• DOI:10.1086/454260
• Corpus ID: 144643192

Seven, Eight, and Nine Years in the Elementary School

@article{Brooks1913SevenEA,
  title={Seven, Eight, and Nine Years in the Elementary School},
  author={Eugene Clyde Brooks},
  journal={The Elementary School Teacher},
  year={1913},
  volume={14},
  pages={20 - 28}
}

• E. Brooks
• Published 1 September 1913
• Education
• The Elementary School Teacher

Can a four-year high school resting on a seven-year grammar school give a preparation equal to that of a four-year high school resting on an eight-year grammar school ? It is not so much the purpose of my investigation to answer this question as it is to present some facts relative to the grammar schools especially and the high school incidentally, which are sufficient to prove this, that there is no general rule governing the length of the grammar school, and no strong reason why either a seven-, eight-, or nine-year school, as a class, exists in its present form. Each seems to be the result of accident or imitation, and, in many instances, an eight-year grammar school might, without at all detracting therefrom, or adding thereto, be labeled with equal accuracy a nine-year school, or a seven-year school. The efficiency of any school system must be judged (i) by its content, that is, the quality and the quantity of subject-matter presented, and (2) by its organization, that is, how this content is distributed through the years, how it is adjusted to the age, ability, and experience of the child, and what opportunity it gives the child for the best development, consequently the best progress from year to year. In studying the content and the organization of the grammar school, this question naturally presents itself: Is there an exact amount of subject-matter necessary for all children before they can begin the work of the high school? Or can we measure the content of the grammar school in terms of units? Whenever a definite number of years is adopted, whether it be seven, eight, or nine, the quality and quantity of the content of the grammar school must be made more nearly uniform. When this is done we are close to a unit basis.