Evening star., 1954-11-04
Corning toAsk
For Smaller
Sized Classes
: <PupiI-Teucher Rotio
For Grade Schools
Of 80 to | Seen
BY james G. Deune

School Supt. HOBART M. C0fns
ing will ask the Board of Educa-
ton this month to set a smaller
class-size standard for the Dis
trict's public schools.
DR.. Corning told reporters to-
day he will recommend cutting
the present elementary pupil
teacher ratio Of SO to /. The
superintendent didn't disclose
what standard he will propose,
but it is expected to be 80 to /.
The school board also Is ex-
pected to be asked to cut back
the Junior high standard from
28-1 to 25-1. The senior high
ratio probably will be left at its
present 25-1.
DR.. Corning said he will give q
detailed report on the clasS-size
question to the board at its next
regular meeting November II.
Requires More Teachers.
Making the smaller standard
effective would require hiring
several hundred more teachers
and building more classrooms.
The superintendent is expected
to submit cost estimate with
his proposal.
Racial integration of the school
system this fall paved the way
for the proposal, although DR..
Corning answered negatively
when he was asked-today wheth-
er integration was the reason
for it.
School officials, including DR..
Corning, long have desired to
establish a smaller class size
standard. They have felt that
the present standard is too large
for the best teaching, and both
national and local educational
organizations are on record in
support of this position.
DR.. Corning held off on for
mally seeking a change while
the school system was still ra-
cially segregated, however, be-
cause the school systems Negro
division was short of teachers
even under the present standard
and the Superintendent felt it
was impracticable to recommend
any smaller standard while that
situation existed.
Some Above Normal.
The pupil-teacher standard as
employed by the school system
actually is only an average, DR..
Corning pointed out. Within q
school where the classes together
average exactly the standard
ratio, individual classes often are
above and below. The school
system has no rule setting q
maximum or minimum class
size.
Such a maximum has been
suggested informally by School
Board members. but DR.. Corning
said it would be very difficult
! TO edrr'nister.
DR.. Corning did not give any
estimate today on the extra
teachers and classroom space
that would be needed under bis
pending proposal. Another off,
cial estimated that as MANY as
300 or more additional teachers
might be needed in the elemen-
tary schools, however.
On the score of space, DR..
Corning said the Districts pres.
ent long-range school construc-
tion plans would not be enough
to meet the smaller class stand.
ard. A number of buildings are
crowded on the basis of the
present standard, and the only
way to cut class sizes in those
now, even If extra teachers were
hired, would be to establish
part-time schedules.
| Quick Action Favored.
Thus. 1t is not expected that
the smaller standard could be
made completely effective for
several years. even if it is adopted
by the school board.
officials feel. however, that the
smaller size should be made the
basis for judging the adequacy Of
the school systems teaching
staff, and that the city should
begin taking steps to convert to
1t as rapidly as possible.
Reports on class sizes in the
schools this fall are now being
processed by school statisticians
and DR.. Corning said they viii be
made public soon.
Some civic groups have urged
a lower elementary ratio than
that expected to be proposed by
DR.. Corning. Spokesman for sew
eral parent and civic organiza-
tions last spring urged ratio Of
25-to-1, a standard also favored
by the National Education AS.
sociation.