Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-21

like this, isolation never means nrogr.ss
put tends to routinism and even to retro,
gression. ~ lulu
Il have visited in the past five nop,bs
ninety-three different school bouses Ian5
nave seen the classes in actual operation in
seVenty-tWo of those school houses m.
eonoitiohs nave been such that | have
1elt IL necessary to visit certain scboole
OFTEN and to omit others entirely | havn
seen nearly every high school n number
or times. The conditions of our high schools
az TINS district seem to me exceptionally
favorable In, certain respects and AT The
same time cause of anxiety in others
Inc chief cause of anxiety Is the low
salaries. making it very difficult to IN va
cancies with competent persons
Suggests Reforms.
Ihere are two needs in the District
to which l desire to call your attention
which are remediable by the action of this
board in the next few months One is the
liberalization of the course of study in the
higher grades by the Introduction of more
science and perhaps more language work to
which l have already referred The other
Is thorough overhauing of the list of
text books in use. In my opinion, half
OF the text books in this District are
antiquated or in other ways unified tn the
grades to which they are assigned IL
seems unwise another year to spend the
pubic money for inferior material
desire also to call particularly to the
attention of the board the admirable Way
IN which the supervising principals and
building principals and class teachers of
the District have put In operation the half
year promotion scheme. OF course, there is
dlfference m the preparedness of certain
divisions for this scheme. as compared with
other divisions. but l have taken pains to
INFORM myself with regard to each division
ana SO far as possible In regard to each
school building; and / find that there is no
school building in which the half-year pro-
motlon is not in force, and that there are
many divisions where il Is practically as
fully In force as 1t ever will need to be-
The teachers have shown an interest I'm this
plan and a skill in carrying it out that
speak very favorably for their compe-
tence.
Il note one-ca of dissatisfaction in the
District in that in making transfers of
pupils from one high school to the other II
is found that different standards prevail,
purpose that there shall be instituted in
the high schools a system Of marking upon
counts SO that when a given body of work
In each particular subject has been COM
pleted with q satisfactory mark that this
may constitute credit valid not only In
that high school but in all the other high
schools. 1t should be a part and parcel in
this system of marking in the high schools
that those studies with four or Ave periods
of work a week shall have more counts
than the studies requiring three hours or
two. The practice prevails In certain places
elsewhere Of graduating on about $50
counts year. taking for example the aIge-
bra of the first year with i've exercises a
week as afYoriing ten counts. I believe
this interchangeable system Of marking
would do away with much of the friction
which seems now to exist in the relation OF
the schools to one another"