Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-03
Continued From Page b.

about disciplinary difficulties.
ranging from petty classroom !
and hallway misbehavior to seri-
Gus cases of emotional malad-
justment. Some principals said
colored pupils were more often
truant or tardy. There was teSti- !
mony about obscene language
and scribbling. Objectionable
touching of girls by boys in
corridors. petty thefts. and a few
instances of fights, including two
or three involving knives.
Mrs. Elva c. Wells. principal
of Roosevelt High School. Thir-
tenth and Upshur streets NV,
told of "antagonism" on the part
of colored girls, who stepped on
the heels of white girls in the
corridor.
Calls Lapses Small Things"
But Mrs. Wells, giving list of
such behavior lapses, labeled |
them small things" and told
the interrogators that "as far
as the discipline and the other
things we have been talking
about. would like almost to
disregard it and would like to
dwell on the problem which to
me is important, and that is the
education of the children of high
school age"
There was also testimony from
Mr.. Bennett, the Hine Junior
High principal, and from Prin-
cipal Arthur Storey of Macfar-
land Junior High School, next
to Roosevelt, that some of the
disciplinary difficulty at Mac
farland and Hine was caused
not by students but by loiterers.
Mr.. Storey testified that heI
had called police some so times
last year. But he, and later Mrs.
Myrtle T. McKnew, the schools
counselor. stressed that the calls
were usually precautionary. In
most cases, Mrs. McKnew said,
nothing happened, and she
added that she felt things were
improving this year.
The inquiry elected voluminous
testimony regarding achievement
problems and the reasons for
them. Mr.. Gerber introduced test
scores showing many colored
pupils averaging three, four and
five years below grade level.
Some teachers said they felt Gus
tomary white school standards
were dropping because of racial
mixing. There were descriptions
of the difficulty of teaching
classes with children on various
achievement levels.
Four Track Plan Outlined
DR.. Carl F. Hansen, assistant
superintendent in charge of high |
schools. outlined the start of a
new four-track plan to divide |
students by ability, however, and |
a number of teachers said they
believed this would maintain
standards. Lawson j. Cantrell, |
a assistant superintendent in
charge of Junior highs, said |
classes are already organized by |
ability or his level and that if |
than can be made smaller, i'm
provement can be made. And DR..
Corning denied standards have
fallen.
Miss Lyons said major efforts
at better pupil grouping also are
being made in the elementary
schools. She blamed colored test
lags on overcrowded school,
rooms, population shifting, late
school entrance and economic
handicaps.
She also denied allegations
that the colored schools had au-
tomato promotions. DR.. Corn
ing made a similar denial for |
the entire school system. Some
witnesses testified, however. that
some colored pupils had come
into integrated schools over
graded. and there was other
testimony that city-wide pro-
motion policies had been too
easy.
CrOwding Noted
Hugh S. Smith, principal of |
Jefferson Junior High School, |
Seventh and I streets S.W, said
he surmised that crowded COL
ored schools were forced to push
some children on in order to
make room for others. This was
confirmed by Negro witnesses.
Dr.. Corning, DR.. Hansen, and
Mr.. Cantrell all blamed the
racial barrier between the for
mer school divisions for the fact
that differences had been dis
covered since merger. And Mrs |
Bessie w. Cramer. elementary
instruction director. blamed seq
regation itself for depriving the
city's colored teachers of oppor-
tunity for a background equal
to that of white. She said she
felt colored teachers in general
ARE not as satisfactory" as
white.
Mrs. Wells. however. said she
was very pleased" with the six
colored teachers at Roosevelt.
Social Events CurtaiIed
Some witnesses. including Mrs.
Wells. testified social activities
had been curtailed in mixed
schools as a precautionary meas
ure. But two teachers said heav-
lily integrated Eastern High
School, Seventeenth and B
streets NE. had a very success
full senior prom last June. And
Miss Kelleher said her colored
and white elementary pupils got
along fine together" Several
elementary teachers who said
there had been fighting said it
had been among colored chill
dren, not colored and white.
Mrs. Cramer and several others
said they did not favor having
very small r,a{porfffo. 30 ,,,i,4to