Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-23
Indignation and Teachers

Inere may be no really new problem
facing WaShington's public schools. Int
grafton, however, and the results of CITY,
wide tests that emphasize an extraor-
binary variation in pupil achievement,
have placed an old problem in new light.
More teachers are needed to cope with
1t. More teachers must be supplied. The
probability that they will be supplied de-
pends in large measure upon the ability
OF the Board OF Education and the school
officials to present convincing case.
They were not able to convince the
Commissioners, harassed by the facts of
deficit financing and unimpresSed by the
somewhat hazy and confused estimates
OF teacher needs as presented to them
by the schools. There has been, more
over, seemingly delayed recognition, by
school administrators, of what DR.. Cor
ming now describes as "a new situation
which requires reconsideration Of
former practices"
Former practices have included esti-
mating teacher needs on the basis of
arithmetical average ratios of total teach
erS to total pupils, resulting in such SLOW
emily cancellations as a finding that as
high school classes average only % or %
pupils per teacher-without considering
the actual size of classes in basic aca-
demic subjects -there is an excess of high
school teachers. AS the school officials
entrapped themselves by this unrealistic
method of estimating teacher require
ments, it is small wonder that they con-
fused the Commissioners.
The chief reason supporting a sub
stantial increase in teachers, aside from
the growth of school population, is that
our standards of educational achieve
ment must be raised When tests show
that Of 4,l55 tenth-grade (first-year high
schooD pupils enrolled last fall, 1904 of
them had reached only sixth grade or
under level in reading; that of 1919
tenth-grade pupils, 1873 had reached
only a sixth grade or under level in
arithmetic, it is obvious that educational
standards are going to suffer unless this
dangerous situation is remedied. The real
issue now, as DR.. Corning told the Board
OF Education last week, is the "unques-
tionable need for additional teachers so
that all the schools will be adequately
otdnOu W oC1Fc CfCI ulCIcdSLlS
Of children with extremely varying abil-
tiles and achievement" The mere size
Of classes is not the real issue
In presenting the need for more
teachers to Congress, the effect of inte-
grafton on hitherto accepted educational
standards in the public schools should be
presented in complete candor. The prob
lem is realistic and requires realistic I'M
derstanding and approach The school
authorities must get down to brass tacks
in presenting the picture as it Is, and in
outlining a precise and detailed plan Of
how they propose to deal with it. That
is the only way by which they can get
the teachers they need.
The President, in congratulating the
Commissioners and others on the speed
with which they effected Indignation in
Washington, following the Supreme Court
decision, suggested that our progress in
this regard should be model for the
country. It is not going to be any such
model if it results in lowering educational
standards because Of a lack OF the addi-
tional teachers now required to'maintain