The Washington times., 1913-10-07
INTERESTING REPORT
MADE ON SCHOOLS
Montgomery County Survey
Shows Capable Supervision
But Need of Correlation.

Direct and capable supervision:
uniform grading; sufficient buildings in
good repair: a teaching force expert
enced. relatively stable and efficient,
and q fair beginning Of introduction
into the sirriculum subjects most
adopted to rural needs are included
n the good things ascertained about
the Montgomery county public school
system in the recently completed edu-
cational survey of the county
But there are also some had things
included in the findings of the investi-
gators, according to the statement OF
the United States Bureau of Education.
These are summarized as a Preponder-
ance of one-room schools and the a5-
sence of consolidation: defective
methods of lighting, heating, ventila-
ting and of seating pupils, and the
slight attention paid to the beautify-
ing Of the surroundings Of the build
ings.
Taking the goods things with the bad,
the makers of the survey, seeking to
remedy the ills found. have made
several recommendations, touching par
ticularfJ the organization and super
vision. The school system, they say, is
Heak in the. amount of supervision
given the teacher both in managing the
school and in teaching. To correct this.
il il recommeded that at least three
ocSiSts1hto uC pAONiOSN AOi thS PASSStAs
superintendent.
Ask More Correlation.
This would give one to every thirty
five schools. In the matter of curricu-
lum, it is pointed out that little except
the common branches are included in
the course Of study, and the recommeIi-
dation Of the survey makers is that the
studies pursued be more closely corre-
lated with the life and the interests OF
the community. The survey report
sums up the needs Of the Montgomery
county school system by declaring that
more time should be devoted to the
study of elementary agriculture, domes-
tic science, manual training. music and
drawing and the common branches
should be taught in the terms Of these
subjects. The county superintendent is
the one, so the report makes positive.
who should readjust the work OF the
schools. but il is pointed out THAI lie
would be unable alone to do this and
thus is the need of assistants again
shown.
Touching on the further improvement
OF the school system in the county,
the surveyors argue that tie number
OF schools in the country, from a stand
point of efficiency and economy, Is too
great There are sixty-n'ne elementary
schools for white children, or one for
every seven and one-half miles Of ter
anu Is u1dut
that thirty-five schools. properly ar
ranged, could be so placed that approx
imately IS Der cent Of the school chill
dren would live within two miles of
the buildings. and 80 per cent within
one mile.
Would Double Efficiency.
Decreasing the number of school
buildings would mean only an increas-
ing Of the size of the structures with
q two or three teacher corps. and this
expansion would provide a classiica-
ton in such q way that the efficiency
OF the teaching would be doubled or
trebled.
The school population in Montgom-
cry county Is shown as approximately
7.710 white and 3.090 colored. There are
1o6 schooihouses in the county, 76 of
which are for white pupils. The county
owns JOB buildings, renting the remain
ing three. This provides one school
of school age. and one for every 1o8 of
the colored population.
The seventy-Six schools for white
children. include seven nigh schools and
sixty-nine elementary schools. OF the
latter ffty-two are one-room schools
with one teacher and seven or eight
grades. The remaining seventeen have
two or more rooms and some carry the
work as far as the tenth grade. = he
schools are distributed by election dis
tricts as follows: Laytcnsville. s:
Clarksburg, 8; Poolesville, s: Rockville,
z: Colesville. 8: Jamestown, 6; Be
thesda, 2; Olney, 5; Gaithersburg, S;
Potomac 8; Barnesville, 5; Damascus,
Seventeen Of the schools are located in
towns; fifty-nine are located in the
open country or in very small villages. |
ana there is no section Of the county
without school reasonably accessible.
(af he GghT Tfa1G cd. r..r1N
as to be adjacent to stone roads, rail
roads or trolley lines. There are three
consolidated schools in ;he county. to
which pupils are transported at public |
expense
Five Brick Schools.
The seventy-six schools occupy seven
ty-seven buildings, seventy of which !
are frame structures. five are brick and |
two are stone. Th- total number Of
rooms is 151. The chief defects Of the !
school buildings are in their architec- |
ture rather than in equipment or con- |
dition The lighting is not the best !
available, and the colors on the walls |
are also hard on the eyes.
In almost every school some attention |
has been paid to improving the interior |
by the use of pictures of noted men and !
women and other wall decorations In |
forty-seven of the schools, however, the !
absence OF the American flag was no.
ticeable
The Rockville High School deserves
special mention for its decorations and |
completeness. In the domestic science
room of this building each pupil is fur
nished with a small alcohol stove for |
experiments.
The value Of he school buildings in |
each OF the election districts is set out |
as follows: Laytonsyille, IS, $50; Clarks- |
burg, $3.50: PoolesviIle. s3700; Rock /
Vile, s35. 800; Colesville, s., 300; Darnes-
town, G.250: Bethesda. SlO.50O: Olney, |
sl7. 200: Gaithersburg, s2.100; Potomac,
S2.650; Barnestille, $780, Damascus,
S,70o; Wheaton. s24050
The Division.
The 3,s27 pupils attending the schools
in the county are divided as follows: