GROWTH OF WORK-STUDY-PLAY OR PLATOON SCHOOLS

The number of cities having work-study-play or platoon schools continues to increase. The first platoon school was organized by Supt. William Wirt, in Bluffton, Ind., in 1902, and the second was organized by him in Gary, Ind., in 1907. From 1907 to 1913, 4 cities-Kalamazoo, Mich., Kansas City, Mo., New Castle, Pa., and Sewickley, Pa.-organized 15 schools on the platoon plan; from 1914 to 1920, 35 other cities organized 148-that is, the increase was at the rate of 21 schools a year; and from 1921 to February, 1925, 53 cities organized schools on the plan. By April, 1925, 93 cities, having a total population of more than 16,000,000, in 30 States had the platoon plan in one or more schools. Half the cities with a population of 100,000 or more, 1 out of every 5 cities with a population of 30,000 or more, and 31 cities with a population of 2,500 to 30,000 have platoon schools. These cities are of all types, from large industrial centers to wealthy suburbs.

In April, 1925, there were more than 500 schools on the platoon plan in the 93 cities. Twenty-one of the 93, or one-fourth of the total number, have adopted this form of school organization as a city-wide policy and are adding new schools each year. Akron, Ohio, Birmingham, Ala., Dallas, Tex., Detroit, Mich., Gary, Ind., Philadelphia, Pa., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Sacramento, Calif., fall into this group. Twenty-one of the 93 cities have introduced the platoon plan into nearly half their elementary schools. Ten have adopted it for their junior or senior high schools as well as elementary schools— Gary, Ind., East Chicago, Ind., Franklin, N. J., Greer, S. C., Newark, N. J., and Saginaw, W. S., Mich., fall into this class.

The platoon schools vary in size from 100 to 3,000 pupils. Of 369 schools providing information in regard to size, 63 have from 100 to 500 pupils, 136 have from 500 to 800 pupils, 137 from 800 to 1,500 pupils, and 33 from 1,500 to 3,000 pupils. In many instances the same city-for example, Birmingham, Ala.-has schools in each. of these groups.

Standing of platoon-school pupils in academic work compared with nonplatoon-school pupils. In all cases reported in which educational tests have been given comparing the academic work of pupils in platoon schools and in nonplatoon schools, the standing of the platoon-school pupils is equal to or superior to that of the pupils in the nonplatoon schools.

The superintendent of schools of Birmingham, Ala., reported in 1924 that

During the past school year two groups of children in Grades IV to VIII were selected by the department of research of the Birmingham public schools, one from several nonplatoon schools, the other from several platoon schools. These children were approximately equal in their ability to learn and the

amount of learning already acquired, in intellectual maturity, and in the number of days in attendance during the period of investigation. On December 15 they were measured by a standardized test in arithmetic, reading, history, literature, language, geography, and spelling for the amount of learning they had acquired up to that time. Four months later they were measured again by a test of equal difficulty to see how much they had gained in all these subjects. This test shows that while the average pupil in the nonplatoon schools made a gain of nearly 51 points in his score, the average pupil in the platoon schools made a gain of almost 66 points in the same period, or 29.5 per cent more than the one in the other type school. The amount of gain is such that, according to the experiences of the best authorities in educational measurement, should the investigation be repeated an infinite number of times, the chances are 20 to 1 that there would be a substantial difference in favor of the platoon schools.

A report issued October 22, 1924, by the department of research and measurement, Pittsburgh public schools, Pittsburgh, Pa., where there are 40 platoon schools, records the results of educational tests in spelling and arithmetic given to pupils in platoon and nonplatoon schools. The report states that

In arithmetic it is evident that the platoon group is superior in all grades in that function of arithmetic which we call reasoning. The platoon schools, however, maintain almost the same supremacy when the scores for correct answers are considered. At no point do they go below the corresponding median score of the nonplatoon group. * ** All grades considered, in both arithmetical accuracy and arithmetical reasoning, the platoon type of school organization in Pittsburgh shows superiority over the nonplatoon type. Previous surveys in spelling and reading show similar superiority in favor of the platoon group. This superiority in the three R's is worthy of commendation in view of the fact that the platoon school carries an enriched curriculum. In addition to all the other excellent enriched activities, the platoon schools in Pittsburgh furnish more adequate training in the three R's than do the nonplatoon schools.

Supt. S. O. Hartwell, of St. Paul, Minn., in an article published in the Elementary School Journal, February, 1925, "A sidelight on platoon schools," gives the result of tests in platoon and nonplatoon schools in spelling, arithmetic, reading, and language. He prints graphs which he summarises as follows:

There was clear advantage of the platoon schools over the other schools not only in the general curve for each subject but in practically three-fourths of the grades, subject by subject. * * * Two factors seem to be largely responsible for the success of the platoon schools. First, the academic teacher of platoon classes is relieved of most of the special work. *** The teacher's freedom from special subjects, therefore, makes for better concentration on the part of both teacher and pupil in the regular recitation, and concentration produces results. Second, supervision is better adjusted, an advantage in both the regular and special subjects. In a word, the teaching staff in a platoon school is seldom intrinsically superior to that in other buildings, but it is better classified and organized, which, in turn, leads to improved results.

• Arithmetic Survey, Pittsburgh Pub. Schls., Dept. of Res. and Meas., Bul. No. 6, Oct. 22, 1924, p. 37.

Attitude of superintendents in schools in cities of 100,000 population or more toward the platoon plan.-In September, 1924, the United States Commissioner of Education wrote to all superintendents of schools in the 68 cities having a population of 100,000 or more the following letter:

The Bureau of Education, in response to a very general demand, has been endeavoring to collect full and complete information about the platoon system of schools. It is not the policy of the Bureau of Education to advocate or oppose the introduction of this or any other particular type of school organization, but we wish to be in a position to furnish information both with reference to the advantages and disadvantages of this plan.

