Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1955-09-29

Veasing enrolment set by con-
sentative estimates at $1,000 by
1859, DR.. Forbes H. Norris,
Superintendent of Montgomery
County's schools, looks at the
future of the school system.
He has set four major goals
for improvement.
/. A building devoted to spe-
cial classes for handicapped
children, to be located in the
central area of population. This
might also include a pre-voca-
tional school designed for the
slow learner on the high school
level.
2. An educational clinic for
children with potential ability
who are slow in learning because
of emotional disturbance caused
by either home or school mis-
handling. There is a serious
lack of such training here that
puts the county far behind other
systems in the metropolitan area.
3. Expansion of the gifted
children program for the
upper SO percent or above-aver-
age children who are under,
achieving in academic work. OBJ
jectiveS in such a program will
be to change the general attitude
- expect more from such chill
Wren; raise classroom standards
and raise the caliber of teachers
so that they can recognize
superior children and work with
them.
q. Increasing the inadequate"
staff for the starved" programs
in the special fields of music,
art and physical education on
the elementary level.
There are two additional pro-
lens related to the above. The
first is the need for an increase
in State aid. For instance, there
are number of cases handled
by the county schools that
should be in institutions.
Second is the need for a
census of the number of children
in the county in these special
categories. Possibly the health
department might cooperate in
this.
To date, needs are based on
figures estimated from enroll
ment percentages, national aver
ages and referrals. A complete
county census of this type has
never been made.
Ga One eye-opener, for instance,
~ the number of referrals for
'55-56 placement of mentally re-
tarded children: Western subur-
ban area, IS; Kensington-Whea-
ton, 48; Eastern suburban. IS;
Rockville, 45; and Jp-County,
1872. The figures only scratch the
surface.
This brings up the matter of
public unaWareness," which is
another subject of. future con-
Germ to DIR. Norris. "Any bust
ness that had as little public
relations as our schools wouldn't
be in business long" he said. He
is recommending the establish
ment of an office of public rela-
tons and information.
Another recommendation is a
special committee of laymen and
professionals to study the whole
teaching-supervisory situation.
This includes the question of
higher salaries, fringe benefits,
a more liberal policy of recog-
nizing outside experience, a study
of the teachers day, adapting
new teachers to the system and
- better program of developing
ychool principals.
In this connection, DIR. Norris
says that because of the influx
OF new people, Montgomery
County schools haven't as great
a backlog as is necessary for
the size of the staff. There is
an unusually small number of
teachers on maximum salary, he
said.
In a recent article in the
Maryland Teacher, DR.. Norris
said that "a superintendent
must state his position and views
clearly and 'emphatically as the
public and teaching staff have
every right to know the criteria
by which he evaluates the work
in the classroom"
He described himself as IAN
educational middle-of.the-roader
who believes in the thorough
teaching of the three "R's" with
consideration for the individual
differences in children"
In a speech before the Teach
ers' Association last September,
DR.. Norris gave a more detailed
q description of his concept of edu-
Walton and the schools position
in the total picture.
Education is a cooperative
undertaking and the school is
only one of the educational
forces or agencies with which
one child comes in contact" he
eniL La .s.naat cta Il nt,tl.,a A..n 10.