Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-18

While schools arc closing all over the
country and most children are looking
back on the school year as
An.Yaar a long one, the federal
bureau of education IL an
SCHOOLS. nouncing after a study
Of the all-year schools Of Newark, N.
J., that this plan 10 so successful from
the points of view of pupils as well as
parents and educators that it will
probably spread rapidly to other cities.
Under the all-year plan the pupils
complete q year or grade of work in
thirty-six weeks instead Of in forty
weeks as in the regular schools, and.
continuing for twelve weeks longer,
or forty eight in all. complete q grade
and third before they have made q
circuit of the calendar. There is a
nominal vacation of two weeks before
the work Of the next session is taken
up.
In studying the Newark experiment,
years, and now includes four schools,
the educational specialists of the bu-
reau Of education gave special con-
sideration to the health of the children
and teachers. because the principal OBJ
whenever longer school term has
been suggested has been that 1t
would involve mental fatigue which
would be injurious. Interviews with
Newark shs %es Schools ae1eoe ses
the fact that the health of the
children who have attended school all
year has not been impaired in the
slightest degree. As q matter Of fact,
the bureau specialists point out per-
ha hA ~ ~ hA
pecially in tenement districts, would be
surrounded by much poorer sanitary
conditions in their homes than in the
large, light and airy rooms Of the
dangers and COMMUNICATIONS Of the
streets and largely from the associa-
tons that bring about the formation
OF bad habits.
The good health showing Of tho chill
dren in the all-year schools. 1t is point
ed out, is in large part due to the fact
that they are continually under the su-
pervision of the school physicians and
school nurses. while the regular term
pupils are for two months wholly be-
yond the influence of these health au-
tEorities. So great is the value of this
continuous observation on health mat
tiers that the physicians and nurses
both reported to the federal investiga-
tor that the children coming under
their care after the two months vaca-
ton Of the regular schools are in
poorer physical condition than those
who have been practically continually
at work
In the case Of the teachers the show
ing was similar. Statistics compiled
by the school authorities show that
the average number of days lost by
illness during the year has been less
for the all-year teachers than for those
having the longer vacation.
With parents and teachers the all
year schools have been popular from
the start and have shown a steady in
crease in popularity. Seventy per cent
OF the pupils enrolled for the regular
term took the continuous work in 1912,
when the experiment started In 1915
the percentage had increased to a.
When the records OF the all-year pu-
pills were traced 1t was shown that be-
tween 80 and IS per cent Of them were
up to grade in tho high schools, while
only II per cent Of the regular term
pupils were up to grade One of the
important results Of the alI-year school
work. the investigation showed, is that
1t permits the pupils to attain two
years more Of schooling before they
reach the age when the law permits
them to stop school and go to work.
ana when most OF them actually do
take this step