The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-28
What Has Been Gained in the
institutions Of Seattle,
STATISTICS FOR NINE YEARS
rscrteen Hundred Years. Time Saw
ed by the Pupils Of the PrfmArr
ana Grammar schools in Lens
Than . Observation-Disclosures Of. H:as-
CITY Are Copied-Rapid Growth
shown In Detail by Figures.

-p,,pils are classified so as to shorten
tile way for the quick-wittcd and permix'
them to enter new fields. and give more
timc and attention to the slow thinkers,
restraining neither, bat enabling both %
make proeress although advancing AT dtf-
fevent rates Of speed" is the explanation
in BRIEF Frank ]. Barnard. superintendent
Of the public schools of Seattle. makes OF
the promotion system he has been per-
facting here for the last eight years. The
eotution Of the promotion problem has
been the special object Of. educators for
the last quarter of . century. and Seattle
seems to have been the favored place 70
have Il first Tue reputation It has made
has been gradually Disseminated for. the
last two or three.years. until lately others
have beg,in to copy the system. Oakiands
CaA, taking the lead.
The results Of the innovation have been
startling. Under old-time methods there
wAs constant friction between the crtGnt
ANA dull pupils of all schools. The former
would quickly learn their lessons, and,
chadns under the want of-somethins TO
do. relapse into mischief while the slower.
psoddtng boys and girls would labor night
ana day to keep up with their class sche0-
ule. only to find at the end Of theyAar that
they have failed to pass In some Of the ex-
aminations and would have to 30 over
the same ground again. Now all Is DIFF
ferent, In Seattle at least. and brilliant
or dnl,. slow or swift. the pupil Is ever adj
vancfng at a speed rated according to his
ability, some finishing the public schools
in much less than the allotted twelve
years, and others taking thirteen or four
teen, without the disbursements of hav-
ing to wait for the plodders in the one
instance, and free from the CONSEQUENCES
that the same work has to bo repeated to
atone for lack OF briiliancy In the other.
Illustrating the scheme.
"Let me illustrate what this scheme is
continued Prof. Barnard. Suppose there
are four separate but parallel railway
tracks extending from Seattle to Boston.
with train on each track ready to start
today some having startedi yesterday and
Others to start tomorrow. Tho train on
track No. Is to travel fifty miles an
hour. on track No. Q forty miles an hour,
on No. 8 thirty miles. and on No. TWEEN
ty miles an hour. Suppose, further, that
eighty Of our Boston friends, wishing to
return home, some OF them desiring to
reach there as soon rs possible take train
No. 1. others Nos. or or 4 Now. II 10
evident that No. ]. leaving today, will
soon overtaaee and pass No. I, that left
yesterday. and that No. I. leaving tomor-
row, will soon pass today's No. 4. So,
too, will today's No. ! pass Nos. and 8
that left yesterday.
'As the trains 60 Numbering Along. all
at different raten OF 4pSed. many OF the
travellers may change their minds. and
wish to change to other trains. Some. I'M
able to endure the rapid travel of No. /.
will transfer to No. as soon as 1t IL
overtaken, and others going too slowly,
who started on No. 4, will take the first
No. train that passes. So the journey
continues, all travelling toward Boston,
not one taking the back track. but trans
ferrinR, when advisable. from one train
to another, either by taking the NEXT one
ahead or by waiting for the f,rst one that
follows
Illustration Applied.
THE application OF the illustration to
the classification of the pupils in our
schools Ia plain The route ia the course
of study, the mile-posts are the successive
chapters of the same. usually designated
first half second hail. of D, C, b. A
primary. and ID. C.. b, A grammar schools.
The parallel tracks are the different divis-
ions into which the total number OF pupils
In class may be grouped, ON the basis
Of twenty pupils in each division, and as
signing two divisions to each teacher. The
destination is the high school or univer-
sity. 1t is clear that under such an ar
rangement two primary teachers can take