As a part of a democracy secondary schools should take all the children of all the people and, as nearly as possible, give them equal educational opportunities. They must provide the best possible conditions to encourage the development of our youth into persons who can find life worth living and can become useful members of society. All public schools of a democracy have two outstanding functions: namely, to develop skills and characteristics essential to intelligent citizenship and to enrich personal living. If a child is to grow into a good citizen, he must understand the nature of his country, its institutions and how his country came to be what it is. When he has been guided in learning these facts by an interesting and inspiring teacher, he should then have acquired the qualities of tolerance, loyalty, and cooperation so essential to the good life as we know it.

Certainly every child has a right to expect that the public schools will give him the skills of learning, information about the availability of knowledge, and either the rudiments of a vocation or the beginning of a background upon which training in a trade or a profession may be built.

As less than 30% of the boys and girls entering Grove High School go to college, there is a very grave responsibility placed on the school to have a curriculum and methods that will meet the needs of this group, as well as, the group that plans to go to college.

The school should seek to know thoroughly each one of its students and to recognize that each child, regardless of his ability, has something to contribute to the well being of his society. To provide the proper social adjustment, the school should try to give each individual a sense of security, a sense of enjoyment, a sense of belonging to a group, and a sense of confidence in his adequacy and ability to participate in that group's activities.

The methods to be used by the teachers are those methods which will inspire the child to do his best work at all times. The teacher should vary the methods in order to meet particular needs and situations.

The members of the staff should have thorough preparation for their particular tasks, an understanding of educational problems, a desire for professional growth, and a harmonious relationship among themselves, the pupils, and the community which they serve. The staff should be concerned not only with the pupils' reactions to daily school problems but also with their reactions to constantly changing conditions in life (Visiting Committee, 1950, pp. 14-15).

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Last Modified Wednesday, 13-Jul-2005 13:42:42 CDT