ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Plate 1A. A country village_-_. 1B. Village school playground__-. 3. School barn at village consolidated school___. 4. Hauling country children to the town school-- Figure 1. Trade communities__- 2. The school districts in the county_ 3. A township and its schools______. 4. Relationships in a village school system... 5. School population, enrollment, and attendance, 1918- 6. Number of years teachers have attended school beyond eighth 7. Education of teachers___. 8. Ground plan of an ideal community school__. 4 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Washington, September 25, 1919. SIR: In the United States there are more than ten thousand villages and towns having a population less than 2,500. These are usually not included in our discussion of rural schools and rural school problems, nor in our plans for rural school improvement. Nor are they generally included in plans for the improvement of city schools. Yet these villages offer excellent opportunities for combining many of the best features of both country and city schools, without the handicap of obstructing elements in either. Indeed, it is not improbable that in the future both the schools of the large cities and the schools of the open country may turn to the village schools for lessons in effective organization on the one side, and freedom of initiative and individuality on the other. At any rate, there is much need for careful study of the actual and the possible opportunities for education in these thousands of villages, in which nearly ten million of the people of the United States live. For the purpose of calling attention to this neglected part of our systems of education, I have within the past two years called and directed several conferences of persons engaged in or directly interested in the work of village schools, and have had the results of a study of this subject prepared in the form of a manuscript, which I am transmitting herewith and which I recommend for publication as a bulletin of the Bureau of Education. It is my purpose to have more detailed studies made of particular phases of village school work, and studies of the special needs and opportunities of the schools in agricultural villages, mining villages, and mill villages. The results of these studies will be submitted for publication as they are completed. Respectfully submitted. The SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR. P. P. CLAXTON, Commissioner. 5 ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION OF VILLAGE SCHOOLS. INTRODUCTION. . The village in America.-In general, any compact community of less than 2,500 population is considered a village. No data are available showing how many villages there are in the United States. The census report for 1910 gives 11,784 municipal corporations of less than 2,500 population. To these must be added the many small places that have not been incorporated for municipal purposes. In New England only a few villages are incorporated, the town1 government serving the needs of the village as well as of the rural sec tions of the town. In 1910 the population of incorporated places of less than 2,500 was 8.8 per cent of the total population of the United States. If the unincorporated villages and the immediate territory for which the villages serve as trading centers were added, the population living in villages and within their influence would amount to probably 30 per cent or more. There are several types of villages-the industrial, the agricultural, and the suburban. The industrial village may be either a mining or a manufacturing village, or both. As a rule it has no intimate relation with the surrounding country. If it is a mining town there are usually from 100 to 2,500 inhabitants, most of whom are engaged in mining. The men who work in the mines live in small houses, usually erected and owned by the company and rented to the miner. At one side of the town may be found the houses of the mine officials and store managers. Practically the entire population of the typical coal mining village is made up of foreigners-Slavs, Italians, and Poles. It is not unusual to find 10 to 20 different nationalities represented in a mining town. The manufacturing town is somewhat different. A better class of houses is found, and a general higher average of intelligence, from the fact that greater skill is needed in a manufacturing than in a mining community. 1 The New England town corresponds to the township in some other States. The suburban village is really a part of the near-by city and be classed with it. In the suburban village there are churche schools, but the business interests of most of the inhabitants an the city. The agricultural village serves a community much larger the village itself. It is only a part of a larger rural comm The country village serves as a trading center for the farmers d neighborhood. Every week a large per cent of the farmers the village to trade at the stores, to have farm implements repa to deposit their money in the bank, or to attend meetings of t ternal organizations. The farmer's wife, too, goes to the upon various errands. The young people look to the villag entertainment and amusement, as baseball games, picture shows. Special types of villages.-Besides these types of village, seve special types may be mentioned. For example, there exists in a type not found to any extent in other States. As the early sett were of one faith, they usually followed the commands given the by their spiritual leaders. Among the first of these commands "Till the soil; learn the lesson of the land; do not search for g or other precious metals or minerals." The people were sent out in groups to form settlements, bu churches and schools, and also stockades for defense against Indians, who at that time were none too friendly. Farms we selected either by the church officials or by the settler himself. the farmer lived in the village. The distance to the farm varied fr an "easy walking distance" (about a mile and a half) to 5 or miles. When new settlers arrived, they formed groups beyond L 10 or 15 mile limit, and thus each village became a self-supporti social center. Because of this natural isolation, they became me united internally by the social, religious, and economic situations, to a less extent were influenced by external conditions. Thus, wh the village was created, the opportunity for a central consolidate school was offered. The farmer living in a village is in almost daily contact with h fellow farmers. He avoids the isolation and loneliness of the ope country farmer, who may go a mile or much more to find his nearest neighbor. These so-called village farmers take great interest in schools, ar enjoy many of the comforts of a semiurban life. In general. their lives are more complete and satisfactory than those of isolat farmers. Another type of village is found in the section where there are abandoned mines. This offers a peculiar situation for the school that once prospered and flourished in the midst of good live mini centers. Because of the absolue failure of the mines to produce ore it th |