Public education in Delaware; a report to the Public school commission of Delaware, with an appendix containing the new school code

Contents

PAGE

Preface vii

Introduction xi

Preface

The Legislature of the State of Delaware, at the session in 191 7, passed an act for the purpose of creating a commission to study educational conditions in Delaware and make recommendations to the Legislature of 1919. The Act of 1917, Chapter 186, which created said commissic«i, read in part as follows:

That the Governor of the State of Delaware be and he is hereby authorized and empowered to appoint a Conunission of five members, one from each County of the State and two at large, to make a survey of the public schools for both white and colored children in the State, to study the administration of the said schools, to consider the appropriations made therefor, to investigate the use of the funds so appropriated, to harmonize, unify, and revise the school laws, to develop an educational system suited to the conditions existing in the State, providing for an improved and efl&cient administration of all free school matters and the training of a competent teaching force, and said Commission is hereby directed to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor, which report shall be transmitted by the Governor to the General Assembly at its session of 1919 * • *

That the said Commission shall have power to arrange the organization and equipment of the survey as it may deem best, to employ and fix the compensation of clerical, professional, expert and other help, to purchase such books and suppUes as it may require, and in general to make any provisions for the work as may be deemed necessary and expedient.

The Commission was made up of the following members: Caleb E. Burchenal, chairman; John S. Mullin,

vii viii PUBLIC EDUCATION IN DELAWARE

The Commission invited the General Education Board to make the proposed survey and the present volume embodies the report made to the Survey Commission. The appendix contains the new State Educational Code subsequently adopted by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.