New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-24
PROMPT ACTION NEEDED
Board of Education Should Attack
Part Time Evil.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The part-tme evil in the New York
schools is so acute and the demand for its
early elimination so widespread that it is
hard to understand how any one interested
primarily in the welfare of the children
should consider for moment urging the
Board of Education to reject the offer Of the
Board of Estimate and Apportionment to ap.
propriate 100000 for recognizing some
two hundred congested schools on a six-hour
work study-play basis. And yet there is evil
dence of concerted movement TO compel the
Board Of Education to take just such action
If this is successful the army Of children
receiving less than five hours instruction
daily, which has already reached the alarm
ing proportions of nearly 10000, will stead
lily increase, while action TO alleviate the In
tolerable condition is indefinitely postponed.
In pursuance of this reactionary purpose
carefully prepared meetings are being held
in several sections Of the city at which OPP
ponents Of the plan are largely, II not solely,
the speakers. Inadequate and, In many In.
stances, distorted and grossly misrepressnssd
explanations" are given, accompanied q
times by crude and unfair personalities kes-
olutions are then proposed condemning 0s
introduction OF the work-study-plsy plan d
the part-tme schools. The obvious purpose
of these one-sided meetings Is TO create public
prejudice by emphasizing as fundamental eer
tain features which are not essential, and y
producing such confusion and misundsrstana.
ing as would naturally lead any group &
partly informed people, however well intSar
toned, to oppose positive action regardne
any plan that might be so unfairly presented
The opposition urges that no further ~
tension Of the plan should be made until ~
possibilities are thoroughly tested cot In ne
Bronx schools. At the same time II 70 sn'
nounced Q committee Of school pr1aeipes
has been appointed BY the president Of ~
Board Of Education to "evaluats" the CAT
schools now In operation In Now Yorh oau'
Such an evaluation at this time eaa %
scarcely more than . tTsvssty. Few q Ne
essential facilities recommended By MI WV
without which the schools cannot epsrs~
efficiently, have been provided.
1t would therefore seem more sppreprs~
to "evaluate" the methods Of the authonoss
who have been responsible for these delayh
Some very interesting information might %
secured, particularly In view Of the eIpsof
ton with which it was found possible year
ago to equip the Ettinger schools with As
funds originally intended for the demonsIs.
ton Of the Gary plan. 1t will be recaiied
that this was accomplished almost before MI
Writ could reach the city.
What is needed Is . thorough and fair TIA.
Of the plan over q considerable period Oh
time in limited number Of schools. such 20
the twelve schools in The Bronx, In order 70
determine by actual experimentation all tas
possible features Of the plan that can %
successfully adapted to New York City, ana
an immediate introduction Of the more run
damental and readily applicable features u
the congested schools of the city In oroer
that the intolerable part-time evil may %
promptly eliminated. No one would expee'
to accomplish this complete reorganizauon
over night, but vigorous action should %
begun at once TO provide the necessary tseil''
ties to bring II about as soon as possible
There is no reason why the Workshop
play plan should not work better In Ne"
York than In Gary. New York Is far wealth,
Ter in social and community resources, aha
there Is every reason to believe that me
teachers here are more efficient on the wno's
than are those in Gary. 1t affords teacns"
and principals more workable tool and nv
hexibility In organization and curriculum ~
which they have long been contending' iH'
contribution Mr.. Writ has made is the %
ganization on a practical working BASIS '.
the educational principles which John DEWEY
and other recognized leaders in edueau0A
have been urging for years.
The Board of Education would seem "
have no more important duty, therefore, tAsn
to take such action as is necessary to seeu,'
the funds needed to reorganize the pa~
time schools on this basis and to insusurs~
a policy to provide promptly the neeessa'
equipment to make the work q success.
HOWARD W. NUpR
New York, Nov. %. 19lA -