Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-07-11
M|sPLAcEMfNT Of
CHILDREN IN SCHOOL
Getting Them Too High or Too Low
Is Responsible for Much Tru-
ancy and lncorrigibiity.
LBy Associated Press. ]

San Francisco, Cal, July 1.-THE
displacement of children in schools,
getting them too high or too low for
their mental capacity, is responsible
for much of the truancy and incor-
rigibility, according to Henry II. God
dard, of the School for Feeble Minded,
Vineland, n. j., speaker at one of
the section meetings of the National
Education Association today. The
speaker said that studies at the Vine
land institution have shown that 30
per cent of feeble mindedness is
hereditary. Mr.. Goddard said, in part:
1--WE are beginning to recognize that
many of our difficulties in school are
the result of differences in inborn ca
pacity rather than in Unborn wicked
ness. 1t is therefore necessary to have
some method of measuring that Unborn
capacity.
THE research department of the
New Jersey Training School for
Predetermined Children has carried
out a systematic testing of an entire
school population of 1000 children,
using the Binot measuring scale OF
intelligence. The results amount to
almost mathematical proof of the
accuracy of the Binot method. II
shows that there are 4 per cent OF
children who are precocious or better
in mentality than the average child,
rs per cent are normal, 10 per cent
are backward, and 3 per cent are
Predetermined. This ratio probably
holds almost universally.
I'VE Should have schools or special
classes for these precocious children
in order that the natural advantage
with which they are born should not
he lost. and that they should not learn
bad ways and bad habits from being
in classes that 90 so much slower
than they are able to go. The 10 per
cent that are merely backward should
be in special classes, too, that they
may be coached and helped along and
enabled to get through as much OF
the school work as is absolutely neces-
sary to make them useful. The per
cent that are feeble-minded should be
in colonies or institutions where they
are cared for and enabled TO be happy
and partially useful as long as they
live, but if this is impossible, they
must be cared for in special classes in
public schools where they are not
asked to learn reading, writing ana
arithmetic but are taught to do those
things with their hands which tbey
can do. and the doing of which makes
them happy. They must never marry
because the studies at the Vinelani
institution have shown that 60 per
cent of feeble-mindednes is heredi-
-ary. Therefore. if these children
grow up and marry, they simply per
Detuate the race of feeble-minded per-
sons.
In this study of the entire school
population tested by the Binot method
t is shown that some children are in
classes that are way ahead of the
mental capacity of the children; these
-un all the way from the children that
are in classes that are one year ahead
If them to three years. In other cases
are behind what they ought
o be from one TO three years. Two
are shown OF prevail. First,
o keep all children as nearly as pos
;ible at the average, keeping those
hat are dull up TO the average, hold
ng those that are precocious down.
The other tendency is to let those
children that are very backward 90,
nd not giving them the attention
hey need, they are as result farther
Jack than their mentality really war
ants, or on the upper scale, children
Who are little precocious are en-
and spurred on and placed
n classes that are even higher than
heir mental attachments can reach.
This is an injustice in both cases.
I'm this displacement of children,
citing them too high or too low for
heir mental capacity, is to be sought
large explanation of truancy and in
orrigibility, also the fact that preco-
ious children often break down. 1t
S not because they are precocious, /
nut because their precocity leads
eachers and parents to push them too .
ar ahead"
~ rIEIR EnD InnCIED