Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-12-07
NEWARK SCHOOLS
ESCAPE CENsURE
Criticism by Head of Montclair
Normal Not Applicable
Here.

That Newark high schools are moi
considered in the criticism by DR.
Charles S. Chaplin. of the Montclaii
Normal School, who says that pupils
entering that school were deplorably
lacking in knowledge of reading. writ
ing, spelling and the English language.
is the contention of the Newark High
School principals expressed today. It
is pointed out that very few of the
Newark High School graduates enter
the Montclair school.
At a meeting of superintendent, SUI
pervisors and principals of Newark's
schools held yesterday in the Normal
Training School in Washington street,
DR.. Chaplin read his criticism. He said
in part:
This school is handicapped seriously
by the poor preparation in Fundamental
subjects which many students appear
to have received. This is noticeable in
Craving and the biological sciences, but
it is glaringly conspicuous in English,
in spelling and in fundamental opera
tons in arithmetic. Some high school
graduates cannot write a page of Eng
fish which would be accepted in the
StAItl RTdQ0 VI d ltSpSNidDlC 81 dAlliAioi
school. Much time must be spent in the
Normal School in drilling students in
addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division.
I'm spelling the situation is deplor-
able and disheartening. The result of
an examination in the spelling of 800
words in ordinary use, given in our
English department to 14S new stu
dents, is Illuminating. Three were alb
sent from this test. No student made
fewer than II failures, and only 20 made
fewer than 30 failures; 81 failed in more
than 80 and fewer han 80 words; 81 in
more than so and fewer than 80, and
the remaining Is failed in from 90 to
141 words. This means that 1l6 out of
l4S newcomers are so deficient in spell
ing that we have been obliged to form
them into classes and to give them def
rite tests in the spelling of such simple,
ordinary WORDS as should have been
mastered in the grammar schools. And
the pity of it all is that man. of these
poor spoilers are bright girls, who do
well in most subjects except English.
The defect is in their training, not in
their brains.
"A particularly di~scouraging feature
of the situation is the fact that no one
high school has a monopoly of poor
spelling. The so per cent. of the en-
tering class in question who cannot
spell even decently come impartially
from the larger and the smaller, the
stronger and the weaker Ugh schools
DR.. Chapin's remarks were not fol-
lowed up by any discussion. as the talk
was not considered applicable to New
ark. The principals of Newark schools
declare the institutions they head are
beyond criticism and the results such
as DR.. Chaplin described are not found
in the Newark graduates. Edgar 3.
Pitkin, principal of the Seventh Avenue
School. as chairman of the committee
appointed to investigate the result OBJ
tanned by the Ayres Investigation made
las year. made a detailed report. This
was followed by a general di~cussion
made by all principals.
Superintendent A. b. Poland ex-
planned the readjustment of the High
School pupils, which will be necessi-
tated by the opening of the Central
Commercial and Manual Training
School next February. The advantages
of the new school were told by Prof.
William Wiener, Tho will be principal
Of the institution. He also declared
study for pupils because under he
present method of five hours in school
and five hours of study at home, the
appreciation of family, church and eul-
tural influence is lost.