The Washington times., 1906-03-02
UnfOunded Criticism of Schools.

UIlIOulluEU GIItlCiSIlI vi C(llUOlSs
The hearings now being conducted
by the subcommittee of the House
Committee on the District of Colum-
bia might have been expected to de
Velop many adverse criticisms of our
schools, which had their basis in mis-
information, or prejudice, or personal
animosity toward one or more of the
schools officials, or misjudgment-
They might have been expected, also,
to produce testimony designed to sus-
tain the system in all its parts-how-
ever just the disapproval of any sin
gle part might be. For it is a usual
manifestation of human nature that
an inquiry which one begins as a
judge he ends as an advocate.
With the more extreme misrepre-
sentations of the system, the COM
munity need not concern itself. Two
charges have been made against it,
however, which this panGr-in view
of its own outspeaking in disapproval
of the conduct of the Board of Edu-
eation-thinks 1t well TO disavow and
contradict The Times my think
it does think-the present board has
been guilty of about all the shilly-
shallying, yielding, and weakness
which could have been expect
ed of any board of our citizens.
But il does not think. and it doubts
if there are any facts to sustain the
charges, that the teaching force of
this city lacks esprit de corps, or that
promotion, like kissing, has gone by
favor. The facts are there is a fine
esprit de corps and promotion has, if
anything, gone too much by hard
rule.
In the course of a close eXamina-
ton of the District schools-to con-
slider the state of our schools general
ly-the citizen whose mind is open
and judgment is clear must be i'm
pressed, we think, with these facts in
about this order:
First-The unusual high character
and professional ability of the whole
teaching force.
Second-The unaffected loyalty of
the teachers to the service.
Third-The vast amount of work
being done by teachers a1d officials
alike, which money could not buy,
and which is made possible only by
the highest conception of their duties
and complete professional fitness for
those duties.
Fourth-The scantiness of the
equipment,
Fifth-The extremely low pay of
the teachers of every grade
Sixth-The high cost of the system,
despite the low pay of the teachers.
Seventh-The need for more discre-
don and courage in the Board of
Education.
Eighth-The need for more nearly
separating the business administra-
ton from the professional adminis-
tration of the schools.
If the inquirer's Judgment conforms
with that of The Times, he will turn
away profoundly impressed with
these things:
That a uniform increase in the
salaries of all the teachers is the first
present need of the schools; that the
graded schools are the most import
ant. as they are the most numerous,
branch of the system, and that their
needs should be conserved first; that
the night schools should be extended;
that the high schools have suffered
particularly in the matter of low
salaries; that the equipment in
school buildings and supplies, should
be suited everywhere and at once to
the demands upon it; and that the
whole system should be so tightened
that those who appear in its behalf
before Congressional subcommittee
will have no occasion to apologize for
its size and cost.
his is the judgment of The Times. |
In obedience TO it, The Times has
protested against an administration
Of the schools by the Board of Edu-
cation which has tended directly
away from a tightening of the sys-
fem, has threatened the splendid es-
prit de corps which now prevails, and
has failed to make the slightest pro-
gress toward the establishment of
the system on a platform of hard
business sense and advanced peda-
gogical principles. But The Times
must not be misunderstood as chal-
longing the character or the capabili-
ty of teachers and supervisors it
knows to be worthy of all respect.