a fair holding in preceding courses. Aim (5) is considered a valid one by approximately three-fifths of the teachers in all courses. Aim (8) is generously subscribed to by teachers of all courses, but more especially by teachers of ancient history and American history.

VI. SUMMARY

1. Most schools offer 3 or 4 courses in history, exclusive of the courses in civics and economics. The 4 courses offered are ancient, mediaeval and modern, English, and American history. When 3 courses are offered, either the second or third just named is omitted, more commonly the third.

2. With few exceptions ancient history appears in the first and second years, mediaeval and modern history in the second and third, English history in the third, and American history in the fourth. The principal reasons given for placing these courses in the years in which they appear are those related to chronological sequence. American history is placed in the fourth year so as to furnish the student with some civic equipment when he is about to leave school.

3. a) History courses are commonly a full year of 36 or more weeks in length, although a few courses in English history and a large number in American history are a half-year in length. There are most commonly five 40- or 45-minute class periods per week.

b) A few schools are providing time for supervised study.

4. Courses in American history range between two extremes of practice, one typified by such schools as constitute them in no special part of government, and the other by those that divide the time equally between history and government, these two phases sometimes being coherent parts of a single course and sometimes two distinct courses.

5. a) The textbook is more commonly used as the basis of assignment to be supplemented by required collateral reading, although a considerable proportion of teachers still use it as the main body of the course, with little or no collateral reading. More teachers of ancient history than of other courses follow the latter mode of use.

b) The amount of collateral reading varies somewhat with the place of the course in the history sequence, more of such reading being required for the later than for the earlier courses.

c) The kinds of collateral reading are: other texts, more extended works, source material, biography, historical fiction, poetry, magazines, and newspapers. The first class named is more often used in the earlier than in the later courses, while more extended works, source material, and biography are more often used in the later courses.

d) The methods of checking collateral reading are: oral reports, discussions and quizzes in class, written examination and tests, written reports, themes, notebooks, and outlines or digests handed in.

6. Correlation of history is reported with English composition, English literature, geography, civics, political economy, Latin, current events, sciences, art and architecture, drawing, spelling, and penmanship. It seems to be most common with English composition, geography, civics, current events, spelling, and penmanship. 7. There is fairly general agreement as to the aims teachers keep prominent in their teaching.

I.

B. CIVICS

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSES TO THE INQUIRY

The responses to the inquiry in civics have come from 29 teachers in schools distributed as follows:

II. THE OFFERING

YEARS IN WHICH CIVICS IS TAUGHT

The years of the high school in which civics is taught appear in Table LXIX. It is seen to be predominantly a fourth-year subject, although some schools list it for the third and a very few for one of the first two years of the high school.

The responses to the question as to the aspects of the subject as it is taught that recommend it for the years in which it is reported are so few and insignificant for years other than the fourth that none are quoted here. Eight teachers say that the fourth year is a satisfactory place for the course because of the desirability of correlating it with American history, which appears in the same year, while 7 say that it should be taught in this year because of the maturity required for its adequate comprehension. Other responses less frequently made refer to "final preparation for citizenship" and to its relation to political science.

CIVICS AS A SEPARATE COURSE OR AS A PART OF THE COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY

Of the 29 teachers replying, 20 report civics as a separate subject, although 5 teachers volunteer the information that it follows a semester of American history to complete one unit of credit; 8 report civics as a part of the course in American history; I reports it as a separate subject in the first year and as part of the course in American history in the fourth year.

TIME ELEMENT

Length of the course. Of these 20 teachers who indicate that civics as taught in their schools is a separate subject, 17 report that it extends through a half-year of 18-20 weeks, 2 that it extends through a full school year, and I that it extends through 9 weeks only. All the 8 teachers who indicate that civics, as taught in their schools, is taught in combination with American history report such combination courses to be a full year of 36 or more weeks in length. The approximate proportion of the total time allotted to civics in these 8 schools is one-fifth in 1 school, one-third in 2, two-fifths in 1, and one-half in 4.

Periods per week and length of periods.—With one exception the number of periods per week is five. In this one school the work in civics extends through three 45-minute periods per week for 36 weeks. The length of periods is without exception 40 or 45 minutes.

PROPORTIONS OF CIVIC THEORY AND PRACTICE AND OF COMMUNITY CIVICS

The approximate proportion of time allotted to civic theory and practice (government proper) ranges from one-tenth to fourfifths, with 15 schools reporting one-half. Consequently the approximate proportion of the total time devoted to community civics (public welfare, etc.) ranges from one-fifth to nine-tenths, with 15 schools reporting one-half.

The questionnaire contained a list of aspects of community civics, and the teachers were asked to check those to which they give attention in their courses. Table LXX shows the numbers of teachers reporting attention to the various aspects named.

Eighteen teachers report that they use the textbook as a basis of assignments to be supplemented by collateral readings, 7 use it as a syllabus in connection with collateral readings, and 1 plans to use it on the same basis as other readings of the course. The 3 remaining teachers do not answer the question.

MATERIALS STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO USE

The following materials were listed in the questionnaire, and the teachers were asked to indicate by checking which of them they require their students to use: prepared supplementary readings

Social education (wider use of the school plant).... 16

(e.g., Kaye's), fuller treatises on political science, reports of proceedings and enactments of legislatures and of Congress, census reports, reports of public and private organizations, and articles in magazines and newspapers. The number of teachers reporting their use is shown in Table LXXI. One or two teachers each add the following: other texts, texts on state civics, reports of the state board of health, law dictionary, and immigration reports.