Evening star., 1923-11-11
RAPS SCHOOL Use
TO GET PUBLICITY
Too Many days" and
''Weeks" Cut Into Study,
BailoI Says in Report.

Promotion of various publicity pro-
grams in the District. public schools
must be. curtaiied before they inter-
fere too seriously with the system
attic work OF the pupils. Supt. Frank
W. Ballou warns the hoard OF edu-
cation in his annual report for the
scholastic year of I922-l923. the first
section of which WIS made public
last night. Subsequent instaiImonss
viii be issued semi weekly.
In addition to many special cele-
brations or days" Or. Eallou pointed
out that the children during The last
school year participated officially in
eleven designated weeks--Fire Pre-
ventfun week, Cancer week, Childrens
Book week. Better Speech week.
Safety week, American Education
week. Drama week. Thrift week, Ma
tional Garden week, Conservation Of
Eyasight week and Music week.
Object of schools.
t'The public schools, either directly
orindirsctly, reach most of the homes
of the community" said Supt. Ballou.
The schools are growing To he more
and more social institutions. rather
than institutions for the development
OF individuals az such. The schools
uadertake to serve the coplmuifity
and the state as we'll as to Serve in
diyiduaIs.
t'Persons interested in promoting
any public enterprise recognize that
the schools and the official organiza-
tion OF the school department pro-
vide an ever-ready means of prompt
and effective communication with the
public. Year after year an increasing
number of requests are made that the
schools participate in the promotion
Of various publicity programs.
( Need of New Policy.
TT is the opinion OF some OF the
school officials that the systematic
! work of the public schools is inevi-
tably bound TO be interfered with If
all such requests are granted. The
school officials must adopt some pol
icy which will. on the one hand. give
the school pupils an opportunity to
participate in all worthy undertake
fngs which it will profit the pupils
to participate In, and. on the other
not interfere too seriously with their
daily educational program"
The superintendent emphasized
that the last scholastic year was
marked by some sad disappoint-
mentS and some promising Sltua-
tions." He again criticized the pres
ent system OF securing appropriate
legislation on which he blamed the
slow educational progress in the Dis
trict.
Failure in Congress-
Unfortunately, no school legisla-
ton was enacted by Congress during
its last session" declared DR.. Eallou.
For a period of more than two years
every effort that could be devised has
been put forth by the District Of Co
lumbia for securing the enactment
by Congress of a teachers salary bill
and other Legislation looking toward
the Improvement Of the public
schools.
"At the very close of tho season
the teachers salary bill failed OF pas
sage in the House after having passed
the Senate. The compulsory attend
Senate but failed to receive the con-
sideration of the House. The bill
providing for free text books and
educational supplies for high school
Senate or the House. The anticipated
Legislation resulting from the inves-
tigation OF Senator Cappers Joint
committee was not even introduced
The failure Of these bills In Con-
gress ILLUSTRATES the difficulties of op-
Grating a system oe public education
for the people of Washington under
these bills reinforces the obse,va-
tion Of the superintendent in hts an
ncal report of 1922. when he pointed
out that the difficulty of securing ap-
propriate legislation was one Of the
reasons why educational progress in
Washington is so slow.
Programs IndOrsed.
.''On the other hand, the develop
n1ents within the District of Colum-
bta- and especially in the school sys-
tenn, are encouraging. The construc-
haf
continues to have the undivided sup
port of public opinion and the press.
The constructive program of the
board of education ia universally in
dorsed by civic bodies and citizens.
associations Teachers and officers
are united in a program Of school
Detterment conditioned only by lin
ited financial resources and legisla-
tive restrictions"
All of the important rulings of the
controller general and the corpora
ton counsel affecting the school sys-
tefn. together with a resume of the
litigation over the six 8 examina-
ttons, are contained IN the initial In
staliment of the report. One of the
controller generals rulings applies to
thh retirement of teachers and an
other relates to the service of day
school teachers in the night schools
where the $4,000 salary limitation IS
ccncsrned.
IA small portion of the report Is
devoted to the establishment of the
fye-hour school day for the primary
uhcer investigation by the super
vtsory officers. Most cities have
grade pupils a subject which is now
abandoned one session for primary
pupils and have provided a longer
school day." said DR.. Ballou. Pupils
who receive their elementary educa-
tiDn in d school system which pro-
vtdes only half time in grades 1 and
2tare at a disadvantage in COMPARE
son with pupils in other systems who
receive five hours or more Of tnstruc-
tion throughout the eight years OF
elementary school"
DIR. Ballou described as Simply
astonishing" the results of an in
vestigatfon conducted by the super
were 191 cases of genuine deafness
in the schools-159 In the white and
32 In the colored-and that there
also were 1,221 instances in which
the hearing of children was slightly
impaired. either temporarily or per-
rnanently. Steps have been taken to
examine more carefully every pupil
reported to have defective hearing.
the superintendent said, and meas
ures will be taken to adapt school
instruction to such pupils.
Night School Work.
Tho Standardization of night schools.
the superintendent declared, was one
OF the outstanding accomplishments OF
the last three years and has resulted
in the placing OF the evening school
work on a more systematic basis "This
Standardization has made il possible
to inIroduce other important educational
provisions" he said. "A course of
study for the night schools has been
developed and put into use. In addi-
ton provision has hpen made for