Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-26
BIC INCREASE IN
ARMY OF PUPILS
DR.. Poland Makes Annual Re-
port-Comments on Growth
of Attendance.

Bristling with figures and statistios,
but without the usual comment on
existing conditions and suggestions
for improvements, the annual report
of Superintendent Of Schools DR.. Ad-
Olson B. Poland was last night pre-
scented to the Board Of Education.
The absence of the usual comment
was a disappointment to both tho
board members and the school author-
tiles.
It was explained by DR.. Poland that
he returned to active service from his
enforced absence too recently to take
up matters of this nature. He prom
ised that in a short time he would
present another report in which he
would discuss the conditions and offer
suggestions for improvements DR..
Poland, several months ago. was
forced to take q vacation, to prevent
a nervous breakdown. He Is now,
however. fully recovered.
62,1s7 Pupils Enrolled.
Newark still continues to show a
greater enrolment of public school
pupils and a greater daily attendance
than most large cities of the United
States. It still rates eleventh in day
school enrolment, although the four
teenth city in population. The en-
rollment continues to grow, ana 1913
showed an increase of 3,le3 pupils
over 1912. The actual attendance was
52167, an increase over 1912 of 2,s4S.
over 1911 of 1904 and over 1910 OF
1888, showing that the usual increase
has been well maintained.
Changes IN the compulsory educa-
ton law which went into effect April
2, 1913, may check the increase for the
ensuing year, because any child OF.
fourteen who has been through the
first five yearly grades OF the eie-
mentary. school course and has at
tended 100 days of the year preceding
the application may have his work
ing papers" The old law was more
drastic in this respect.
One Of the facts brought out by the
tables of attendance is that the in
creased enrolment In the primary
grades falls far short of the increase
in the grammar grades. How 1t
comes about that the increase in the
grammar grades shows an increase OF
1851 pupils while the primary grades
show only $50 more pupils this year
than last, is explained by Superin-
tendent Poland on the ground that
more effort has been put upon the
preparation of primary grade pupils
for promotion to grammar grades.
The inference Ia that pupils are ap-
plying themselves to so much better
advantage that there are less hold
overs"
Increase in Normal school.
An increase of ninety-one students
in the Normal School indicates. Mr..
Poland thinks. that the school, If con-
Quoted by the local board instead OF
being taken over by the State board,
as it has been. would soon have been
supplying more teachers than Newark
could use. The increased number of
high schools brought about the In
crease. he says. and this increase will
continue to advance for the same
reason. An increase of 641 pupils of
the high schools Is the largest In the
history Of Newark high schools. 1t is
due to the greater number of high
schools provided. and the opening OF
the new South Side High School is
expected to still further increase the
enrolment.
The Vailsburg section is growing
so fast that it may be necessary for
the board to build a school on the
site purchased few years ago. Mr..
in the Abingdon Street School shows
school will be fully occupied as soon
as completed. and provision for fur
Their relief in that district will soon
be needed. At Ann Street School
there is an increase of seventy nine
pupils. while there are six classes on
half time shows that relief is needed
there also.
The new Cleveland School already
has 1866 pupils enrolled, some of
whom were drawn from surrounding
schools, to the relief of the latter.
Schools which have such large en-
rollments this year as to indicate that
relief will have to be afforded shortly
are the Hamburg Place School, Haw-
thorne Avenue School, Lafayette
Street School, Lincoln School. Mad
ison Avenue School, Peshine Avenue
School, Seventh Avenue School and
Webster Street School. In spite of
the relief afforded by the opening of
the Cleveland School, the proposed
addition to the West Side School will
be required by the time it is ready.
Promotions of pupils. while the per-
centage shows an increase over 1872
of Ia per cent. in January and Is
per cent. in June, has not reached the
standard Mr.. Poland believes could
be attained. He says that 90 per
cent. of pupils should be promoted to
prove the thorough efficiency of
teachers and methods. The highest
percentage of promotion in all classes
last year was attained by the Mont
gomery Street School, with 1871 per
cent.
More High school Pupils.
An increase of 10 per cent. in the
number of grammar school graduates
entering high school follows decreases
during the last six years. The num-
Der entering high schools in 1913 is
664 per cent, which Is higher than
any year since 1906, when $50 per
cent. took the higher course. The
present number of high school pupils
is 1879 while in 1906 the number was
716.
Although the evening school ENROLL
ment of Newark has always been far
ahead of all other cities there was a
still further increase last year. The
increase is 616 scholars. One of the
added features is special instruction
In naturalization as citizens of the
large percentage of foreigners who at
tend the schools. The plan of limiting
the pupils of the printing course in
the Boys Industrial School to those
who are more than sixteen years old
and have a preliminary knowledge
of English has worked out we'll. Many
of the pupils are employed in print
ing offices in the daytime.
All-year schools showed a slight
decrease of attendance, but. as these
are experimental and Newark is al
most the first city in the United States
to take them up, the results are held
to warrant the cost Of maintenance.
The summer schools, as has already
been noted, showed an increased at
tendance in both girls and boys de-