Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-25
Corning Pledges No Recriminotion
Against School Hearing Witnesses


sulting Mrs. Wells. The teacher
knew both students we're colored,
Mrs. Wells said.
No Home and School Associa-
ton committee-the school has
no PTA-ever asked to see her,
she said. The school has q rule
against giving out teachers tele-
phone numbers, she said.
Mrs. Wells said that wherever
1t was possible she had made ef-
forts to see that Negro children
in the school were given adj
vantages.
To. Consult Corning
Mrs. Wells said she planned to
consult with DR.. Corning today
about the Williams charges.
Representative Davis, Demo-
crat Of Georgia, who heads the
investigating subcommittee, told
DR.. Corning yesterday that the
committee was not prepared at
that time to go generally into
the operation Of the school sys-
tenn.
1t has been indicated that DR..
Corning will be asked to testify
Eventually, but Mr.. Davis said a
number of principals and teach
ers are still to be heard. The
chairman said the hearings may
continue into next week.
Two teachers from Stuart Jun
ior High School, not far from
Capitol Hill, were among wit
nesseS yesterday afternoon.
Miss Lillian C. Parham, who
teaches social studies, told the
investigators both disciplinary
and teaching problems have
grown since indignation.
On the disciplinary side, she
said there have been problems
of obscene notes and writing on
the walls, more than the school
used to have.
COIored Pupils Lag
She also said colored young
sters are generally behind whites
in their school work. Some sew
enth-graders last year were read
ing in the second, third or fourth
grade. she said. adding she had
to teach reading and spelling in
her social studies classes.
DO you think standards over
there have had to be loWered?"
Mr.. Gerber asked.
yes, definitely" she said.
The Stuart teacher said the
youngsters in two sections last
year averaged 20 in los, when
she was accustomed to 80 or
100. She didn't specify whether
her customary sections have
been higher -grade students,
however. The city's junior high
sections are organized according
to 10.
Miss Parham gave great credit
to her principal and other sue
periors for taking the schools
problems. especially disciplinary
problems. in hand and coping
with them. however.
Absenteeism Checked
She said the school was
making good headway against
absenteeism, making one Of the
best records in the city last year.
She also said she still had quite
a few" white children in her
classes despite the fact that the
neighborhood has been losing
white families for some years.
Asked whether she thought
indignation had gone too fast,
she said she felt 1t would have
been easier if it had been more
gradual.
Howard L. Crawford, English
teacher. agreed with Miss Par
ham that Stuart's behavior
problems weren't too extreme.
I'VE run a rather good school, T"
he declared, adding that the
school had had just one serious
incident since indignation. In
that case, he said, several colored
girls brought a neighborhood
fight into the school, and one
girl was stabbed six or seven
times and slaShed across the
face. The girls assailant was
sent Immediately away to a
girls school. he said.
Work Problem
Asked by Mr.. Gerber whether
there were any discipline prob
lens with boys, he said he re-
called no extreme ones, adding
MY main problem is to get
them to work, get them inter-
ested in getting an education. -
Mr.. Crawford added:
"One of the things that sur
Iprised me was that we had very
few incidents between colored
boys and girls and white boys
and girls"
Asked about pregnancies, he
said he didn't know exactly but
Thought there were perhaps -four
or five last year.
Mr.. Crawford, like Miss Par
ham. said the schools achieve
ment record was low but blamed
it on 1.-THE type of neighborhood.
He said the neighborhood has
been changing drastically for
6 to 10 years.
Mrs. Garcia G. Mcmillan, an
English teacher at Paul Junior
High School, told the committee
her school has only small num-
Der of colored students. She
estimated the total at 5 per cent
last year. OF her own 1870 pu-
pills eight were colored.
White People Leaving
Mr.. Gerber wanted to know
whether white people were leav-
ing the Paul area. She said
they were.
She testified, in answer to Mr.,
iGerber's questions, that her
colored pupils were generally
not on the academic level Of
white students, but noted that
she only had a few to compare,