Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-20
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
System Similar to That of Other
Cities.
SUPERINTENDENT ,POWELL'S DEFENSE
Pupils Are Pushed Ahead Faster
Than Under Old Methods.
EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS

| Mr.. Powell, superintendent of schools
continued to talk of methods of educating
| before the subcommittee of the Senate Dis
| trict committee yesterday afternoon after
| The Stars report of the hearing was closed.
| He claimed that the schools of this city are
| in good condition; that the scholars are
| further advanced than ever before, and
| that the system being taught is thoroughly
| satisfactory.
Senator Stewart presided and Senator
Ga.1inSer and Mr.. Charles Moore, clerk of
the committee, were present throughout
the hearing, and all questioned Mr.. Pow
ell. The trustees present We're Mr.. George
II. Harries, Judge Job Barnard, Mr.. Jesse
H Wilson and DIR. Hazen.
Mr.. Powell contended that children spell
more than they ever did, though they do
not stand UP in rows in the manner of the
old spelling bee. He said they never spelled
so well as today.
There has been a greater change in ten
years In educational Methods said Mr..
Powell than there has been in the meth
cd of running street cars. Any man who has
Kept up with street car systems and with
educational methods has seen a greater
change in the latter than with the former"
He held that the children We're advanced
30 or 100 per cent more than thew were
under the old system.
Senator Stewart-'Do You think they are
farther advanced in spelling than they
were formerly?''
Mr.. Powell-'I know it. I do not fear an
examination of the schools. AS for COM
position, there is no comparison with the
present over the old methods"
He dec, AIRED that by the time the child
is in the fifth grade it will read the news
papers and follow the news of the day.
Early Grades Pushed Ahead.
Tho pbi1drap in tba ~,
are twice as far advanced in arithmetic
as they We're under the old system In the
third grade the children are pretty well
grounded in fractions rounded numbers
and abstract numbers. He admitted that
the child is not taught the multiplication
table until he understands it. He is not
taught that three times three is nine
until he is shown that three times three
Is really nine and until he fully realizes
the fact. He must know the facts of arith-
metlc before he is taught the multiplied
ton table.
Mr. Powell said that he stood almost
alone in advocating that children in the
flrst and second grades should go to school
during an entire day. He did this because
in those grades half their time is spent in
outside emplOyments.
Employment of Teachers
Mr.. Powell explained the method of ap-
pointing teachers from the list of Normal
Mr.. Galinger asked If he had power to
dismiss and how he dismissed an incogn-
petent teacher.
Mr.. Powell-'Yes, sir; no, sir We try to
make her better"
Mr.. Gailinger-'That is worse than mod
ern civil service. You can dismiss under
the civil service law for cause"
Mr.. SteWart-"Can you dismiss a
teacher%
Mr.. PowelI-"The rules provide that I
may suspend teacher, but 1 think I have
no power to dismiss teacher
He said that the method of teaching in
the public schools here IS the one in use
in nearly all the cities of the United States.
The teachers, he said, were not always sat
isfactOry, because the wages paid were not
sufficient to get men and women of broad
experience. Formerly those who entered
the Normal School were graduates of the
High School. but this year they admit COL
lege graduates to the Normal School. They
pay better salaries in the schools Of the
west than here, so that the schools Of this
city do not get teachers from the west.
Complaints of Poor Spelling.
Mr., Stewart said he had had many COM
plants that children did not learn to spell
and write. Mr.. Powell said they write bet
ter than they ever did. Under the old
system a few learned to write a prescribed
hand, but now they write an individual
hand, so that child in the slums writes
Mr.. Gallinger read letters from people
who said they dare not sign their names
to them, but which criticised the system of
teaching in the schools. One of these let
tiers said it vas a joke among the scholars
of the High School that they cannot spell.
Mr.. Powell maintained that the vocabu-
larry of the scholars today is greater than
in the past.
No Discipline Needed In the Schools.
Another letter yead by Mr. GaINnger said
that Mr.. Powell did not have the con-
fidence of his teachers and that he did not
support them In matters of discipline
Mr.. Powell said they had no discipline
In the schools, or at least not any to speak
of. They conduct the schools In a wav
that discipline is not necessary He want
ed members of the subcommittee to exam
Inc the schools il they did not believe what
he declared
Mr.. Stewart-"Has it banished tho guile
of playing hookey?"
Mr.. Powell-"Almost. Tho way we are
teaching is the only way that will ban
Mr.. Powell claimed that for ever; person
who complains about children having
studying to do at home there are ten who
ask that more work be sent home in order
that they could learn more rapidly He
said 1t must be remembered that these
! children in the first and second grades are
| In school but three and one-half hours a
| day.
4
Mr. Powell said complaints had come from
| colleges that boys could not gain admission
| to the leading colleges under the old system
| In vogue in the public schools He added
| that the standard of admission to Harvard
| in English branches had advanced % De,
| cent In recent years.
Mr.. Charles Moore, clerk Of tho commit
/ tee, who is graduate of Harvard and
| whose son was admitted to that college la st
year, said that the requirements in English
| were exactly the same for his son as they
| lad been for him in 1874.
/ The Colored Schools
4 Mr.. Powell read a letter from a colorsd
| correspondent hose name he said he would
not give, criticising the coiored schools and
| the board Of trustees. He said the board
| was guilty OF nepotism and favoritism in
| the schools, and number of irregular
| things had been done. He charged that
Mr.. Richardson's daughter was ineligible as
| a teacher and the board voted against her
but she was put in afterward. Schools