curriculum and adjust themselves to the
organization of the school.

These factors will of necessity differ, however, according to the
particular type of school in question. It will therefore be necessary to
inquire into the special problem of the rural school before entering
into a discussion of the means by which it is to accomplish its aim.

_The special problem of the rural school_

Each type of school has not only its general problem which is common to
all schools, but also its special problem which makes it different from
every other class of schools. The special problem of any type of school
grows out of the nature and needs of the community which supports the
school. Thus the city school, whose pupils are to live the industrial
and social life of an urban community, confronts a different problem
from that of a rural school, whose pupils are to live in a farming
community. Each type of school must suit its curriculum, its
organization, and its instruction to the demands to be met by its
pupils. The knowledge taught, the attitudes and tastes developed, and
the skill acquired must be related to the life to be lived and the
responsibilities to be undertaken.

The rural school must therefore be different in many respects from the
town and city school. In its organization, its curriculum, and its
spirit, it must be adapted to the requirements of the rural community.
For, while many pupils from the rural schools ultimately follow other
occupations than farming, yet the primary function of the rural school
is to educate for the life of the farm. It thus becomes evident that the
only way to understand the problem of the rural school is first to
understand the rural community. What are its industries, the character
of its people, their economic status, their standards of living, their
needs, their social life?

The rural community is industrially homogeneous. There exists here no
such a diversified mixture of industries as in the city. All are engaged
in the same line of work. Agriculture is the sole occupation. Hence the
economic interests and problems all center around this one line. The
success or failure of crops, the introduction of a different method of
cultivation or a new variety of grain, or the invention of an
agricultural implement interests all alike. The farmer engaged in
planting his corn knows that for miles around all other farmers are
similarly employed; if he is cutting his hay or harvesting his