Evening journal., 1922-01-18

The Evening Journal already has
told in previous articles OF this series
how the City OF Detroit possesses
public school property worth s30.-
100000, with 14l permanent and 3S
temporary buildings, housing 100000
children regularly. with more than
1000 teachers and nearly 500 jani-
tors and engineers.
II also has told that the 1922
maintenance fund for Detroits
schools is s12.50O.0o0 and the cap
ital outlay for land and new build
ines this year is t5.4O0.000.
In addition The Journal has brief
" outlined the work, study. play
plan OF training children in the ele-
mentary, or grammar schools, known
as the platoon system. Parenthet-
ically it may be here remarked that
all OF the data thus given in this
series has come directly to The
Journal from the Board Of Educa-
ton OF Detroit and is. thereiPre. first
hand material. 1t has been neithe
suggested nor influenced in any way
by any one in Wilmington and Is
here presented in view OF the visit to
Detroit's schools which will be made
next week by members OF City Coun-
Gil and the Board OF Education OF
this city.
The platoon system was not in
stalled in the Detroit schools until
the fall OF 1919-so il is relatively
new. and stln in an experimental
stage. SO we'll, however, has the ex-
ional schools have been added to
the six originally utilized for the
system, making IS schools in all now
operating on a platoon basis
Six-Hour School Day.
The standard school day adopted
Is six hours long-a three-hour ses-
sion in the morning and a three-hour
Sc ession in the afternoon. The usual
morning session is from $50 to 11.S0
and the afternoon session from 1890
to $50.
The school membership is divided
into two groups or piatoons. While
one group is engaged in the home
room" or regular room, the other
group is attending classes in the
special rooms. Thus half OF the
pupils are In the "home rooms" at
any given time and the other half
are engaged in special activities. For
home room" activities the school
day OF six hours is divided into four
periods Of 90 minutes each Each
platoon has home room" work for
30 minutes In the morning and 90
minutes in the afternoon.
For special room activities. the
six-hour day Is divided into twelve
thirty-minute periods. Each pla-
toon is engaged In special activities
during six OF these twelve thirty
minute periods each day.
Each individual pupil spends
ninety minutes OF the morning in
the home room under the control
OF the ''home room" teacher and the
remaining ninety minutes or the
morning in the special activities
spending thirty minutes In three
separate special rooms In the az
ternoon. he again spends ninety
minutes in the "home room" and the
remaining ninety minu&s in three
special rooms.
The number OF special room ac-
tfANN0 Ht0oAhlt III n HihtNun eNHuuA
Is determined by the number OF
classes or groups OF pupils involved.
II there are sixteen classes there will
be two platoons OF eight classes each.
This means that there must be eight
'home rooms" in the building and
specia' rooms enough TO house eight
roomfuls Of pupils. While the
eight groups OF cne platoon are at
tending classes in tho home rooms. -
the eight groups OF the other platoon
are attending classes in the special
rooms.
Using forty as a standard basis
for class room attendance. are re-
quired in a sixteen room platoon
school. eight home rooms" are re-
quired to seat go pupils at one time.
The special rooms TO seat the other
$50 pupils at the same time may be
as follows:
AuN4LoIlum .sssss..s.. so pupils