Work of the State Department of Education.

The twenty-three counties of the State in 1922-23 enrolled in school
153,000 children in nearly 2,300 schools in charge of nearly 4,500 teach-
ers. Over 15,300 of these pupils were in the 148 high schools dis-
tributed over the State, in the same year, the counties expended on
schools approximately $6,000,000 for current expenses and $1,500,000
for capital outlay. Of the former amount over $2,000,000 was received
from the State of Maryland. Baltimore City received $1,000,000 from
the State School Funds.

The State public school budgets for 1925, 1928 and 1927, totalling
$3,694,745, $3,812,600 and $3,896,681 insure continued progress in car-
rying forward the policies established by the Legislature of 1922. State
Aid for High Schools, the Equalization Fund, and provision for a new
Eastern Shore Normal School at Salisbury are the only items with in-
creases of more than $10,000.

High school enrollment and attendance in the counties are increasing
by approximately 20 per cent a year. necessitating some additions to
the teaching staff. The larger amount of State aid provided annually
merely takes care of this necessary and normal increase required by
greater enrollment.

The normal schools have an enrollment for 1923-24 of more than 700.
Towson and Frostburg gave diplomas to 300 young men and women in
1923, practically all of whom became members of the county teaching
staffs for 1923-24. They replaced teachers in many counties holding
third grade provisional certificates. In 'the financially poorer counties
which can not carry the minimum requirements of the State program on
a county school tax rate of 67 cents, the State provides the additional
amount necessary through an Equalization Fund. This Fund will grow
until all county teaching positions are filled by professionally trained
men and women.

For the first time during the school year ending in June, 1923, there
was at least one supervising or helping teacher in every county in
Maryland: Supervision or improving instruction is accomplishing the
following results in the elementary schools:

I, There is organization of what to teach where formerly there
was chaos. ..

2. Higher standards of teaching have been set up and main-
tained in place of the low standards which formerly pre-
vailed. ...

3. Definite standards for the progress of children are held up
and reached where formerly there was no guide.

4. The gradual elimination of the excessive number of over-
age pupils is being brought about since the advent of su-
pervision.

5. Physical conditions in the schools are much improved by
reason of the supervisor's insistence.

6. Teachers, from poorly prepared beginners to those of ex-
perience and superior merit, are benefited by supervisory
assistance. ..

7. Supervision is breaking down the isolation of the teacher
in rural schools and is utilizing all the strength of all the
teachers for the benefit of each one of them.
In 1923 there were twenty-three superintendents and thirty-nine
supervising or helping teachers employed for the 3,038 white elementary
teachers scattered over the 9,859 square miles in the counties, an average