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Show 3115 CiTY SCHOOLS GIVE HUGE RETU1S More in Educational Advantages Ad-vantages for Money Expended Ex-pended Than on Coast. RETURNS FROM VISIT Assistant Superintendent Draws Comparisons in Salt Lake's Favor. Rait Lake City is potting greater returns re-turns for each dollar expended for educational edu-cational purposes than are tho principal princi-pal cities of California, in tho opinion of 0. N. Child, aHrtintant superintendent of the city schools, Mr. Child is hack from a visit of ten days in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Berke-ley, Los Angeles and Pasadena, spent in studying the relation of cost to results re-sults attained. The average salary for teachers in Hie coast cities is higher than in Salt Lake, says Mr. Child, and the per capita cost for schooling of children greater. ( n the other hand, the high cost of living is not the problem in California, ie found, that it is in Salt Lake. In Salt Lake, 7 per cent of the popu-lat popu-lat ion is of school age. The average per cent in California cities he found to ho about 5. Tho greater cost with the lower relative rela-tive population Mr. Child attributes to t wo things a generally higher salary pealo for teachers and the experiment that is being conducted in the schools of the coast cities in vocational work. Reports His Observations. Speaking of his findings on his flying fly-ing trip, Air. Child said: California is undertaking- exhaustive experiment in vocational training in i he schools, especially in the cities that I visited. This has meant the hiring of experts for teaching In the various lines of training that are being be-ing made part of the enriched curriculum. curric-ulum. Such experts naturally command com-mand higher salaries than the teacher of the established order of things. YVhete vocational training is under-t under-t a ken the classes must be smaller t han under tho old method of conducting con-ducting class work along the unapplied unap-plied lines of education. This means more teachers and more expense. Then, the average salary paid to the teacher not specialized in vocational work is higher than it is here, which makes the average cost per capita considerably higher than in Salt Lake, though tho per cent of the population of school ase in Salt Lake Is seven ;is against an average of about five in the cities that I visited in California. Larger Families a Factor. LUah Is a state of large families and Salt Lake is a city of homes that have families in them. In the cities nf California, the adult population is increased relative to the school population popu-lation by the number of i unmarried men and women and by the smaller number of children in families, I should judge. Under these conditions, Salt Lake is getting really wonderful value In an eduea tional way for the money expended ex-pended in educational work, if one is to judge from comparison of the costs and results with those of principal cities cit-ies of California. The one big venture in the schools of the cities I visited I found to be in the direction of the advocated modern method of endeavoring endeav-oring to give the school child opportunity oppor-tunity to develop along the lino of natural aptitude. This is the bier educational edu-cational argument for Introduction of vocational training into school work, from my observa lions, I would say that the results being achieved in the California cities are a Justification of the added cost that the work occasions. occa-sions. More Money Is Needed. The one thing that I am impressed with is that the educational system nf Salt Lake City could be safely i rusted wit h more money. Tt has demonstrated that by the results obtained. ob-tained. Vocational training has been Gradually introduced In the school system here at a minimum of cost Piui a maximum of results for the financial outlay. If any great further progress is to be made more money must come f rom somewhere. It is not to be understood that a radical departure from the established order of things should be undertaken Pt a greatly increased cost of education educa-tion per ca pita- It merely is a fact that the results achieved along vocational voca-tional training work in the Salt Lake schools as well as along the central lines of the curriculum have been such that further Investment in the educational educa-tional system of the city is entirely justified and much needed. The value, ,-ecpived for each dollar has been crowded as hich -is seems possible and that is the IockmI point for the putting in of more dollars if more is to be expected of the srhoo! system, Pecries Ultra-economy. There can be no doubt of. the superiority su-periority of a system of education that gives greater latitude for development devel-opment of the native abilities of each pupil. It is just a matter of whether or not the venture is to be proved p; acticabl from th standpoint of cost. Of course, those of us school inn who are converted to the idea are disposed to argue that the high cost is in rigid economy of dollars to the detriment of the future usefulness useful-ness of the pupil as a ' cit izen. Tho ideal system, and that toward which Sal t Lake City has been for years progressing, is one suf.iciemly elastic and adiustable to car for the natural abilities of the child and to foster t heir growth and development without with-out sacrifice of the general work of hi -hoi a stic training or too great increase in-crease in cos:. Th untiring enthusiasm enthusi-asm of the teachers in the Salt Lnke svstern is to be credited to a great degree with the success that has been achieved so far In appp"aching an idal condition of this sort. 1 The teaching force of the s"stem j has und.Ttken bravely each year the . ever-increasing demand made upon it for further moderniza tion of the school curriculum to keep pace with the times. |