CHAPTER XXI. SECONDARY SCHOOLS. A.-Public high schools. B.-Private academies, seminaries, etc. For the purpose of comparison and study of the movements in secondary institutions in the United States, the two great classes of (1) public high schools and (2) private academies, seminaries, and institutions of like grade have been reported in the same way, as far as was possible. Assuming that the studies pursued were of the same general character in each, the same inquiries were made and the replies collected in the two sets of tables, each class separately, but upon the same general plan. In the last report (1889-90) for the first time an attempt was made by the Bureau to collect complete statistics of the public high schools, union schools, and high school departments of public schools in this country, so far as the lists of such schools could be secured in the short period allotted. Of necessity, these lists were somewhat incomplete, but often by considerable correspondence detailed returns more or less complete were received from 2,526 high schools for that year. For the purpose above stated and to show a more exact condition of the schools as to management, scholarship, and actual results, it became necessary to arrange for securing more accurate information from all secondary schools, public and private, as to the number of teachers giving secondary instruction and the number of students pursuing only secondary studies in these schools. This plan required the elimination from the teaching force of all elementary teachers, or those giving instruction solely in grades below the secondary, and also necessitated the exclusion from the number of students of all those who were not pursuing secondary studies. As was expected, the first effort to secure accurate data upon all these points was not only difficult, but almost impossible to accomplish in one year. Hence, while the statistics reported were given as fully as possible for 1889-'90, they were not considered as sufficiently accurate for discussion or comparison with other years, even if the data for former years had been obtainable, as they were not in the case of public high schools. For these reasons the statistics alone were printed last year, yet these by a careful study show many interesting results, imperfect as they are, like all data collected for the first time. This year the inquiries sent out were more perfectly understood, and the returns made approximated more closely to the exact conditions of the various institutions reporting. The fact that many union schools, and some high schools, both public and private, contain students in the elementary grade, and as the line of demarcation between elementary and secondary instruction varies somewhat in different States, and often in different schools of the same State, although nominally of the same grade, it becomes quite a difficult question to decide which students in some high schools belong to the one class or the other. To secure uniformity in the returns from so many different schools where there were differences in regard to the classification of students as belonging to the secondary grade, it became necessary to adopt some plan to define, as far as possible, the status of the students in a school by the reports made in each case, and the principal was asked to classify the students into secondary and elementary, if there were any of the latter class, and to place the number of elementary students in a separate column apart from the secondary students in the report from the school. In addition to this method of showing the grade of students in the school, another plan was adopted to secure uniformity by having a report of the number of students pursuing certain studies, generally accepted as secondary studies. For this purpose a list of thirteen studies, with spaces for additional ones of like grade, was placed on the form of inquiry sent out and reports asked as to the number of students pursuing each of these studies named. These studies were Latin, Greek, French, German, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, history (other than the United States), rhetoric, English literature, and geology. It is of course admitted that these studies, selected to indicate in a general way the secondary grade, do not include all that might have been chosen, but as they are studies usually found in all secondary schools they may be taken as fairly representative of all institutions. This method shows approximately not only the standard of the school in certain studies and classes of studies, but gives a very interesting collection of statistics for comparison as to the curricula of secondary schools, in different sections of the country, as to what classes of studies have the ascendancy, and also furnishes ground for comparing the standards of the public and private schools of this grade. These data of studies will also in time indicate the changes going on in the various individual schools, and also show the general changes in States and larger geographical divisions, if the curriculum may be considered a standard of comparison, other things being equal. In the year 1889-'90 reports were received from 2,526 public high schools, with 9,120 teachers and 202,963 students. In 1890-'91, 2,773 schools reported, with 8,270 teachers and 211,598 students. In 1889-'90 the private secondary schools were reported as 1,632, with 7,209 teachers and 94, 931 students. In 1890-'91 of this class there were reported 1,773 schools, with 6,231 teachers and 98,400 students. An apparent discrepancy arises in the number of teachers in both the public and private schools, owing in some measure to the imperfect nature of the returns for 1889-190 in both classes of schools. In the first attempt to separate the teachers who taught other than secondary studies from the entire teaching force and give only those who were in fact secondary teachers, it was expected that