Evening star., 1928-10-21
BALLOU SUBMITS
ANNUAL REPORT
Superintendent of Schools
Stresses Establishment of
Community Institutes.

In the first section of his annual re-
port to the Board of Education, made
public Yesterday Dr. Frank W. Ballou.
superintendent of schools, has given an
accounting of his stewardship by re-
viewing the administration of the system
and the most important incidents which
marked it's conduct from September 81,
1927, to June 90. 1928.
The period covered in the superinten-
dents report embraced the last school
wear. and in recalling the events on the
school calendar, DR.. Ballou Incorporated
In his report extracts of the minutes of
school board meetings and, In some in
stances, the correspondence Of school
officials with outside agencies or indi-
viduals, relating to the incidents.
Makes Little Comment.
Presenting in the first section of his
report, % individual topics, the super
intendent has made little comment on
the affairs of last year, choosing to men,
ton in the vast ma jority of cases merely
the facts under the various subjects.
Perhaps the most important items in
the list, from the point of the public
notice they attracted as they transpired,
are: The establishment of the first
community institute in the schools the
establishment of policy of bringing to
the attention of the Board of Education
all outside lectures which are offered for
delivery. to the pupils; the poll of citi-
zens and civic groups on the status Of
married teachers; the passage of the
new child labor law. and the adoption
OF an inhospitsble attitude by the board
toward the promiscuous conouct of essay
contests
The initial community institute. Dr.
Ballou recalls, was announced October
IA, 1927, when In circular distributed
throughout the system. he outlined the
plan under which the institute was to
be conducted. The institute, DR.. Ballou
set forth in that circular which he has
written into his report, was designed
in accordance with the school officials
policy Of using the school building to
promote cultural advancement in Wash
ington. The Washington Society of
the Fine Arts and the Public Library
co-operated with the Community Gen.
ter Department in the planning of the
institute, and with fee of SO for the
entire course, the following persons
were presented at intervals from No
vember 3 to April IL. Sigmund Spaeth,
music critic and lecturer; George A.
Dorsey, psychologist; Hugar Elliott, di-
rector of educational service. Metro
politan Museum of Fine Arts; Cornelius
Otis Skinner. author and monologist:
William E. Dodd of the Chicago Uni
versity; the Flonzaley Quartet; Ger
rit A. Beneker, artist, lecturer and
author; John Erskine, author and
critic: Earle Rove. director of the
liam Starr Myers of Princeton Uni
versity, and the Kedroff Quartet.
Is Called Success.
"The first Community Institute was
an entire success, both financially and
from the standpoint of the entertain
ment provided The attendance ex-
ceeded expectations and it was pos
sible to add the Kedof Quartet with
no additional expense to the ticket
holders DR.. Ballous report points
out.
The adoption by the Board of Educa-
ton of a new policy toward outside lee
lures, under which all addresses to
students on controversial subjects
shall be reviewed by the board before
they are authorized, is recalled by DR..
Ballou as having its origin in the pro-
test against the Women's Christian
Temperance Union lectures on narcotics
and alcoholic drink. Following consic-
Grafton of objection to the w. G. T. U.
lectures at the board meetings on Mo-
vember and Is. committee Of board
members was appointed to draft re-
ply to the Association Against the Pro-
hibition Amendment complainant. and
at the meeting of December Z the COM
mittee's report recommending that au-
thority for the delivery of all such lee :
lures be sought directly from the board
was adopted Meanwhile. on Novem-
ber 25, letter. which DR.. Ballou in
cludes in his report, was sent to the
Association Against the Prohibition
Amendment. In this letter the board
advised the association that In the fu-
ture no lectures of 'sectarian or con-
triversial or political character" will be
given in the public schools.
The superintendent covered the poll
on the employment of married women
as teachers in the schools by includ-