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Show PLEA FOR HIGHER TEACHING GOAL Loftier Standards and Better Pay for Urban and Rural Teachers Urged. I SPOKANE. Wash.. April 2- A plea for a higher standard In the teaching I profession of tho northwest and a higher scale of p.o POI the urban and rural teacher. In order that the schools of this see'lon may do their full share in welding together (he people in a realisation of true Americanism was j mado by Miss Ethel E Keilfield. Idaho I State superintendent of public instruc tlon. in the annual convention of the Inland Empire Teachers' association. Tracing the historical growth of the school syitoms ol Washington, Oregon. Ore-gon. Idaho and Montana, the territory embraced by the association. Miss Redflcld said. "At the present time 10.216 public schools serve a population of thre--.and 1 half million, scattered over an area of 3&K.426 squnro miles. At these : schools there meet daily 25,350 teachers teach-ers and 111,109 children. There are 9,150 schools properly termed rural schools and 1.210 high schools are found. Let i:.4 add to the number of public schools thirty-one state institutions insti-tutions of higher learning. 2"" pmate jnnd parochial schools, 150 public libraries, li-braries, schools for special instruc tion, state training schools and technical tech-nical schools, and we realize that educational edu-cational opportunities have shown a1 stupondous growth in this comparatively compara-tively new country. Nearly forty mll-j mll-j lions are spent annually In education; in the Pacific northwest." I Miss Redfield declared that the par. 'has materially changed the spirit and ! conception of responsibility tnat rests I upon educational systems in preaeiT 'ing the life of the nation, and coutln j ued: j "In a section of the country over w-hloh never flag was hoisted but the! Stars and Stripes, it is fitting that ' zeal in tho work of Americanization should be unbounded. There are hun- 1 dreds in our midst who have come to 1 ;us with the prejudices, the traditions, jtho ideals, tho language or their own country. In 1910 there were 27.200 11 literates' in the section that is the sub-Eject sub-Eject of discussion. It Is not likely perhaps, that the number reported as Illiterate at that time 4.750 in Oregon J 500O in Washington, 5500 In Idnho and 11,750 In Montana has decreased; ra j ther. perhaps. It has increased " The school program will bo a pnw j orful agent for the promotion of na- tlonal solidarity. Miss Redfield de- I clared. I "The whole scheme of effective education edu-cation rests In the teacher," she de- j clared, "the teacher who is an Amor- lean citizen, who is Imbued with American ideals and imparts LbeSC Ideals In the American language. That Is the only type of teacher that can' work in such a program It is well1 that steps have been taken to secure federal recognition of the need of teacher training The general scholastic scho-lastic level ol teachers must bo raised and professional training of all teach ers must be secured to Insure to all children a fundamental tenet of democracy de-mocracy equal advantages and opportunity. oppor-tunity. Highly trained intoigene must be provided. "1 would not have commercialism a dominating element In our policies., but if we are going to obtain teach- ' ers of ability, personality and professional profes-sional attainment we must pay alar-h alar-h thai are at least equal to those commanded by plumbers, carpenters and even Janitors. I do not pleal so much for the administrator; as a rule he Is paid bettor proportionately than those under his supervision who come into actual contact with the boys and girls, and It seems to be easier for him to secure the attention ol the public to the important work ho is doing. But 1 I do claim that it is a duty of the administrator ad-ministrator to strive to secure for his teachers a proper recognition In sal- ' ary for labor that is so vital to then state and Nation." 1 Saying that figure boyr three- : fourths it the public schools arc rural Schools, Miss Redfield said: "The same consideration lhat Is accorded ac-corded to the state fliutlon of high- j er learning In regard to financiers and 1 administration should be accorded tho , ( rural school." 1 |