Evening star., 1922-12-03
BY JAMES T.. CHINN.

SCnOOl.
| Wv Although two OF them
| have been In operation in
Washington since 1919 and Congress
has appropriated 100000 for the con-
struction of two additional Junior
high school buildings. there has never
been a comprehensive description OF
the objects and functions Of this COM
paratively new institution in tho
iAmerican system of education. Con-
sequently. the average person has but
a vague conception of the junior high
school, while some. because Of their
ignorance Of this institution. are
prone to denounce 1t as "a new-fan-
gled idea"
But the junior high school in the
District Is an established institution
1t has come to stay. And II Dr,
Frank W. Ballou remains at the head
of the school system for few more
iyears. Washington will have a COM
plete system OF Junior high schools
This has been his aim and one OF his
fondest ambitions since he became
superintendent.
DR.. Ballou Answers Query.
AS an educational administrator DR..
Ballou has not only been interested
in the Junior high school movement
as an educational development. but
he has also organized and supervised
such institutions before coming to
Washington.
Supt. Ballou's answer to the intro
ductory question as it relates TO the
junior high school which Is being de-
veloped in the National Capital is:
The junior high school Is sep
partmental plan. which receives
pupils when they are expected to
have completed the sixth year OF the
elementary school and when they are
about to enter the adolescent stage;
! which provides three years OF work
lcovering grades seven and eight of the
present elementary school. and which
offers differentiated courses OF study
for pupils appropriate to their inter
;ests. capacities and probable future
educational careers"
Since the junior high school is a
comparatively recent development in
/ Washington. 1t seems desirable 20 dis
cuss some of its essential character
istics Therefore. following are pre-
scented some observations on the
above definition OF the junior high
school
An Independent Organization.
/. The junior high school in Wash
ins.on is a separate institution tnde
pendent in its organization and ad-
ministration from either the e1emen-
tary schools or the high schools. It
is a centralized school receiving pu-
pills in grades seven and eight from
the adjacent elementary schools and
continuing their education through
the first year Of high school. II dIf-
fers from the elementary school in
that it is fully organized on the de-
Yartmental basis. Most of the elemen-
lsry schools in Washington are too
small to make it possible to organize
! The seventh and eighth grades de-
partraentally
>. The funda purpose Of the
junior high school Is to improve the
INSTRUCTION of pupils through a bet
ter adaptation to their needs OF the
subject matter and methods Of in
struction. The courses Of study and
methods of teaching. according to DR..
Ballou. should be neither elementary
nor high school courses. but they
must be subordinate to the capacities
girls. Many pupils who have reached
the age of twelve or thirteen years,
whether having completed the sixth
grade of the elementary school or
|
to be transferred to the junior high
school, where differentiated work can
be provided for them more nearly :n
accordance with their interests, ca
pacities and needs"
.. To organize the District school
system so that 1t will include the
junior high school means transform
ing the present eiEht-four-year (eight
years in the elementary schools and
four in the high schools) plan of ele-
4 n Il 1t,
the six -three-three plan, the middle
three years Of which are spent in the
junior high school.
Special Courses OF Study.
The course Of study for the Junior
high school cannot be appropriated
from the present elementary courses
in grades and or from the first
year high school course. On the con-
trary, these courses must be reor-
ganized on the basis Of adolescent
interests and needs. In the typical
junior high school the academic 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 modern language in
struction to those pupils who plan to
take a modern language in the high
, schools. 1t substitutes a mathematics
course Of three yeare. consisting OF a
we'll integrated composite course in
arithmetic. algebra and geometry for
the present chronological treatmen,
Of these subjects The English Of the
third year Of the junior high school,
said DR.. Ballou, should not be pri-
marily to meet college entrance re-
quirements. but should be organized
in consideration Of the fact that a
considerable proportion OF the Junior
high school pupils will not complete
senior high school work. to say moth
ing Of entering college. The science.
history and geography work must
likewise undergo thorough reorsani-
} zation, according to DR.. Ballou, such
as the above course have already
undergone.
The prevocational courses for those
pupils who are likely to leave school
, carly. said the superintendent. should
be patterned after the most intensive
and diversified prevocational courses
| Chief objsctives Sought.
The Junior high school," said DR..
Ballou, should provide better edu-
cation IN grades and than tho
present elementary school. It should
-