East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-02-04
WIDE INTEREST is
AROUSED IN GARY
PLAN OF EDUCATION
ARRANGEMENT Lessons EX.
PENSE OF HOUSING THE
SCHOOL CHILDREN,
Plan Makes Strong Appeal TO Boards
of Estimate Because of Lower Cost
Also Affords Pupils Wider on.
pOrtunities for Work, Study and
Play, say Advocates.

WASHINGTON, Feb. when a
scheme is proposed by which existing
school buildings may accommodate
two sets OF pupils, It Is no wonder
that wide interest is aroused de-
clares Supt, j. II. Van Sickle, of
Springfield, Mass, in describing the
spread of the Gary plan Of school or
sanitation in report Just issued by
the United states bureau Of educa-
tion of the department of the inter-
Tor.
Any plan that will lessen the ex-
pense OF housing school children
makes a strong appeal to boards OF
estimate. school boards and the press
School boards are not willing, how
ever to be hurried into adopting for
exclusive use in situation quite diff
ferent from that in which it origi.
mated, plan so radically different
from the customary one without care
fully testing its applicability"
Arguments for ana against the
Gary plan are presented by Superin-
tendent Van Sickle. He says:
The Gary plan is advocated large
", but ont exclusively, on the ground
OF lower cost There are those. how
ever whose approval is based upon
the claim that by means OF a longer
school day ii affords 10 the children
wider opportunities for work, study,
and play; that 1t distributes the bur-
den OF teaching more evenly over the
entire teaching staff; and that It af-
fords preyocational training to all
children in all Of the grades instead
of confining such work to small
group of children in the seventh and
eighth grades.
The Gary system has commended
itself to students of education for va
rlous reasons It promises
/. An enriched school life for every
pupil.
3 A coordination OF all existing
child-welfare agencies and fuller
utilization Of all facilities in present
public and private recreational and
educational institutions
8. A solution Of the part-tlme prob
lem
4. a double school plan by which
each school seat serves two children.
5. A wider use Of the school plant,
6. An increase in the school day
through a coordination of work,
study and play activities
Z. A problem that would invest the
child's nonacademic time to greater
profit and pleasure.
S. A socialized education in har.
mony with progressive thought Of the
day.
"On the other hand, those who op-
pose the immediate and wholesale
adoption of the dupncate plan for
the elimination Of part-time express
doubt as to certain novel features Of
school administration which Is EN-
bodies, such as departmental teach
ing for all children from the first
year through the eighth, instruction
of groups of children by pupils in
stead Of teachers the grouping togeth-
er Of younger and older pupils for
laboratory and workshop
exercises. the substitution of an audi !
torium period for classroom instruc-
ton; the omission or formal physical
training, supervised play with only
four teachers for II classes the de-
lerring OF scholastic work for first |
year children until late in the after
noon They urge that sufficient time
has not elapsed to test the worth OF /
the schemes.
"A further criticism is that outside |
in the home or in the
church is permitted, but that no
means is provided for seeing that such
is the equivalent Of the
regular schooling
"To this criticism the reply is made
hat it would be very unfortunate II
he school undertook to insure that
such instruction should he the equiv
ilent Of regular schooling, for in that
'ase the school would be supervising
instruction which the law
expressly prohibits The program