Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-30
SCHOOL ALL YEAR.

Out in Newark, n. j., all-year schools
have been a success; that is, if the
government tells us the truth. The va
cation yell is relic of bygone days.
Every week in Newark, where these
schools are in operation, is a school
week.
And the funny part of it is that the
parents like it and the children are
enthusiastic about the system. A spec
lal investigation has been conducted
by W. S. Deffenbaugh, specialist in
city school administration of the bu-
reau Of education, department of the
interior.
The bureau Investigator asked the
pupils in the seventh and eighth
grades to write compositions telling
why they attended school during the
summer. Nearly all the pupils stated
that the school room was much cool
er than the streets and their rooms al
home: that they were glad to have
something to do besides running in the
streets, and that they hoped to gain a
| grade or two by the time they were
| old enough for their work certificates.
| Parents who were interviewed fav-
ored the plan because their children
were able to get more schooling
than otherwise. One parent said:
If there were no summer schools
we would not know where our children
are. They would would leave home
early in the morning and run all
| over the city. Now we know that they
are safe in the school house and in no
danger of being run over by automo-
| biles or street cars"
| The attempt was made to find out
! how much time the children actually
saved through the all-year school o.
271 pupils in the sixth, seventh and
eighth grades, % made no gain, 81
| showed gain of One-third of year
50 a gain of two-thirds of a year, 81
a gain of one year, and 50 a gain OF
one and one-third years.
1t was found that the pupils in the
| all-year schools not only made more
rapid progress through the grades
! but maintained as good scholarship as
| the pupils in other schools. Many OF
| the pupils were able to enter high
school as a result of the time gained
in the all-year school, and these pu-
| pills have had no difficulty in keep
! ing up their work. 1t is expected
that many more pupils will now COM
| plete the elementary grades at i
years of age, enter high school and
attend for at least two years. Once in
/ high school they are likely to remain
| even after the compulsory age limit is
passed.
! In regard to the health of the chill,
/ dren who are kept in school during the
summer months, Mr.. Deffenbaugh de-
clares:
The medical inspectors of Newark
report that the health of the children
who have attended school all year has
not been impaired in the slightest
degree. The regular school medical
and nurse service continues in the
( summer, so that the health of the
! children in school is better cared fO-
| than that of those not in school. Good
| health habits acquired during the reg
ular term are not broken up by long
summer vacation when the children
not in school are beyond the influence
I of the school physician and the school
nurse. The physician and nurse both
report that the children who have
! been out of school during July and
/ August come back in September in
poorer physical condition than those
who have attended these two months
and that even the children who have
/ been away to a summer resort are in
| no better physical condition than
! those who have been in school, since
| their recreation is likely TO have been
of a dissipating nature. One school
physician stated that if the children
| cos!d go into the country and live a
normal life with plenty of exercise he
would favor this to keeping them ir
/ school, but since conditions are such
that none of the children who is in
the tenement districts can go to the
country, the best place for them for
four or five hours a day is in the
| school room, on the school play.
grounds and in the school shops and
| gymnasiums.
! Wide interest in the Newark plan
/ las been aroused in other cities, and
/ it is expected that many of the teach
ers and school officers who will at
/ tend the meeting of the National Edu
/ cation association of New York in july
will cross into New Jersey to see the
| Newark all-year schools in operation