The Supervision of Extra-Curricular Activities

Abstract

The following investigation was made with the purpose in view of devising a method for the supervision of extra-curricular activities in the high school that could be applied universally to all types and sizes of high schools and solve the many evils connected with the administration of the manifold forms of these activities as found in our schools. Three sources of material were used in this investigation: (i) the literature on this phase of school administration; (2) reports by school principals on question blanks submitted at random to a large number of high schools; (3) reports in the form of personal letters from a number of principals who were known to be interested in this phase of high-school administration. From the literature, especially from the Proceedings of the National Education Association and various school journals, were obtained descriptions of many pioneer experiments in the supervision of extra-curricular activities. From the question-blank reports it was possible to determine statistically such questions as (i) the extent of extra-curricular activities in the schools, (2) the evils that exist in connection with these activities, and (3) the various types of administration that are being used. Personal letters were written to a number of high-school principals who were known to have an active interest in the problem or to have recently inaugurated new schemes of administration. From this source came many descriptions of recent experiments. As a result of this investigation, it was found possible to devise and put into operation the plan of supervision described in this article, a plan which I am convinced can be used as the basis of a well-organized, standardized scheme of supervision, adaptable to all schools. It is impossible to reproduce in this article the details of the statistical results of the investigation. A few general conclusions, 659