Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-30
OPPOSE CHURCH PLAN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
French Extremists Angered by School Authorities Have About
Church Proposition. Completed Arrangements.
SCORED BEFORE DEPUTIES REVISION OF THE LISTS
Minister BRAND Says Offer Has Monday February Selected
Threatening Tone. Of Transfers
CONFUSION m THE CABINET LETTER SUPERINTENDENT
Unexpected Ntuation-wdsy Teachers the
Divergent Papers
Monday, February 4, Selected a. Date
Of Transfers.
TIER OF SUPERINTENDENT
Lays Down Principles and Directs the
Teachers to Work Out the
Details.

Under the direction Of Superintendent
Chancellor the public school authorities
have practically completed arrangements
for the midyear promotion Of pupils. The
date that has been finally selected is next
Monday. February 4. For the past few
weeks II has been considered a certainty
that at least $50 pupils would go in the
grade above that IN which they are now
studying and so more have been considered
as doubtful" BY tomorrow morning As
sistant Superintendent Hughes expects to
have In his ONCE the revised and COM
pleted lists.
AS has been stated In The Star hereto
fore. practically all Of these pupils are ere
peaters'' in the eighth grade and will be
sent forward to the first year OF the high
schools. the largest number going to the
Business High School.
The letter Of the superintendent to the
teachers upon the subject Of midyear pro-
interest and Is still being discussed. Many
teachers have been heard to remark that
they wish the superintendent had been
more explicit in his explanation of how
they are to proceed and arrange their pro-
grams to care for children advanced one
half year at this time. In his letter DR..
Chancellor merely laid down broad princi-
Piles. leaving the working out Of the details
principals.
Authority Vested In Teachers.
'Tn the matter Of promoting pupils and
OF dividing classes" he says. there can be
no question as to who IL responsible and
who must have the authority. This. OF
course. Is vested in the teacher. who spends
his or her life with the boys and girls"
The half-year promotion system is so new
tnu olnr Ind v
however, that they would have been better
satisfied, many Of them say. II DR.. Chancel-
lor had told them how best they could exer-
else this authority.
yearly promotions Is to become effective
next Monday. This will occur, according
to DR.. Chancellor. next June, or September.
the time for the yearly promotions hereto
to whom promotion has been denied-are to
be required to repeat more than the second
half Of the past year; that is, the course
from February to June.
Assistant Superintendent Hughes. as
chairman Of q special committee appointed
by DR.. Chancellor to prepare course in
geography for the elementary grades has
handed in the report OF the Gcmm,1tee 1 bs.
been printed. The report contains twenty
two pages fifteen OF which are devoted to
the course of study, which is understood to
use under Dr. Chancellors direction in Pat
terson, N. J., when he was superintendent
of schools there, though somewhat modified
to suit local conditions.
Comment on Report.
In transmitting the report Mr.. Hughes
says. in part:
Eat a recent meeting OF the supervising
officers you appointed committee consist
ing of Miss Elizabeth Brown director OF
primary instruction; Mr.. A.. T. Stuart. d.
rector Of intermediate instruction. and my
self, to prepare a course Of study in geo.
graphy for the graded schools Of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
I'm order that the committee might have
the benefit of the knowledge and expe-
rience of persons who were engaged in the
actual class work of the subject II in
vited Miss Carl Garrison, Miss Cornelia
Whitney, Mr. c. 8. Clark Mr.. W. w. Black
and DR.. G. Meriwether to attend its meet
ings and to assist in the work.
This scheme has also been approved by
DR.. Winfield s. Montgomery, assistant SUI
perintendent of colored schools.
''The committee carefully examined the
course of study that you introduced else
that course was laid on right lines. but
deemed 1t wise to modify the scheme con-
as to the matter treated. This 1t
has done.
'oThe committee suggests that the course
be introduced as tentative course only.
1t should be tried in the classes. The teach
ers in the upper grades are all teachers or
experience, and their Judgment regarding
the value Of the course and their sugges-
lions for its Improvement Will undoubtedly
merit consideration. The committee recon-
mends that the teachers and supervising Of
ficers be requested to cooperate In per-
fecting this work..