[,2.

It is wellnigh impossible to discover what are the legal requirements for teachers of agriculture. The simplest way would be, so it seems, to apply to the various state

departments of education for information.

The Department of

Agricultural Education of the University recently sent such

In the

an inquiry, but the replies were most unsatifactory.
majority of cases the states indicated that there were no
requirements. A rapid survey of the certification laws show

that these returns cannot be accepted as trustworthy. The
other methods would be to examine the school laws of all the
states, but that is a hopeless task; for, in the first place,
many different kinds of certificates are issued by each state
and it would be an enormous task to unravel the complicated
systems(2); secondly, agriculture has, in most states, no
definite legal status and consequently no mention is made
of the requirements to teach agriculture. The recent studies
of the certification of teachers do not give the the information
needed.

As a matter of fact, the case of agriculture is not
(3)
peculiar. In 1906, Cubberley pointed out that California
and Indiana were the only states with special requirements
for high school teachers. He adds,

"In almost all of our states a teacher's certificate of any
grade is good to teach in any part of the school system in
which the teacher may be able to secure employment.

(4)

Updegraff's study, published in 1911, seem to show that the
situation has not been changed very much since.

1, The replies have been tabulated by Mr. L. H. Pollard.
2, Ohio, forexample, grants 58 kinds of certificates. cf.
Ohio School Commission Rpt. 1914. p.46.

3, Cubberley.

4, Updegraff.

p. 59.

The certification of teachers.
Teachers certificates. U.S.Bur.Ed. Bul.1911, 18.

The problem is further complicated by the practice

of granting special certificates.

no preparation other than technical.

These, as a rule require

In many cases the

requirements are fixed neither by law not published ruling;

but it is left to the discretion of the officer granting the Agriculture is now largely in this stage.

license.

When agriculture was first introduced, it was taught

by the regular teachers and the general requirements naturally applied to these teachers. With the increase of the demand

for special teachers of agriculture, it was found that those
who had the required technical training did not have the
other qualifications;
examination nor could they acquire a certification by right
of having graduated from a school of education. A special
certificate was the only solution under the circumstances.

they could neither pass the usual

There is no doubt but that the low quality of muchh of the agricultural teaching is a direct consequence of this practice of granting special certificates. It is a fact that such certificates were granted very freely and it is absurd to think that students will take pains to qualify themselves by taking a four-year course in agricultural education as long as there is an easier methods for entering the profession. It is a matter of common knowledge that very little evidence of special preparation usually sufficed to meet the requirements. Any one with farm experience or with such theorectical knowledge of agriculture as can be acquired by reading an elementary text or a few bulletins could pass the examinations. Wisconsin has by no means the lowest requirements, nevertheless, the laxity in standards will be seen from the following

VI,4.

statement:

President W. J. Sutherland reports that 11 of the 13 men of
the senior class, who took the State Superintendent's examina-
tion fortlicenses to teach agriculture, received their certi-
ficates altho the examination was "searching". He thinks
that this is a splendid testimonial of the work of the normal
school because the special course in agriculture had not yet
been established and that these men had not yet the opportuni-
ty that is now being offered in agriculture. (1)

The wisdom of this policy is a matter of dispute.

State Superintendent Cary claims:

"It is not to be understood that the above outline ( upon which
the examination was to be based) provides sufficient training
for this work, but the call for teachers of agriculture is
so great and the supply so limited that this plan is adopted
to encourage good teachers to get hold of the work and gradu-
ally fit themselves for teaching the subject." (2)

Storm summarizes the situation as follows:

"It is well known *** that a very small percentage of those
teaching agriculture have had any even approximately adequate
preparation for that work. The demand has come upon us too
sudden for us to have a sufficient supply of properly pre-
pared teachers. *** This, then, is the situation: We have
definite standards and no men who have attained them. We have
also a large and insistent demand for teachers and must furnish
somebody. What shall we do? Shall we use all our efforts
to prevent teaching of agriculture in schools until we can
prepare the teachers? No. *** More good will come from having
it taught fairly well tan not at all;
". (3)

***

On the other hand, there are not a few who hold to the opposite view and agree with Weeks that:

"Until a high school is sure of getting the right teacher, it is vastly better that agriculture be left out entirely of its curriculum." (4)

Without attempting to decide which of the two conflicting views is the better one, we can safely say that nothing has so greatly retarded the development of strong departments of agricultural education as have the low standards of the special cer

tificates.

1,

2,

Rpt. Board of Regents Wisconsin Normal Schools, 1912-14. p.39.
State of Wisconsin. Direction to candidates for state
teachers' certificates. 1914-15.

3, Storm. The unprepared teacher.
quoted in Proc. N.E.A., 1914.

4,

p.5.

p.37
p.391.