Evening star., 1922-10-01

over long period OF years to build
elementary schools of eight rooms.
The type of elementary school in
Washington is an eight room build
ing with four classrooms on each of
two floors and with a good deal OF
waste space in the middle Of the
building. This building was design
ed 10 accommodate eight classes. one
class for each of the eight grades.
This type Of building is wholly
inadequate to provide the necessary
educational facilities of the modern,
up-to-date school. Such an eight
room building provides no manual
training room, nor domestic science
room, nor domestic art room. 1t pro-
vides no No kindergarten: 1t permits
pupils. there being only one class
for each grade. Moreover, the
seventh and eighth grade classes In
these schools are each comparatively
small and the classes in the first
two or three grades are usually far
per class. There are in Washington
more than seventy-five such build.
ings. Obviously, IL the school system
IL to provide the facilities REQUIRED
In an up-to-date school system those
facilities must be installed In those
buildings or provided as additional
accommodations. Pupils from these
eiEht-rOom buildings are now xef,t
to manual training and domestic
science centers for their specialized
work.
Buildings Consolidated,
"As means toward improving the
system of organization, two buildings
In the immediate vicinity of one an
other have been consolidated under
one principal, who has been freed
from teaching to supervise the work
OF sixteen or more teachers. In some
Of these cases of consolid alton ad-
-ditional facilities have been provided
In others the accommodations will
not permit Of the Organization OF
kindergartens or the setting aside OF
rooms for manual training and do
mestic science work.
From the standpoint of housing,
the public school pupils. so as to pro
vide appropriate educational facil-
tiles for them. three definite steps are
being taken
In the first place, certain Of these
eight-room elementary school build
ings. are susceptible to enlargement,
Several eiBht-room additions have
been made to such buildings, with a
provision for the addition as soon as
money can be secured of a sombina-
ton assembly hall and gymnasium.
With q sixteen room plant of this
sort, a kindergarten and rooms for
special work can be provided. A six
teen-room plant thereby becomes a
complete educational unit, and it il
not necessary for pupils to travel to
other buildings to receive instruction
in any subjects.
Grounds Are InsuAacfent,
"In the second place, some Of these
buildings cannot be extended. The
grounds are not sufficient. Some of
them are not SO constructed that they
can be added to without great ex-
pense, and others are in such condi-
ton that they should be abandoned
rather than be developed. Appropri-
ations are not now sufficient to make
possible any considerable abandon
ment.
The third line of development of
the building program is the establish
fhent OF Junior high school fhe
establishment Of such school means
the taking Of pupils from grades
seven and eight out Of several ele-
mentary schools in the vicinity. This
will relieve an eight-room building Of
two classes and makes it possible to
reduce the diversified classes In the
early grades. In some cases it will
make It possible also to establish a
kindergarten. The juhlor high school
may become the center to which the
from these eight-rootn buildings will
60 to feceive their manual training
and household arts Instruction. Fur
ther, the Junior high school will re-
lieve some Of the sixteen-room ele-
mentary schools Of seventh and eighth
grade classes, thereby reducing the
congestion in such schools.
Cost Would Be Less.
Prom the standpoint of :expense,
the building of one Junior high sch ooi
will bring relief to several smaller
elementary school units at less cost
than would be necessary IL the same
relief were TO be provided by the
erection Of additions to several diff
ferent buildings. ,.&r,:!>r
"From ah educational point OF view,
the bringing together of larger
number OF Seventh and eighth grade
pupils than are how found In. any of
our elementary schools will make 1t
possible to better classify those pupils
In accordance with their Individual
capacities and needs.
"By establishing several Junior high
schools, relief will likewise be pro-
vided for our overcruwded high
SCHOOLS. The erection Of a single
Junior high school provides relief,
therefore, to both the elementary
schools. and the secondary schools"