Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-20
CHARACTER WORK
IN SCHOOL UPHELD
District Board of Education
Follows Example of Other
Sections of Country.

In authorizing the superintendent of
schools here to appoint committee to
formulate plan of further promoting
character education in Washington S
public schools, the Board of Education
is following the example already set
in other sections of the country. School
officials made this clear today when they
took exception to what was termed an
Unwarranted, but nevertheless prevail
ing belief, that nothing has been done
heretofore in the schools in the way Of
character training.
When the school board, sitting as a
committee of the whole, last Friday
vetoed the proposal to withhold diplomas
from pupils guilty of offenses against
good conduct, it was decided that DR..
Frank w. Ballou, superintendent, should
appoint a committee of school officials
to study the general program of char
acter guidance. This action was taken
after board members had made 1t plain
that the only reason the doploma-with
holdingpropoSal was made was to provide
school officials with toothed means OF
enforcing discipline in the interest of
character training It is this action
taken in committee meeting, on which
the board acts finally this afternoon.
Would Intensity Work.
School officials explained today that
any program mapped out by the com.
mittee, which is to report its findings
not later than April, would be to in
tensify the character education already
being carried out in Washington schools
and not in any sense to introduce 1t.
In some schools the principals, act
ing on advice of officials at the Franklin
administration building. have initiated
rather comprehensive programs of &C.
tivity leading to character training
These programs, however, Stephen E
Kramer, first assistant superintendent
explained today, do not entail the ring.
ing of a bell and the trite announce.
ment now we'll study character"
Mr.. Kramer pointed out that TIT
character guidance which now is beinl
carried on is rather a part of thu
educational guidance programs, in which
| moral training Is a live but not neceS.
sarily stressed feature.
Pupils are schooled, for instance, ir
| the virtues of personal cleanliness anc
| health habits, while the relation Of
such habits to good citizenship anc
| good manhood is pointed out by the
teachers. Frequently open class dis.
cuSSions are held on points of ethics ir
which problems acute to pupil life are
discussed by the boys and girls them
selves with little or no active partici.
| patton by the teachers. One of the
most popular topics in these discussions
| is the difference between tale bear
| ing" and witness bearing"
If the board decides today to affirm
| its action of Friday, DR.. Ballou will
appoint his committee at once. Thai
| body will study the progress made In
character education elsewhere. Tht
committee probably will call upon the
Character Education Institute. of which
+, Milton Fairchild, with Offices here, L
! chairman.
States Approve Study.
The Character Education Institute
| includes among its members State SUI
perintendents of education and educa.
tional commissioners throughout thu
| country. DR.. Ballou is a member Of
its board of directors. The institute
has fostered character training II
schools throughout the country and L
able to supply much material to thu
| local committee in its study.
| Commenting on character education
| in the more advanced forms, Mr.. Fair
child said this morning that Boston
| introduced character training as an in
| tensive subject five years ago and spend
annually $4,000 in its promotion. Ne
braska now is operating under a Stat
| law proVlolng 1Or CIldrdCIeI LIdlIlLl
which was passed two years age
Idaho adopted similar legislation last
| year. Studies already have beef
launched in New York City and il
Chicago, where character training
rapidly becoming recognized as o
equal Importance with academic edu
cation. The character training pro
grams in most of, these cities include
a series of appropriate lectures to pu
| pills, schedule of visits to institution
where kindness may be best taught, ant
a system of recognition for chores don
| at home