Table of legislative sessions, October 1, 1908, to October 1, 1909—Continued.

To accomplish the purposes for which the bulletin is immediately intended, in as direct and brief a manner as possible, legislative enactments of the following specific character pertaining to state school systems have been included:

(1) All general permanent laws, whether new enactments or amendments to general permanent laws already in force."

(2) Constitutional amendments, adopted or proposed, whether general or local in their effect.

(3) Laws resulting in significant changes in the organization and administration of public education in the larger and more important cities of each State, even when general in form and special in application; provisions of new municipal charters; and amendments to existing charters.

(4) Laws authorizing special appropriation for the establishment of a new educational institution or class of institutions, and extraordinary appropriations of wide general interest.

(5) Laws relating to the general administration, control, and management of particular state educational institutions.

The following classes of legislation have been excluded from consideration:

(1) Laws providing for general ordinary appropriations.

a In a number of instances minor and obviously unimportant measures have been omitted.

b Legislative measures relative to certain classes of reformatory, charitable, and quasi educational institutions have generally been omitted; for complete explanation see footnote under section T, "Education of Special Classes."

(2) Special acts relating to particular individuals or minor localities. (3) Special and temporary acts, unless of more than local or transitory concern.

(4) Federal and local legislation relating to education in the District of Columbia, Alaska, Philippine Islands, and other insular possessions, excepting Hawaii and Porto Rico.

In addition to the legislation above noted, digests of and citations to recent decisions of the highest state courts of the following general character have been likewise included:

(1) Those relative to the constitutionality of important statutes concerning public education.

(2) Those presenting special interpretations of measures enacted during the period 1906-1909.

(3) Those touching upon interests and principles of direct and vital importance to our social policy in public education.

Method of presentation.-With respect to the legislative material, the aim has been to present in a concise and serviceable manner the meaning and contents of each particular enactment, classified in accordance with the writer's best judgment. As a general thing but one entry has been made for each of those laws treating of but one particular topic or title. Frequently, where an enactment possesses a relation to two subjects, according to the scheme of classification, a method of cross reference has been resorted to. Thus, for example, enactment No. 308 (Tennessee) contains several important items. In order to classify properly, several cross references are given. (See enactments Nos. 357 and 860.)

In a number of cases wherein a single law treats of a number of diverse subjects or titles, or wherein the amendments to the educational code are grouped together in a single act or chapter, an effort has been made to distribute the particular portions of such measures so that the alterations produced in different directions would be evident. Such distribution has been designated in an appropriate manner, either by indicating a particular section of an individual chapter or act, or otherwise.

Each law or separate title has been treated in one of three ways: (1) Unimportant new laws and amendments have been indicated as briefly as possible by title or otherwise. Where the title of the law presents its import in a clear and concise manner it has been used, sometimes by quotation and sometimes by such modifications of the wording as would convey its significance in the best possible manner. (2) Frequently, and especially in the case of amendments to existing statutes, besides reference to the particular subject, more or less explanatory matter has been added to bring out the exact change produced.

(3) With important and far-reaching measures, in addition to the title and digest of the subject-matter of the enactment, either the whole or the most significant portion has been printed.

With respect to the judicial decisions, the method of simple citation has been employed in the case of those of minor importance. Generally, however, a brief digest of pertinent points has been included. In a few instances a complete syllabus of the decision has been presented. Appended to the main body of classified legislative and judicial material, there has been included the complete text of a number of recent court decisions, which are thought to be of more than passing interest to those engaged in the work of administration of public education.

Still further, by way of evaluation of the importance of laws and decisions in the respective States, use has been made of the information furnished by the various state superintendents and educational officers. Laws and decisions which they have regarded as of the first importance in the development and progress of the State's educational activities and system have been indicated by an asterisk (*).

Method of classification and arrangement.-In order to facilitate presentation and to render this bulletin of ready service for reference, the whole mass of the special class of educational legislation, together with the digests of and citations to related judicial decisions, have been carefully classified according to what seems to be a logical and consistent scheme. At the same time, throughout, the effort has been to avoid such complexity of classification as would tend to defeat its purpose. Under each of the headings indicated has been placed all of the matter properly belonging thereto, arranged alphabetically by States. In addition, the enactments and decisions have been numbered consecutively, thereby contributing to ease and readiness in discovering matter of a particular type. Citations to and digests of judicial decisions have been distinguished from legislative enactments by prefixing a capital "D" before the reference number. The index at the close of the bulletin further insures the ready discovery of legislation bearing upon any single topic.

