demands better trained teachers for (1) rural schools, (2) elementary graded schools, (3) high schools."

TRAINING OF TEACHERS FOR THE RURAL SCHOOLS OF

WASHINGTON.

The State Normal School at Cheney, Wash., has organized a department for the training of rural school teachers. The course of study will extend through two years for graduates of the eighth grade and through one year for those who have completed the ninth and tenth grades. In addition to advanced work in mathematics, English, history, science, and language, it will embrace a thorough review of all the common branches, work in agriculture, nature study, and that special professional training that will fit students for rural school teaching. The head of the new department will be Mr. N. D. Showalter, now county superintendent of Whitman County. (Northwestern Journal of Education, September, 1908.)

The general education board established a professorship of secondary education in the University of Arkansas, November, 1908.

An act of 1909 of the legislature of Kansas appropriates $50,000 per annum for two years for the maintenance of normal training courses in public high schools. Each school designated by the state board of education is to receive $500 per annum to be expended only in the payment of salaries. The amount that may be granted to high schools in any one county is limited to $1,000. In case more than two schools are designated in any county, the state aid of $1,000 will be equally divided among said schools.

An act of the legislature of Minnesota approved March 26, 1909, provides that the state normal schools shall hold a summer session of twelve weeks each under the direction of the state normal board, unless said board shall direct that a shorter session be held at any of said schools.

State Supt. E. C. Bishop, of Nebraska, has appointed Prof. E. L. Rouse of the state normal school at Peru, and Supt. E. J. Bodwell, of Beatrice, as directors of normal training in the high schools of Nebraska. These men give supervisory attention to the new work and receive actual traveling expenses only.

The board of estimate of New York City has appropriated $500,000 as the first installment of the $2,000,000 needed to rebuild the normal college. At a meeting of the student body held on Monday night, April 19, 1909, President George S. Davis announced that the work

of rebuilding would begin as soon as plans could be made. When finally completed, the college will be a well-equipped school for its purpose. The new chapel will stand in the center, and other buildings will be placed around it on open courts.

The State of North Dakota has granted the sum of $60,000 for a teachers' college building.

The legislature of Oregon during its session in 1909 abolished the Central Oregon State Normal School, at Drain, and authorized the board of regents to convey the real property belonging to said school to the public-school district in which the same lies, free of charge for educational purposes. No appropriations were made for the other state normal schools.

An act of the legislature of Tennessee approved April 27, 1909, provides for the establishment and maintenance in each grand division of the State of one normal school for the education and professional training of white teachers; also, the establishment and maintenance of one agricultural and industrial normal school for the industrial education of negroes and for preparing negro teachers for the common schools. The management and control of these normal schools is vested in the state board of education.

By an act approved November 20, 1908, the legislature of Vermont provided an appropriation of $6,000 annually for the establishment and maintenance at Middlebury College of a department of pedagogy for the education and training of high-school teachers.

An act of the legislature of Virginia approved March 14, 1908, provides for the establishment of state normal and industrial schools for women at Harrisonburg and Fredericksburg and appropriates $75,000 for the purpose.

Closer cooperation between the University of Wisconsin and the normal schools of the State in the training of high-school teachers is the aim of the plan just adopted by the university after a conference with representatives of the normals. Hereafter graduates of the German and Latin courses in any of the normal schools will be admitted to the university with two years' credit, so that they can complete their work for the degree of bachelor of arts in two years more, making a four-year course. The adoption of this plan by the normalschool regents will make possible the full utilization of the existing institutions of the State for better academic and professional preparation of teachers. (University Bulletin, Aug. 16, 1909.)

IX. TEACHERS' TENURE, SALARIES, PENSIONS, ETC.

TENURE OF SERVICE IN NEW JERSEY.

An act of the legislature of New Jersey approved April 21, 1909, provides that

The service of all teachers, principals, supervising principals of the public schools in any school district of this State shall be during good behavior and efficiency, after the expiration of a period of employment of three consecutive years in that district, unless a shorter period is fixed by the employing board: Provided, That the time any teacher, principal, or supervising principal has taught in the district in which he or she is employed at the time this act shall go into effect, shall be counted in determining such period of employment. No principal or teacher shall be dismissed or subjected to reduction of salary in said school district except for inefficiency, incapacity, conduct unbecoming a teacher, or other just cause, and after a written charge of the cause or causes has been preferred against him or her, signed by the person or persons making the same, and filed with the secretary or clerk of the board of education having charge of the school in which the service is being rendered, and after the charge shall have been examined into and found true in fact by said board of education, upon reasonable notice to the person charged, who may be represented by counsel at the hearing. Charges may be filed by any person whether a member of said school board or not.

The act reserves to any school board the right—

to reduce the number of principals or teachers employed in any school district when such reduction shall be due to a natural diminution of the number of pupils in said school district: And provided further, That the service of any principal or teacher may be terminated without charge or trial who is not a holder of a proper teacher's certificate in full force and effect.

The provisions of the act are not limited to any particular section or sections of the State, but apply to all the teachers, principals, and supervising principals of the public schools in the State of New Jersey. They do not, however, apply to superintendents.

