Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-02

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the board. however.
as saying he chose the private
school for the same reasons any
parent would choose one school
over another, and that three of
his children attended racially
mixed Sunday school classes. A
fourth child is not yet a year
old.
The Nixon children's public
school is in Spring Valley. an
area where few if any Negroes
live.
Stars Comment Recalled
Mr.. Gerber also pressed the
superintendent closely on why
extensive studies of the ability
and achievement of colored chill
dren had not been made prior
to the decision to integrate.
He quoted en- editorial printed
recently in The Star labelling the
city'S scholastic achievement SIT
uation "disgracefuL"
DR.. Corning said he would use
the same term. But he denied
the reason was indignation. He
blamed long economic and social
handicaps. and inferior school
conditions. for lags in Negro
school achievement.
And while admitting the lags
he said he did not think it would
take many years to correct the
situation. But he added that
Washington schools are operat-
ing on too little money, and that
Ito speed UP tagging students will
require more teachers. The
teachers, he said, must be sup
piled to make classes smaller.
Mr.. Gerber introduced some
new evidence of the gap between
Negro and white children in
school work.
He cited intelligence test
scores for several grades show
ing colored children averaging a
considerable number Of points
behind white.
Cites 9Th Grade Figures
In the sixth grade, for ex-
ample, he said the white average
10. had been found to be Ill,
while that OF Negroes was 80.
He asked whether DR.. Corning
knew CT this difference and had
made studies about it.
DR.. Corning replied intelli-
gence studies had been made
on an individual child basis and
for classes and school buildings
but not for the city as a whole.
But the school superintendent
said the 10 figures were not
entirely reliable in any case.
He said educators agree that
10 scores are affected by en-
vironment. And he predicted
that if Washington school con-
ditions-specifically for colored
children--are improved, the 10
averages will go up.
| DR.. Corning admitted that
| Washington's colored schools
prior to indignation we're in
ferior to the white schools. But
he blamed this on what he
termed a phenomenal increase"
in Negro enrolment. much Of it
from the South.
Appropriations Insufficient
He also said the school system
had been unable TO obtain suf-
ficient appropriations to keep up
with this increase, either on
buildings or teaching staff.
Glasses in the colored schools
averaged much larger than those
in the white schools before inte-
grafton, he added.
Mr.. Gerber wanted 10 know
why Washington had hurried"
into indignation.
DR.. Corning said the city had
been under extreme tension be-
cause OF crowding in the colored
schools and a demand for letting
colored children move into UNI
used space in white school build
ings.
In several years prior. to in
tegration, he pointed out, 20
white school buildings we're
transferred 10 colored use and
many teacher salaries we're re-
leased by the white schools.
Actually. DR.. Corning testi-
fed. the Districts Indignation
program was not complete and
Immediate. He pointed out that
children enrolled prior TO inte-
grafton have been allowed 70
stay In the school buildings they
then attended. Some hundreds
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