isa-normaladvance-1909-00002

Description:	2THE NORMAL ADVANCEExtracts From the Forthcoming Biennial Report ofPresident ParsonsThe two years covered by this report havebeen the most prosperous in the history of theinstitution. In the year ending September 30,1907, 2,309 different students were enrolled inthe Normal School courses proper. In the various grades of the Training School, which isnow maintained entirely by the State, therewere 213 pupils. The total attendance of different students was 2,522. In the year endingSeptember 30, 1908, there were 3,049 differentstudents in the Normal School courses proper.In the various grades of the Training School243 were enrolled. The total enrollment, therefore, of different students for the second yearof the biennial period was 3,292. The actualincrease in attendance in the Normal Schoolproper during the second year of the periodover the first was 740 different students. Inthe Training School the increase was 29 (dueto the addition of a junior class in the highschool), making a total increase of 769.In discussing the addition of the highschool department to the Training SchoolPresident Parsons says: The statute of 1865,under which the State Normal School was organized, defined the purpose of the institutionto be the training of teachers for teaching inthe common schools of Indiana. At this timethe term common schools included only thegraded schools and the rural schools. Therewere very few high schools in the State. Probably not ten cities in Indiana maintained fullhigh school courses. The work of the StateNormal School, therefore, during the first yearsof its history was confined almost exclusivelyto the preparation of teachers for the ruralschools and the graded schools of towns andcities. During the past decade the high schoolshave increased very rapidly in number andhave greatly extended their courses of study.At present there are nearly 300 commissionedhigh schools in Indiana and twice this numberof high schools maintaining courses from twoto three years in length. It would be safe tosay that there are more than one thousandschools in Indiana today doing more or lesshigh school work.Recent legislation has declared the highschools to be an integral part of the publicschools of the State. Clearly, it became theduty of the State Normal School to trainteachers for teaching in the high schools aswell as for the graded and rural schools. Toaccomplish this object, the school has made twoimportant changes. In the first place, it hasadded a course of instruction known as theCollege Course, for the specific training ofteachers for the high schools. This coursemaintains college standards in every way. Thesame entrance conditions, the same quality ofwork, and the same conditions for graduationobtain as in standard colleges. It is, however,a strictly professional or pedagogical course forteachers. All the work in all the subjects isdone from the teachers point of view and aboutone-fourth of the work required for graduationis of a purely pedagogical character, consistingof the higher aspects of educational psychology,history of education, philosophy of education,practice in the high school department of theTraining Schools, etc. Already a much largernumber of students than expected have enteredupon this course, and it promises to be one ofthe most valuable additions to the school madein recent years.In the second place, the school has addedto its Training Department a full four yearshigh school course. This department of theTraining school is maintained for purposes ofobservation and practice on the part of thoseteachers taking the College Course and preparing to be teachers in the high schools of the
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34032
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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