Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-27
SUBMITS ITS REPORT
Commission Recommends
Changes in School System.
LARGE BUILDINGS NEEDED
Abandonment of Many Local Struc-
lures Suggested.
CHANGES IN HIGH SCHOOLS
Central and Eastern Buildings to Be
Used for other Purposes-Rec-
concentrations Made.
LARGE BUILDINGS NEEDED
CHANGES IN HIGH SCHOOLS


of Mai. Jaw j. Morrow Engineer Com
missioner; James Knox Taylor, supervis
ing architect of the Treasury, and Prof
A. T. Stewart superintendent of schools
appointed by Congress last spring to in
vestigate the physical condition of schools
throughout the country with view OF
adopting changes in connection with the
architecture and arrangement of the Local
school buildings submitted its report &c
Congress today. The report is a volumi-
nous one and replete with valuable plans
Of buildings in various cities.
The most important recommendations
included in this report are summarized as
follows:
The abandonment of the eight-roon
school building as type, except as the
first half of an ultimate sixteen-room
building.
The adoption of the sixteen-room build
ing and of the twenty-four-room building
as types for consolidated primary and
grammar schools.
The partial adoption of the system OF
separate primary and grammar schools to
better utilize the present eight-room school
buildings.
Special High Schools.
The construction of special high schools
rather than of polytechnic high schools.
The immediate abandonment of the fol-
lowing school buildings: Potomac. Nc
Cormick. Thomson. John f. Cook. Threl-
keld. High Street. Hillsdale, Bunker Hill.
Garfield. Johnson Annex.
The early abandonment of the follow
ing schools: Webster, Abbot. Berret, Lin
coin. Force. Adams. Bradley, Jefferson
The abandonment of Central and East
ern high schools as high schools and
their conversion. into grammar schools.
and the construction of new Eastern and
Central high schools.
Enlargement Of Buildings.
The enlargement of Mckinley. Bust
ness and Western high schools. and the
use of Business High School for all but
the first year of commercial work, which
first years instruction should be given at
each of the academic high schools.
The conversion of present colored high
school on street, into an elementary
school, and construction Of q new colored
high school, with provision therein for
commercial instruction.
The recommendations also embrace the
construction of white and cOlored normal
schools or colleges; the construction Of a
number Of manual training centers: more
liberal provision in new buildings for as
sembly rooms and gymnasium rooms and
for playground space and the establish
ment of athletic fields; greater use OF
fireproof construction in buildings: the use
of portable buildings to relieve unfore-
seen congestion of school population; the
abandonment Of the present method Of
appropriating funds for new school build
the annual appropriation of two lump
funds. one for sites and one for
buildings. and the permanent continu
ance of the schoolhouse commission
Increase in Appropriations.
And finally, the commission recon-
mends substantial increase in the size
of the appropriations for sites and
buildings for the next three to five
years. to make up for the present back
ward condition of our schools due to
insufficient appropriations for new
buildings Of recent years.
After summarizing these various rec
concentrations each item was taken UP
and discussed in detail. Each visit made
by the commission was also described
in detail.
The commission inspected every school
building in the District of Columbia
principal cities. in each of which from
one to twelve modern school buildings
were inspected.
The commission does not recommend
the immediate accomplishment of all its
suggestions, but suggests that the, esti-
mated cost Of 100000 be distributed
over the next four or five years. in or
der that Washington may at that time
have practically an up-to-date modern
equipment Of school buildings.
Prof A. T. Stuart. superintendent OF
schools, signs the report and In the
main heartily approves it. The particu-
lar items as to which Mr.. Stuart may
be said to be unconvinced are the estab-
lishment of a first years business
course in the academic high schools. the
conversion of Central. Eastern and the
Nj Street high schools into grammar
schools. and some of the details of the
proposed law making permanent the
schoolhouse commission, to the main
idea of which he agrees.