PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION A STATEMENT OF THE FUNDAMENTAL EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION AN attempt has been made, in the space of this book, to state the fundamental principles underlying the proper organization and administration of public education in the United States; to state briefly the historical evolution of the principal administrative officers and problems; and to point out what seem to be the most probable lines of future evolution. To do this, and to make a satisfactory textbook on school administration in so short a space, naturally required much condensation and the employment of a number of economies in presentation. In the body of the chapters these fundamental principles have been stated, often somewhat positively. At the same time an attempt has been made to base the statements on such well-established principles of action, tested by experience, and so to reinforce the presentation made in the body of the chapters by footnote extracts and suggestions as to supplemental reading, as will make the book a serviceable text for use in colleges and normal schools giving courses in educational administration. It is also hoped that the volume may prove useful, as an organization of principles, to supervisory officers of all kinds in service in our schools. The book has naturally centered about the administration of city school systems, simply because almost all of the great recent progress in organization, administration, supervision, and adaptation to needs has taken place there. By showing the origin and relationship of all forms of educational activity to the state purpose, as has been done in Part I, and by applying the results of the administrative experience of our cities to county and state educational organization and administration, as has been done in Part III, the author has tried to present, in one volume, the essential principles governing proper educational control for all types of public-school work, city, county, and state. In making the statement of principles of action the author has sought to avoid what seems to him to be the common defect of most of the books on school administration so far produced, and that is such a nice balancing of arguments that the book is, practically colorless. He has also tried to avoid the production of a book of mere facts and figures. Such facts can be obtained without difficulty, and as needed from public-school documents. Instead, he has endeavored to make a book containing such a clear statement of fundamental principles that either the lay reader or the student, on finishing it, shall know what ought to be done, and why. To give a student ideals for his work, and to establish in his mind proper principles of action, has always seemed to the writer an essential part of any course on public-school administration. To make the book more useful to students in classes, a large number of questions for discussion, and topics for investigation and report, have been added to each of the chapters. These will serve to give concreteness to the presentation, and will enable students and instructor to question and discuss the principles laid down in the text. In the footnote extracts, opinions by representative thinkers and practical workers have been given by way of backing up the arguments presented in the text. In the bibliographies at the end of the chapters the author has shunned the common practice of adding a large and unclassified list of references, good, bad, and indifferent, leaving the student to grope his way through them. Instead, a list of selected references has been given, and these have been classified as to content and value, and only the best of those most likely to be accessible in the smaller libraries have been cited. The aim has been to guide the student to a small number of easily accessible articles on each topic, written by those who have contributed most to its discussion. The administration of public education centers about the work of three persons. The first of these is the classroom teacher, in the conduct and management of a single school. The second is the school principal, in the organization, administration, and supervision of a single building, or perhaps a group of buildings. The third of these is the superintendent of schools, in the organization, administration, and supervision of a group of schools. The principles underlying the successful work of the first constitute what is commonly known as classroom management, on which a volume is now in preparation for this series. The second will be presented in another future volume on the Organization and Administration of a School. The third is covered by the present volume. It is hoped to offer soon still another volume, on the Supervision of Instruction, as another number of the administrative division of this series. As the author conceives a course in school administration, it should include the work of both the school principal and the superintendent, the course beginning with a study of the problems of organization, administration, and supervision as represented in the building unit, and being followed by a study of similar problems for the larger group. The present volume represents the second part of such a |