not make such a law retroactive, but would set a definite time in the future when it would become effective. Some states may not be ready for such a law but I believe that many are ready, and that the setting of such a standard would do much toward making teaching a real profession. It certainly would stimulate the educational departments of our colleges and universities.

But who is to choose the city superintendent ?—the people at a popular election, the board of education, some central state authority, or is there still some other and better way? If I am correctly informed, in only two cities-Buffalo and San Francisco-is the superintendent chosen by popular vote, which goes to show that this method has never appealed to many American cities. It is open to so many grave objections that it may safely be dismissed as not the best way to choose a city superintendent. The most common way is for the local board of education to choose the city superintendent. This has not always proved to be a satisfactory method but with certain modifications is perhaps as good a method as has yet been devised. Some have advocated the appointment by the state superintendent or by the state board of education or by some other board or commission. This would remove the appointing power so far from the people that it is hardly worthy of serious consideration. So while the selection of a city superintendent by the local board of education may not always be the best method, yet it is doubtful if any better method has been devised. The chief objections to this method are that members do not have wide enough acquaintance with school men, or are sometimes influenced by politics, religion, or something else which frequently causes them to make a poor choice. Perhaps the greatest handicap to the local board in making a wise choice is the fact that the members are not capable of judging of the strictly professional qualifications of the persons under consideration, but make the selection on account of personal appearance and other non-professional qualities. If a strictly professional training were required of all applicants, such as suggested above, there would be less likelihood of boards choosing poorly trained persons. The average board that really wanted to choose a good superintendent would have but little difficulty in doing so, provided it was not compelled to limit the choice to local applicants and was able and willing to pay sufficient salary to secure a competent person.

The problem of tenure for the city superintendent is an important one, and apparently but little progress is being made toward its solution. Some think that conditions are really becoming worse.

"Of the 4,620 cities and towns of the United States having a population of 1,000 or more," says Bruce editorially in the last number of the School Board Journal, "at least 900 will change superintendents during the coming summer vacation." This means that practically one-fifth of the urban schools of the country will change administrative heads during this summer.

Certainly school supervision in cities and towns can never be placed on either a sound business or professional basis so long as changes of superintendents are so frequent. What are the causes of so many changes and why is the tenure of superintendents so insecure? Of course there are many reasons for the insecurity of tenure; some of them are good reasons, but many of them are trivial and unworthy reasons.

There is small inducement for a person to prepare thoroly for the position of city superintendent if his tenure is insecure, and he is likely to lose his position for the most trivial reasons, or for no valid reasons at all but simply at the behest of some petty politician, or on account of some disgruntled member or members of a school board.

Educators and many other thoughtful persons are giving serious consideration to the solution of this difficult problem and many suggestions are made. Draper once said, "The superintendent should be as secure in his position as the members of the Supreme Court of the United States in theirs." Cary indorses this statement but adds: "He should be secure, however, only when he is efficient." State Superintendent Morrison, of New Hampshire, says: "From the standpoint of the conduct of the schools, the annual election of the superintendent is a thoroly vicious proceeding. Tenure during competency and good behavior is the thing." Superintendent Poland, of Newark, believes in long tenure, but prefers that it should be at the "pleasure of the board." He likes this plan because it puts the board as well as the superintendent on trial-the board must justify itself to the community in case of its removal of an efficient superintendent, and the superintendent must justify to the board his right to be retained.

Personally, I believe that the first or trial term of a city superintendent should be long enough to enable him to study his problem, formulate plans, put them into operation, and then have time to demonstrate whether or not the results are satisfactory. After the initial term, he should have definite fixed terms of from four to seven years each, or should be employed during efficiency and good behavior. His removal should be only for cause, after a statement of the reasons has been furnished to him and he has been given an opportunity to be heard. Such a tenure would give the superintendent such a standing in the community as would command respect, and would enable him to devote his time and energies to his professional duties.

There are other important problems relative to the office of city superintendent, some of which I shall enumerate but not attempt to discuss. There is the problem of the proper relation of the superintendent to the board of education. Friction between superintendent and the board is a frequent cause of trouble; harmony and co-operation usually spell success. There is the problem of effective supervision of principals and teachers so as to secure "teamwork" in carrying out a definite policy with intelligence and enthusiasm. There is the problem of choosing textbooks so as to secure the best for the schools without truckling to publishing houses or

engaging in warfare with them. There is the problem of informing the public of what is going on in the schools, and of educating the people so that they will appreciate the best in education and will be willing to support the schools financially and otherwise. There is the problem of a professional code of ethics, which will set forth the proper relation of one superintendent to another, and of the superintendent to principals, teachers, and the public in general.

Indeed, so many and so important are the problems relative to the school superintendents-state, city, county, and district-that I believe this great Association should make a thoro study of these problems thru a committee of its members and prepare and submit a report, setting forth the best practices in different parts of the country, with definite recommendations as to the best method of solving each problem considered.

II.

LLOYD E. WOLFE, FORMER SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS,

SAN ANTONIO, TEX.