TEACHERS' RETIREMENT FUNDS.

The annual report of 1908 contains the provisions for teachers' pensions made by law in Massachusetts and Virginia. During the year 1909 several acts were passed in other States dealing with annuities or establishing pension funds.

California. The legislature amended the pension-fund act of 1905 by defining the sources of the fund's income, as follows: (1) Twelve dollars a year from each member regardless of amount of salary; (2) gifts and bequests; (3) all portions of salary forfeited on account of absence from duty.

Maryland. The legislature recently passed a teachers' retirement act for the city of Baltimore, which authorizes the establishment of a separate pension fund independent of the state fund.

Minnesota.-An act was passed in April, 1909, granting to teachers of cities of 50,000 inhabitants and over the right to establish teachers' retirement-fund associations, which must be incorporated. It provides that the city boards of education approve of the plan of the associations. Only contributors to the fund are entitled to its benefits, but a portion of the fund may be raised by taxation, as part of the local school taxes, not exceeding one-tenth of a mill of the taxable property of the city. The term "teachers" embraces all employees of the board, except janitors. The amount of the annual contribution of the teachers to the fund is not mentioned, but is left to the board administering the fund, which can be established only if a majority of the teachers of the city have signified their willingness to join the association.

Nebraska.-An act of 1909 of the legislature of Nebraska provides that in every school district in a city of the metropolitan class there shall be created a public-school teachers' retirement fund, which shall be under the control of the board of education of such school district. The fund is to be created and maintained (1) by an assessment of not less than 1 nor more than 1 per cent of every installment of salary paid to a teacher regularly employed; (2) by setting aside from the general fund of the school district of an amount which shall be not less than one and one-half times the amount of salary assessments, and not less than the amount necessary to meet the payments provided for; (3) by the receipt by gift or otherwise of any real, personal, or mixed property, or any interest therein. The law provides that any teacher who has been credited under the rules and regulations of the board of education with an aggregate of thirty-five years of teaching experience may be retired, and any teacher who has been so credited with an aggregate of forty years of teaching experience shall be retired for no other cause than length of service, and shall receive from the retirement fund $500 per annum so long as such teacher may live, provided that at least twenty years of such teaching experience shall have been in the public schools of such school district. Any teacher who has been credited with an aggregate of twenty-five or more years of teaching experience may be retired on account of disability or incapacity, physical or otherwise, and shall receive from the retirement fund, during the period of retirement, monthly installments, the annual aggregate of which shall be such percentage of the sum of $500 as the number of years of accredited teaching experience of the beneficiary shall bear to the term of thirty-five years, provided that at least twenty years of such accredited teaching experience shall have been in the public schools of such school district.

Teachers under a tenure of permanent employment at the time of the approval of the act may, with the approval of the board of education, be exempt from its provisions.

Pennsylvania.-A retirement fund for teachers has been established in Harrisburg, which is administered by a separate board. The salient features of the scheme are: (1) All the teachers in service at the time of the establishment of the fund get full annuity when retired. (2) Teachers now in service are exempt from minimum age and minimum length of service requirement. (3) Full annuity is half salary—that is, not less than $300, and not more than $800. (4) All teachers contribute 2 per cent of their salaries during the first ten years of service; 3 per cent thereafter. (5) The city school board contributes annually an amount equal to the amount contributed by the teachers. (6) Teachers hereafter coming into the service of the city may retire after thirty years of service, twenty years of which must be in Harrisburg, and after they become 60 years of age. (7) Partial annuities for those hereafter coming into service are proportionate to the time taught in Harrisburg. (8) The maximum contribution per annum is $50, no matter what the salary may be. The most striking feature of the scheme is, that if any present teacher should become incapacitated in any way, she may retire, regardless of age or length of service, on full annuity. (Journal of Education, Boston.)

Rhode Island. The legislature by an act of April 29, 1909, amended the pension law of 1907 by extending its provisions to teachers who had retired before the law was passed. The amended law omits the age requirement of 60 years.

Virginia.-Concerning the law in Virginia, the following official explanation is made:

Every teacher who is pensioned will receive one-half "of the annual salary earned by such person at the time he or she was placed on such list," to be paid in quarterly installments, provided that no teacher shall receive more than $400 annually and no principal more than $500.

The law provides:

"1. That whenever any person, not including superintendents, has taught in the public schools of this State an aggregate of twenty years, if said person has maintained a good record and by reason of physical or mental infirmity or old age is incapable of rendering efficient service as a teacher, or if said person has taught for twenty-five years in this State, and desires to be retired, as herein provided, he or she may make application to the state board of education to be retired and pensioned as hereinafter provided. If the state board of education shall find the facts as above stated it shall place the name of the said person upon a list to be known as the retired teachers' list,' and the said board may, of its own motion, place any teacher on said list who has served for twenty years if said board shall deem it best for the good of the school system to take such action. A careful record shall be kept by the said board of the names of the teachers retired and pensioned under the provisions of this act, and every person so placed upon said list shall receive a pension as hereinafter provided.