Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-09
the GARY PLAN or
HOUSING SCHOOL Chill.
DREN---ITS RESULTS

when a scheme Is proposed by which 5
existing school buildings may accommo-
date two sets of pupils. it is no wonder
that wide interest Is aroused" declares
Supt. j. H. Van Sickle. Of Springfield.
Mass. in describing the spread Of the :
Gary plan of school organization in re-
port just issued by the United States
Bureau Of Education Of the Department
Of the Interior.
ANY plan that will lessen the expense
Of housing school children makes a
strong appeal to boards Of estimate. !.
school boards, and the press. School :
boards are not willing. however. to be :
hurried into adopting, for exclusive use
in situation, quite different from that in
which it originated, plan SO radically +
different from the customary one without
carefully testing its applicability" = Z
Arguments for and against the Gary
plan arc presented by Superintendent,
Van Sickle. He says: p
1.-The Gary plan is advocated largely, b
but not exclusively. on the ground Of
lower cost. There are those. however,
whose approval is based upon the claim
that by means of a longer school day It
affords to the children wider opportuni<r
ties for work, study. and play; that IL:
distributes the burden of teaching more
evenly over the entire teaching staff; and
that it affords prevocational training to,
all children in all of the grades instead
Of combining such work to a small group
Of children in the seventh and eighth
grades.
1.-The Gary system has commended itself
- <,,Ia 80 fo~
sons. 1t promises: /
/. An enriched school life for every pu- :,
pill
O. A coordination of all existing child
welfare agencies and fuller utilization
Of all facilities in present public and pri-
| vate recreational and educational insti-
tutions. /
g. A solution Of the part-time problem.
4. A double school plan by which each
school seat serves two children.
s. A wider use Of the school plant.
g. An increase in the school day
through a coordination of work, study,
and play activities. T.
| Z. A program that would invest the
child's non-academic time to greater pro-
! fit and pleasure.
| 8. A socialized education in harmony
with progressive thought Of the day.
ION the other hand. those who oppose
| the immediate and wholesale adoption
of the duplicate plan for the elimination
of part-time express doubt as to certain
novel features of school administration
which it embodies. such as departmental
teaching for all children from the first
year through the eighth. instruction Of
groups Of children by pupils instead Of
| teachers, the grouping together of
younger and older pupils for auditorium,
laboratory, and workshop exercises the
substitution Of an auditorium period for
! classroom instruction, the omission of
! formal physical training. supervised
/, play with only four teachers for II
classes. the deferring Of scholastic work
for first-year children until late in the
afternoon. They urge that sufficient
time has not elapsed to test the worth
Of the schemes.
"A further criticism is that outside
is permitted, but that no means is pro-
vided for seeing that such instruction is
the equivalent of regular schooling
ITO this criticism the reply is made
that it would be very unfortunate if
instruction should be the equivalent of
regular schooling, for in that case the
school would be supervising religious in
struction which the law expressly prohip-
its. The program simply provides that
the child can be excused during the day
to take private lessons at home or az
tend religious instruction, if the parent
so desires. These periods are never TAX
en- from the academic work and therefore
do not detract from the regular work of
the school. AS in the case of play and
auditorium. it is simply time which, In
the traditional school, the child would
spend upon the street. What is taught
in these outside classes and how it Is
taught is not and should not be the con-
Germ of the school,"
Interest in the Gary plan Is by no
means confined to the larger cities. SUI
perntendent Van Sickle finds.
Even In communities where the part
!, time problem is either less acute or else
, non-existent, and where the expenditures
for schools have not become so burden
some as in New York. there will be de-
cided interest in the Gary duplicate plan
This gigantic experiment in education,
now in full operation in one of the
smaller cities and in partial operation
in the largest American municipality. is
unauestionably of vast Importance, yet
the changes required in installing the
system in existing schools are so radical
and so expensive that school authorities
will be disposed to await the result Of an
adequate tri1 in New York City before
departing from the present policy which
reserves a seat for every child"
WOOLWICH