Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26
Districts Elementary System
Offers Study in Contrasts
Ranging From Up-to-Date
to BaCkWoodS Features.
POOR SANITATION FOUND
IN SEVERAL BUILDINGS
Others Have Anticipated Heating
Plants, With Congested Class
Rooms General Throughout City.
Lack of Furniture Is Handicap
to Students.

Belieping that Washington parents
are interested in description of the
physical aspects OF the school system
as 1t IS today. especially in Diet1 OF
the controversy 0UeT reasons for
delay IN the fUe-yedr school build
ING program, The Star begins today
the publication OF a series OF articles
dealing NTH conditions in each of
the school decisions and in each OF
the elementary schools. While the
cases OF OUercrot0dinO and inadequate
or ancient equipment are emphasized.
Il IS not The Stars purpose to paint
the school system wholly black or to
neglect its praiseioorthy features, Of
lCIiich there are many.
The second article of this series,
dealing NTH conditions in the frst
division OF the school system, tuiu
appear tomorrow.
Apicture of Washington's much
discussed elementary public school
system might be called a study in
contrasts, for everywhere there
are striking differences between
buildings and equipment and
sizes of classes in one portion of
the city and those in another part
of the city. ~.
The contrasts are not found be-
tween such definite geographical
portions of the city as the North
west and Southwest, the North
east or Southeast, nor between
communities of fine mansions and
those of modest homes.
They exist not only in the same gem
eral communities but in the same small
neighborhoOds that may be served by
two schools. The Janney School, for In
Stance, a fine, new school buildink At
Wisconsin avenue and Albemarle street,
shares duties with the antique Tenley
School, just around the corner, in pro-
viding facilities for children of the same
families. One represents the modern
type OF school construction The other
Is Identified with the school days of
another generation.
Tive without Sewer Connections.
While new schools are being opened
and built that represent the latest ideas
IN school construction, from assembly
halls to Fairgrounds, there are two
schools in the Washington system that
do not have sewerage connections and
one where water is supplied by an cid
pump.
While $50 classes above the kinder
gartenS in the public schools are part
time, the children being deprived of q
fun day of instruction every day OF the
school year, there are other classes IN
which there are twice as many seats as
children.
While in the case Of the johnson
School some of the pupils were found
by Star reporters using bridge ia
bles- furnished by the parents--in lieu
OF desks, there Is the case of the old
Bradley School, for instance, where
there are 1872 seats available, but only
$50 pupils enrolled
While some schools have been eouip-
ped with new steam heating plants.
there are other schools heated by an
Gent hot-atr furnaces and one where the
janit0r climbs to the third floor with
coal scuttles to fill the bellies of old
fashioned iron stoves, set I'M In the
Class rooms beside the children. and
works to keep them booming during
school hours.
Some Have No Play Space.
While many buildings, such as the
Henry ID. Cook School, have fine plav-
grounds equipped with recreationai de-
vices. other schools, such as the Ami
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