The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-12
MIXED SCHOOLS AN ISSUE
MOVEMENT IN NEW TORK TO
AVOID

by the President of ehe Board
of acknowledgement in Favor
of Double Schools and More Prin-
cipais, Instead of the larger In-
situations aud the Several Assist
ants.
There is a conflict of opinion on the
subject Of mixed schools" between the
City Superintendent and the Women
Principals Association of Manhattan
and the Bronx. A short time ago most
OF the women principals-at least those
prominent in the associa tion-Were
champions of DR.. MAXWELL: but he has
given offence to them in advocating and
putting into practice his ideas as to
mixed schools (for both sexes,) with
male principal at the head, and assist
ants to principals as lieutenants. The
woman believe that the organization of
mixed schools under such circumstances
means the determination Of women
principals in the schools, and are
opposed to anything that may reduce
their sex entirely to subordinate posi-
tons. A committee Of the women re-
Gently waited upon Dr. Maxwell and
argued with him in vain.
At the last meeting of the Board of
Education DR.. Maxwell had a resolu-
ton adopted, instructing him to
organize Public School No. 1856, West
One Hundred and Forty-six Street
and Amsterdam Avenue, which has
forty-eight classrooms, as a mixed
school. A protest has been entered and
the claim was made that it had been
promised the people of that district that
the school should be for girls. Dr.
Maxwell explained that there would be
plenty of room to take care of all the
girls in the district, as well as the boys;
that there would be room to spare, and
that they could have kindergartens for
the. babies, and cooking classes for the
girls. DR.. Maxwell was pleased when
the motion was adopted, for he believed
that the Women Principals Association
was behind the protest. The incident
was supposed to be closed, but
vigorous protest was made to Presi-
dent Birmingham by John P. Leo, a
resident of the district, who accused
certain persons with misstatements,
and alleged that the reason the school
was to be for both sexes, with male
principal in charge, was because a man
had been selected for the position be-
fore the action of the Board had been
taken. In order to give him and the
Local School Board an opportunity to
be heard, Mr.. Birmingham told Mr.. Leo
to appear before the Committee on Ele-
mentary Schools next Tuesday, and
present his case.
One of the Officers of the Women
Principals Association explained why
she had her colleagues opposed the
organization of mixed schools, in this
way:
There are many reasons. While
those of us who are already principals
of schools have nothing to fear for our
= positions, we know that there will be
few opportunities for women in future
to become principals if DR.. MaxwelTs
ideas prevail. True women can become
heads of departments, or assistants to
principals; but when they reach that
place they must halt, no mater how
qualified for the higher position they
may be.
1T might be different We're conditions
in Manhattan the same as in Brooklyn
or the suburbs where small schools are
being erected. But here the buildings
that are being constructed are all large
and the chief weaknesses of our city
schools to-day are due to their size
They have virtually ceased to be
schools, and have become institutions
in which all consideration of the indi-
vidual is lost. Their principals are no
longer the counsellors and sympathetic
friends Of teachers and pupils, but are
now mere administrators, overwhelmed
by a man of details, able to grant to
the parents of their pupils only the
most hurried interviews, inaccessible
to their teachers unknown to their
children. The heart is gone out of the
modern school, and has left statistics to
take it's place.
1.-THE bylaws of the Board Of Educa-
ton define clearly and wisely the duties
of principal in an ideal school, but the
present organization of our enormous
educational institutions renders impos-
sible the realization of the plan. The
bylaws assume that the principal is to
possess a personal knowledge of pupil
and teacher; is to render the necessary
assistance personally; is to admonish
guide and advise in person. No pro-
vision is made in these clauses Of the
bylaws for the handling over Of these
all-important obligations to any subor-
dinate. And yet in these immense
schools these supervisory duties are
found to be assigned to assistants, eXer-
cising an underlined and irresponsible
authority provocative of discomfort and
subversive of good discipline. This
system was carried so far in Brooklyn
as to arouse the criticism of the City
Supertindent of Schools in recent an
nual report of his to the Board of
Education.
,"It may be necessary because of the
cost of city land to continue to erect
these huge barracks of school buildings
but it is not necessary to deprive pupils
and teachers of sufficient guidance by
principals properly equipped for their
important duties Schools organized
like No g. 90 and II, in the Borough of
Manhattan, solve the problem. Each
of these great buildings contain dou
BILE school, the two departments entire
~ unconnected with and independent Of
each other. One comprises all grades
of boys, under the supervision of man
principal; the other all grades of girls,
under the supervision Of a woman