Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-21
Probers Hear D. c. Assignment Plan
Likened to Virginio's School Setup
continued From FIrst PAGE

Laid to Economic Background
The median Ia. score at Cool
idge is 10. Mr.. Reynolds said
the median for last years 20
colored students was 92.5.
The Coolidge principal testi-
fled that the school achieve
Iment of the colored pupils cor
related on the average with their
economic background. which he
said was high In some cases and
low in others.
Representative Williams, DEM
ocrat Of Mississippi, inquired:
How did children of high
Income status compare with the
white children of the same
Istatus?"
They did not do as well"
Mr.. Reynolds replied.
The principal said Coolidge
has a high scholastic standing,
with its students averaging
above national medians on most
tests. Washington students on
a city-wide basis recently have
averaged below the national
medians.
Mr.. Reynolds said SO Of the
schools 500 10th graders have
lbeen assigned to the new honors
course and 239 to the college
preparatory course.
Asked what effect Indignation
had had on discipline and So
cial activities, he said none.
"Our social life has continued
in the same way it was previ-
ously."
Problems at Eastern
A recently retired Eastern
High School teacher, Miss Ruth
Davis. told the investigators to-
day about increased teaching
problems at Eastern since in
tegration.
Miss Davis. VINO taught English
at Eastern for "a years until her
retirement last December, de-
scribed difficulties with increased
absenteeiSm. pupil retardation in
reading and maintaining order.
She said she had one tenth
grade class in which at least
eight seats were empty every day !.
She said traffic policeman
who before indignation was only
on duty during rush hours now
stays in the neighborhood all
day. Miss Davis described an
lincident-which she said she
knew only at second-hand-in
which the policeman had to stop
a fight between colored and
white girls. The fight, in which
she said a white girl had her
face badly scratched, ensued
after colored girls repeatedly
pricked white girls in the school
llunchropm with pins.
Patrol Car Nearby
Miss Davis also said a police
patrol car after indignation was
kept in the neighborhood,
shutting between Eastern and
nearby Negro Eliot Junior High
School.
Representative VILLA m S
asked:
Can you tell the committee
why it was suddenly necessary
for a traffic policeman to be on
duty the entire day and a patrol
car to be in the neighborhood?"
You'll have to get that in
formation from the administra-
tors" Miss Davis replied.
MI. Williams referred to a
published statement this week by
Lynn F. Woodwork, Eastern
principal. that he had never had
a situation that he could not
handle in the regular manner.
Would you say this was the
regular manner?" Mr.. Williams
inquired.
This is outside my province,
I'm afraid" responded Miss
Davis. She agreed the measure
was something new, however.
Differs With Collins
Earlier in the hearings John
Paul Collins, who retired as
Eastern's principal a year ago,
testified in a letter that integra-
ton had created great disorder
and disciplinary difficulty at the
school. Miss Davis was not
asked directly whether she
agreed or disagreed with Mr..
Collins statement. But Mr.,
Williams asked her:
did you consider Mr.. Collins
a good school administrator"
Eyes, I did," the retired teach
er replied.
Miss Davis's testimony diff
fered from that Of Mr.. Collins
in some particulars, however.
Mr.. Collins said that the schoo
had abandoned dances at the re-
quest of students, that there
were serious sex problems anc
that other disciplinary difficult
, ties, and that Negro student;
Jagged far behind white in theil
school work.
Miss Davis said, however, that
the school had a very success
; full senior prom last June at
. tended by both Negro and white
, students. She said she hac
heard of some sex problems but
added. u never knew of any
, myself"
Teachers in Corridors
She also testified the schoo
had always had teachers on duty
in the corridors and the lunch.
room. Mr.. Collins said he hac
had to post teachers as monitors
in order to curb disorder.
Once last year, the retired
! teacher declared, the principal
told the teachers conditions were
, SO bad in the lunchroom that
; If they didn't improve he would
have to assign teachers to eat
| at the lunch tables. But she
, didn't say this ever happened.