The log cabin Democrat., 1921-11-04
ENROLMENT 1000
 AT PUBL,J oUnOUL BUILDING OyERCROWDED
Excessive Number of Failures Attri- buted by Supt. WOmack to Crowd
 ing and Lack of Teachers.

Exactly 1000 pupils are enrolled in
 the Conway public school (white) to-
 day, according to Supt. R. E Wom-
 ack. The 1,000-mark was reached
 for the first time in the schools his
 tory, last years total for the ses- sion being 987 and the enrolment at thlS tune last year being about 100 less | lHah that figure. superintendent
 Womack estimated that over 1900 boys and girls belonging to the Con- way school district are in school or college here. Nearly 200 are in the negro public school and he estimates that more than 400 local pupils of school age are attending the Normal training school, the State Normal, Hendrix and Central colleges.
 In spite of the relief afforded by the attendance in other Conway in- stltutlons of such large number of pupils who would otherwise be in the grammar and high schools, the public school is again badly over crowded, Superintendent Womack says. Loaded to and beyond it's real capacity last year, more than 100 pupils, enough for three more rooms and three more teachers, have been added this year without additional room or the employment of an addi- tional teacher. The 92 desks install ed only two or three weeks ago were immediately filled and there are now 1,
 "A striking example of the situ- ation of practically the whole school is seen in what we call the B. seventh grade" said MT. Womack. In this division of the seventh grade there are 50 pupils in every class, with one minute period it will therefore be seen that each pupil can get an aver age of 40 seconds of the teachers time. The result is seen in the re- ports for the first month from this room. Thirty per cent of the pupils failed in arithmetic and 35 per cent received a ID" or barely passing grade. The normal percentage should not have been more than five per cent failures and not more than 20 per cent ID" grades. Thus, as result of the physical impossibility of the teacher giving personal assist ance to those pupils who needed 1t, only 25 per cent made better than passing grade, whereas 75 per cent should have done so.
 That such condition is the poor est economy will be realized when we figure that if these Is pupils who have failed must be retained in the same grade another year it will cost the district $630, as the average cost per pupil is $35 per year This is not to compute what is by far the greater loss to the community, that of years time of each pupil and the possibility of discouraging the pupil so that he vii not continue his edu- cation.
 Every effort is being made to over come the difficulties under which the whole school is laboring. Here is one of the many instances: A cadet teacher secured from the Central Col lege senior class is coaching nine boys who are failing in arithmetic, for one period four days a week. There is no room or desks where this work may be done, and the young lady and her pupils are seated around a table placed in one of the corridors. The hall is dark, making it necessary ,,rn o, olantr,o linbt
 Superintendent Womack is very hopeful that with the sales and lux ury taxes firmly established a suffi- cient reduction in indebtedness will be accomplished to enable the dis trict to issue bonds, refund the old debt and erect an additional building.
 Three hundred and fifty pupils have been examined in the clinics