Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-01
continued From First PAGE

Jake many years 10 cOFTeCL III
situation. But he added tina
Washington schools are operat
ing on too little money. and tina
to speed up tagging students vii
require more teachers. Tn
teachers. he said. must be sup
piled to make classes smaller
Mr.. Gerber introduced som
new evidence of the gap between
Negro and white children ii
school work.
He cited intelligence ties
scores for several grades show
ing colored children averaging
considerable number of point
behind white.
Cites 9th Grade Figures
In the sixth grade, for ex
ample. he said the white averag
ia. had been found to be Ill
while that OF Negroes was SO.
He asked whether DR.. Cornin
knew of this difference and hal
made studies about it.
DR.. Corning replied intelli
gence studies had been mad
on an individual child basis AM
for classes and school building
but not for the city as a whole
But the school superintendent
said the 10 figures were no
entirely reliable in any case.
He said educators agree tina
10 scores are affected by en-
vironment. And he predicte,
that if Washington school con
ditions-specifically for colore,
children-are improved, the Il
averages will go up.
DR.. Corning admitted tina
Washington's colored school
prior to indignation were in
ferior to the white schools. Blu
he blamed this on what h
termed a phenomenal increase
in Negro enrolment. much of
from the South.
Appropriations insufficient
He also said the school system
had been unable to obtain SUI
Ificient appropriations to keep VI
with this increase, either OF
buildings or teaching staff
Glasses in the colored school
averaged much larger than thos
in the white schools before int
grafton, he added.
Asked whether colored an,
white teachers had had the sam
qualifications, Dr.. Corning sal,
they did as to basic educationa
requirements but that they ha,
been appointed separately.
Mr.. Gerber wanted to know
why Washington had hurried
into Indignation.
DR.. Corning said the city hal
been under extreme tension be
cause of crowding in the colore,
schools and a demand for lettin,
colored children move into i'm
used space in white school build
ings.
In several years prior to in
tegration. he pointed out, Q
white school buildings wer
transferred to colored use ant
many teacher salaries were re-
leased by the white schools.
Eight Suits Filed
The superintendent also citeC
eight law suits filed in behalf o.
colored children seeking admis.
sion to white schools.
If Indignation had not beer
ordered. there would have beer
many more building transfers
he said.
Actually, DR.. Corning testi.
fled, the Districts indignation
program was not complete ant
immediate. He pointed out tina
children enrolled prior to int
grafton have been allowed tt
stay in the school buildings the.
then attended. Some hundred
Iof children also have been per
United to transfer outside of tn,
lintegrated school zone in which
hey live, in some cases becauS,
Iof emotional disturbance due t,
Indignation, he said.
Don't you know the bounda
Iries were established in the Dis
trict of Columbia and nowher
else in the United States for tn
purpose of forcing migration?
Mr.. Gerber asked.
mo, sir. / disagree with tina
entirely" DR.. Corning replied.
DR.. Corning said the schoo
system had always operated un
der a strict boundary system.
Those who claimed integra
ton was too rapid failed to sug
gest a more gradual program
that would have been workable,
DR.. Corning declared.
IL Years to Accomplish
The only alternative he knew
he said. would have been to star
with kindergarten and go vi
grade year by year. But thi
would have meant splitting fam
lilies and splitting buildings. HI
declared. and would also havl
taken Is years to accomplish
Indignation.
In the meantime. he said, TIL
school system would have hat
more overcrowding, more neeC
for teacher salary transfers
land more lawsuits"
At one point Mr.. Gerber asked
Those lawsuits had something
to do with your hurried inte'
grafton here?"
DR.. Corning denied this. bu
he pointed out that one Of tn,