The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-15
CALL EXPERTS IN
SCHOOL INQUIRY
Claxton and Updegraff Asked to
Tell Council How Local
System Works.
JUST THE SAME OLD GRIND
Chandler Urges Committee TO
Bring Investigation to
an End.

Criticism of the curriculum ana
time allotment OF the Richmond pub
lie schools by the foremost authorities
OF the United States was proposed to
the Council Committee of Investiga-
ton last night by Superintendent j.
| ~ c. Chandler. who on behalf of tho
School Board asked tho committee to
extend an invitation to Or. =. =. ClaN-
ton. Commissioner of Education of tho
| United states. and to DIR. Harlan Upie-
graft. specialist in school a1ministra-
ton of the Bureau OF Education at
| Washington. Chairman Pollock stated
that while the committee was seeking
all the light possible. 1t had no funds
| for tho expenses or entertainment of
such witnesses. and no authority to
summon persons from out OF the
State. Dr. Chandler stated that he
did not know Commissioner ClaXton
ipcrsonally. but that he had been as
sured that DR.. UpdcEraf would come.
and the committee agreed to hold II
meeting at any time at which these
| educational authorities can be In
duccd to appear. DR.. Chandler Will
| communicate with them to-day by
| telephone.
When tho committee assembled last
night Chairman Pollock announced
| that the body was ready to hear from
! DIR. Chandler or any persons he might
call. He explained that it was de-
/ sired to avoid the form of li,iga-
| tion or tho taking of sides as in court
proceedings.
| VIII Invite Experts.
| The School Board has asked the
committee to call experts to testify
as TO our school system" said Or.
Chandler. ''Thc attack so far has
| been made upon tho curriculum and
! time allotment. On the general prin-
ciples of the curriculum. | desire you
! to hear from DR.. Claxton. lie has
studied school systems all over the
country. and has worked In schools
in North Carolina and Tennessee. ana
is familiar by personal experience
| with Southern conditions. He has ex-
amined the schools of the United
states and OF Germany, and his opin-
ion on what should be In tho cur
riculum should be of value. l also
ask the committee to invite pr updc-
gran. who has made n careful study
of time allotmcnts in all parts OF this
| country. and did the special and
crucial work Of the Investigation com
| initicc appointed TO look into the sys-
TEN of education of the public schools
| of Baltimore / am sure he would he
able to give interesting facts about
the tine allotments and methods of
instruction of the various grades"
Mr. Umlauf. Of the committee.
favored the formal invitation of both
of thS experts suggested. proposing
that the Council be asked to appro-
PIRATE sufficient funds for the calling
OF such witnesses. After discussion
DR.. Chandler agreed to communicate
with both officials on the understand
Ing that the committee will hold n
1 n
either or both may come to Richmond.
Saunders Take stand.
Before taking tho stand himself. DR..
chandler put on Principal Joseph H.
saunders. OF the William F. Fox
| school on Hanover Avenue. whom
| Chairman Pollock had declined to call
at previous session when witnesses
for the Elementary Teachers Associa-
| ton were being heard
After relating his experience Of
sixteen years with the public schools.
OF virginia. In Portsmouth, Norfolk
county and as State examiner Mr..
saunders Went into an elaborate com
2arison of tho time allotment here as
| compared with a dozen or moro or
the larger cities. the schools OF wn,cn
| have high standing All of these
| cities. he had found taught manual
| training, music, drawing and physl-
| cal exercises, and a ma jority of them
| sHe more tHle 10 Such subjects than
| Is now given here. Taking the gem
eral average, ne found that these cities
| give less time than In Richmond TO
arithmetic. about tho Same to read
| ing and more 10 writing. In the ST.
! Louis schools which he had visited
he testified. the same physical cul-
turc and manual training courses
were used. The manual training he
considered not too difficult for the
children in the various grades. as
some teachers had testified, but he
thought some OF the exercises hard
on the teachers. requiring too much
time for preparation outside of school
hours After discussing at some
length the time allotment reports of
number of cities, he summarized
the general average as having moro
time for writing than in the Rich
mond ochools, about the same for
reading and spelling. and less time
than Richmond now devotes to in
struction in arithmetic.
Says Report Is False.
MIR. Saunders was closely cross
questioned for nearly an hour by
Chairman Pollock. Mr.. Saunders
characterized as absolutely false" the
report which had come to the cars
of the chairman that he had said on
one occasion that if he had the selec-
ton of teachers. those who had ap-
peared as witnesses before the in
VcStigatlng commit tce for che Elo-
mentary Teachers Association woulu
not be re-Sected
The committee rose to meet next
Thursday night. after Superintendent
Chandler had urged that the investi-
CATION be pressed more rapidly to n
conclusion. 1t had been dragging
along for three months, he stated
with meetings about once in ten days.
working great Injustice to the
teachers. principals and School Board.
and greatly impairing the usefulness
of the schools and especially for the
later reason he urged the commit
tee to reach conclusion of the mat
ter as soon is possible,
| Honturad In pl,Ilojot.t,to