Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-09
THE RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED
Address by DR.. Starr Parsons
Regarding Situation.
CONDITIONS ARE DEPL0RED
Proposed Examination Of Normal
School Pupils Declared to Be an
Unwarranted Innovation.
CONDITIONS ARE DEPL0REI

last evening the Northeast Citizens
Association adopted report from
its school committee severely ar
raigning the administration Of ST.
pcrintendent Chancellor. 1t was de-
clared that there exists deplorable
lack of harmony between the super
intendent and the board of educa-
ton, and that the superintendent has
failed to make an earnest effort to
acquaint himself with local condi-
tons. His course with reference to
the normal schools, whose pupils he
is about to examine, contrary, as
many believe, to the spirit of the
boards recent action, was con-
demned.
The report of the committee, as adopted.
was signed by F. D. Foster. chairman of
the committee; Dr. Starr Parsons W. G..
Lang and A. II. F. Holster. DIR. Parsons
delivered long address on the school con-
dtions here, in which he reviewed the work
of the present administration since the be-
ginning of the fall term. and criticised the
results freely.
The report was as follows
After a thorough and extended investiga-
ton of the present condition of public
schools, your committee on schools is pre-
pared to submit the following report. We
were asked to report the schools in the
early fall. but considered 1T unfair TO the
new management to judge them before they
had time to show US just what we could
expect; now, after seven months, We find
conditions worse than at first. Your com
mittee has been in close touch with the
public schools of the District of Columbia
for the past fifteen years, and We believe
the general conditions are worse now than
at any time during that period.
Alleged Lack of Cooperation.
We find a great lack of that sympa-
thetic cooperation between the teachers
and the management that is so essential
10 good school government. Just at this
time the public is being treated to an evil
dence of the utter lack of harmony between
the school board and the superintendent,
and the evil effect Of the latters methods
of school administration. A short time ago
the superintendent submitted to the board
a recommendation that the pupils of the
normal school graduating classes should be
subjected to examinations before the issue
of diplomas, such examinations to count for
30 per cent in the total reckoning of the
standing of the pupils.
Acting on the recommendation of its
proper committee. the school board re-
jected this suggestion as far as It applied to
the current years work of the normal
schools holding the whole matter in abey-
ance until certain Information could be OBJ
tanned from other cities with regard to the
1ft too xrrtfh o u lA
change of method in the future. Promptly
upon the heels of this action the superin-
tendcnt addressed identical letters to the
heads of the normal schools announcing
that he proposed to conduct examinations,
both oral and written.
ut was later explained that the superin-
tendent diu not intend that these examina-
| lions should be considered as tests Of the
fitness of pupils to graduate and receive
diplomas, but the announcement has, new
ertheless, created the distinct impression
that there Is bad faith somewhere, either
on the part of the board of education on
the part of the superintendent. 1t is OBJ
vious to any citizen that even though the
superintendent might not withhold a d.
ploma from pupil of the normal schools
on the score Of failure to pass the ex
aminations conducted by him.-such a pupil
would have difficulty in obtaining as
signment under his SUPPLEMENTARY in the
autumn.
Evident Injustice.
The injustice of this proposed procedure
becomes more evident when 1t is explained
that the normal school pupils have not
| worked to the end Of confronting formal ex-
amners. but have done their task Of two
years in accordance with the established
system of classroom markings. To require
them suddenly to prepare for formal oral
and written examinations means to put a
heavy burden upon them. and 1t is entirely
conceivable that some of the best of them
might fail by reason af their nervous appre-
hension and the lack of time to pack their
minds with Textbook data of a sort to sat
isfy the critical Judgment Of examiners.
Even granting that the proposed exami-
ma atoms are not actually reckoned as part
| of the graduating tests. it is today practi-
cally certain that under the superintend-
ents scheme of ascertaining the fitness OF
individuals in advance Of their graduation
the local public schools will lose the services
of some of the teaching talent produced by
the normal schools.
THE superintendents amazing course In
the face of the boards positive action re-
jecting his recommended ton for an examina
| ton, has not yet been fully explained, and
| the citizens Of Washington, especially those
who hope to see their children pass through
| the high and normal schools into the teach
| ing body of the District. are today anxiously
| awaiting the boards reply to what is obvi-
ousy a challenge Of its authority and turis-
| diction, issued by Its subordinate, the su-
| erintendent of schools.
he8aroed as TuZz1ng.
'In this connection 1t Is proper to state
that the superintendent conduct toward
| the normal schools Of Washington is par
ticularly puzzling, inasmuch as he has W
| to this time not visited either Of those
schools or displayed the least interest in
| the manner In which they do their work
Although the white normal school Is To-
Gated within the Franklin building. where
| he has his office, he has yet to pay 1t a call
| during It's school hours. On one occasion
It Is related. he did spend five minutes on
| the threshold Of one of the normal school
| rooms, but purely in a social capacity, hold
| ing on that occasion very formal recep-
| ton attended by the faculty and pupils OF
the school, He is today absolutely unac-
| quainted with the methods In vogue in this
the most important branch Of the school
! system. save as he has been informed by
certain agencies OF tale-bearing activity.
| Herein. indeed, lies the chief source Of
the utter Decentralization of the schools. In
stead of opening his ears to all teachers.
hearing their reports and advising them
as to their work. he has hedsed himself
behind the protecting shelter Of q so-called
| advisory council an unofficial body Of