Evening star., 1935-01-22
TWO PRINCIPALS
BACK TEACHERS
FIGHT ON RATINGS
Frank C. Daniel and Allan
Davis Tell Board SyS.
tenn Is Unfair.
THIRD SCHOOL OFFICIAL
SEES NEED FOR CHANGE
Chester W. Holmes, However,
Favors Graduated Plan Con-
tanning Improvements.

tanning Improvements.
Two senior high school principals
joined with the Teachers Union in
an effort to change the present syS-
tenn of rating and promoting teachers.
A third told the Board of Education
the present methods could be i'm
proved, but that when he had offered
another system it was laughed out
of court"
The three were the first SupeIvis-
ing and rating officials to support the
teachers contentious that the grad
uated scale ranging from fair" to
'eminently superior" could and should
be improved. Frank C. Daniel, prin-
cipal of Mckinley High School. and
Allan Davis. principal of Roosevelt
High, were voluntary witnesses. The
third, w. L. Smith of Dunbar High,
was summoned by DR.. Stephen E.
Kramer, assistant superintendent.
Holmes Defends Plan.
Chester w. Holmes, principal of
Langley Junior High School, deefnded
graduated plan but asserted the
present ratings might be improved
upon. He also said principals are
called upon for so much administrative
work that he finds 1t difficult to give
sufficient attention to actual teaching
methods of his staff. He recommend
ed that assistant principals be as
signed to each high school as soon as
the enrolment reaches 1000.
Il hold no brief for this particular
system he said. but there should be
system of grades. Merely marking
teacher satisfactory or 'unsatisfac-
tory appears too vague to me-"
Additional support to a graduated
series of markings was given by Miss
Mildred Dean, head of the Department
OF Latin in the white schools; c. c.
McDuttied, head of the Languages De-
partment of the colored schools, and
Mrs. M. H. Plummer of Francis Junior
High School.
Gilligan Offers Objection.
The two department heads said they
sent their own ratings directly to the
authorities at the Franklin School
when they disagreed with the school
principals on rating. Henry Gill;
gan, board member. objected to the
method, declaring 1T isn't right to go
over the heads of the principals" who
are responsible for the ratings.
When it was seen that the hearing
could not be concluded yesterday. Mrs.
Henry Grattan Doyle. vice president
who presided in the absence of DR..
Hayden johnson. called upon volun-
teer Spokesmen from the high schools
before inviting the elementary school
heads to testify.
It was then that Daniel and Davis
denounced the present system and
asked for its abolition.
Il can Sympathize with the idea
back of the use of ratings by the
Franklin School officials for the pur-
poses of promotions, but I know OF
nothing that causes more heartbreaks
and jealouSies among the teachers
themselves" Daniel said.
Daniel was asked if ratings are
made public by the principals.
NO Common Standard.
NO" he answered, but minutes
after they are given to the teachers
you can tell by their faces that they
know what all the ratings are. Some
faces are wreathed in smiles, some in
tears, and there are some teachers
hopping MAD.
Under this system there is no COM
mon standard used by the rating
officials. Each sets up his own stand
dards and makes his own rules"
Asked if any of his ratings were ever
rejected by the superintendent or his
assistants, Daniel said there was a
blanket rejection of all his recommen-
dations one year.
Were you told to revise them or to
justify those that were changed?"
Charles H. Houston asked.
Il was told to revise them. They
were declared too high, and I was told
that unless they we're revised they
would not be approved
Some Never Approved"
did you revise them or attempt to
justify them?" Henry I. Quinn in
quired
It attempted to justify some of
them. Some then were accepted and
some we're never approved"
Davis followed Daniel and recon-
mended the satisfactory" or "unsat-
isfactory" system, with written COM
ments to teachers rated in the latter
class
Give us system we can under
stand" he said. He told of an at
tempt to adopt the method used in
rating Government employees.
But that took a machine to de-
termine the teachers average. How
it was arrived at don't know. That
system was fearfully and wonderfully
made The teachers recommends
tionS are entirely satisfactory to me. Z"
Another session was called for next
Monday afternoon when the School
Board will hear supervisory officials
and teachers from the elementary