The most important consideration relative to secondary instruction is that of the time devoted to the work. This underlies all questions of curricula and of the adjustment of preparatory to superior courses, and has, moreover, social and economic bearings which can not be ignored. It is a matter about which there is great diversity of practice, and also one with reference to which it is difficult to secure satisfactory information. Two inquiries made by the Office this year were directed to this subject. The first asked the age of admission, the second the duration of the course of study under three heads, viz: (1) Preparatory to classical course in college. (2) Preparatory to scientific course in college or scientific school. (3) General academic course. It was found that as a general rule in the high schools answering the inquiries, the three courses have the same duration, which is either 3 or 4 years. In a few cases the scientific preparatory is one year less than the classical. In the private schools for boys, on the contrary, the scientific preparatory is, as a rule, a year shorter than the classical. The following summary shows the possibilities or probabilities as to the age at which pupils will finish secondary courses considering their duration and the age required for admission. Where the three courses differed in time the classical preparatory was the one employed. The number of high schools responding to both inquiries was 97, and the number of private schools for boys (the only class here considered), 91: TABLE 33.-COMPARATIVE STATISTICS OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS. TABLE 33.-COMPARATIVE STATISTICS OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS-Continued. DIVISION B.-Schools supported partly by public funds. |