Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-03
PLATOON SYSTEM
NOT ADAPTED TO
PARK VIEW SITE
School Survey Includes
Praise of Program of
Past Ten Years.
BOARD WILL CONSIDER
FINDINGS OF WOMAN
Waste Cubage in Structure Would
Entail Greater Cost to Change
to New Mode.

Criticism of the Park View School
Building and its new 15-room addition
as affording unsatisfactory accommoda-
tons for a platoon type of elementary
school and praise for the program which
has been in operation there for the past
10 years are contained in tentative
report on the survey Of the school which
the United States office of education
is making at the request of the District
of Columbia Board of Education.
Board Given Report.
Copies of the report, which was made
by Miss Alice Barrows, specialist in
school building in the Federal educa-
ton Office, are in the hands OF school
board members today for their study IN
preparation for the official consideration
at a future meeting of the board.
AS sent to the school authorities by
Miss Barrows, the report covers three
of the four phases requested for study
by DR.. Charles F. Carusi, School Board
president, last Spring. These are the
capacity of the school, including both
old building and new addition, the lat
ter structure opened for the first time
this Fall; figures giving the enrolment
by grade groups in the Park View
School and the Monroe School, and a
platoon school program for the Park
View School for this year, planned on
the basis Of using the school to full
capacity.
Rooms Not Uniform.
At the outset, in considering the
capacity of the platoon school. Miss
Barrows declared that the building as
designed by Albert L. Harris, municipal
architect of the District, presents an
unfair basis of cost comparison between
platoon and traditional schools. The
class rooms in the old section OF the
building are too large, being "a by 26
feet, whereas they should be, according
to the Federal school building expert,
30 by % or 80 by % feet. These d.
mansions, she said, are Understandable
since the building was erected more
than 10 years ago, "but, unfortunately,
the class rooms in the new addition are
also distinctly larger than is considered
desirable, and, Furthermore, they are
not uniform one being 81 by ~,
another 80 by % and third "a by ~
feet.
Three small rooms In the basement
of the braud-new addition, which are
desienated as class rooms by Mr.. Har-
ris Miss Barrows holds. are useless Tor
platoon school work. They are ~ by
I6 feet. cannot be used as class rooms
and are not needed for dressing or store
rooms. The total cubage Of these rooms
is 1924 SO, or equal to nearly one ano
one-half class rooms. In considering
the capacity of the Park View School,
Miss Barrows has eliminated these
three rooms and a room used as
branch post Office Of the city depart
ment entirely.
Accommodation Outlined.
On the basis of the remaining 80
rooms, 2 kindergartens, auditorium,
gyn1nasiumS and 2 play rooms, the
school will accommodate 10 non-platoon
classes in grades l and and "a classes
in grades and 8, plus the 2 kinder
garten classes, giving total OF "a
classes and kindergartens. This es-
innate is based by Miss Barrows upon
40 pupils per class. which. she pointed
out. is a much higher average than the
number of pupils per class for the Dis
trict school system as a whole or Ior
any of the schools in the neighborhood
of Park View, where the highest number
of children per class is In the Raymond
Hubbard School, where the average Is
32.e. In total enrolment, the school
could accommodate 1,276 pupils In It's
"a classes.
'~The platoon school program which
has been In existence at the Park
View school for nearly 10 years Is an
excellent program" Miss Barrows' re-
mort declared. 1.-THE principal knows
HE needs Of her school and is well
equipped to plan an admirable platoon
school program. Hence the present
program Cthe program suggested IN the
survey report is merely suggestive
and, for its successful operation, 1t is
very important that full latitude be
given to the principal to change OF
modify it in any way that seems best to
her or to substitute a different pro-
gram. The principal agrees with the
survey staff as to the capacity OF the
school and she has proved her ability
in the past to plan an excellent platoon
program"
Program Was Asked.
In presenting the suggested program
in response to DR.. CaruSis request 1oI
suggestions (which would enable the
board to set up a platoon type OF or
ganization in the Park View School
that will represent the best current
practice in such schools" Miss Barrows
pointed out that there Is no pest
platoon school program.
zone of the characteristics OF the
platoon school plan that Is considered
important by those who have operated
platoon schools" she said, lis that II
is possible to operate each school sc
as to meet its particular needs. Tnere
is no one best platoon school program
The Detroit program is dlnerent from
the Pittsburgh program. which, IN turn
is different from the Gary program
Plan in Summary.
In brief, Miss Barrows suggests q
program which would divide the
platooned grades of the Park View
School into an A and B school. While
one of these groups is in the home room
studying academic subjects the Other
would be engaged in special activities
| including nature studies, art, music
science and geography, dramatics
manual training and domestic science
| and In the auditorium and gymnasiums
The special activities could be sc
programmed that pupils will have all OF
them during the week for the entire
/ year or they can have certain specia
activities for one term and others fol
the next, The advantage of the latter
plan, the report specifies, is that the
pupil will have the same subject every
day for a given length of time instead
of having one subject one day ant
another the next.
Will Make Final Report.
1.-THE cost of a platoon school IL
| the Park View building on the basil
of the cost of buildings as they stant
and the capacity available would no
represent the cost of q platoon schoo
| of an equal capacity If constructed
| according to platoon school building
| plans In other cities. Nor Is 1t possible
to compare the cost OF the platoon