They are excellent reference
books for gaining and keeping historical perspective.
Reading of the character that we have here called preliminary should
not cease as the other historical studies are taken up. The general
studies should certainly continue for some portion of the time through
the grammar grades and high school, but it probably should be mainly
supervised reading of interesting materials rather than recitation and
examination work.
We would recommend that the high schools give careful attention to the
recommendation of the National Education Association Committee on the
Reorganization of the Secondary Course of Study in History.
CIVICS
Civic training scarcely finds a place upon the elementary school
program. The manual suggests that one-quarter of the history time--10
to 20 minutes per week--in the fifth and sixth grades should be given
to a discussion of such civic topics as the department of public
service, street cleaning, garbage disposal, health and sanitation, the
city water supply, the mayor and the council, the treasurer, and the
auditor. The topics are important, but the time allowed is inadequate
and the pupils of these grades are so immature that no final treatment
of such complicated matters is possible. For seventh and eighth
grades, the manual makes no reference to civics. This is the more
surprising because Cleveland is a city in which there has been no
end of civic discussion and progressive human-welfare effort.
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