InterStudent: A Progress Report

Harry Pollard

[A report prepared 30 April 1980 at the request of the New York
board of the Henry George School of Social Science]

First, the figures: some 92 schools are subscribers to the Program. They are located in 56 Californian cities, in another 14 states and 2 Canadian provinces and one Australian state. New York state is represented by 6 schools (3 in the city boroughs). The latest order has just been sent by air to Western Australia, where some 90 students will begin the Program in mid-May. As I mentioned in my Report, we are changing our thrust to junior highs. At least 21 junior highs are included in the above total. We cannot trace some other schools (not totalled above) because orders sometimes come from a school district with no clue as to their final destination.

Minimum participation in a school subscription is one class of 20 - 40 students, but this is very rare. If a teacher is running InterStudent, it will be for all his classes of a particular course, or about 130 - 160 students. However, many schools run every student of several teachers through the Program. This means that several hundred experience the Program. Some 'Georgist' teachers use only part of the Program - for example, the land-use Minis (Ricardo, Malthus and George). I often follow such a packet with a lecture and discussion on how to deal with land-speculation by economic rent collection.

The Program has many variations. Some schools run InterStudent by copying or printing the material. One such school in San Diego County has a central printing plant which services its entire senior grade with our material. Every few years, they get the latest revision from us to make up new plates. Such schools are not included in the above total.

Adult Program

My "Economics for Fun and Profit" class is moving along well. Only seven students enrolled. All will probably graduate. They paid $36 for 8 sessions. The material and methods have now been refined to a point where they work. Our cost is minimal and we'll make about $130 'net profit' from it.

It seems important to me that we make money, or at least break even, in our class promotion. For almost 50 years, we've been locked into class promotion that drains our assets. If we can get our money back, we can promote again. If we spend it all, our progress stops - until more money arrives.

I remember Margaret Bateman's comment when Director in New York, that if she were to stand on 69th Street with the offer of $10 to anyone who would take the P & P course -- it would be a cheaper way to promote classes. Stan Rubenstein's Long Island classes are tremendously encouraging to us all. He is doing what should be done everywhere. Yet, his cost is high -- almost $20 per graduate. Our latest effort returned almost $20 profit per student, but with a small group. Somehow, we must bring together Stan's numbers and our 'profit'. Should we succeed, our school will be effectively carrying out its charge.

"The Good Society"

I believe I have a format that will be interesting both to our own people and to the outside world - the outside meaning, at first, curriculum specialists, teachers and other educational professionals. A primary purpose of the periodical is the promotion of the high school program. However, this will be accomplished only if "The Good Society" is read. Therefore, it must be provocative enough to induce reader participation. Reform groups mostly feel that their totally surrounded truths need only the revelation of the printed page to be fully understood by all. But, it just isn't so and shelves everywhere are loaded with unread brilliancies.

Film

I mentioned in my report a film to be produced with funds from Lillian Howell. This is proceeding. The intention of the producers was to make a film about George. I have persuaded them to change their direction toward a film about the land problem's effect on the modern economy, how it causes difficulties and how it can be remedied.

This is a more difficult approach for them, but I think it will be possible within the necessary constraints of economy and time.