Chapter V. The kindergarten as an integral part of the school system: Influence of the kindergarten on the primary grades___. THE KINDERGARTEN IN CERTAIN CITY SCHOOL SURVEYS INTRODUCTION Numerous requests concerning standards and practices of kindergarten procedure have been received from superintendents, supervisors, teachers, and laymen interested in education. These requests indicate a desire to know what phases of kindergarten education are being criticized or commended, and also what standards and policies are being suggested for kindergarten education. Recommendations found in the surveys examined were made to meet specific conditions in local situations. They are of value for other communities to the extent to which similar conditions exist in these communities. Therefore a composite statement of survey findings should be of help in judging the value of kindergarten procedures in any community. SCOPE OF THE STUDY Because of the variety of information desired by superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, and laymen, who are interested in kindergarten education, as comprehensive a study as possible has been made of the relevant suggestions and comments found in surveys of public school systems. It was not possible to include in the analysis all problems connected with the administration of kindergartens. Such phases as statistics, salaries, costs of maintenance and equipment have not been considered, as in most surveys these items are incorporated in the statements for the elementary schools as a whole. The surveys studied were selected because (1) they spread over a long period of time (1915-1924); (2) they discuss the work done in many parts of the country; (3) they present problems which arise in places varying in size and in community interests; and (4) they were made by leading educators. Most of these surveys covered entire city school systems. The survey of the kindergartens in Richmond, Ind., is a survey of the one department only. The survey of Hawaii is included because the study of the educational situation on the islands was so largely a study of the work in Honolulu. School Committee, Baltimore, Md. Brookline, Mass. 1917 Melling & Gaskin, Alton, Ill. School Committee, Brookline, Mass. Survey Committee Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government Department of Printing, City Schools, El Paso, Tex. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government Do. Press Publishing Co., East Stroudsburg, Pa. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government School Committee, New Bedford, Mass. Public Education and Child Labor Association, Philadelphia, Pa. World Book Co., Yonkers, N. Y. Do. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government Board of Education, Sparta, Wis. Institute of Educational Research, Teachers College, New York City. Do. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education (unpublished). TYPES OF CRITICISMS AND COMMENDATIONS Almost every phase of kindergarten practice and administration has been severely criticized or strongly commended in the surveys. Taken as a whole, there seems to be good reason to believe that the kindergartens of the country are conducted as efficiently as any other part of the school system. Certain phases of kindergarten organization receive both critical and commendatory statements. Many kindergarten rooms are criticized because they do not meet modern standards in regard to space, hygienic arrangements, or furniture. Other rooms are commended because they fulfill these requirements and because they are beautiful. Kindergarten equipment is not considered up to standard unless it includes some physical apparatus, large building materials, and suitable tools and supplies for woodwork, painting, and modeling. Definite recommendations are made with regard to such problems, as eliminating mass teaching and dividing classes into small groups, so that the instruction given in them will more nearly meet the needs of individual children; keeping records of the achievement of individual pupils; providing better methods of promotion; studying the effect of kindergarten training on children's progress through the grades; and unifying the work in kindergarten and primary grades. Recommendations concerning the curriculum emphasize the need for a broader interpretation of the term and the establishment of definite objectives, with suggestions as to how they may be reached. Comments on the different subjects of the course of study are seldom given separately, but in connection with the problems of the curricu lum as a whole. In the later surveys there is an even greater demand for those activities which will aid children in establishing good health habits, good language habits, and good citizenship habits, as well as good thinking habits. The surveys which discuss these topics also emphasize the fact that successful attainment of these goals depends not only upon the kind of curriculum used but also upon the ability of the teacher, the kind and amount of equipment available, and the guidance given teachers by the supervisor. While the amount of preparation that kindergarten teachers in charge of classes have received is equal to or greater than that received by the other teachers in the primary schools, it is often criticized as being narrow. A number of surveys definitely state that kindergarten teachers should receive their training in an institution which recognizes kindergarten-primary teaching as a single problem. To do her best work, a teacher must continue her professional studies after leaving the normal or training school. So certain school systems are criticized for not providing opportunities for advanced study or other means for professional growth. Adequate supervision is considered necessary for professional growth and for continued successful teaching. This supervision should be given by one who has had broad educational advantages and a thorough kindergarten-primary training. It is recommended that wherever possible one supervisor be put in charge of both kindergarten and primary grades, so as to help develop a unified type of education for children between 4 and 8 years of age. Kindergarten objectives, curriculum, and equipment have been greatly modified within recent years to give children a better preparation for participating in the activities of a good primary school. In turn, the kindergarten has greatly modified the spirit and organization of the primary grades. While kindergarten principles are widely accepted in theory, not all school authorities have been interested enough in prèfirst-grade education to establish a sufficient number of kindergartens to accommodate all the children of proper age for this type of education. The surveys often recommend that principals, supervisors, and teachers should make greater effort to have all children begin their school life in the kindergarten. Chapter I HOUSING, EQUIPMENT, AND SUPPLIES At all times kindergarten teachers have believed that the surroundings in which a child works and plays are of vital importance in determining his attitude toward the thing he is doing. In their School Committee, Baltimore, Md. Melling & Gaskin, Alton, Ill. School Committee, Brookline, Mass. Survey Committee Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government Department of Printing, City Schools, El Paso, Tex. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government Do. Press Publishing Co., East Stroudsburg, Pa. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government School Committee, New Bedford, Mass. Public Education and Child Labor Association, Philadelphia, Pa. World Book Co., Yonkers, N. Y. Do. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education, Government Board of Education, Sparta, Wis. Institute of Educational Research, Teachers College, New York City. Department of the Interior, U. S. Bureau of Education (unpublished). Do. TYPES OF CRITICISMS AND COMMENDATIONS Almost every phase of kindergarten practice and administration has been severely criticized or strongly commended in the surveys. Taken as a whole, there seems to be good reason to believe that the kindergartens of the country are conducted as efficiently as any other part of the school system. Certain phases of kindergarten organization receive both critical and commendatory statements. Many kindergarten rooms are criticized because they do not meet modern standards in regard to space, hygienic arrangements, or furniture. Other rooms are commended because they fulfill these requirements and because they are beautiful. Kindergarten equipment is not considered up to standard unless it includes some physical apparatus, large building materials, and suitable tools and supplies for woodwork, painting, and modeling. Definite recommendations are made with regard to such problems, as eliminating mass teaching and dividing classes into small groups, so that the instruction given in them will more nearly meet the needs of individual children; keeping records of the achievement of individual pupils; providing better methods of promotion; studying the effect of kindergarten training on children's progress through the grades; and unifying the work in kindergarten and primary grades. Recommendations concerning the curriculum emphasize the need for a broader interpretation of the term and the establishment of definite objectives, with suggestions as to how they may be reached. Comments on the different subjects of the course of study are seldom given separately, but in connection with the problems of the curricu |