some errors would arise. In many schools some teachers teach in both grades; hence the difficulty of making complete returns, but in 1890-'91 the report given probably approximates more nearly to the exact number. It should be noted that the apparent decrease in the number of teachers in both classes of schools is about the same. As to the students it is also doubtless true that some below the standard of secondary schools were included in 1889-'90 which are eliminated in the next return for 1890-'91, and hence the increase of secondary students does not appear so great as it really is. How nearly complete the return of the number of these schools of both classes is not certainly known, though persistent efforts have been made to reach every school. Quite a number of them have not yet been reported, because the work on the part of the schools is entirely voluntary, and often the changes in principals, absence, and other causes make it difficult to secure replies in time from many schools, both public and private. It is well known that some of the State superintendents in their returns to this Bureau report quite differently from the numbers given in these tables, some giving less, but most of them a greater percentage especially of scholars. The probability would seem to be from all the returns given that the reports made by the States as a whole are too large, while those collected upon returns direct from the schools are somewhat too small, and the true number is to be found somewhere between the two extremes and can only be determined by returns made for a series of years. Another apparent discrepancy appears in the Extra Census Bulletin No. 11, October 7, 1891, which gives the returns of secondary students for July 1, 1891, in public schools, 277,049, and in private schools, 277,241. These figures increase the number of students in public high schools by 65,451, or one-third; and in private secondary schools, the increase is 182,310, over three times as great, or 82 per cent more than the reports made to the Bureau show for the same year. A portion of this difference may be explained by the fact that probably quite a portion of those included in these figures are elementary students and not separated as in the reports made to this Bureau. The simple statement of these varying results shows how difficult it is to get definite data and how careful it is necessary to be in predicating results upon these figures. While it is true that the returns given in the tables of statistics published by the Bureau are far from complete, it is equally true that what data has been received is fairly reliable, and for comparison as to the character of the institutions by their studies and of the two classes of public and private institutions with each other the data are sufficient. If even only one-half of the institutions of each class were fairly reported the comparison would be good. That certain changes are going on in these two classes of schools is quite evident, but it requires statistics for a series of years to make definite statements as to the extent of these changes, for a special cause might operate for a single year. The rapid growth of the system of public high schools seems well indicated, and probably this result has its influence in absorbing many of the private institutions of the same grade; and hence it is probable that in some States the number of the public institutions will increase and the private ones decreasc. The changes in the number of students in these institutions seems not so great, for the thorough courses of study in many private institutions as preparatory for college, and the lack of these facilities in some public high schools, simply on account of being newly established, keep students where it is supposed they can secure special advantages for their future work. The prevailing idea in some localities that the public high schools should not prepare for college may also have its influence to some extent. At any rate, at the present time the private institutions still do a large proportion of the preparatory work, and it is equally true that as far as the public schools accept this function as part of their work they will more and more take their position as being next to the college in the educational system. SUMMARIES OF STATISTICS, 1890-'91. The following tables of summaries are so arranged that the public and private schools may be compared as far as possible, the same table in each case following in order, the public schools first. On this plan the general statistics are given by geographical divisions and by States and Territories. Table 1 gives the number of schools, instructors, and students for public high schools. This table shows that over one-half of the whole number of public high schools reported are in the North Central Division, 1,448 out of 2,273; and out of 8,270 instructors this same division has 4,075, almost one-half. Of the 211,596 students 104.290, about the same proportion, are found in the great Northwest, showing that in this section the public high school has had a rapid growth. The North Atlantic Division follows closely with 845 schools, 2,091 instructors, and 77,850 students. The South Atlantic and South Central Divisions are nearly the same as to the number of instructors and students, the South Central having a larger number of schools, but smaller in size. The Western Division, though smallest in numbers, has shown rapid growth, the increase in the number of students being about 20 per cent over the last year, and a large percentage, also, in the number of schools and instructors. The other items of this table are further discussed in connection with the diagrams following the next table. INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS IN PRIVATE ACADEMIES, ETC. Arranged on the same plan follows the summary of statistics of the private academies, etc., as to schools, instructors, and students. |