Evening star., 1920-06-28
DR.. bALL0U NAMED
HEAD Of SCHOOLS
FOR THE DISTRICT
Boston Educator Chosen by
Board as Successor
to Thurston.
SOLE DISSENTING VOTE
BY FOUNTAIN PEYTON
New Superintendent Al Years Old
and Married-Notable Writer
on Educational Topics.

DR.. Frank Washington Ballou, as
slstant superintendent of public
schools of Boston, Mass, was elected
successor to Supt. of Schools Ernest L.
Thurston by the board of education to-
day by vote of to /, Fountain Peyton
dissenting.
DR.. Ballou, who is now lecturing
at the University of Pittsburgh. Pa.
! has announced that he will accept the
position.
Selection of DR.. Ballou to succeed
Supt Thurston. whose term expires
Wednesday. was made by the school
board after considerable of many
names of possible school directors,
both men and women, within and out
side the local system After his cleo
tion. DR.. Abram Simon, chairman of
the special committee appointed to
nominate new school head, stated
that DR.. Ballou is thoroughly trained
and an experienced educator. and that
the board expects he will win
promptly the trust both of the teach
ing force and of citizens Who desire
to see the public school system of the
District of Columbia strong and eff
ficientf
Fountain Peyton, the only member
of the school board casting ballot
against the election of DR.. Ballou.
made strong appeal for the reten-
tion of Supt Thurston. II don't be-
lieve that under the situation" said
Mr.. Peyton. just as 1.-THE ballots were
about to be cast. that l can vote for
any person to succeed Mr.. Thurston.
Despite the fact that DIR. Ballou may
be a larger man than Mr.. Thurston. I
4 III, l. l. L.. xxf tDAr tnt I0
a right to say who should be the SUI
perintendent of schools. The people
have chosen Mr.. Thurston."
Mr.. Peyton expressed the belief that
Supt. Thurston's long term at the head
of the District school 81 stem has been
satisfactory and progressive and
that it is the wish of the people thats
he be honored by reelection. AS
result of the Senate committees rec
concentrations. Mr., Peyton urged that
MT Thurston be retained until Con-
gress has taken action on them
Elected Tor three Years.
Immediately after Mr. Peyton con-
cluded his address. DIR. John Van
Schaick,. jr., president of the board.
asked whether there was any more de-
bate. There was no reply The vote
was taken. and DR.. Bailou was made
the new public school head for q term
of three years. beginning Thursday.
Those voting for DR.. Ballou were Dr.
Van Schaick, DIR. H. Barrett Learned.
DR.. Abram Simon, Mrs susie hoot
Rhodes. Mrs. Coralie F. COOK ana LIT.
j. Hayden Johnson.
When the vote was taken Supt-
Thurston was on train en- route 10
Washington from Lumberton, N j..
where he spent the week end visiting
his wife and children. The super1n-
tendent will not know the name OF his
successor until he returns this after
noon.
sketch of DR.. Bnllou.
Dr. Ballou is forty-one years old
and married. He was born at Fort
jackson. st. Lawrence county, n. T..
February %. 1879. His home now Is
at 50 Brooks street. Brighton, Mass.
The new superintendent's academic
record began when he graduated from
the State. Normal and Training School
of Potsdam, n. Y. in 1902. He began
his teaching experience in country
schools of his native state. He was
principal of the Technical School OF
the University of Cincinnati. Serving
in that position for three years, from
1904 to 1907. he became assistant pro-
of Cincinnati for three years from
1907 to 1919. For four years, from
1912 to 1916, he was lecturer on some
variety of educational subjects in the
Harvard University summer school.
and took his doctors degree at Har-
ward in education in 1914.
For the last six years-since April.
19l4-he has been directly associated
with the public schools of Boston. first,
as director of the department Of educa-
tional investigation and measurement
from 1914 to 1917, and. second, as one
of the five assistant superintendent
from 1917 to the present time. He is
now giving a summer course OF lec--
lures at the University of Pittsburgh,
on educational problems.
EalIou's Books and Articles.
Dr. Ballou's first notable contribution
to educational literature was a paper
entitled THE Present Status Of Manual
Training in the Public Schools of the
United States" MAY. 1907, The Teach
ers' Bulletin. Cincinnati). His first
book appeared in 1914: High School
Organization-A Constructive Study APP
piled in New York City" A more re-
cent work is his volume entitled The
Appointment of Teachers in Cities-A
Descriptive, Critical and Constructive
Study
Dr. Ballou was the first president of
the National Association for Educa-
tional Research. He is a member of
the National Education Association. the
Massachusetts Superintendents' Associa-
ton and the Harvard Teachers Associa-
ton.
DIR. Ballou Here Snturday.
Dr. batiOu was In w dSHtngtOn SaCur-
day and attended a meeting of the
committee. 1t was at this
that he announced that il
elected he would accept the position.
Prior to the vote on the election Of
DR.. Ballov. DR.. Simon conferred for
about a minute in the public session
with other members of the committee
DIR. Learned and Mrs. Cook. When
the committee members took their
seats. DR.. Simon. as chairman of the
made his formal report to
the board, in which he stated that the
committee had series of meetings in
which the names of between twelve
and fifteen applicants. had been seri-
ously discussed.
IT am proud of the number of strong
men. and women who tried to obtain
the position of superintendent of the
District public school system" said
DR. Simon. after he had pointed out
that the committee had nominated DR..
Ballou unanimously. He also pointed
out that the names of two woman
applicants were given serious con-
but added that il was for
the best interests of the school sys-
tenn to have man director.
Board Votes ON DIR. Ballou.
The board members went into ex-
ecutive conference promptly at 10
o'clock this morning, and apparently .
SmoOt he'd the wav for the election of