Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-20
New Opportunity to Be Offered
Pupils Next Fall.
IN NATURE OF EXPERIMENT
School Officials Believe the Demand
Will Be Large.
ANSWERS FREQUENT PLANT
Many Pupils Now Quit Schools Be-
cause They Think Higher
Courses of No Benefit.

The boy or girl who desires to follow a
trade will be given the opportunity for
preparation next fall. when, with the
opening of the public schools of this city,
two graded schools built largely for the
purpose of teaching trades will be opened.
The schools are now in the course of
erection, one on High street northwest
for white pupils. and the other near the
Cardoza School. on l street between Half
and 1st streets southwest. for coiored
pupils. Two-year courses are planned for
boys and girls over fourteen years old
and who have completed the fifth grade
in elementary schools, or it's equivalent.
Although the heads Of the schools would
like to open these new buildings at night
for the teaching OF trades to those per-
sons who are employed during the
day, it Is doubtful If this will be possible
next year. as the appropriation for night
schools has not been increased, and i'll
order to open new night school it would
be necessary to close one of the schools
already in operation. This. 1t is thought.
would be inexpedient at this time.
Only Small Sum Available.
The new buildings will be used part
ly for the teaching Of the rudiments
Of carpentry to the boys and of sewing
and cooking to the girls of the seventh
and eighth grades, as IS done at pres
ent in the various buildings distributed
throughout the city for that purpose.
The main object OF these two schools,
however, will be to teach trades to
those boys and girls who desire to
learn them This course in the schools
will not be for the first year much
more than an experiment to determine
whether there Is any demand for a
trade school 1t is believed by the
school chiefs that the demand will
prove very great
As only small sum OF money is
available for the work at present, 1T
will necessarily be limited to a few
trades. 1t Is proposed that those taught
the first year shall be advanced wood
work and perhaps machine work for
the boys and dressmaktnS and milll-
merry for the girls.
Armstrong Schools Future.
The opening Of these schools will in
all proba bility precipitate the decision as
to whether Armstrong Manual Training
School shall remain the same kind of
school it now is or whether it shall be-
come technical school. This subject
has been discussed at length by the Off
cials Of the schools, but as yet no de-
cision has been reached. 1t is considered
quite likely that DR. William NJ. David
son, the new superintendent Of schools,
will take the decisive step in the matter
next year.
1T is the general tendency Of the
day." said Roscoe c. Bruce, assistant
cussns the proposed change today
Many Of the large cities, including
Cleveland, Ohio; Springfield. Mass, and
Cincinnati, Ohio. are giving their stu
dents a technical education. Cleveland has
building built expressly for this pur-
pose which cost $jOO.WO."
One argument advanced for converting
the manual training school into a techni-
cal school is that the school at present
offers but little for the pupil who cannot
go to college, as the education is along
general lines and does not fit student
for any definite position in life
Leave at Eighth Grade.
1t is said many pupils leave school at
the eighth grade because they feel that
they cannot learn anything in the high
schools that will have a direct bearing
on their life work. 1t is in order to
catch" these boys and girls who yearly
drop. out of school that a technical
course in the Armstrong School, 1t is
thought would prove desirable
To show the number of pupils who
leave school soon as they have COM
pleted the lower grades, or have become
old enough to escape the compulsory edu-
cation law, Mr.. Bruce has compiled a
table 1t shows that of the total num-
ber of white boys in school. $3.50, or 30
per cent. in the first four grades. In
the first four grades of the colored
schools, however, 1888 boys. or o. per
cent of the colored boys attending school,
are enrolled. In the intermediate grades,
that is the grades from five to eight, in
elusive, 6,179 white boys or 30 per cent,
are enrolled. while the per cent of color
ed boys is but II. ,949. The number
Of both white and colored boys. however,
who reach the high school is much small
er. being for the whites 1899, or IL per
cent of the total and for the Colored but
per cent OF the total, or 532.
More Girls Go Up.
The proportionate number of girls who
reach the higher grades though. appears
to be greater In the first four grades
the table shows that s291 white girls
and J,243 colOred were enrolled, or per-
centage of 46 and 81 Of. the total enroll
ments respectively. In the second four
or intermediate grades the table shows
| 1921 white girls and 1862 colOred, OF re-
spective percentages of 40 and 33. The
number who manage to reach the high
school again seems to be extremely
small, but is more than the boys, being
2, 465 white girls, or IA per cent Of the
| total and 924 colored girls, or 10 per
cent Of the total
| 1t is pointed out that some of the
pupils stop school at the end of the
| eighth grade because they have to go to
work or because of i'll health or various
other reasons. A large percentage Of
them, however. 1t is declared, according
| to other statistics which have been gath
! cred by the school heads from time to
| time, show that many leave because of
! the reasons stated.