A survey of the educational system of the Philippine islands by the Board of educational survey, created under acts 3162 and 3196 of the Philippine Legislature.

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

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present conditions is on the whole "no," but there are some excellent
stimuli to such growth.
Four things are necessary to stimulate an administrator to steady
professional growth: (a) The challenge of the work itself must be
enough to command his best efforts; (b) His administrative superiors
must stimulate him constantly to grow in the important professional
aspects of his work; (c) He must have reasonable opportunities for the
contacts with his professional associates, for the development of a
professional spirit without which men in any line of endeavor cannot
grow professionally; (d) He must keep up with the important advances
in the professional literature of education.
(a) The challenge of the school work itself is sufficient to command
the best efforts of the most capable men in the world. Americans in
service in the Islands have all the challenges they would have in the
States. In addition, the numerous difficulties connected with new customs, different methods of thought, language problems, and the like,
are sufficient to call forth higher powers than would be developed in a
less difficult situation.
(b) The administrative superiors in the Philippines, under the conditions for some years past, have not offered to men in subordinate
positions sufficient stimulation to professional growth. Due to a shortage of funds, the central office has not had the kind of staff necessary
to spur them to advancement in professional lines. The central staff
has in recent years been chiefly concerned with the routine phases of
its work. It has insured honesty of expenditure, safe-guarded property
and checked mechanical activities. All of these things are fundamental
and must be done. But it has not been staffed with specialists competent to give help on professional problems.
There is, however, one important aid to professional growth, which the
central staff gives. This is the custom of submitting to the annual
convention of the superintendents in Baguio each May, all proposed
changes in policy, recommendations for legislation, and the like. Much
of the work on these is done by committees of superintendents and they
thus are led to consider and debate many important problems of school
administration. This conference activity affords much incentive to the
kind of growth desired. This policy is calculated to result in more
consulting of the field, in the placing of more responsibility for the
determination of policies upon the field without any avoidance by the
central authorities, than obtains in American states.
(c) The school administrator in the Philippines is particularly fortunate in some respects in the opportunities to come in contact with
other men in his field of work. The various conventions for superin