Evening star., 1900-07-09
The school Appointments.

| The new school board has started work in
| a way to command popular confidence in
| It's intention to meet the wishes of the COM
munity and the virtual commands of Con-
| gress. The appointments made by it Sat
uIday are satisfactory evidence of this pur-
| pose. for they reflect clearly the spirit of
| ia tional reform in the school processes and
policies. The board in the first place, acted
wisely in choosing "a superintendent man
familiar with the local educational field.
Identified with it and yet not representative
OF any of the features against which objec-
items have been raised. 1t wise. too. to
| choose for this task one acquainted with the
graded schools. which are most urgently in
need of new direction and judicious devel-
opment. Mr.. Stuarts long connection with
the Washington public schools. his high
personal ch tractcr. his large capacity and
particularly his sympathy with the demand
for change in the system combine to fit
him markedly for this new responsibility.
which it is confidently expected he will
| meet with success. The appointment OF Mrs.
Myers as an assistant superintendent was
II happy departure from the precedents,
giving opportunity to conserve more fully
the constructive force of the experience and
capacity of the women teachers. who are in
Il large majority. The other appointments.
!lN blNlllS tnb1StS Wnlcn SlItilSlnen Int
supervising force on educational lines are
sa satisfactory in the same degree and supply
at the outset an admirable equipment of
educational machinery wherewith the board
nay execute. the will of the people.
This reorganization should not obscure
the fact that the ultimate and continuing
responsibility for the success of the schools
rests upon the board itself and not upon
these capable people whom it has chosen as
principal workers. The initiative of the
necessary reform must come from the
board. The actual planning must be done
10y it, If TIM should prove these new ap-
pointees to be unequal to the professional
requirements of the task of reconstructing
the school system out of the best materials
of both the old and the new methods. of
course others are to be found. for the board
will be held strictly to account for the sue
cess failure of the movement to improve
III" local educational system.
The reformttOry changes will call for
careful planning. The hope of the people
is that the board will so judiciously COM
hine from the two systems of education
that the Washington schools will be noted
for their practical efficiency well as their
broad progrcSSiveness. 1t Is expected that
thr children will again be given the advan-
tage of direct memory drill once a DOM
iHdnt and perhaps too conspicuous feature
Of educational processes. calculated to de-
vclop the rctcutive faculties at the age at
which most benefit may he derived from
such a course. Ii is also expected that
coupled with the memory drill will be those
features Of the new system which tend to
develop most effectively and with due re-
gard to the chiId's mental capacities the
powers Of observation and reason thus
c1mi'ininT to give the greatest possible aid
in producing d well-equirped mind.
Saturdays steps of renrganiza ton should
u"' alarm tn" teachers. There is no evil
demo" of Il desire to conduct the proposed
wholesome practical Improvement OF local
educational methods on radical and revolu-
ti"naTy Iines. uprooting and overturning
Whatever exists. whether good or bad, or
," affect unplcasantly the individual sub
ORDINATE workers or to So cnange their tasks
a. I" lay heavy additional burdens ,.pou
them.