Manual training, total.

Men

341

351

379

412

460

48

148

153

190

194

1,001.36

Schools in session, days.

School districts, number

473

478

480

482

School buildings

2,124

2,155

2,194

2,190

2,181

Buildings completed during year

One room buildings

Valuation of school property.

$57,670,223.00 $64,354,833.00 $69,293,017.86 $74,144,551.94 $79,999,965.93

$5,855,413.99

Graduates of State

Normal

REPORT OF MONMOUTH COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF CHILD STUDY

According to a statute passed in the session of 1917 a County Department of Child Study was established in Monmouth County. Mrs. Cornelia B. Meytrott was appointed supervisor of this departThe following extracts are from Mrs. Meytrott's report to the Commissioner of Education:

Some of the things which Monmouth County has accomplished toward properly caring for those whose minds have not developed normally:

A general survey of the county as to the number and condition of mentally retarded children in the public schools.

The passage of an act of the Legislature permitting the appointment for any county of a county supervisor of child study, this appointment to be made by the State Commissioner of Education upon the fulfillment by the county of certain conditions.

The appointment of a supervisor of child study for Monmouth County. The beginning of an organization, under this supervisor, known as the Bureau of Child Study. Following is a brief statement of its purposes: 1. To stimulate interest in mental and physical hygiene in the schools and the community.

2. To examine as to mental development and health all children who are seriously retarded in school work or otherwise atypical.

3. To detect early manifestations of tendency to nervous or mental disorders among school children and combat these tendencies by preventive work in the school and the home.

4. To keep a permanent register of all who are mentally defective.

5. To plan for and direct special provision for the training and supervision of the mentally defective in school and community.

In order to carry out these plans the following experiments have been tried out in this first year of the Bureau's existence:

1. Three training classes for teachers, each class conducted twice a month, October to April, by the supervisor. Topics discussed: Problems of social welfare; The child welfare act of 1915; Methods of observation and questioning for the purpose of noting individual difference; Physical deviations from the normal; Mental deviations; the Binet and other methods of measuring intelligence.

2. Provision for further specialized training for seven teachers who have finished this teachers' course. Six will attend the summer school session of the Training School at Vineland on scholarships provided by private funds; the seventh begins special training in social service.

During this first year it has seemed best to devote the greatest part of my time and effort to the trying out of plans. The work is so new that there are few precedents and none of those have been tried on a county basis. The experiments which give most promise of practicability and usefulness are: the movable clinic for children (where pupils are examined individually and

without witnesses); the afternoons for conferences with parents (at regular intervals in stated centers); the teacher group meetings (also held regularly at stated centers); and the “publicity" talks before representative groups of people-women's clubs, parent-teacher associations, and others.

These four-the clinic, the parent conference, the teachers' class, and the public address-furnish, of course, that part of the work which must be fulfilled by the supervisor alone.

Other very important parts of the work may be promoted by the intelligent assistance of others. First of these is the registration of backward and atypical pupils. This year's register is very incomplete; although approximately 400 children have been referred to this department, we know there are many more. Even in these 400 cases information furnished is meagre and sometimes inexact. The clerical work involved in getting satisfactory records demands much more time than the supervisor has been able to give. Even upon special request, returns have been very slow. The only way to meet this difficulty will be by a process of education for the principals and others who refer cases to us, and polite insistence that the prescribed forms be used. .

A brief statement of certain definite results is here given. With the aid of a nurse and physicians from the county public health work, all the children in one township (216) have been given careful physical examinations. Many of them have already been visited in their homes; the rest will be. The public health department will shortly furnish a corresponding physical and social record. A nurse is now resident in the community and treatment for physical defects will pave the way for better educational treatment. In another township a group of children were given mental examinations by the supervising principal, under the supervision of this office. This group has already benefited by the nursing service. Individual special work will begin in this school for those who prove mentally defective after adjustment of physical difficulties. Special work with groups begins next year at five other centers, Keyport, Red Bank, West Long Branch, Freehold and Leonardo.

In the county at large 39 children have been treated for physical difficulties as a result of their examination in this office because of backwardness in school work. Most of them had not been referred to before as physically defective.

EXTRACTS FROM ANNUAL REPORTS OF COUNTY AND CITY SUPERINTENDENTS

COUNTIES

Dorothy is a small rural community in Weymouth Township. The activities of two teachers in this rural community deserve mention. Under their leadership some conspicuous things were accomplished. In addition to teaching a first-class school, they organized a Senior Red Cross, a Junior Red Cross, raised money for a library, raised money for the purchase of a flag, and organized the community in such a way as to have a patriotic demonstration on Decoration Day.

The law with respect to physical training has been carried out in Atlantic County. The Boards of Education of Buena Vista Township, Hammonton and Egg Harbor City engaged special teachers for carrying on this work. In other districts the teachers applied themselves in a most satisfactory way. Many of the teachers of the county have had the advantage of training in the summer schools and found the work both pleasing and profitable.

The work of the helping teacher has the approval of the county. Teachers new to the county and inexperienced teachers were able to perform more efficient service because of her direction. Through her influence better textbooks have been obtained and a better community spirit established through the formation of parent-teacher organizations.

The county superintendent has endeavored to carry out the spirit of the School Law so far as practicable and has used his utmost endeavors to impress upon boards of education not only the necessary but the desirability of doing everything possible to make school conditions profitable for the children from the point of view of instruction, and sanitary from the point of health. Boards of education have been urged to furnish the highest type of medical inspection possible, to enforce the attendance law where necessary, and to provide adequate buildings, furnishings and supplies for instruction. The response has been very satisfactory. The buildings of Atlantic County are in excellent condition. A few of the poorer one-room schoolhouses would have been abandoned during the past year either by consolidation or by the erection of new buildings if building conditions had warranted. The majority of boards of education have done their part in securing good medical inspection and in providing sanitary conditions. The flags have been flying as the law requires, and as far as I am able to tell every effort has been made to inculcate patriotism by word and deed.—Superintendent Henry M. Cressman, Atlantic County.

The percentage of attendance fell slightly below that of last year, probably because of extreme cold and general war conditions. While the larger and more favored districts keep their attendance up to standard, it is to be feared that some of the smaller districts neglect to enforce the attendance laws, or to provide schools with the attraction for children so necessary to counteract the inertia of inefficient homes.

Of the 272 teachers employed for the first time in New Jersey, who entered through the schools of Bergen County, all but one were normal or college graduates, or trained for some specialist's work.

Most noteworthy work has been done by the helping teachers. Details would be interesting, if time and space permitted. The year's experience forces the conclusion that young, inexperienced but willing teachers can be guided quickly to do good and profitable work, while the usual old, experienced and unwilling type of teacher is often practically useless material for betterment.

Physical training is progressing fairly well, though a feeling or impression intrudes that there is a lack of snap in it, a failure to appreciate fully its importance, and a want of joyousness that should take the place of dull routine through physical training activities.-Superintendent B. C. Wooster, Bergen County.