The Washington times., 1923-03-17
~ GEORGE FRANKLIN.

most keenly interested IN TINS
comparatively new feature OF
local school work.
Two Are Functioning.
with six Junior high schools hav.
ing an attendance capacity Of niors
than $500 pupils In operation, ma
terial relief win be brought to the
overcrowded conditions existing n
both grade and high schools. ibis
IL one of the material advantages
which is sure to follow the expa1l-
sion OF the junior high school pro.
gram OF the school board.
At present two Junior hign
schools are functioni1g in the city
They are the Columbia Junior high,
FOR white pupils, and the shaw
junior high. for colored children.
They have been IN operation Tor
approximately four years with re.
suits which proved beyond . doubt
their usefulness.
with the re.opsning Of school
next September two new buildings
designed for junior high school ptir-
poses win be available. These are
the Langley junior high. North
CAPITOL street near Rhode Island
avenue, with q capacity Of 500,
and the Iowa avenue junior high,
Iowa avenue and Fourteenth street,
with q similar capacity. There Is
d strong probability that by that
time arrangements viii have been
made for converting the Old East.
ern school, Seventh street and
Pennsylvania avenue southeast, and
the jefferson school. Sixth and
Is streets southwest, into Junior
high schools. These additions would
provide for approximately 1000 pu-
pills.
Are Separate Units.
"The Junior high school 10 a sepa-
rate school organized on the de-
partmental PLAN said DR.. Frank
w. Ballou, superintendent Of
schools, which receives pupils
when they are expected to have
completed the sixth year OF elenaeH-
tary school, and when they are
about to enter the adolescent stage;
which provides three years Of work
covering grades seven and eight
Of the present elementary school
and the first year Of the present
secondary school. They offer diff
ferentiated courses Of study for
pupils appropriate to their interests,
capacities, and probable future edu-
cational careers"
Local school authorities see In the
development OF the junior high
schools q golutiOn to the problem
presented where it Is definitely
known that q pupil cannot continue
school attendance until the full
high school course il completed.
Through the notifications to be ef-
fected In the seventh and eighth
grade primary courses, and in the
first high school year course, junior
high school pupils will be given adj
vanced courses qualifying them bet
ter to take up LIES activities than
they would be by completing the
regular grade course and the first
year in high school.
Sec Great Development.
"It means the time has come
when an intelligent effort is being
made to provide pupils whose school
years must be limited with the
most that can be packed into them
within the time allowed explained
a school authority. I'm mo sense
does it lessen the Importance OF
| educational advantages. On the
other hand, 1t gives specific EN-.
| phasis to the advantage OF an
| education and believe will result
in a large percentage of the pupils
completing their junior high school
course remaining students for life
The junior high school il the
greatest development taking place
in the educational field since the
public school system was estab
lished."
The courses Of study for the
| junior high school, it is conceded
cannot be appropriated from the
present elementary courses ir
grades seventh and eighth, or from
the first-year high. school course
In reality these courses must be
reorganized to meet a new de
mand. AS pointed out by schoo
authorities, the academic course o1
study followed will do away with
to the seventh and eighth grades Of
the primary school. On the othel
hand, it will offer opportunity FOL
modern languages. The mathemot
ical course will grade through
arithmetic to include geometry
The courses in science, history ant
geography will be developed to n1eet
the requirements Of the pupiIr
Pre-vocational coursese will be
worked out and taught. Thu
ultimate aim Of the junior high
school, in final analysis, is defined
to be the providing Of better
practical instruction than is pos
sible in the elementary school
while it should follow the worl
offered in the elementary vocation
al schools.
Formation Of the junior higi
school faculty is under way
Seventh and eighth grade teachers
who meet the requirements of tn,
new school staff, will be giveI
preference in the organization O
the force. The local normal schoo
does not prepare teachers for JUNO
high school grades. Creation o
the new schools does not mean, i
is said, that the seventh an,
eighth grades Of elementary school
. will be abolished.
The first junior high school wa
, opened in Washington four year
ago when the Columbia JUNO
High began functioning. Since it
organization it has been under tn
divaofiovN Mise Alta nnat