Population Growth and Education.

Following World War I the population of the United States grew rapidly, with approximately thirteen million children not yet of school age, twenty-five million children between the ages of five and fifteen, and ten million students between the ages of sixteen and twenty. During the decade Americans became more and more interested in child education, health, and welfare. Total losses by death yearly in the population of the United States were approximately two and one-quarter million, a substantial reduction from previous decades. Since a greater number of children survived to adulthood than ever before, more of them were filling classrooms. Other facts concomitant with the increase in public-high-school enrollment during the decade included rural to urban population mobility, the increased influence of U.S. society, and a cultural awakening to the educational needs of children. The United States thus experienced...