The Washington times., 1915-08-15
City.Wide Investigation Planned
by Committee Now Being
Organized.
TO INSPECT OTHER CITIES
Recommendations for Perma-
nent System Will Be Made to
Education Board

Ernest L. Thurston Superintendent OF
Schools. Is organizing a committee to
make a city-wide vocational training
survey. which will be empowered to in
spect schools Of other cities and to
make recommendations to the Board of
Education for comprehensive and
permanent system of such education In
tho Capital.
The recommendations Of this commit
tee are expected to bring about the
most general and sweeping revision In
courses Of the schools hero ordered in
many years. On the committee, which
will be announced shortly. will be offi-
GERS. principals. and teachers OF the
public schools.
Already the superintendent has in
radically affect the courses In many OF
the grade schools and in some Of the
high schools Some OF these changes
will have to await Congressional APP
them; others may be introduced gradu-
ally. with the consent of the Board
OF Education. during the coming year.
superintendent Plans.
Among the plans the superintendent
already has in mind to develop the vo-
catonal work are the following:
Additions to the courses at Busi-
ness High School Of such branches
as salesmanship. and later Of the
more technical branches Of business
training. such as store management,
decorating. advertising. and efficiency
accountancy.
Gradual transformation Of Nc
kinley Manual Training School from
preparatory school for technical
colleges to a school which shall teach
such vocations as wiring. electrical
engineering. patent attorney work.
The establishment In every section
Of the city pre-vocational trade
school. such as that at the Small
wood. which Is accounted success
after one years trial.
A gathering of figures for period
Of four or five years to show Just
what Washington grade and high
school school pupils do after they leave
survey Of all the occupations
open to pupils in Washington and
the vicinity with a view Of adapt
Y Ing the vocational courses to these
Thef extension Of manual work In
4 all grade schools. even In those
which will remain in the academic
category.
The superintendent Is contemplating
an extensive program Of which these
aiH ohS "a le" features. Other points
will be laid before the committee, and
1t will 60 thoroughly into every branch
of the vocational work.
In explaining the reasons for his ac-
ton. the superintendent today pointed
out that Washington has staged many
notable experiments in vocational edu-
cation. There Is the CORDOBA School a
trade school for colored children, the
Smallwood School. new this year, which
is sort Of prevocationaI school. the
manual training and domestic arts
courses, the establishment Of many
features. such as a school bank at Busi-
ness and the work of teaching girls
domestic science in house equipped
"All these experiments have pointed
the way for u.s." he said. Now the
time has come when we should extend
the BENEFITS OF those which have proved
wants them. 1t Is no use going on with
experiments unless we formulate some
plan for engrafting those features which
we nave found helpful on our school
system in general.
Many, Of the members OF the COM
mittee already have gone to other cities
and have Inspected vocational and trade
work being done there. I have asked
all teachers to lay special stress on s,,ch
work as 1t Is the problem on which
we snail be working for the next three
or four years.
Many Experiments.
experiments Of various sorts have
been staged in schools here and watch
ed closely in preparation for such q
general movement. This year, at the
Lenox. the superintendent ARRANGED to
have introduced into the eighth grade
much more manual work than Is done
in other eighth graz des. The pupils who
Will go to the high school this wear
from the Lenox will be watched closely
to see whether their mental develop
ment was retarded or increased by this
change.
But the most successful Of the ex.
periments was the vocational work al
the Smallwood School there for the
hrst time this year, pupils who showed
special aptitude for manual work were
transferred and taught carpentry
metal work. and various trades. while
girls were taught hat trimming, sewing
cooking and other domestic arts.
chief among the plans of the super
fntendent Is a school on this plan ir
every section of the city. The course.
are to be arranged so that a pupil ma,
be sent there for year. and Rei
enough regular school work to permit
him going back to academic work ant
going on with his class. II he Is mo-
fitted for the manual training. As q
capstone to this series Of schools tn,
superintendent would like to have
trade high school. where complet,
courses in wiring, bookbinding, sewing