Evening star., 1921-06-06
51S,QO),O)DPtAN
FOR D. C.;SCHOOLS
Or. PhiIander P. Claxton Pre-
sents Building Program to
Meet LocaLaNfeeds,.

A school-buiiding program for the
District of Columbia calculated to
meet the needs OF tile District for the
next twenty years, is contained in a
report on the local situation made by
Philander P. Claxton, former commits
sioner of education. to Senator Capper
of Kansas, chairman OF the subcom-
mittee on schools of the District COM
mittee.
This program contenplates the ex-
penditure of s1S.OO0.000 in the erection
of twenty school buildings of the
most approved style. Dr.. Claxton sug-
gests the purchase of sites for these
schools now. each site to contain four
or five acres of ground; and to be To-
Gated away from the business centers
OF the city. Each elementary school
and junior high school should be built
to accommodate 1900 to 1,6O0 pupils.
he said. and each school should be
equipped with laboratories for dOmes-
tic science, shop for metal. wood and
leather work. an auditorium supplied
with musical instruments, projecting
apparatus, swimming pool and play
ground large enough to accommodate
at least one-siXth of the school enroll
ment at a time.
DIR. ClaxtOn's Proposal.
DR.. CIaxton said, in part. in his re-
port:
IF the schools are organized on the
work study play plan. in which the
children study and recite from books
Ar receive oral instruction half of the
day, and engage in special activities
in science laboratories, shops. sewing
and cooking rooms and auditoriums
or assembly rooms one-third of the
time, and spend one-siXth of the day
in the gymnasiums or on the play
grounds three hours for study and
oral instruction, two hours for special
activities. one hour of supervised
play). then it is not necessary for
every child to have a separate seat in
the school. For the slogan a seat for
every child which means a class
dren or less, but usually no provision
for any of the necessary special ac-
fivities and no opportunity for play.
may be substituted the better slogan
OF "A seat for every child when he
needs it and the other facilities when
he needs them One classroom will
then accommodate two classes or sec
tions. or eighty children. For a school
OF l,2O0 children fifteen ciassrooms
are needed, instead of thirty; for
school of 1900 children twenty class
rooms, instead of forty. For each
school of this size the city can well
a1ord to employ a competent super
Vising or administrative principal
with such clerical assistance as NAV
be necessary for such details as can
be looked after just as well, and per-
haps better, by a clerk on a small
salary than by pHncip pals. who should
give their time to other and more
important things. :
Should Supersede. All Othefu.
These school Fairgrounds should
take the place of all other play
grounds for children, and all super
vised or directed play of the District
should be under the direction of the
board of education as part Of the
public school work.
II the present ratio of population
or the two races holds. there should
be in the elementary schools in 1890
approximately 46.5OO white children
and 21.50O colored: in 1910 approxi-
mately $4,000 white children and
25.0OOl colored. For the white chill
dren in the elementary and junior
Nigh schools in 1880 there will be
needed. therefore. twenty schools of
and smaller schools for a total OF
900 children: for the colored chill
dren, seventeen schools of 1900 chill
dren. and smaller schools for a total
of 100 children. :.
BY expending an average Of a lit
tie s.less than S1,0OO.000 a year for
the next twenty years the city may
then : be adequately equipped with
comparatively new school buildings.
S'No suggestion is made here in re-
gard to high school building pro-
buildings should be built to- accom-
modate from 1000 to 1000 children,
and that they should all be cosmo-
politan high schools"