enrolments per room have been unusually large. Teachers have been compelled to handle forty-five (45) to fifty-five (55) pupils each in many
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rooms and also, frequently, at the same time, two (2) grades. Under such a basis of operation, it is surprising that anything resembling good work has been done in the Palmer Schools.
A strong endeavor has been made for several years to secure add Monal housing space in order to eliminate these tivo evil :. Now in most of our rooms, teachers have a fair-sized enrolment to care for. In comparatively few cases only is the enrolment per room too heavy. In several cases, the enrolment per room is too light. The average enrolment is, nevertheless, much nearer the ideal than it has ever been before. The schools under this modus operandi ought to do good work.
HOUSING SITUATION
The housing situation in the local schools is fast reaching a point where fairly ample facilities will be af- forded to every pupil in town.
The new high school is gradually reaching the point of completion and, without any question, will be available for all school purposes in September, 1923. This comple- tion will make the present high school available for grade purposes. The six (6) classes which are now occupying the same rooms in the Palmer Grammar School with six (6) other classes and the one (1) class in the portable school will occupy in the fall seven (7) rooms in the old high school. This will mean, for some time, it is hoped, an end to the continuance of the so-called "shift plan" of operation.
The addition to the Bondsville School ended the "shift plan" there last September. A commodious and well- planned addition to the school was furnished by the erec- tion of this portion of the building. There is, at the pres- ent time, one (1) room in Bondsville which is not in use.
Every room is in use in the Thorndike Grammar School, Three Rivers Grammar School. and Wenimisset School. The enrolments per room in these three schools
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are not heavy. In fact, a considerably increased number of pupils could be accommodated in many of the rooms. The depletion of the enrolments is due to the fact that there are some five hundred (500) pupils enrolled in the Polish Parochial School at Four Corners. In the Wenimis- set School at Three Rivers, three (3) of the six (6) rooms are now being used by regular classes, two (2) by the Opportunity Classes, and one (1) by the Boys' Continua- tion School. It has been necessary to hire rooms in the Thorndike Recreation Building to house the Girls' Contin- uation School.
One (1) room at the Wire Mill is being used for "shift" classes. This can be eliminated in the fall by plac- ing at the Wire Mill the two-room portable now on the high school grounds.
There is no occasion for worry that in Three Rivers more school room has been provided than is necessary.
COST COMPARISON
A study of many of the factors that must be borne in mind in comparing the cost of running the Palmer Schools with those of the other towns and cities through- out the State of Massachusetts reveals some interesting and enlightening facts.
Palmer's relative position in the Cost per Pupil in Average Membership has been low in every such compari- son made during the past ten years. It has ranged from 335th to 342nd. This comparison-for the fiscal year of 1920, the latest possible-shows it to be the 347th among the 355 towns and cities in Massachusetts, which is the lowest ever attained.
Costs have been mounting by leaps and bounds local- ly ; yet, when compared with other towns and cities, Pal- mer's cost has been relatively smaller in its rise.
There were only eight towns in 1920 whose cost was less-Millville, Whately, Dracut, Dartmouth, Westford, Somerset, Seekonk, and Rehoboth.
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In order to get a comprehensive appreciation of the entire situation involved, a full comparison of several fac- tors is essential.
The comparison is as follows, with each town rela- tively placed in the enumeration :
1). Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from All Sources :- Millville-Amount, $44.36; Rank in State, 348. Whately-Amount, $44.18; Rank, 349. Dracut-Amount, $43.74; Rank, 350. Dartmouth-Amount, $43.52; Rank, 351. Westford-Amount, $42.57; Rank, 352. Somerset- Amount, $42.24; Rank, 353. Seekonk-Amount, $40.96; Rank, 354. Rehoboth-Amount, $40.15; Rank, 355. Av- erage-Amount, $42.71; Rank, 350. Palmer-Amount, $44.94; Rank, 347.
2). Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from Local Taxation :- Dartmouth-Amount, $39.70; Rank in State, 285. Dracut-Amount, $34.94; Rank, 315. West- ford-Amount, $32.90; Rank, 322. Seekonk-Amount, $32.22; Rank, 325. Somerset-Amount, $31.58; Rank, 328. Millville-Amount, $28.58; Rank, 335. Whately- Amount, $26.96; Rank, 340. Rehoboth-Amount, $25.02; Rank, 345. Average-Amount, $31.49; Rank, 324. Pal- mer -- Amount, $36.20; Rank, 308.
3). Population :-- Dartmouth- Number, 6,493; Rank in State, 90. Dracut-Number, 5,280; Rank, 111 Somerset-Number, 3,520; Rank, 134. Westford-Num- ber, 3,170; Rank, 139. Seekonk-Number, 2,898; Rank, 148. Millville-Number, 2,224; Rank, 181. Rehoboth- Number, 2,065; Rank, 188. Whately-Number, 1,234; Rank, 249. Average-Number, 3,361; Rank, 155. Pal- mer-Number, 9,896; Rank, 67.
4). Valuation :- Dartmouth-Amount, $7,399,475; Rank in State, 90. Dracut-Amount, $3,316,177; Rank, 145. Somerset-Amount, $2,886,183; Rank, 156. West- ford-Amount, $2,749,064; Rank, 160. Seekonk-Amount, $2,547,588; Rank, 170. Rehoboth-Amount, $1,747,863; Rank, 216. Millville-Amount, $1,328,130; Rank, 245.
