Evening star., 1952-05-16
School Board
Blocks Queries
|BYMagaziine
Lee Tells Corning
Thot QUESTIONABLE
Is 'CommerciuIism'
By Colt HendIey. Jr.

4
Distribution of a QUESTIONABLE
to Washington public school pu-
pills is being held up in a new dis
pute between School Supt. Hobart
M. Corning and Adelbert w. Lee,
vice president of the Board Of
Education.
1t happened this way:
Life magazine shipped 10000
copies of a QUESTIONABLE to DR..
Corning last week. 1t is entitled
How Good Is Your School?" The
idea was to give one to each pupil
to take home.
The QUESTIONABLE was to have
been used in connection with a
series of television programs. be-
ginning Sunday and running for
two weeks, showing the local
schools in action. WTOP-TV will
carry the programs.
The clerks were we'll on the
way to finishing the packaging Of
the questionnaires for shipment
to the various schools as the
Board of Education Personnel
Committee was meeting yesterday.
Mr.. Lee, chairman of the COM
mittee, declared: ut has been a
long standing policy to keep COM
mercialism out of the schools"
Delayed, at Least.
The result, after lengthy debate,
is that the questionnaires will not
be distributed-at least not now.
The Board of Education may vote
on it Wednesday.
DR.. Corning defended the dis
tribution of the questionnaires. He
said it is designed merely to guide
the parents in judging how good
their schools are.
"It will do a lot of good If it
arouses the interest of the parents
in our schools" he added.
If it isn't commercial adver-
tising, I've never seen it," Mr.. Lee
declared. He said a lot of business
men in the city would be delighted
to have the schools distribute that
many folders advertising their
business.
Other board members apparent
!y didn't know just what tack to
adopt.
Were not asking anybody to
buy a Life magazine" Mrs. James
NV. Williams commented.
Favors TV Program.
! Mr.. Lee said he had no objec-
ton to the television programs; in
fact, he thinks they are a good
idea. DR.. Corning kept asking
what he should do about the
planned distribution of the folders.
Mr.. Lee said he wuld have to
make up his mind about it.
DR.. Corning commented that
he didn't approve of withholding
the queStionnaires.
1T would seem that you don't
want the parents to answer those
questions he said.
c. Melvin Sharpe, board presi-
dent, said some decision was
necessary.
DR.. Corning solved the problem
by declaring. Il will not send out
the folders unless the Board of
Education directs me to Go So"
DR.. Corning also had a number
of other setbacks from the Per-
sonnel Committee before the
meeting was over.
A plan he proposed for organ
izing a centralized food services
program was held over for fur
ther study. Another plan he pre-
; sented to set up regulations gov
erning leave of principals, as
, SiStant principals, directors and
heads of departments was held up
for further report.
5 Then Mr.. Lee brought up the
, matter of a directive which DR..
. John F. Brougher. principal Of
/ Wilson High School, sent to his
. teachers on April %.
Statements Challenged.
1 This directive stated: Since the
Board of Education has taken no
action on the use of the new
teacher rating sheets, the old
forms will be used again this
year."
1t went on to say that ratings
are determined by the cumulative
effect of former years and asked
the teachers to indicate what ac-
tivities leading to professional
!, growth they had engaged in dur
ing the last two years.
Mr.. Lee declared that the OPEN
ing statement was false. that the
} School Board had adopted new
rating sheets before DR.. Brougher
sent out the directive. He also
pointed out that all ratings are
made on an annual basis only and
are not made with reference to
prior years.
DR.. Corning agreed with Mr..
Lees general conclusions. He de-
scribed the directive as couched
in unfortunate language.
"Dr. Brougher is a doctor and
should know how to write Eng
Ilish," Mr.. Lee declared. 1T is
time he was educated as how to
rate his teachers. I want report
ION this"