Evening star., 1925-04-14
NEEDS Of SCHOOLS
IN FUTURE STUDIED
City'S Social Agencies Urged
to Extend Aims of Present
Five-Year Program.

Bringing forcibly to the representa-
tives of social organizations in the
Capital the needs of the city with re
spect to schools, speakers at a meet
ing of the Washington Council of So
cial Agencies yesterday at the Raleigh
Hetel outlined their views on the
needs of the schools in matters not
already covered in the five-year school
building program.
Attributing most of the credit for
the five-year program to DIR. F. w.
Ballou, superintendent of schools, and
his far-Seeing vision of the schools of
the city, Robert l.. Haycock, assistant
superintendent of schools, told the
council the school authorities are de-
termined to bring all claSsroomS out
of easements, to give seat lin a
classroom for every child and to
create facilities in the school system
for care of the exceptional child. An
other important aim of the program,
Mr.. Haycock said, is that there shall
be a school within walking distance
of every child in the District of Co
lumbia
Plans for Future Years.
Mr.. Haycock said it has sometimes
been difficult to locate schools in
central places so that children Will
not have too long a walk to and from
school, but that with the authoriza-
tion by Congress to spend sufficient
money for school construction needs
over five years, the school authorities
hoped to overcome this difficulty.
The fiVe-year school building pro
gram gives f1eXibility and lays the es-
sentials for the groundwork of fu-
ture school system, which will do
credit to Washington. In planning
the construction work we aim not
merely to provide for present needs,
but to look ahead and anticipate the
needs of the years to come" Mr.. Hay
cock said.
Three other speakers urged pro-
vision for more adequate playground
space for school children in the Dis
trict, while vocational training was
urged for backward children by an,
other speaker, and adequate medical
care of children in the public schools
was declared essential by two more
advocates of a modern school system.
Declaring that some children hate
10 go to school and that better school
conditions should precede a compul-
sorry school law, Mrs. Z. r. Kalmbach
of the Public School Association told
the council the junior high school
system of instruction should be car
ried down to the third grade.
Constant Work Needed.
A warning that, although Congress
has authorized a large sum of money
for immediate school construction
work, succeeding Congresses might
not appropriate money to carry out
the continuing program was sounded
by J. G. Yaden of the Public School
Association. Mr.. Yaden said those
interested in schools must keep be-
hind the school movement and push
the program through to completion.
Miss Gertrude Bowling of the In
structive Visiting Nurse Society hoped
school authorities would not lose sight
of the necessity for adequate medical
care of the child in school in the
course of the school construction pro
gram, while DIR. Louise T. Jones said
psychological and psychiatric work
was one of the great needs of the
school system. DR.. Jones, who rep
resented the University Women's
Club, said the club has hired a part
time psychiatrist, who is working in