Typography. In the case of each legislative item, the title of the measure, whether given verbatim or in modified form, is printed in the smaller type (8-point), leaded. Comments following the title of the measure, or a brief summary of its provisions, are printed in the same type without leads. Direct quotations from the text of the measure are printed in 8-point type without leads, and are inclosed within quotation points.

The material taken from judicial decisions has been treated in the same general way.

The reviews found in connection with each classified group of legislation and decisions have been printed in the larger (10-point) type, leaded.

PLAN OF CLASSIFICATION.@

A. GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL AND SUPERVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION.

a. General.

b. State boards and officers.

c. County boards and officers.

d. District, township, and municipal boards and officers.

e. School meetings; elections; qualifications for voters.

f. Administrative units: Districts, townships, municipalities, etc.; formation; division; consolidation.

B. STATE FINANCE AND SUPPORT.

a. General.

b. State school lands.

c. Permanent state school funds: Composition and investment.

d. State taxation for school purposes.

e. General apportionment of state school funds; special state aid for elementary education.

f. Special state aid for secondary education.

C. LOCAL (COUNTY, DISTRICT, MUNICIPAL) FINANCE AND SUPPORT.

a. General.

b. Local (county, district, municipal) bonds and indebtedness.

c. Local (county, district, municipal) taxation for school purposes.

D. BUILDINGS AND SITES.

a. General.

b. Buildings and sites: State aid; approval of plans.

c. Buildings and sites: Decoration; care; sanitation; inspection.

d. Buildings and sites: Prohibition districts.

e. U. S. flag in schools.

E. TEACHERS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

a. Teachers: Qualifications; general.

b. Teachers' examinations and certificates: General.

c. Teachers' examinations and certificates: Special.

d. Teachers' certificates; validity; indorsement; registration; revocation.

e. Teachers' certificates; recognition of normal school and college or university diplomas.

f. Teachers' associations.

F. TEACHERS: EMPLOYMENT; CONTRACT; APPOINTMENT; DISMISSAL.

a. General.

b. Teachers' salaries.

c. Teachers' pensions.

G. TEACHERS: PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION.

a. University departments and schools of education.

b. State normal schools.

c. County and local normal and training schools.

d. Teachers' institutes and summer schools.

a This plan of classification is, with the addition of one or two minor subdivisions, identical with that followed in the previous legislative bulletins (Bulletin 1906, No. 3, and Bulletin 1908, No. 7). The advantages for comparative purposes are obvious.

H. SCHOOL POPULATION AND ATTENDANCE.

a. General.

b. School census.

c. School year; month; day.

d. School holidays.

e. Place of attendance; transportation of pupils; consolidation of schools. f. Compulsory attendance; child labor; truancy.

I. SCHOOL DISCIPLINE.

a. General.

b. Corporal punishment.

c. Suspension and expulsion.

d. Fire drills.

e. School fraternities.

J. HEALTH REGULATIONS.

a. General.

b. Physical examination and medical inspection.

K. TEXT-BOOKS AND SUPPLIES.

i. Technical, manual, and industrial education.

j. Days of special observances.

k. Other special subjects.

M. SPECIAL TYPES OF SCHOOL.

a. General.

b. Kindergartens.

c. Evening schools.

d. Vacation schools and playgrounds.

e. University extension; public lectures.

f. Farmers' institutes, etc.

g. Private and endowed schools.

N. SECONDARY EDUCATION: HIGH SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES.

O. TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL: ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY.
P. HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

a. General.

b. Finance; lands; support.

c. State universities and colleges.

d. Carnegie fund.

Q. PROFESSIONAL AND HIGHER TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

a. Teachers' colleges and normal schools.

b. Agricultural colleges.

c. United States grant.

d. Mining schools.

e. Military schools.

f. Miscellaneous technical.