New-York tribune., 1922-11-27

dues. Pupils Of less than average
ability strive without succeeding, and
pupils OF ability succeed without try
ing, Habits Of industry, self4coufi-
denee and self-respect are destroyed In
many pupils, and thousands, succumh~
ing TO overwhelming odds, leave school
with only q fifth. siysh o. seventh
grade education. Aside from these bale
full effects upon the children, Ii Is a
rare teacher. indeed, who can retain
buoyancy and enthusiasm under such
conditions.
"There are thus two complementary
problems which must be solved before
our public school children can be sat
isfactorily educated. The solution of
neither problem slone will suffice. They
must ro hand in hand. The first is
primarily financial and devolves large
ly upon the Board of Education and
the city authorities. The second Is
primarily professional and devolvea
largely upon the supervisory and teach.
ing staff.
"The former requires the provision
of housing fecilities that will give
every child not only school seat in
a proper sized class for the full period
Of time such seat is needed for the
type of education it makes possible,
but also such other special facilities as
school libraries, auditoriums, play
grounds and properly equipped rooms
for music, art, literature, science, ma
ture study and household and indus.
trial arts as are necessary to give a
well-rounded education to chi dren OF
a great variety of abilities and apti
tudes. This means an enlightened
building program efficiently executed
"The latter requires not only TIL,
scientific grading of children according
to intellectual and physical abb ity but
the formulation of differentiated
courses of study, the adaptation of
methods of instruction to meet the
needs Of pupil groups of different
grades of ability, and the adoption of
daily schedules which will give every
child a we'll balanced educational pro-
gram OF study. work and play.
"There are good grounds for believ-
ing that these problems ultimately will
be solved. The facts of congestion have
been established officially. The short
comings of the present procedure in
bui ding construction have at last been
recognized. The superintendent of
schools has courageously faced the
facts in regard to professional prac-
tices and has outlined program for
educational betterment. These are pre-
liminary steps of fundamental and far
reaching Importance. The major part
of the task of course remains to be
done, but the successful efforts of
the school system in other fields make
it reasonable to expect that the neces
sary leadership will be exercised for
the 80 ution of this greater problem.
"Our public school system has made
many notable contributions to the
study and treatment of physically and
mentally Handicapped children. 1t has
done pioneer work in establishing spe-
cial classes OF one sort and another in
which these children receive from spe-
ciaily trained teachers the kind of edu
cational opportunities their peculiar
handicaps require. Its influence and
leadership in many of these fields is
nationwide.
"For the great majority of the chill
dren in the schools, however, for those
who do not fall in these handicapped
groups, the school system is far from
being organized as it should be- The
courageous recognition OF this fact by
Superintendent Ettinger and the con-
structive program he has proposed for
determining by careful scientific in-
vestigation the best ways of grading,
instructing and promoting these chill
dren according to ability, give promise
that nthe broader and mere far-reach-
ing field the New York school system
will! play q leading ro e. 1t is a fine
thing TO look facts straight in the
face, however disquieting or disap-
-'"'--''~>t- +In-' - '>a and fo sav that