New-York tribune., 1921-10-05
Principals Get Secret In
structions to Cut All
Glass Periods to Dou-
BILE Session Schedule
City's Education
System Is Upset
Move Regarded as Politi-
cal Rlse i'm Attempt
to Hide Seat Shortage

lie schools of this city. When the
schools opened on September II last
1876, l05 unfortunate children were de-
prived Of their full rights through the
Indifference of the Hearst -Hylan- Tam
many adm inistration to the needs of
the schools.
Since then there has been steady
growth in registration and attendance,
but on Wednesday Mayor Hylan's Board
OF Education brilliantly performed the
miracle OF placing these children on
"full time" instruction by the simple
expedient of dccreeing that there
should be no further part time in
struction after October T. This was
done despite the fact that no other new
schools have been opened since Sep
tember 12
Secrecy Marks Miracle
The miracle was kept in absolute Sc
crccy, and it was planned to announce
it with full pomp and possible "ruffies
and nourishes" for the Mayor on Fri
day. Unfortunately an inquistive re-
porter discovered the remarkable
achievement and has spoiled all the
plans Of the Mayor. This is how the
seeming impossibility has been accom-
plished.
The schools have been in session
four weeks, and the monthly reports to
the Board of Education were closed
on Friday last. Normally when any
new rule regarding instruction goes
into effect il is sent around to all the
principals in the form of an official
letter. On Wednesday, however, the
new rule that has abolished part time
instruction was telephoned to all the
principals, and a proviso was added
that under no circumstances was the
matter to be spoken of, or made public.
Fonr-Hour School Day
The telephone order decreed that all
children shall be put on a double ses-
sion basis, SO that part-timc instruction
can he climinated. Under this plan a
fourhour school day is TO be officially
called "full school day." and conse-
quently every pupil will receive "full
school Instruction. In other words.
the new plan spreads the misfortune
caused by the Hylan Indifference over
the whole of the school system, instead
of it being borne chiefly by the unfortu-
nate 1926, 105.
The underlying motive Of this change
is the belief, it was said, that practi-
cally al the people understand the
meaning of part-time instruction, but
very few know what double session
means, especially if it is explained that
under the scheme every child gets a
full days schooling
Such is the political move to take
away The sting caused by the criticism
leveled against the Mayor for his fail
ure to keep his campaign promise to
provide a seat for every child. The eff
feet upon the school morale has been
cataclysmic. 1t has completely over
thrown all order and produced chaos.
One of the school principals in discuss
ing it yesterday said:
ut has upset our programs quicker
than chain lightning. Under part-time
system the children on part time come
to school for four hours a day The
regular session is five hours. During
the four-hour part-time period, how
ever each child has its own place in
the school, and all the teachers, real
izing the limitation Of time, make
every minute count. There was no
needless passing back ard forth, no
loss OF fNOllol, ana INe CHllulen were
spurred to the realization that they
must try to Get as much out of the
time allowed them as possible.
New Plan Is Explained
at is important that every one should
understand the doublesession plan In
the first place, under this scheme, all
children Of the first year are put on g.
four-hour schedule, which is declared
full time Curious parents will be
given to understand that the little
child will accomplish as much in four
hours as it would under five hours in
the cid schedule, and that the law es-
tablishing five hours as the school day
was ali wrong, anyway.
Then to take care of the older child.
Double sessions already had been
worked out-last year--in some Of the
moro crowded schools of Manhattan, SO
that they were able to give us very
definite instructions last Wednesday.
Children were grouped into periods
some of them to come three hours in
the morning and some of them two
hours in the afternoon; other groups
to come two hours in the morning and
three hours in the afternoon. These
groups were to alternate 'r the use of
tcontrucu on last page,