New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-20
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
! Sir: In reply to Howard ". Nudd's letter
of September 49, 1915, with reference to the
relative cost of the Ettinger and Writ plans
of school organization, permit me to submit
the following specified rejoinder TO the state
ments made relating TO the organization and
the per capita cost Of work carried on in Pub
lie School 81, Manhattan, under DR.. William
L. Ettinger's supervision.
! By way Of preface permit me to express my
appreciation of the undaunted courage dis
played by Mr.. Nudd, the salaried director OF
the Public Education Association, of which
am member, in summariy though not i'm
partially evaluating the work of Public
School As, The Bronx, with which he has but
| limited contact and of Public School 81, Man
haitian, with which he is absolutely unac-
quainted, either through visitation or through
discussion with those in charge.
| Mr.. Nudd states that It would be most I'M
| fortunate if prevailing conditions were al
| lowed to persist through failure TO evaluate
promptly the plans proposed by Mr.. Writ. 1t
should be noted, however, that inasmuch as
the plan proposed by Mr.. Writ for the elimin-
alton of part time involves number OF novel
features of school administration, such as
departmental teaching for all children from
the first year through the instruction OF
classes by pupils instead of teachers, the
grouping together Of younger and older pu-
pills for auditorium, laboratory and workshop
exercises, the omission of formal physical
training, the deferring of scholastic work fol-
| first year children until very late in the az
ternoon, etc, none of which has as yet proved
its value either in Public School As, The
Bronx, or Public School SO, Brooklyn, pos
sibly because of the fact that sufficient time
| has not elapsed to test the worth of the
schemes, prudence should suggest awaiting
the outcome of experiments in those schools
before committing the entire city school sys-
TEN to an educational policy which may pos
sbly in the end impair it's present admitted
efficiency.
Mr.. Nudd stated that because Of the sue
cess of the work of the Writ organization in
Public School 45, The Bronx, and Public
School SO, Brooklyn, the Board Of Education
adopted the plan for the twelve schools in
The Bronx Moreover, he refers to the adj
Visibility OF permitting the superintendent to
transform our entire city system for the rela-
lively insignificant sum of s6,000,000.
Il may be relevant to note that, as far as
have been able to determine, neither pincipal
Of the schools mentioned nor Mr.. Writ him
self regards either school as anything but a
makeshift organization because Of the ABB
sencc of annexes and the accompanying
equipment which are absolutely essential to
the success OF the duplicate school organiza-
ton. Il would appear that the extension Of
Mr.. Wirt's scheme to a larger group OF
schools was not based upon any scientific
evauation of the work by the Board of Su-
perntendents, or even the majority of the
members of the Board Of Education. but pri-
marily on the assumption that inasmuch as
Mr. Writ was obligated TO conduct expert
mental work intended TO initiate vocational
training his theory should be put to the test
under the most favorable conditions and on
a sufficiently broad scale 10 test It's practica-
bility in large city system. Moreover, II
should be recalled that although the con-
tractual relation was to end October l, 1915,
much time elapsed before Mr. Wirt's work
passed the stage OF theoretical paper organi-
cation. Even to-day, when the entire salary
is legally due, the only concrete results of
the service rendered are the two incomplete
organizations already r. ed TO. Whereas
for the last term and half the Ettinger plan
has been in complete operation in Public
Schools "a and 95, Manhattan; 8, 1853 and 1872,
Brooklyn, and IS, Queens, providing a def
nitely organized pre-vocational training for
the mature pupils who desire the same and
an enriched school day through the use Of