Evening star., 1927-11-09
INCREASES CITED
IN TRUANCY CASES
Report for 1926-27 Term
Shows Attendance Officers
Work Greatly Increased.

Appeals for investigation Of ases
Of absence from school of District OF
Columbia pupils numbered 2S,609 from
September 81, 1926, to the end Of that
school year, June %, 1927, as com
pared with the previous years sim
liar cases totaling but 20,07s, accord
ing to an excerpt from the annua
report of Fay L. Bentley, director
OF attendance, contained in the sixth
section OF the annual report of Dr.
Frank w. Ballou. superintendent OF
schools, made public yesterday.
Miss Bentley calls attention to the
TACT that last years 2S,609 reported
cases of absence "do not refer to those
which were reported under the legal
provisions requiring the reporting of
absences under specified conditions, .
but that they constituted special re-
quests from public, parochial and
private schools, social agencies and
citizens for investigation and adjust
ment of attendance difficulties. The
reports for special investigation rep
resented an increase of more than a.
per cent in the volume Of work per.
formed by the attendance officers as
against less than . per cent total
period
New Policy i'm Report.
Miss Bentleys report excerpt was
used with similar quotations from the
annual reports of each school system
officers in accordance with DR.. Bal
LOUIS new policy of including in his
own report expressions of opinion
from all his subordinateS rather than
using in full the reports from only
two or three school officials. This sec
tion, composed entirely of quoted
opinions, is entitled, What School
Officials Are Saying and Doing"
Characterizing the practice of grant
ing certificate at the conclusion of
two years in the commercial courses
as meriting the greatest need for i'm
provement" in the commercial work
of the high schools, A. l.. Howard,
head of the business practice depart
ment, recommended that certificates
be awarded only upon the completion
OF three years work.
The practice of granting two.year
certlncateS was started 40 years ago
When the full academic course in the
nlgh schools was three years." Mr..
Howard set forth in his report, "'The
three-year graduation course has very
properly been increased by one year.
but the two-year certificate course re.
mains. The best term for a CONNER
ciaI high school course is four wears
which exists in all our schools. The
next best procedure is to require three
satisfactory years of intensive speciaI.
izad training in commercial subjects
for a certificate"
Grouping Plan Reviewed.
Reviewing the introduction of the
sclentif1c grouping of pupils according
to their individual abilities into X. Y
and 2 classes, Miss Rose Lee Hardy.
IN charge of elementary instruction.
declared that the schools now face
the task of providing different stand.
ards and different objectives for each
group. Miss Hardy sounded a warn
ing TO teachers of the divided groups
OF pupils IN the part of her report
quoted by DR.. Ballou:
Teaching accelerated groups is
not a reward, but a responsibility:
teaching x groups is not a hardship,
but an opportunity While the
accelerated children should get the
essentials of the elementary school
In less time, care must be taken to
see that they come out with real
power in thinking, in leadership and
In ability to use the tools of learn
ing. The tendency to rush these
children through without having them
really educated must be guarded and
watched. With the Y group effort
must be made to see that these chill
dren learn to do well in their limited
field the things that they can do"
In her review of the efforts of the
educational research department to
build up the health Of children in the
schools, Miss Jessie La Sale. director,
suggests that since only 36.5 per cent
OF LAST pupils who We're examined
were found to be mentally inferior,
there is a growing need for psychiat-
rist as a member of her department.
With 80 per cent of the school pupils
taking modern language courses of
only two years, Rene Samson, head
OF the language department, reported
that the course is being intentified so
that students will learn to understand
spoken French, to read and write
French, and, as much as it will be
possible, to speak French.
Reporting an outstandingly active
year in the cadet corps Of the senior
high schools, in which 1,441 boys, or
36 per cent of the total male enroll
Stephen E. Kramer, first assistant su.
perintentlent, expressed disappoint-
ment in the lack of interest shown in
military training in the junior high
schools. Unable to offer an explana-
ton for the disinterest, Mr.. Kramer
promised he will make an intensive
study Of the situation by which he
hopes to ascertain the reasons.
Allan Davis, principal of Business
High School, and Charles Hart, rrin-
cipal of Eastern. are quoted by DIR.
Ballou in their efforts 10 supply prop
er entertainment for the students of
the respective schools. Mr.. Davis de-
clared that the lunch-hour dances in
the Business gymnasium, instituted
last year under teacher supervision,
proved so successful that they will he
continued this year. Mr.. Hart con-
tended that pnotoplay programs
given three times week in Easterns
auditorium had solved the problem
faced by students with nothing to
do" during the latter half of their
lunch periods.
In that section Of his report which
DIR. Ballou quoted, Raymond L.
1Iaycock. assistant superintendent IN
charge of elementary schools, pays
tribute to the results of the superin-
iendent's policy Of centralizing the
administration OF the schools.
Conditions Improved.
1.-THE direct result Of this program
of reorganization has been not only
the more satisfactory handling of the
ma ior activities OF administration at
headquarters, but the strengthening
of the hands Of field officers, prin-
cipaIs and teachers, thus making for
marked Improvement in the condi-
tions, the methods and the materials
involved in classroom instruction,
Mr.. Haycock explains.
"One Of the most striking results
growing out of the superintendent S
reorganization plan is the develop
ment of a more dependent, responsible