prosperous times rural teachers' salaries were lower; during the time of financial strain reductions were greater.

The tendency of the teachers of the smaller schools to lose out in their effort to secure better salaries is unmistakable when salary medians are compared for the 14-year period from 1921 to 1935. At the beginning of the period the median salary of teachers in cities of

400

300

200

1001 1921

PERCENT SALARIES IN LARGER SCHOOLS ARE OF SALARIES PAID IN 1-TEACHER SCHOOLS IN
1921, 1925, 1930 AND 1935

more than 100,000 population, for example, was 238.8 percent of that in the one-teacher schools; in 1925 it was 258.6 percent; in 1930 it was 268.8 percent; by 1935 the median salary in these largest cities had become 371.3 percent, or nearly four times as great as that in the oneteacher schools. These growing disparities are portrayed in the above figure.

76280°-38-2

EDUCATIONAL STATUS AND TRENDS OF TEACHERS AND
PRINCIPALS OF RURAL SCHOOLS

The county superintendents also reported information on the number of years of school work beyond the elementary grades done by 175,441 white teachers, 12,426 Negro teachers, and 7,569 white rural school principals, and 131 Negro school principals. These data were classified and tabulated for groups similar to those for salaries. Thus detailed distribution showing educational accomplishments became available for each of the several classes of rural schools as well as for each State. Table 9 presents a summary of these distributions for the Nation as a whole, giving both the number and the percent of persons with varying amounts of education.

Summary of the education of the rural school personnel in 1935.—In 1935 there obviously were still a good many rural teachers, especially in the smaller schools, who had 2 years or less of high-school education, the percentages being about 3 for white teachers and 21 for Negroes, in the one-teacher schools. On the other hand there were a few teachers in all classes of rural schools who had received 8 years or more of education after completing the elementary school. These teachers were, of course, for the most part employed in the larger schools. For the Nation as a whole the number with 8 years or more of education was 24.3 percent for all classes of white rural schools and 9.2 percent for the Negro schools. Most of the rural school principals, especially those having charge of high schools, were college graduates; nearly a third of them had also pursued some post-graduate work.

Status and trends in the educational qualifications of rural teachers.Tables 10 to 13 present for 1930 and 1935 two types of indices whereby the educational status and trends of the several classes of teachers and of the various States can be compared. The first column of data for each period shown gives by States the percentages of the total number of a given class of rural teachers who had had "4 years or less" of education beyond completion of the elementary grades; the second shows in percents those who had "6 years or more" of such education. The education of none of those included in the first group had exceeded that provided in the high school. These teachers must, therefore, be thought of as having had scarcely any training for the teaching profession. The second group includes those who had completed a 2-year normal school course, or its equivalent of college education. This level of education is now widely accepted as representing the minimum amount of education necessary for assuming the duties of teachers.

The data presented in these tables show that in many of the States there were improvements in the education of the teachers in 1935 over

1930. For example, in Georgia 92 percent of the white teachers in one-room schools reported not more than a high-school education in 1930; by 1935 the percentage was 53. In Mississippi the percentage was reduced from 87.4 to 69.7; in Arkansas from 81.2 to 48.4; and in Iowa from 80.7 to 62.3. In many States which in 1930 had comparatively few teachers with high-school education only, proportionate reductions are even greater. For example, in Colorado there was a reduction from 40.3 percent in 1930 to 1.8 percent in 1935; in Idaho from 18.9 to 1; in Connecticut from 43.7 to 6.6; in Oklahoma from 40.8 to 6.8; and in South Dakota from 40.7 to 4.9. In only one StateFlorida-was the percentage of white teachers in one-room schools with 4 years or less of high-school education greater in 1935 than in 1930; in three other States-Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Vermontlittle change was effected during the period.

In most of the States reduction in the percentages of the poorly trained teachers was greater in the larger than in the smaller rural schools. For the Nation as a whole the teachers of one-teacher schools for whites show percentages of 44.1 in 1930 and 22.5 percent in 1935, a reduction in the number of untrained teachers of nearly one-half; for the two-teacher schools for whites the percentages were, respectively, 36 and 12.5, or a reduction of nearly two-thirds; in schools with three or more teachers for white children the percentages of teachers with a high-school education or less were not only smaller for both periods but the proportionate reductions were greater, there being for the Nation as a whole about seven-tenths fewer such teachers in these larger schools in 1935 than in 1930.

Marked progress was made during the 5-year period in raising standards of qualifications for teaching to that of 2 years of college grade work. In some States-Arizona, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Washington-between 90 and 100 percent of the teachers had reached this standard in 1935, even in the smaller schools. In other States-Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Wisconsin-only about 20 percent of the rural teachers had attained to the standard indicated.

Generally speaking, tables 11 and 13 show conditions and trends in the education of teachers of the rural schools for Negroes to be similar to those presented in tables 10 and 12 for the white teachers. The major differences are that the levels attained in most of the States are somewhat lower for the Negro teachers and the progress made during the 5 years was not quite as great. Data reported for Delaware and West Virginia prove an exception to this generalization.

TABLE 1.-NUMBER OF WHITE TEACHERS CLASSIFIED BY STATE AND BY SIZE AND LOCATION OF RURAL SCHOOLS REPORTED BY COUNTY, DISTRICT, AND OTHER RURAL SUPERINTENDENTS, 1934-35

1 County, district, town, and other units of rural school administration.

2 Supplemented by reports from State departments of education.

3 Includes data from all white schools of 3 or more teachers in the State except those from Baltimore and Baltimore County. Principals as well as teachers included. Data could not be separated.

TABLE 2.-NUMBER OF NEGRO TEACHERS CLASSIFIED BY STATE AND BY SIZE AND LOCATION OF RURAL SCHOOLS REPORTED BY COUNTY, DISTRICT, AND OTHER RURAL SUPERINTENDENTS, 1934-35

1 County, district, and other rural school units.

Data supplemented by report from State department of education.

Includes data for teachers and principals of all schools of 3 or more teachers except those of Baltimore and Baltimore County. Data could not be separated.

TABLE 3.-MEDIAN SALARIES OF WHITE TEACHERS, REPORTED BY TYPES OF RURAL SCHOOLS AND BY STATE IN 1934-35

Baltimore County.

Median for teachers and principals of all schools for whites of 3 or more teachers in Maryland, except