Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-20


pletely torn away from the walls.
Nothing like this had ever &C.
Cured prior to indignation, So
far as I can recall.
Colored children have been
known to forge names at the
school bank!
There were a dozen or more
colored girls who became preg-I
nant during my last year at
Eastern. Pregnancy among
white girls was very rare, and
had occurred only in isolated
instances.
Supt. Corning ordered all
school records to be kept without
regard to race. This order was
repeated several times during
the school year.
The colored students DOM
mated the failing groups, which
were much larger than any year
before Indignation.
Claims speech Barrier"
1 found it very difficult to
understand the speech of some
of the colored teachers in the
claSSrooms. AS a result, I feel
safe in saying that white stu
dents ,cannot understand them
either. This speech barrier must
be handicap to the white stu
dents, in particular.
| At least a dozen white teach
ers came to me during the year
and requested me to initiate
their retirement, because they
said they could not endure the
situation.
The average colored student
Cannot keep UP with the average
white students academically. 1t
appears to me that the former
Division II schools did not MAIN
tain as high educational stand
ards as the white schools. Most
of the teaching effort appears to
have been directed to the more
capable colored students, while
the others were made to sit
quietly, while little attempt was
made to teach them.
1t is also apparent that some
of the colored students were
greatly over-graded by their col
ored teachers in Division II
schools. I had two colored stu
dents who came to me volun-
tarily and asked that I put them
back from algebra 3 to algebra /,
because they had never been
taught the fundamentals of
algebra. 1 investigated their
|; records and found that their
reports from their previous
school showed that they had
both been given AS in algebra
and algebra 2.
Blames Situation on Corning
I hold DR.. Corning, the super
intendent of scho0ls-more than
any other person-responsible
for the present plight of the
District schools. At one of our
meetings Dr.. Corning was unable
to tell an inquirer the location
of the alvin-Coolidge High
School.
1t would appear to me that
no preparation was made, nor
did any serious consideration
seem to have been given by DR.
Corning to the problems at
tendant to the indignation of the
District school system.
Prior to indignation I loved
and lived with my work, but the
: problems which encountered
after indignation contributed tt
: the failure Of my health.
The present four track system
: that is being initiated in the
District high schools is nothing
new. had used the XYZ sys-
!. tenn of separating students ac-
cording to I. @. since 1925.
Detailed Reports Submitted
Virtually all social activities
were abandoned in Eastern after
indignation. This move was
iniated by the white students
and was a great loss to the
school, because prior to integra-
ton they had very happy and
extensive social setup.
After indignation, detailed re.
ports of trouble in schools were
sent by the principals to their
: supervisors. I sent my reports
] to Mr.. Nelson. the present as
!. sistant to DR.. Corning. sub
: mitted about two dozen Of these
reports during the year, and
know Of nothing that ever came
OF any OF -tneSe reports.
/ can say from experience that
Iintegration has brought about a
lowering Of public school stand
ards and student academic
achievement in the District pub.
! lie schools. 1t has created prob.
lens Of discipline that have dis.
rupted educational processes. Il
E has created grave social prob.
4 lens that cannot be solved under
existing circumstances
u This leads me to the obviou,
E conclusion that our system o.
: integration cannot be held ouf
/ as any model 10 any communit,
: that has not. as yet. integratec
its school system.