Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-27
School Probers
Told Of Lag in
Negro Learning
D. c. Survey Shows
Achievement Cop
In Senior Highs
BY JAMES G. DEANE and
DON &. WARREN
BY JAMES G. DEANE and
DON S. WARREN

House investigators today re-
vealed that seniors in Washing
tons four predominantly colored
high schools this year averaged
in the lowest five per cent of the
Nation on standardized achieve
ment tests.
BY contrast, seniors in three
predominantly white high schools
scored in the top five per cent.
The wide gap between the two
groups of schools in tests in
mathematics. English, science
and social studies was revealed
by Counsel William Gerber in
questioning of DR.. Carl F. Han
sen, assistant school superin-
tendent.
DR.. Hansen questioned the
statistical procedure used by Mr..
Gerber. which involved an aver
aging Of results on four different
kinds of tests. But DR.. Hansen
did not take issue with the gen.
eral picture shown by the figures.
4 Schools in Survey
The four schools in the pre-
dominantly Negro group we're
Armstrong, Cardozo, Dunbar and
Spingarn. When the tests were
given, the four had a total of
SOIL colored students and eight
white.
The three predominantly white
schools were Coolidge, Western
and Wilson. They had a total OF
5000 white students and SO
colored students.
Mr.. Gerber also revealed that
only so of 365 high school 10th
graders assigned this fall to A
new honors course are Negroes.
The new course has stiff require
ments and is intended for gifted
students.
Representative Davis, Demo-
crat Of Georgia, chairman of the
subcommittee conducting the
current hearings on the WASH
ington school system asked DR.
Hansen:
Don't you think you ought to
have more honorS students than
you have?"
THAT is difficult to answer. Z"
Or. Hansen replied, Il think for
our urban situation, in which
many families have moved to the
suburbs this may represent a
fairly acceptable per cent"
mot Question of Race"
Mr.. Davis then asked:
DO you mean your best
pupils have moved out Of the
city of Washington to the
suburbs?"
DR.. Hansen said that many
white families have been NOV
ing to the suburbs. But he added
that this was going on in many
urban centers the country over,
and he asserted:
Il would like to suggest this Is
not a question of race"
DR.. Hansen. in confirming the
wide gap on test scores between
the two groups of high schools
cited by Mr.. Gerber, made a
qualification.
He said Dunbar High School.
in the science tests, ranked
better than the other three
schools. The Dunbar twelfth
graders were averaged in the
low 10 per cent nationally,
rather than the low five per
cent for the other schools.
High Rankings
DR.. Hansen also pointed out
that some students at Dunbar
ranked far above the national
standard. At least one student
was scored with a rating of 80,
compared to the national norm
of 17.2. he said.
And the upper 25 per cent OF
the Dunbar seniors ranked at
Is or above. or close to or above
the national standard.
DR.. Hansen tangled with Rep
resentative Davis over the school
systems attitude on awarding
high school diplomas. The
school official said that a single
diploma will continue to bt
awarded even though students
from now on will be divided into
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