Evening star., 1941-03-25
Progressive Teaching
Changes Held Need
In Private Schools
Maj. Persing Of Western
Military School Gives
Message to Conference

Private schools must be willing to
adopt sound progressive educational
changes in teaching methods as op-
posed to traditional" methods If
they are successfully to meet the
challenge of the public schools and
other threats to their financial
security.
This was the note sounded at to-
days session of the 1941 conference
of the Association of Military Col
eges and Schools of the United
States at the Mayf1ower Hotel by
Maj. C. L. Persing of Western Mill
tary Academy.
There has been a great deal of
confusion, Maj. Persing declared. as
to just what progressive education
means. He emphasized that it does
not dispense with drill or courses of
study, but rather subordinates them
in an effort to deal with the indi-
vidual student.
Martinez Is Passing Out.
Even the Army, he observed, which
is accustomed to think in terms of
groups of men, is now trying to take
advantage of the special interests
and aptitudes of its men and the
martinez" is giving way to the skill
full orientation of personnel to spe-
cific problems.
The financial security of military
schools is related, he said, Ito de-
velopment of interesting, pleasant
and profitable experiences for our
cadets"
In the old days, he said, there were
fewer public high schools and the
private boarding school provided
something the high schools did not.
That gap has closed today" he
said. The question is how can We
resist change which will give the
private schools something not found
in the public schools"
Construction Work Needed.
Col. r. L. Jackson told the group
of the need to introduce constructive
work into the education Of youth, cit
ing as an example what is being
done in Civilian Conservation Corps
camps. While admitting there was
a 'lunatic fringe in the progress
sive education movement, he pointed
to the same situation existing on the
other side of the solid teacher re-
fusing to comprehend change.
The job of teachers is to trans
NIT the cultural heritage of the past
Incorporating training in religion
and ethics. the Rev. Donald Hen
ming of Shattuck School told the
conference. They must also work to
develop in the student an emotional
response to society's legitimate de-
mand that an educated man be re-
sponsible. he added.
DR.. Luther H. Gulick. director of
the Institute of Public Administra-
tion, said academic standards in
military schools are now much
higher than many people suppose.
Theory on Mathematics.
Both Mai. Pershing and DR..
Gulick referred to the needlessness
of teaching certain types of mathe-
matics in high school as shown by
the development of students in such
subjects in college without much
preparatory school background.
Algebra used to be taught in the
last years of college in Colonial days,
DR.. Gulick observed, and has been
progressively dropped in the cur
riculum until it is now practically
in junior high school. Children
learn it at that level, he said, only
as a set of tricks. without compre-
hending, while if exposed to it later
on. readily understand it.
The conference opened yesterday
with sessions devoted to establish
ing the place of the military school
in the national defense set up. II
continues this afternoon and with a
formal dinner at 7:15 o'clock to-
night. The final session will be
held at $3.50 pm. tomorrow.