Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-01
School Officials
Doubt Drastic
Shift Of Pupils
Some ReshuffIinq
For mogeneity'
Of Glasses Is Seen
BY JAMES G. DEANE

I
BY JAMES G. DEANE
Some District public school
pupils may face stunning next
fall under a new Board of Edu-
Ication mandate to School Supt
Hobart M. Corning.
But high-ranking school Of
f1cials said today they doubt
that any drastic reorganization
will occur.
The school board, on motion
of DR.. Rowland F. Kinks, yes
Iterday directed DR.. Corning to
produce by June a plan for re-
organizing elementary and junior
thigh pupils into as "homogene-
Gus" classes as possible. He urged
that ability and achievement be
made the chief gauges for the
"homogeneity" a situation
where all are alike.
| DR.. Kinks dropped previous
proposal to have all the city's
school children retested and re-
group them accordingly. He also
did not press a proposal fol-
strict new promotion standards
although he said he still favors
these.
More Homogeneity Urged
School officials did not oppose
the new Kinks move. DR.. Corning
said he interpreted the instruc-
tions as stating I'VE are to use
all administrative measures we
have in order to effect more
homogeneity." He added:
THAT is something all Of us
want"
The superintendent also said
1.-THE school system already has
made some steps in that direc-
ltion.
| DR.. Kinks, in explaining his
proposal. ASSOCIATED himself
from a recent plan of Brig. Gen.
Thomas A. Lane, District En-
Igineer Commissioner. for demot-
ling District children whose
school work is behind grade
level. Gen. Lane also called for
Iretesting all pupils. a move which
was rejected by school officials
as being impractical.
alarming" Extremes
! DR.. Kinks cited what he said
was the existence of alarming"
extremes within present classes
in attainment, intelligence, social
adjustment and age.
Asserting that in some classes
the schools were mixing wrong
ingredients" the board member
declared:
IF a child is three or four
years behind in reading and
mathematics and is in the ninth
grade, I'd say he's in the wrong
slot and shouldn't be there"
This situation was shown to
exist in achievement tests last
year, he pointed out.
II believe we can attain better
results by better grouping of
our students" DR.. Kinks told his
colleagues.
The Kinks motion approved by
the board included a proviso
that the school administration be
allowed to shift children from
one school to another if this
proved necessary in order to
carry out the desired regrouping.
Dr. Margaret j. Butcher OBJ
Ijected to the regrouping plan as
'undemocratic," contending chill
dren would be labeled as superior
or inferior. She also questioned
whether lack of past educational
opportunity might penalize some
children and make it impossible
to determine their actual ability
fairly.
She asserted that the crux of
the school systems teaching
problems is a need for more
money and more teachers.
Segregation has created this
whole thing" she declared.
Wesley S. Williams said he had
personal knowledge" that some
schools already are grouping
children by ability.
Oppose Kinks Motion
DR.. Butcher and MI. Williams
voted against the Kinks motion.
Robert r. Faulkner abstained,
declaring he was bitterly disap-
pointed that DR.. Kinks has wa
tered down his statement" Mr..
Faulkner said he had intended
to propose public hearings on
the original Kinks plan.
Board Member Walter N. To-
briner said it was important. in
connection with the regrouping
plans. not to label the groups as
bright" and stupid" to keep
the groups flexible, and mot to
let the transfer proposal trans
gress on the principles of inte-
grafton"
DR.. Kinks. in his motion. left
out senior high schools, explain
ing he felt they were already
covered by board approval last
week of a new "four-track"
grouping plan.
Junior highs already organize
classes largely by ability, and
many elementary schools do the
same, officials said today.