In this paper I shall attempt to offer constructive solutions to some of the greatest school problems that have confronted me during the last twenty-five years as superintendent of town and city school systems. These problems are:

First, the selection of teachers on merit. No superintendent can conscientiously and intelligently state to his board that a teacher recommended by him is the best available applicant for the salary if he has confined his search to the applicants who have voluntarily applied and his tests to an examination of the applicants' diplomas, certificates, and testimonials. He should, by circular and thru the press, reach the teachers within reasonable radius, stating that all vacancies would be filled absolutely upon merit, and that, during a four weeks' vacation school for teachers, all applicants would be required daily to develop, chiefly by question and answer, assigned portions of the course of study, teach classes of pupils under the supervision of a critic teacher, and pass a written examination on the course of study, including the special subjects. When, at the close of the vacation school, applicants are recommended to the board, they have the indorsement, not of the superintendent alone, but of all the supervisors and principals who have taken part as instructors. The teachers whom I have selected in this way have never ranked below excellent. Graduates of the city training school should not be recommended for positions unless they are as strong as the applicants attending the vacation school. This will prevent dangerous inbreeding and put the training school on its mettle.

Related to the selection of teachers on merit is the promotion of teachers on merit. I believe that, in attempting to promote teachers on merit, we must more and more take into consideration, not only the teachers'

scholarship and teaching ability as judged from our observance of recitations, but measured results in subject-matter and character-building. The percentage of pupils promoted by a given teacher is not a reliable index of results, for the teacher in practice is the main factor in determining promotion. If a teacher is not critical in her instruction, she will not be critical in her examination of manuscripts and her estimate of the pupil's fitness for promotion. A remedy lies in more oral testing and more grading of manuscripts by the supervising force.

My second problem is the professional growth of teachers in the employ of the board. In normal schools, city training schools, and the educational department of colleges and universities, large sums are being expended in training a small percentage of the teachers needed. At the same time, in the cities and towns of this country there is a great army of able superintendents, principals, and superior teachers who are not being used to one-tenth their capacity in the professional improvement of the teachers in service. Few cities and towns lay out a definite course of study for their teachers and give credit for its completion. The teachers having no definite course of study to complete quite generally begrudge the time given to teachers' meetings. No one would be foolish enough to attempt to hold the interest of pupils and secure adequate growth without definite requirements and corresponding credits. Why should we kill time in our teachers' meetings in aimless discussion, when the work should be as definite and critical as that of the normal school? It is also high time that it be universally recognized that teachers cannot be lectured or entertained into scholarship or professional power. The completion of the course of study should lead to a higher certificate, higher salary, or possibly to credits on a certificate or diploma from a normal school. The work should be along lines that are vital to the daily recitation. The time given in the recent past and even now to that kind of psychology and pedagogy which cannot be used by the teacher should be devoted to securing a critical knowledge of subject-matter in its relation to past and current thought and achievement and to the experiences of the child.

Only a small percentage of our towns and smaller cities have regular city training schools. In the cities and towns with no training schools, a very difficult problem is to give a practical, inexpensive training in the course of study to the graduates of secondary schools who desire to prepare for substitute work. The most satisfactory solution of this problem that I have found is to organize my supervisors and principals who have most time at their disposal to instruct these young people at their respective buildings a week at a time in succession. This practical training by instructors who are in daily contact with actual school work has, after many years' trial, succeeded beyond my expectation, in the improvement of both the members of the training class and the principals and supervisors giving the instruction. This comparatively inexpensive training class also makes

it possible to select substitute teachers on merit. Likewise, the vacation school for the testing of applicants gives instruction to members of the training class and to inexperienced and weak teachers, and uses retarded pupils for practice teaching.

After mature deliberation I am satisfied that the best combined solution of testing applicants, improving teachers in service, and instructing retarded and exceptionally bright pupils is a four to six weeks' vacation school for pupils conducted by the most efficient teachers in the schools, and a vacation school for teachers attended by all the teachers who are neither instructing in the vacation school for pupils nor attending a firstclass summer school for credits-provided that, on the recommendation of a physician, a teacher may be excused from all vacation work, forfeiting the salary for the time excused.

My next problem is effective supervision. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so should there be lifted up in every schoolroom in the land, as the great pedagogic goal, the stimulating, finished recitation— not the memorizing of general abstract statements about the recitation from some book on pedagogy, but a flesh-and-blood recitation constructed pedagogically upon a given body of subject-matter. Hundreds of times during the last quarter of a century have I interrupted applicants in their glib recitals of general statements on pedagogy to ask for the development of a given portion of subject-matter, only to find them floundering like a vessel without compass or rudder. While the teacher must keep a few great principles in view, he will acquire skill in constructing recitations by constructing them under constant, critical, helpful supervision. Likewise, the organization of samples of subject-matter for recitation should constitute at least half the examination for county and state certificates. There is no greater stimulus to the teachers of a system of schools than the knowledge that each member of the supervising corps is studying every part of the course of study, and devoting practically all his time to critical, helpful schoolroom supervision. My solution of this problem of supervision has been to prevail upon my board of education to require the superintendent, assistant superintendent, supervisors, and principals to devote all available time at their disposal to observing complete recitations, and to report to the board the complete recitations observed, giving subject and teacher's rank in each. One of the great enemies of efficient school work is the office principal and the office superintendent. Much time is wasted by superintendents and principals on clerical work and on refractory pupils who should be put under special teachers or in special schools. Thru failure to limit and systematize the telephone calls within a school system, the principal may be kept answering the telephone much of the time. One of the most difficult things I ever undertook was to get principals and other supervisors to make a critical study of the curriculum and to supervise efficiently. This would be easier if most of the professional improvement