The training of teachers in the United States of America — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The training of teachers in the United States of America
John Stuart Mill · en
At the end of the Normal School Course, State examinations are
held in most of the States. In Pennsylvania each school examines
its own students, who, when they have satisfactorily completed the
required course of study, and passed the final examination, receive
a certificate, and are said “to graduate.” After graduation, they
are recommended to the State Examiner, who awards a State-Teaching
Certificate valid for two years. At the end of this period, the teacher
is required to present to the State Board a certificate of good work
from the county Superintendent under whom he or she has taught, and
also a certificate from his own school board. He is then entitled
to teach in his own State for life. The Normal School students of
Connecticut are submitted to State Examination, but in Massachusetts
no outside examination is required. Students who work satisfactorily
through the course, and pass the final examination, “graduate” at the
discretion of the President, or according to results of an examination
set by the School Board of the city. The State examination of teachers
and most of the final examinations of the Normal Schools are usually
in academic subjects only. It is not attempted to test by actual
examination the degree of skill in teaching or governing.
SUPPLY OF TEACHERS.
As regards the number of teachers who have been trained in Normal
Schools relatively to the number who teach in the Common Schools of the
State without previous training, statistics are apt to be misleading,
because, in many cases, Normal Students do not take the entire
course or “graduate.” Out of 372 students enrolled at New Britain
in 1889-1890, only 77 completed the entire course; in 1890-1891,
only 61 out of 401 graduated; and in 1891-1892, out of 444 students,
only 91 were graduates. For 1888-1889 Framingham shows 30 graduates
out of 205 present in the school; Salem shows 129 out of 292; and
Bridgewater, 69 out of 232. In all these schools the courses are two,
three or four years, and if all the students completed the course,
the number of graduates each year would be ½, ⅓, or ¼ respectively of
the number of students enrolled. The Report of School Commissioners
for 1888-1889 shows that among 75,529 teachers in the Common Schools
of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, there were only 1,461 students who completed the Normal
School Course in these States. In all the States, arrangements are made
for teachers who do not go through the Normal Schools. Certificates
of license to teach in the State for a shorter or longer time are
granted according to results of the State Certificate Examination.
A third-grade certificate, entitling its owner to teach for a short
time, may be exchanged for a second-grade certificate, when further
proficiency is shown by re-examination. So a second-grade certificate
may be exchanged for a life-certificate in many of the States. It