Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-01
THE LITTLE TODDLERS.
As They Take Their First Steps on the
Road to knowledge.
superintendent Powell Believes In
to the Grade.

The annual report Of the superintendent
of the public schools, Mr.. w. B. Powell. is
always an interesting document to the
thousands Of parents and others who are
DESTROYS of seeing the schools strengthened
and made more efficient. The District Com
missicners in their annual budget of esti-
mates ask for the new buildings that may
be needed and for the salaries and the
other expenses Of the system. In his an
nual report Mr.. Powell discusses the gen.
eral workings Of the system and also points
out improvements which may be made.
This year he will touch upon the advisa-
bility of adopting the plan which has been
urged in previous years of providing for
the salaries of teachers without regard to
the grade in which they teach.
Under the present system the pay Of
teachers is determined by the grade to
which they are assigned to teach, those
In the first grade receiving the smallest
pay and an increase being provided in each
grade until the maximum salary is reached.
The only way in which a teacher can Sc
cure more pay is by change of grade.
MIR. Powell believes that the basis of COM
pensation can be profitably changed so that
teacher can remain in one grade and yet
receive the highest salary. The effect Of
make it possible to assign teachers to the
grade for which they seem the best adapted.
Trained Teachers Required.
Some think that the first grade requires
higher degree of experience than the
eighth grade and that the best teachers
ought to be placed in charge of the little
ones who are just making a start on the
road to an education and, therefore, 1t Is
urged, demand the guidance of the best
trained teachers. Under the present sys-
tenn there Is no choice but to place the new
teachers, the graduates as a rule from the
Normal School, in charge Of the first grade
while the other teachers who have had
s1e apd OF years pass on to higher
gress has refused to make the change to
what is sometimes termed longevity nav
and so the best has been made of the sys-
tenn as 1t is. The lower grades are con-
stantly supervised so that the inexperience
OF the teacher is corrected and guided and
the best possible results obtained.
There Is another subject which Mr.. Powell
Will discuss, and that is the extension of the
public school system to those who are under
the required school age. The law provides
that pupils shall not be admitted to the
schools under the age of six. 1t is believed
by Mr.. Powell that it will be found to be
more economical in many ways IL the chill
dren, or, at least, the class that do not re-
ceive much attention at home, could come
unuer the 1nfuence OF the training of the
public schools at an earlier age and. there
FORE reduce the time that they would other
wise spend on the streets. Such a change
in the law would require the addition to the
school system OF kindergarten schools He
Is In favor of kindergarten in the public
schools and believes that q beginning can be
made In this direction without a large out
lay of money.
Kindergarten Methods in Use.
In many respects the instruction now CIV
en- in the first grade resembles the kinder
garten methods. but it is not allowed to
admit children younger than six, and so the
expansion of the first grade into a sort of
primary school is prevented by the law. 1t
would be possible to establish schools for
younger children, without much additional
expense, in the localities where there seems
to be demand for Them II 1t could be done
without violation of the law
The Improvement of the lower grades of
the public schools in the particulars indi-
Gated win be advocated by Mr. Powell and
II he does not succeed in securing the neces-
sary legislation, he will continue in the
future as in the past to give the best possi-
BILE service, making the lower grades as eff
cient as the most careful attention and
supervision renders possible. Mr. Powell
thinks that this city is now supplied with
school buildings of superior character and
that the corps of teachers are notable for
their intelligence and their skill and ability
In the instruction Of the young.