Evening star., 1925-07-02
TEACHERS SCORE
SUMMERS RIDER
Amendment to D. c. School
Bill Is Denounced by
Federation.
BY JAMES f. CHINN.
(Staff Correspondent of The STAR

District again placed lllelIl uoiiiIiiaii''S
to the forefront at the final session TO-
day of the ninth annual convention
of the American Federation or 1each-
ers. Before adjournment there was
recorded in the proceedings pledge
to support most vigorously the cam
paign to make the Washington schools
models for the Nation, a plea for free
textbooks for pupils OF the senior anu
junior high schools and another sllhs
ing rebuke for the summers amend
ment to the District appropriation
bill, held by the federation TO be very
similar in purpose to the tennessee
snti-evolution law, because 1t iorDlus
the teaching of disrespect to the Holy
Bible, controversial partisan poiltlcs
and that ours is an inferior form Oh
Government"
The resolution indorsing the move.
ment to make the Washington school
system a monument to public educa-
ton in America. stressed the need OF
larger appropriations for buildings,
grounds and equipment, and was cou-
pied with an expression of gratincatlon
over the authorization by Congress OF
the gigantic S19 900, 900 tive-year school
construction program. 1t was steered
through the convention, without any
semblance of opposition, by Miss Selma
Borchardt, who, as Washingtons rep
resentative and the federation's leSis-
lative agent, has taken an active part
in the entire convention proceedings.
Delegates Amused.
Some of the delegates. obviously
unfamiliar with the unique method by
which the District secures its school
budget, Uttered freely as Miss Borch-
ardt outlined the complex situation,
step by step, from the Commissioners
TO the Budget Bureau and ultimately
to Congress. Equally amused and
somewhat amazed We're they TO learn
that senior and junior high school
pupils in the nations Capital are re-
quired to buy their textbooks.
Already .on record as favorlng the
repeal of the Summers rider to the
District appropriation bill, the con-
vention took the second opportunity
to condemn it when Miss Borchardt in
her comprehensive report of leglsia-
ton, pointed out that the amendment
seeks TO curb academic freedom.
Il interviewed Representative Sum
me1s, sponsor of the amendment, said
Miss Borchardt," and asked him If he
did not feel that there were those
who would interpret dlsrespect to the
Holy Bible as the teaching of the
theory of evolution, the planetismal
theory or the nebular hypothesis; or
that any criticism of any govern
mental policy, whether past or pres
ent, could be interpreted as teaching
that ours is an inferior form of gov
ernment; or that 1t would be quite
difficult to determine what constituted
controversial partisan politics. he
offered to amend the Statute by in
serting the word obnoxious before
partisan party politics.
Fight Against Amendment.
zone of the most prominent Senate
leaders who is interested in academic
freedom, however, has promised TO In
terest himself in this measure when It
is called up at the next session or
Congress. AS he is a man of courage
and ability and commands the respect
of the Senate we can look for more
favorable action during the next ses-
SION
Introduction of the platoon system Of
operation in the Washington schools,
which has been advocated strongly
by certain group in the Capital was
vigorously opposed by the federation.
The delegates, however. put their
stamp of approval on the extension
of the junior high school system in
Washington as being carried out un-
der the direction of Supt. Frank w
Ballou.
AS to platoon schools, the federation
took the position that the heated con-
troversy over the merits and dement's
of the system has produced little to
prove their educational advantage,
and pledged itself to combat efforts
to use this educational experiment
toward ends which are not definitely
of an educational character"
Want Standard High.
While indorsng the junior high
he fndn ion hn he.
lief that the teachers should have
qualifications equivalent to those in
the senior high schools; that there
should not be stinting in the direc-
tion of housing and equipment of the
junior high school; that the Junior
high school should be guarded against
the danger of too early and too rigid
specialization of pupils, and that the
teachers shall work under the same
or better conditions.
The system of rating teachers in
the District schools, as we'll as those
in other cities. was severely criticized,
with the result that the convention
went on record in favor of drastic re-
forms in all rating methods which
tend to foster spirit of hostility in
the teaching corps. The federation
believes that sympathetic supervision
and constructive criticism on the part
of supervisory officers should replace
the rating systems. Such a change,
it contends, would make for improve
ment in the quality of teaching and
at the same time promote a more
wholesome spirit Of cooperation.
Report on District.
Miss Borchardt closed her work at
the convention by reporting on the
progress Of school legislation in the
District. During the last school
year" she said "the Washington
teachers enjoyed their increases pro-
vided in their new salary bill, which
was introduced by Mr.. Keller when
Miss Florence Rood, president of the
Federation of Teachers called his at
tention to our need for salary legis-
lation. There also was enacted COM
pulsory school attendance law for the
District. The Washington Teachers
Union was the only local organization
which actively supported this meas
ure, and it was, of course, gratifying
to see the passage thereof An ex-
tensive building program also was
happily provided for in a bill enacted
at the last session. But there are
many bare essentials still which need
attention"
Miss Borchardt was reelected for
another term as vice president of the
federation.