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Session 11. 1921. NEW ZEALAND

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (REPORT ON) BY MR. F. MILNER, M.A.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave

To the Hon. the Minister of Education, N.Z. Education Department. Sis,— Wellington, 16th October, 1921. I have the honour to submit to you the appended report on the institution of the junior high school in the United States as a distinct and self-sufficient unit in educational organization, in the hope that the experience of American educationalists in this connection may be useful in the proposed readjustment of the intermediate, or secondary stage of education in New Zealand. Although my stay in America was limited to two months, divided equally between Honolulu and California, the great gathering of eminent American specialists at the Pan-Pacific Conference afforded me almost unique facilities for gleaning authoritative information of the functioning of the new institution in various parts of America. Moreover, throughout my month's stay in California my itinerary was carefully mapped out by prominent educationalists, and under their personal guidance I was enabled to fill in the time most profitably, and to obtain first-hand inspection of representative junior high schools in various centres. I feel confident that I could not have approached, the practiea study of this significant educational departure under happier auspices, and I desire to record my deep sense of gratitude to the many distinguished university professors, city superintendents, assistant superintendents, and principals of schools who so courteously facilitated my inquiries by welcoming me to their respective institutions and by freely placing at my disposal a wealth, of valuable information. I have been deeply impressed with their hospitality, their fraternal spirit, and their desire to place their own experience freely at our disposal. I desire to mention especially Dr. David Starr Jordan, Ph.D. (Chancellor of Leland Stanford University) ; Dr. Frank P. Bunker, Ph.D. (formerly Assistant Superintendent, Seattle Public Schools; Assistant Superintendent, Los Angeles Public Schools; Superintendent, Berkeley Public Schools ; representative of the Federal Bureau of Education at the Pan-Pacific Educational Conference ; the founder of the first junior high school in America, and a recognized authority on the subject) ; Dr. Frederick Burk, Ph.D. (President, State Teachers' College, San Francisco), who personally accompanied me in my inspection of Oakland and Berkeley schools ; and Dr. Ernest C. Moore, Ph.D. (Director of the Southern Branch, Californian University), under whose guidance 1 inspected the Los Angeles schools. Following is a list of the schools which I inspected :— The Horace Mann Intermediate School at San. Francisco (1,015 pupils, 32 teachers). The Prescot Junior High School, at Oakland (1,500 pupils, comprising a joint elementary and junior high school). The Lockwood Junior High School at Oakland. The Garfield Junior High School at Oakland. The Edison Junior High School at Berkeley. The Burbank Junior High School at Berkeley. The Garfield Junior High School at Berkeley. The Francis Willard Junior High School at Berkeley. The Central Intermediate School at Los Angeles (1,000 pupils). The Boyle Heights Intermediate School at Los Angeles (1,440 pupils, 55 teachers). The Thirtieth Saint Junior High School at Los Angeles (900 pupils, 45 teachers). The Virgil Intermediate High School at Los Angeles (1,120 pupils, 42 teachers).