Evening star., 1922-10-01
"JUhi0R HIGH" SEEN
AS SCHOOL RELIEF
CONTINUED from First Page.l

since 1919. Two additional Junior
high school buildings are being
erected and will be ready for oc-
cupancy. it is hoped. by September.
1928. 1t is planned to use the old
Eastern High School building. as an
additional Junior high school. More
over. the citizens of Southwest Wash
ington have petitioned that the JET
ferson School he converted into a
junior high school.
The Junior high school is a dis
tinct institution. 1t differs from the
elementary schools in that it offers
ing some high school subjects. 1t
differs from the high schools in the
scope of it's work. In some respects
il is like the elementary schools. and
in other respects it is like the high
schools. However. it is believed that
the Junior high school is able TO
offer better instruction to pupils OF
grades seven. eight and nine than Is
the elementary school or the high
school as at present organized.
Junior High school Defined.
The junior high school which is
being developed in washington may
be defined as follows:
THE junior high school Is a
separate school. organized on the de-
partmental plan. which receives pupils.
when they are expected to have COM
plcted the sixth year of elementary
a q
enter the adciesctnt stage, which
provides three years of work. cover
ing grades seven and eight of the
present elementary schoo! and the
first year of the present secondary
school. and which offers differentiated
courses of study for pupils according
to their interests capacities. and
probable future educational careers.
"Sihce the Junior high school Is a
comparatively recent development III
Washington, it seems desirable TO
discuss some OF its essential charac-
teristics. The superintendent. thefe-
fore. takes this occasion to make some
observations on the above definition
of the junior high school.
Permits Departmental Plan.
II. The Junior high school is 4
separate school. organized on the de-
partmental plan
THE junior high school in Wash
ington is a separate institution. in
dependent in its organization and
administration from either the
elementary schools or the high
schools. 1t is centralized school.
receiving pupils in grades seven and
eight from the adjoining elementary
schools and continuing their educa
ii n h. q
school. 1t differs from the elementary
school in that it is fully organized on
the departmental basis. Most of the
elementary schools in Washington
are too small to make it possible to
organize the seventh and eighth
grades depart
The junior high school should be
district school, That rs. it"should
provide instruction for all seventh
and eighth grade pupils residing
within "A given territory. The ex-
perience of Washington in undertak
ing to organize the junior high school
by receiving pupils from all over the
city clearly indicates that the junior
high school should be a regional
school and not 4 city-wide institution.
Special Needs COnsidercd.
"'2. A school which receives pupils
when they are expected to have COM
pleted the sixth year Of the elementary
school and when they are about to
enter the adolescent stage.
The fundamental purpose of the
junior high school is to Improve the
instruction of pupils through better
adaptation to their needs of the sub
ject-matter and methods of instruc-
ton The courses of study and the
methods of teaching should be neither
elementary nor high school courses.
but they must be subordinate to the
oQfe dali
Many pupils who have reached the
age of twelve or thirteen years of
age. whether having completed the
sixth grade of the elementary school
or not! ought to be transferred to the
junior high school, where differen-
tiated work can be provided for them
more nearly in accordance with their
interests. capacity and needs
IS. "A school which provides three
years of work covering in general
grades and 8 of the present ele-
mentary school and the first year of
the present high school,
To organize the Washington school
system 80 that it will include the
junior high school means transform
ing the present S-4 year plan of ele-
mentary and secondary educat ton into
the $50 plan. the middle three years
OF which are spent in the Junior high
school
Higher Courses Given.
The courses. of study for the ju-
nior high school cannot be appro-
priated from the present elementary
courses In grades and s or
from the first year high school course.
On the contrary, those courses must
be reorSanized on the basis of ado
lescent interests and needs. In the
typical junior high school the aca-
demic course of study will discard
many OF the reviews and some OF
the drills of the present seventh and
eighth grade work. The Junior high
school affords opportunity for mod
ern language instruction to those Du-
pills who plan to take a modern lam
guage in the high schools. 1t sub
stitutes mathematics course of
grated composite course in arithme-
tic. algebra and geometry for the
present chronological treatment cf
these subjects. The English Of the
third year Of the junior high school
should not be primarily to meet col
lege requirements. but should be or
ganized in consideration of the fact
that considerable proportion Of the
junior high school pupils will not
complete senior high school work. to
say nothing of entering college. The
science history and geography work
must likewise undergo thorough re-
organization such as the above
courses have already undergone
The prevocational courses for
those pupils who leave school early
should be patterned after the most
intensive and diversified prevoca ton
al courses.
Vocational Work Aided,
The junior high school should pro-
vide better education in grades 7
and 8 than the present elementary
school. 1t should provide instruction
in first year high school equal to the
instruction now provided in the Sc
nior high school for thosa nunils IN.