OCR Text |
Show 10 COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN ATBAIFiS. \ tained from nearly all of the States, from agricultural schools, from ' home economics schools, from trade schools, and from every source . from which it was thought practical suggestions could be gotten. The committee critically examined all available material, selected out of it such parts as were found to be suitable for use in Indian schools, and with this as a foundation began the task of developing a practical course for use in all Indian day, reservation hoarding, and nonreservation training schools of the United States. It was thought agvisable to thus tie the course to typical public school courses because of the fact that Indian boys and girls are rapidly going into the public schools, and in comparatively a few decades I will take their places alongside of white boys and girls as an integral part of the public school population. For the present, however, conditions are such as to make it impracticable for this ideal tobe realized. Furthermore, while the academic courses offered in the public schools are adaptable to Indian children's needs, the indus-trial gourses of the public schools are inadequate and unsatisfactory for Indian schools This was an important factor in arriving at the decision to prepare a special course for Indian schools, and while the committee on course of study thought it advisable to in-corporate many of the ideals of public school academic courses for the reason already stated, it was found necessary to blaze almost a new trail in developing the vocat?onal features of the course for Indian schools. Indian schools must train the Indian youth of both sexes to take upon themselves the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. To do this requires a system of schools and an organization capable of preparing the Indian young people to earn a living either among their owh people or away from the reservation homes and in competition with their white brethern. This con-templatea a practical system of s hools with an essentially vocational foundation. In other word the Indian needs a school that will fit hi as fully as possible < or the life of his immediate future and the changing conditions that may mark his remoter future. The school should accomplish this as quickly as is compatible with thor-oughness./ fhe economic needs of all peopl-f the Indian eape-cially- demand that the schools provide for instruction along emi-nently practica1,lines. Indian schools must provide that form of training and instruction wbich leads directly to productive effi-ciency and self-supporL/ To gi+e those who may be interested in Indian education an idea of the comprehensiveness of the course of study, an outline of it is made a part of this report: |