Evening star., 1937-10-03
WAR ON FLUNK|NC
!. GAINS IN CHICAGO
Teachers Must Report as
Soon as Student Begins
to Fail.
Hr the Associated Press.


CHICAGO, October 2-Unneces-
sary scholastic f1unks are costing
American taxpayers inestimable mil
lions of dollars annually, in the opin-
ion of Dr. William H. johnson, super
intendent of schools.
But more important than the eco
nomic loss occasioned by the re-edu-
cation of unjustifiable failures" he
said, lis the irreparable damage to the
future career Of the pupil, resulting
from the development of inferority
complexes."
DR.. johnson made these assertions
IN announcing he would continue on
an expanded scale the campaign to
reduce to minimum the number of
unnecessary flunks in Chicago's pub
lie schools-a movement he said had
already brought sharp reduction in
failures in the city's high schools.
Steps to Stop Failures.
The steps taken by DR.. johnson in
'clude:
l. A demand that each high school
teacher report when a pupil begins
to fail. why, and what steps are being
taken to correct the students defects
2. Tightening the scholastic load for
first and second year high school stu
dents (under this plan the pupil car
ries but three major subjects the first
two years instead of four, as formerly,
but is permitted to take on increased
work in the third and fourth years so
his credit and scholastic standings are
not impaired.
3. Curricular changes, including the
giving of credit for music and art.
4. supervised study, embracing in
Auguration of personnel guidance
service in both high and grade schools
In which supervisors, trained in psy-
.chology. devote all their time to OBJ
servatlons of the students and their
work. every high school in the city
mas at least one such director, there
are $50 assigned to grade schools. and
by February l. 1888. DR.. johnson
said he hoped 200 of the city's 326
elementary schools would be so
equipped)
'TwO-track Plan"
5. Institution in the grade schools
OF two-track education plan whereby
above-average pupils are grouped sep
arately to complete three and a half
years work in three years, thus en-
abling teachers to give more in
idlvidual attention not only to the
brighter children, but to the duller
ones as well.
8. system whereby teachers in the
first two grades of the elementary
schools VIII advance with their pupils
from the first to the second grade. en-
aoling them, DR.. johnson asserted. to
detect more accurately the weakness
as well as the good points of the
children.
:. DR.. Johnson's demand that high
-echool teachers be able to produce
complete reports on scholastic failures
was made at the opening of the second
semester last year.
=. He produced figures to show that
compared with the previous semester.
-the new system had reduced fiunks
from 3o,0l5 to 1892.
:. AT the rate Of SIS semester per pu
spil he estimated the cost reduction in
ieachers' salaries at s182 595. because
1.-The number of instructors needed to
-re-educate the failures dropped from
-lS7 to III, thus releasing rs for other
work
Asserting that many of the failures
were the fault Of the teacher and not
OF the pupil. DR.. Johnson said children
were entitled to break" and that
their parents have right to know
why xaeir sons and daughters fail and
they are going to get the information
any time they want it.
:. Doesn't Want "Bumps"
lhere are some persons who sub
scribe to the theory that it is good
Tor children to get bumps as thev po
Along, contending the bumps are of
value later in life, but 1 would not
subscribe to any such philosophy.
believe the fewer bumps the bet
ter during childs period of deyelop-
nent.
> AS time goes along we shall de-
3elop the program. Beginning next
FEBRUARY the individual guidance plan
Will be expanded so every high school
&. teacher will have more time for this
type of work.
The number of academic periods
Will be cut from six to five and I shall
insist that the additional time be
devoted to individual guidance and