CHAPTER XXXVIII. STATISTICS OF NORMAL SCHOOLS. The number of students pursuing training courses for teachers in various institutions for the scholastic year 1895-96 was 84,400, an increase of 3,862 over the year 1894-95. There was an increase of 4,145 in the number of normal students in public normal schools and a decrease of 1,150 in the number in private normal schools. There was an increase of 624 in the number of normal students in universities and colleges, an increase of 1,437 in the number in public high schools, while there was a decrease of 1,194 in the number of normal students in private high schools and academies. The following table shows the number of normal students in each class of institutions for 1894-95 and for 1895-96: The decrease in the number of normal students attending private institutions may be attributed to the prevailing financial depression. Teachers are secking schools in which they can secure the best training for the least outlay of money. As the public normal schools increase in number and efficiency, the weaker private normal schools must lose their patronage. The past year has witnessed the demise of a number of these weak institutions, and others have retreated to the rank of private secondary schools. The public normal schools now have nearly half of all the normal students in the United States. At least 60 per cent of the 84,400 normal students were in public institutions. In nearly all the larger cities teachers' training classes are maintained in connection with the public high schools, and in many of these classes the training is not inferior to that given in the best State normal schools. Of the 7,026 normal students in colleges and universities, several hundred are in public institutions. As many as 27 colleges and universities have regularly organized departments of pedagogy and offer to teachers courses leading to degrees. Courses designed to meet the demand for the professional training of teachers are offered in more than 200 colleges and universities in the United States. For the year 1892–93 there were 5,232 students in 155 such institutions receiving training as teachers. In 1893-94 there were 5,500 such students in 173 universities and colleges. The number in 1894-95 had increased to 6,402 students in 192 such institutions. In 1895-96 there were 7,026 normal students in 203 colleges and universities. The number of graduates from the public normal schools was 8,105, and the number from private normal schools was 2,190, so that nearly 17 per cent of the students in public and private normal schools in 1895-96 were graduated at the end of the year. If we may estimate a like percentage of normal graduates from the number of normal students in colleges and universities in public high schools and in private high schools and academies, the total number of graduates from the 84,400 normal students in 1895-96 would reach 14,180. PUBLIC NORMAL SCHOOLS. The statistics of public normal schools are summarized in Tables 1 to 8 in this chapter, while the statistics for the individual schools are given in detail in Table 19. In the 160 public normal schools there were 1,660 teachers instructing normal students, as may be seen from Table 1. In other departments maintained by these normal schools there were 532 teachers. Pennsylvania has 15 public normal schools, New York has 14, Massachusetts 9, Alabama 9; Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin have 6 each; West Virginia, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Missouri have 5 each. Four States were without public normal schools at the time the reports were received. A large proportion of the public normal schools in the Southern States are for the training of colored teachers. Table 2 shows that of the 40,421 students in the normal departments of public normal schools 11,922 were men and 28,499 were women. There were 898 students in business courses, 6,610 in other courses of secondary grade, and 14,283 in elementary grades. The total enrollment in all departments of public normal schools was 61,619, as may be seen from Table 3. There were 20,585 children in the model schools not necessarily included in the total enrollment. Many schools use their own elementary departments as model schools, while others depend upon near-by public schools to supply practice classes. The 1,329 colored normal students comprise only a small part of the enrollment in colored normal schools. A large proportion of the colored students must be classed in the elementary grades. Table 4 shows the number of normal and other graduates from the public normal schools. There were 8,105 normal graduates-1,762 men and 6,343 women. There were 190 graduates from business courses and 583 graduates from other courses. The appropriations for the support of public normal schools, by States, counties, and cities, for the year 1895-96 aggregated $2.187,875-an increase of $270,500 over the previous year. Table 5 shows that the total income of the 160 normal schools so far as reported was $2,961,610-an increase of $252,147 over the previous year. Of this income the sum of $498,775 was derived from tuition and other fees, $68,904 from productive funds, and $206,056 from sources not classified. Several schools failed to make financial reports. Table 6, last column, shows that for the year 1895-96 the public normal schools received from States, counties, or cities appropriations for buildings and improvements amounting to $1,124,834-an increase of $120,901 over the previous year. The number of volumes reported in the libraries of 131 public normal schools was 391,082. The total value of buildings, grounds, apparatus, etc., reported was $16,650,538. The schools received $52,080 in benefactions for the year. Many schools declined to state the money value of their endowments, and hence the $40,055 under this head in Table 6 does not represent the aggregate endowment of the public normal schools of the United States. Tables 7 and 8 are recapitulations of public appropriations to public normal schools for the past six years. PRIVATE NORMAL SCHOOLS. The statistics of private normal schools are summarized in Tables 9 to 14, while the statistics of the 169 schools are given in detail in Table 20. Table 9 shows that in the 169 private normal schools there were 954 teachers instructing normal students-539 men and 415 women. There were 690 teachers for students in other departments, making a total of 1,644 teachers employed in the 169 schools. There were 20,777 students in the normal departments of these schools, 10,472 men and 10,305 women, as shown in Table 10. There were 4,224 students in business courses, 7,937 in other secondary grades, and 15,104 in the elementary grades. The total enrollment in all departments was 48,042 as shown in Table 11. These schools had 3,481 pupils in their model schools, but a certain proportion of these are also included in the elementary grades as summarized in Table 10. In the private colored normal schools of the Southern States there were 2,464 students pursuing teachers' training courses-1,076 men and 1,388 women. In the same schools there were many more colored pupils in the elementary grades. Table 12 shows that there were 2,190 graduates in 1896 from the normal departments of the 169 schools-1,035 men and 1,155 women. There were 1,497 graduates from the business departments and 1,261 from other departments. From Table 13 it is seen that the total income for private normal schools as reported to this office for 1895-96 was $969,092. Of this amount the sum of $515,423 was derived from tuition and other fees, and $69,135 from productive funds. The sum of $18,872 was received from public appropriations. It is probable that the greater part of the unclassified $365,662 was derived from tuition fees, many schools having reported only their total income. Table 14 summarizes the equipment of private normal schools. The number of volumes in the 133 schools reporting libraries was 203,467. The value of grounds, buildings, apparatus, etc., reported was $4,421,386. The money value of endownments possessed by these schools was $2,487,200. The value of benefactions received for the year 1895-96 was $254,678. DISTRIBUTION OF NORMAL STUDENTS. Of the total number of students in teachers' training courses in public normal schools it is shown in Table 15 that the males comprised 29.49 per cent and the females 70.51 per cent. More than 20 per cent of the students graduated. These percentages are contrasted with like percentages for the private normal schools. In these the students were divided almost equally between the sexes, there being 50.40 per cent males and 49.60 per cent females in the teachers' training courses. In the private normal schools only 10.54 per cent of the normal students graduated. Table 16 shows that 193 colleges and universities had 7,026 students in normal courses, 3,149 males and 3,877 females. Ten other universities maintain pedagogical departments, but do not report normal students separately. The same table shows that 447 public high schools had 8,246 normal students, 2,534 males and 5,712 females. Private high schools and academies to the number of 439 reported 7,930 normal students, 3,587 males and 4,343 females. Outside of the public and private normal schools there were thus reported 23,202 normal students. A recapitulation of the totals of preceding table is given in Table 17. It shows the number of normal students in each of the five classes of institutions in each State and geographical division. Table 18 is a list of the colleges and universities reporting students in training courses for teachers, showing also the number of normal students in each for the past four years. Tables 19 and 20 are the tables which give in detail the statistics of the 329 public and private normal schools reporting to this office for the scholastic year 1895-96. |