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Whately-Amount, $954,599; Rank, 268. Average- Amount, $2,866,135; Rank, 181. Palmer-Amount, $9,683,698; Rank, 74.
5). Valuation per Pupil in Average Membership :-- Dartmouth-Amount, $5,781; Rank in State, 216. West- ford-Amount, $4,567; Rank, 286. Somerset-Amount, $4,226; Rank, 304. Rehoboth-Amount, $3,946; Rank, 320. Seekonk-Amount, $3,831; Rank, 325. Whately- Amount, $3,459; Rank, 340. Dracut-Amount, $3,458; Rank, 341. Millville-Amount, $3,132; Rank, 349. Av- erage-Amount, $4,050; Rank, 310. Palmer-Amount, $4,362; Rank, 296.
6). Expenditure for School Support from Local Tax- ation per $1,000 Valuation :- Dracut-Amount, $10.10; Rank in State, 67. Millville-Amount, $9.12; Rank, 109. Seekonk-Amount, $8.41; Rank, 154. Whately-Amount, $7.79; Rank, 194. Somerset-Amount, $7.47; Rank, 216. Westford-Amount, $7.20; Rank, 235. Dartmouth- Amount, $6.87; Rank, 256. Rehoboth-Amount, $6.34; Rank, 285. Average-Amount, $7.91; Rank, 189. Pal- mer-Amount, $8.30; Rank, 163.
7). Rate of Total Tax per $1,000 :- Dracut- Amount, $32.20; Rank in State, 23. Millville-Amount, $28.00; Rank, 97. Dartmouth-Amount, $26.40; Rank, 133. Whately-Amount, $24.00; Rank, 207. Seekonk- Amount, $22.50; Rank, 235. Somerset-Amount, $20.00; Rank, 272. Westford-Amount, $18.00; Rank, 313. Re- hoboth-Amount, $15.50; Rank, 340. Average-Amount, $23.33; Rank, 203. Palmer-Amount, $16.40; Rank, 326.
Palmer ranks as follows in the State :- (1) Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from All Sources, 347; (2) Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from Local Taxa- tion, 308; (3) Population, 67; (4) Valuation, 74; (5) Valu- ation per Pupil in Average Membership, 296; (6) Expen- diture for School Support from Local Taxation per $1,000 Valuation, 163; (7) Rate of Total Tax per $1,000, 326.
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These figures are taken from a bulletin of the State Department of Education, entitled "Statistics of the Pub- lic Schools for the School Year 1920-21". In this bulletin, the 335 towns and cities are divided into four groups, as foilons :- Group I, Cities (There are 33.); Group II, Towns of 5,000 Population or Over (There are 75.) ; Group III, Towns of Less than 5,000 Population and Main- taining High Schools (There are 115.) ; Group IV, Towns of Less than 5,000 Population and Not Maintaining High Schools (There are 127.).
There are 75 towns in Group II, one of which is Pal- mer. Her rank in this group in each of the seven items compared is :- (1) Cost per Pupil in Average Member- shop from all Sources, 73; (2) Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from Local Taxation, 73; (3) Population, 29; (4) Valuation, 33; (5) Valuation per Pupil in Average Membership, 65; (6) Expenditure for School Support from Local Taxation per $1,000 Valuation, 50; (7) Rate of Total Tax per $1,000, 74.
The towns in Group II are the most logical ones with which to compare Palmer. In Items 1, 2, and 7, she stands almost at the bottom of the group; in Items 3 and 4, at the beginning of the second third ; in Items 5 and 6, in the Last third.
A further and final comparison is made. Palmer's factors are compared with the average of those of the four groups and the State, as follows :
1). Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from All Sources :- Group I, $73.65; Group II, $67.78; Group III, $71.64; Group IV, $69.19; State, $72.12; Palmer, $44.99.
2). Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from Local Taxation :- Group I, $66.70; Group II, $59.02; Group III, $56.81; Group IV, $47.85; State, $63.64; Pal- mer, $36.20.
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3). Population :- Group I, 72,237; Group II, 9,605; Group III, 2,200; Group IV, 1,055; State, 10,851; Palmer, 9,896.
4). Valuation :- Group I, $105,740,649; Group II, $11,559,886 ; Group III, $2, 735,461; Group IV, $1,213,532; State, $15,081,834; Palmer, $9,683,698.
5). Valuation per Pupil in Average Membership :- Group I, $9,983; Group II, $7,189; Group III, $7,051; Group IV, $6,580; State, $9,057; Palmer, $4,362.
6). Expenditure for School Support from Local Tax- ation per $1,000 Valuation :- Group I, $6.68; Group II, $8.21; Group III, $8.06; Group IV, $7.27; State, $7.03; Palmer, $8.30.
7). Rate of Total Tax per $1,000 :- Group I, $27.52; Group II, $26.29; Group III, $23.83; Group IV, $22.62; State, $24.31; Palmer, $16.40.
A statement of Palmer's relative rank in the State in Cost per Pupil in Average Membership from All Sources for several years, taken at random, is as follows :- Year, 1912; Rank, 335. Year, 1914; Rank, 335. Year, 1916; Rank, 342. Year, 1917; Rank, 338. Year, 1918; Rank, 339. Year, 1919; Rank, 342. Year, 1920; Rank, 347.
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