Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-11-02
Movie credits

Movie Credits
In labelling the March Of
Time film. 1.-THE Fight for Bet
ter Schools. . q deliberate
falsehood. . Harley williams
presupposes a conspiracy Of
staggering proportions. Lit
orally hundreds Of Arlington
citizens appear in the film. 1t
Is hard to imagine so many
people. all playing their parts
so well. and all part Of a mon
Strous plot to advance Barnard
JOY and keep Harley Williams
from getting credit
But this Is not all Mr.. VIII
lianns asks us to believe. We
must further imagine the plot
tiers persuading Time. Inc, TO
swallow their hoax. or per-
haps Time. Inc. was IN on the
intrigue TO keep Harley VIII
liams from getting credit.
Maybe they started it.
Actually, the whole thing Is
as much 4 myth as the social
revolution Mr. Williams ac-
cuses the good school inove-
ment Of foisting on Arlington
schools. The social reyolu-
ton fantasy is one Mr.. VIII
lianns shares with the AIM
School Board candidates. and
Is made up Of 1 number OF
separate deiusions.
Here are some Of them:
"a The delusion that the
School Board has altered the
curriculum so that funda-
mentals are sighted.
The fact Is that most Of the.
curriculum Is prescribed BY
the State Of Virginia. The
emphasis on fundamentals Isl
today greater than ever.
ca The delusion that the
School Board prevents teach
ers from using effective teach
ing methods.
The fact Is that THE School
Board has no concern with
teaching methods. Unless diff
ficulties arise. teachers use the
methods they have learned
through practical experience
and college courses. Since Ar
lington teachers come from
colleges all over the United
States. II seems reasonable To
assume that their methods
represent q cross-sectiori OF
what American teachers col
leges produce. TO get what he
wants, Mr.. Williams would
have to re-educate Arlington
teachers Or else go outside the
United States 10 recruit teach
ers.
t31 The delusion that the
School Board refuses to let
parents have ABC reports on
their children's progress.
The fact Is that all Arling-
ton children above the sixth
grade receive ABC reports. In
the lower grades. ABC grades
are used where parents have
voted for them.
4l The delusion that chill
tlren do not learn as well under
modern teaching methods as
they did under methods used
lii the past.
The facts here are legion.
TO cite only one bit of data, a.
comparative studysof the read
ing abilities Of persons in
Quoted into the armed services
) during World War I and dur-
Ing World War II established
the fact that the average in
eiuctee was reading on the
sixth grade level In World War
! and on the tenth grade level
lii World War III.
We are happy to set the rec
ord straight on q few Of Mr..
Williams theories about PRO
gressiye education. 1t may
be. as Mr.. williams says, that
Arlingtonians have lost sight
Of the fact that he was once
connected with the good school
movement. It Is true that he
was. and we are happy to set
the record straight on that,
too. But the facts os the situa-
ton today are that Joy, Stock
ard and Riches are where they
have always benin the good
school movement-While Har-
ley Williams has found a new
philosophical home iii Fairfax
with the Defenders Of state
Sovereignty and Individual
Liberties. G. T.. TuthiII,
Manager, Convention Cam
ditiates for school and