Evening star., 1954-04-01
School Officials
To Hear Talks
0nIntegration
Outside Experts Due
Next Week as System
Prepares for Ruling
By james 6. Deone

By james 6. Deone
District public school officers
next week will begin q series Of
all-day interracial conferences
aimed at improving racial un-
derstanding.
All principals, assistant prin-
cipals and supervisors are to take
part. Later the school systems
$500 teachers will hear special
lecturers.
The conference-lecture pro-
gram is the first step by the
school system to prepare for a
possible Supreme Court order
to end school race segregation.
Problems of interracial relation
ships under integration are to
be considered.
Out-of- Town Experts.
Two out-of-town experts will
lead the conferences. They are
DR.. Dan w. Dodson, professor
of education at New York Uni
versity, and william E. Vickery.
education director Of the Ma
tional Conference of Christians
and Jews.
DR.. Ethel ]. Alpenfels. profess
sor of sociology at New York
University. will address the later
teacher meetings.
The first of the officer confer
ences will follow late this month.
These will be on April 26 at
Western High School; April a..
Dunbar; April %, Spingarn:
April 20, Anacostia, and April 80.
Coolidge.
The teacher meetings are
scheduled for May "a and Is at
Mckinley High School. School
will be dismissed an hour early
both days on account Of the ses-
SionS.
Divide Into Groups.
The school system has about
$50 officers. They will divide up
into groups for the conference
series. Each officer will attend
only one.
Supt. Hobart M. Corning has
announced that the project Is
not geared to any particular type
Of school organization. Its pur-
pose, he has informed school per-
sonnel, is Ito create climate for
general understanding and i'm
proved relationships among the
various segments Of our popu-
lation."
The superintendent in an ex-
planatory circular said that bet
ter intercultural relationships
are needed whether the schools
continue to be segregated or in
tegration is ordered.
A preliminary conference al-
ready has been held by top school
officials and board of education
members. This was on March 8.
with DR.. Dodson, Mr.. Vickery
and DR.. John L. Milligan, as
sistant commissioner of educa-
ton in New Jersey, taking part.
Topics Listed.
Topics considered-which also
will be discussed in the new con-
ferences-were:
/. Practical problems in the
field of intercultural relation
ships now existing.
2. Practical problems in inter-
racial relationships which may
present themselves If schools are
integrated.
3. Practical solutions of these
problems.
4. Procedures for brea king
down prejudices and misunder-
standings.
5. Bethods of developing Cos
operative and harmonious eff
fort among the patrons of the
schools and all school personnel.
DR.. Corning said he expects
the principals and supervisors to
carry on similar discussions with
teachers following the staff con-
ferenceS.
Ready for Ruling.
If the Supreme Court orders
segregation ended, the school
system will organize a greatly
intensified program of confer
ences on all levels. the SUPER
intendent told reporters today.
Detailed plans for meeting such
an order have not been made
public.
One Of the needs, DR.. Corn
ing has informed school staffs,
is to prepare the colored popu-
lation against disappointment If
segregation should be continued.
School officials some time ago
prepared and distributed hand
book urging steps to improve
interracial and intergroup un-
derstanding. But this is the first
program launched to put the
books recommendations into
nracficn