LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Washington, D. C., October 6, 1920. SIR: From time to time, and particularly within the last few decades, a large number of educators and intelligent critics of education from other countries have visited and studied our American schools, usually for the purpose of gaining such information and ideas as would be helpful to them in the improvement of the schools of their country. Many of these have made reports to their home governments containing much valuable criticism of our schools from their points of view. The manuscript transmitted herewith for publication as a bulletin of the Bureau of Education consists of extracts from these reports so organized and arranged as to enable the American reader to get the largest possible value from them at a minimum of time and effort. The comment on the criticism by the author of the manuscript, Mr. W. J. Osburn, of the Department of Education of the State of Wisconsin, gives a fair and helpful interpretation of these criticisms. It is always good to be able to see ourselves as others see us. The criticisms and excerpts from the reports of these intelligent observers of American schools and educational processes will be especially helpful at this time when all our educational theories and practices are undergoing severe criticism at home and we are trying to reconstruct them to meet the new and growing needs of our democratic society. This bulletin will, I feel sure, constitute a valuable contribution to our literature on education. Respectfully submitted. The SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR. P. P. CLAXTON, Commissioner. 5 FOREIGN CRITICISM OF AMERICAN EDUCATION. INTRODUCTION. The late war has emphasized the fact that the United States is playing, and will continue to play, a leading part in the development of democratic ideals. From a small beginning in 1776, the Nation has grown to vast dimensions. At first the little democracy, hemmed in by two great oceans and busy with the conquest of the wilderness, had little connection with the remainder of the world. Entangling alliances with Europe were avoided, and our country was left to work out its own destiny. Our experience in self-government appealed strongly, however, to the oppressed peoples of Europe, and a constant stream of immigrants, which represented the most vital elements of European life and civilization, kept pouring in upon our shores. As the struggle for existence became less acute, as means of transportation were improved and as new inventions were discovered, the isolation of America diminished. The culmination of the process came during the war with Germany. Henceforth the United States, willingly or unwillingly, must take its place as a leader in the forward movement of the world, and particularly in the social reorganization which the war has made necessary. Such a Such a task requires an accurate balance between social stability and social progress. Social stability is the result of cherishing old ideals, while social progress can come only through a diversity of viewpoint. Truth is many-sided. No one nation can see all sides of it, but a combination of judgments from representatives of several countries contributes greatly to clearness of vision. It is, therefore, desirable and advantageous to know what other nations think of us. The purpose of this study is to gather this information with reference to our educational system. In such a task certain limitations are necessarily involved. In the first place, the evidence is based largely upon individual opinions, and it is only natural that many of our critics, unfamiliar as they are with the details of our national life, are wrong in the inferences which they draw. None of them can possibly understand us thoroughly, and most of them base their judgments upon what they saw during relatively short visits in this country which were of necessity restricted to local and sometimes atypical areas. Nothing approach |