The log cabin Democrat., 1916-05-27
SUMMER SCHOOLS AN AID TO PUPILS REPORT OF GOVERNMENT Charge that All Year Schooling Hurts Children Refuted by Experience
 in Newark.

| sessions of the Arkansas State Nor mai School have been held for sever al years with increasing success and attendance and the applications for scholarships by Conway pupils in the training school department always exceed the number of places, the statement is frequently heard that continuous schooling is injurious to the health of children and does them no real good in the way of scholastic advancement. This charge is inter- estingly taken up and discussed in a recent bulletin of the United States bureau of education.
 l This bulletin is study of the all l year schools now in operation at Newark, N. J., by w. S. Deffenbaugh, specialist in city school admnistra- tion of the bureau of education, de- partment of the interior. Mir. Deff- enbaugh finds that time is saved, street loafing is largely prevented, and health is conserved by eliminat- ing the long summer vacation.
 The children in Newark who have attended school for the past year or two on the all-year school plan speak enthusiastically of it, the bulletin states. The bureau investigator ask ed the pupils in the seventh and eighth grades to write compositions telling why they attended school dur ing the summer. Nearly all the pu- pills stated that the schoolroom was much cooler than the streets and their rooms at home; that they were glad to have something to do besides running in the streets, and that they hoped to gain grade or two by the time they were old enough for their work certificates. Parents who were interviewed favored the plan because their children were unable to get more schooling than otherwise. One parent said:
 If there were no summer schools we would not know where our chil- dren are. They would leave home early in the morning and run all over the city. Now we know that they are safe in the schoolhouse and in no danger of being run over by automo- piles or street cars"
 l The attempt was made to find out how much time the children actually saved through the all-year schools. Of 271 pupils in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, 26 made no gain, 67 showed gain of one-third of year, 59 gain of two-thirds of year, 67 gain of one year, and 53 gain of one and one-third years. It 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 result of the time gain ed in the all-year school, and these pupils have had no difficulty in keep ing up with their work. It is ex- pected that many more pupils will now complete the elementary grades at l2 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.
 | One criticism that has been direct ed against the Newark all-year schools is that the pupils in these schools must do 10 months work in months in order to gain months year and thus complete the grades Tn years. It should be understood, however, that the regular 10 months course has been modified so that pupil may complete it in 9 months. and all non-essentials have been omit ted. Furthermore, less reviewing is needed in September for the children who have had only weeks vacation than for those who have had ? months vacation. The month that IS usually taken at the beginning of the fall term to review pupils in the work of the preceding grade is not necessary for pupils who attend con- tinuously or with only short vaca- tions.
 In regard to the health of the chil- dren who are kept in school during the summer months, MT. Deffenbaugh declares:
 "The medical inspectors of New ark report that the health of the chil- dren 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 for than that of those not in school. Good health habits acquired during the regular term are not broken up l by a long summar uacation uhan +ho