THE ADMINISTRATION OF SECONDARY.
- SCHOOL UNITS

A DISSERTATION

SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS
AND LITERATURE IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE
OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

(DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION)

BY
LEONARD VINCENT KOOS

Supplementary Educational Monographs, Vol. I, No. 3
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. INTRODUCTORY: PURPOSE AND METHOD . . . . . . . . I

History of the Committee of the North Central Association of

Colleges and Secondary Schools on the Reorganization of the

Secondary School and the Definition of the Unit I

Methods of Definition-Making. . 3

1. Definition-Making by Specialists 3

2. Definition by Syllabus . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3. Definition-Making without Adequate Regard for the Facts of

Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Io

4. Definition-Making That Neglects Administrative Aspects . . 12

State Standardizing Authorities . . . . . . . . . . I4

The Carnegie Foundation Unit . . . . . . . . . . I5

The Method of This Investigation . . . . . . . . . 16

II. FoREIGN LANGUAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

A. Latin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

I. Distribution of Responses to the Inquiry . . . . . 22

II. The Offering in Latin . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Time Element . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Latin in the Grades of the Elementary School . . . 23

Credit for a Single Year of Latin . . . . . . . 24

When First-Year Latin May Be Taken . . . . . 24

III. Organization of the Courses . . . . . . . . . 25

IV. Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

V. Aims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

VI. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

B. Greek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

I. Distribution of the Responses to the Inquiry . . . . 29

II. The Offering in Greek . . . . . . . . . . 3o

The Time Element . . . . . . . . . . . 3o

Credit for a Single Year . . . . . . . . . . 3o

Where Beginning Greek Appears . . . . . . . 3o

III. Organization of the Courses . . . . . . . . . .30

IV. Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

V. Aims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

VI. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

CHAPrer r

C. The Modern Languages . . . . . .

I. Distribution of Responses to the Inquiry

II. Extent of the Offering - -

The Time Element e - - - - -

Modern Languages in the Elementary Grades

Credit for a Single Year of Modern Language . - -

When Students May Begin the Study of a Modern Lan-

guage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Special Provision for Students Who Begin a Modern

Language at Points in the High-School Course Two or

More Years Apart .

III. Methods

V. Summary

III. MATHEMATICS • - - - - - - -

I. Distribution of Responses to the Inquiry

II. Extent of the Offering and Requirement

Extent of the Offering . . . . . . . .

Years in Which Courses in Mathematics Appear .

The Time Element. • -

The Requirement in Mathematics

III. Organization of the Courses .

IV. Methods • e o a s

Disposition of the Class Period . • -

Types of Method Found Most Satisfactory

Special Devices - -

Historical Notes * * * * *

Correlation of Algebra and Geometry . - - - -

Efforts to Meet Current Criticisms of High-School Math-

ematics e • * * e e

V. Aims and Values

Aims * * * * * * *

Extent to Which Aims Are Fulfilled

Discipline vs. Content

VI. Summary

IV. SCIENCE .

A. Sciences Other than Agriculture * * *

I. Distribution of Responses to the Inquiry .

II. The Offering * * * * * *

Years in Which Science Courses Appear - - -

Range of Years in Which Students May Take the Various

High-School Sciences • e. e. e.

The Time Element

CHAPTER PAGE

III. Organization of the Courses . . . . . . . . . 67

Deviations from Plans of Texts Used . . . . . . 67

Organization of the Course in General Science . . . 70

. The Course in Biology . . . . . . . . . . 7o

IV. Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7I

The Place of Practical Illustrations . . . . . . . 71

Relating the Sciences to Problems of Environment . . 72

Field Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Distinctive Features . . . . . . . . . . . 73

V. Aims and Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . 75

The Particular Training the Study of the Sciences Makes

Possible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Further Aims in General Science . . . . . . . 78

“Other Definite” Aims . . . . . . . . . . 78

VI. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

B. Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

I. Distribution of Responses to the Inquiry in Agriculture .. 81

II. The Offering in Agriculture . . . . . . . . . 81

The Extent of the Offering . . . . . . . . . 81

Years of Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Time Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

III. Organization and Content of the Courses . . . . . 85

IV. Methods and Equipment . . . . . . . . . 86

Practical Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Field Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Laboratories . . . . . . . . . . . 88

The School Plot or Farm . . . . . . . . . . 88

V. Aims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

VI. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

W. HISTORY AND OTHER SocIAL STUDIEs . . . . . . . . 93

A. History • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

I. Distribution of Responses to the Inquiry . . . . . 93

II. The Offering in History . . . . . . . . . . 94

Extent of Offering . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Years in Which the Courses Appear . . . . . . 94

Time Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

III. Organization of the Course in American History . . . 97

IV. Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

How Textbooks Are Used . . . . . . . . . 99

Collateral Reading . . . . . . . . . . . Ioo

Correlation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Io9

Methods and Devices Used to Secure Qualitative Results Io.4