In order to enable us to carry out this policy, will you be kind enough to write me your opinion of the platoon system. Give us frankly the benefit of your experience, observation, and study, both as to the merits and demerits of the platoon school.

Of the 56 cities replying, 24 had one or more schools on the platoon plan. All of these 24 cities were favorable to the plan, although one superintendent stated that as the platoon school in his city had just been organized they could not yet report on results.

Of the remaining 32 cities which did not have schools on the workstudy-plan or platoon plan, 5 superintendents reported that they were in favor of the plan; 1 reported that he was planning to have a platoon school during the next year; 5 said that they were not committed for or against the plan; 1 reported, “We have not adopted it. We do not have the necessary halls and gymnasia for a fair trial of the plan "; 10 reported that they had "no experience with the plan and therefore had no opinion "; 3 gave no opinion at all; 3 confused the plan with the double session system by which half the children. in a school come in the morning and the other half in the afternoon; and only 4 superintendents reported that they were unfavorable to the plan.

In other words, out of a total of 56 cities, 53.5 per cent of the total number were favorable to the plan or were planning to have schools on this type of school organization; 39 per cent gave no opinion or said they were not committed for or against the plan, or that they had not started it because they did not have the necessary equipment, or confused the plan with the double session system; and only 7 per cent of all the cities were not favorable to the plan.

RESEARCH AND TESTS

A few years ago all questions of school policy were settled largely upon the basis of mere opinion. To-day mere opinion does not play such a prominent part in school administration, but as scientific data is often lacking it still plays a very large part. Whatever opinion is offered should be based upon facts, if there are any available, rather than upon theory. School people, however, are slowly

becoming more scientific. Boards of education, if composed of men and women accustomed to dealing with data, do not listen to orations but ply the superintendents with questions regarding the most successful practices in school administration.

Not content to depend upon guess work, boards of education are establishing research bureaus to collect and compile data regarding practically every phase of their respective school systems.

In 1923 there were about 80 research bureaus connected with city school systems; now there are about 120 such bureaus, although they are not always so designated. In some of the cities, especially the smaller ones, a supervisor may do the educational research work. In some of the larger cities the research work is under the direction of an assistant superintendent.

The scope of a fully organized research bureau may be best explained by briefly describing the research bureau of Detroit, Mich. :

The function of the department of instructional research in the city of Detroit appears to be that of a headquarters; it formulates the educational policies to be carried out throughout the city school system. Its labors take the form of testing the work, surveying the work done, and appraising policies in order to make and keep them efficient and truly serviceable. These labors are performed by its own staff, by the department of supervision, and by the personnel of the schools themselves. These comprehensive units are interwoven in organization and cooperative in activity, while each maintains its own individuality for the furtherance of mutual service.

When the department was opened in 1914, 10 aims were set up by its director: (1) To measure the efficiency of the teaching; (2) to increase the number of children benefiting by school work; (3) to eliminate waste in subject matter and methods; (4) to aid in the adjustment of school training to the world's needs; (5) to help teachers give greater assistance to individual children in accordance with the peculiar weaknesses, and (5a) to help teachers give greater facilities to individual children in accordance with their particular aptitudes; (6) to set up objective standards, reasonable because based upon the measured ability of children, so that each child may have the pleasure of success; (7) to aid the superintendent and others in the preparation of reports; (8) to aid in the continued professional training of teachers; (9) to supply any information about the Detroit system that may be wanted; (10) to maintain year after year a critical study of the Detroit public schools, in order that each year the same may be made more efficient.

As a result of educational research in Detroit, a number of standardized tests and practice materials have been developed sufficiently to create a general demand for them throughout the country. Among these are the Courtis standard practice tests in arithmetic, the Courtis standard practice tests in handwriting, the Detroit first-grade intelligence test, the Detroit kindergarten test, Courtis-Smith picture-story reading lessons, and Detroit word-recognition test.

A few years ago the use of intelligence and achievement tests in the elementary and secondary schools was looked upon as a fad, but to-day the school superintendents who do not use such tests find themselves in a small reactionary group looking on and protesting as the educational world moves away from them.

At first the standardized tests were used largely for the purpose of comparing one's school with the standard score or with the scores made in other cities of the same size. This is no doubt one of the valuable uses of such tests, but it has been found that they may be used for many purposes.

General intelligence tests are chiefly used for classifying pupils into homogeneous groups and for supplementing the teachers' estimates of pupils' ability. They are used also for diagnosing causes of failure of admission to the first grade of the elementary school and for determining the promotion of pupils.

An outgrowth of the use of such tests is the new type of examination that has been introduced into many schools. The old general question type of examination was not easily graded. One teacher would grade a paper 90 per cent, another the same paper 70 per cent, and another 50 per cent or even less. The grading was purely subjective, depending upon the opinions of the persons doing the grading. The new type of examination admits of but one answer, which is either right or wrong. Since the pupil has to do little writing in this type of examination and the scorer little reading, the test can be made much more comprehensive than the old-style examination. The traditional high-school examination usually consists of 10 questions and requires two or three hours. The new type may consist of 50 or 100 questions and requires about an hour of the pupil's time.

In brief, the progressive schools of the country are now relying upon objective rather than upon subjective tests.

THE ALL-YEAR SCHOOL

The movement to organize the city schools of the country on an all-year plan has made little progress. In fact in one city, Newark, N. J., where the plan has been in operation for many years, it was recommended that the all-year schools in that city be discontinued ; the board of education decided, however, to continue them until September, 1925.

When the all-year plan was adopted in Newark it was believed that it would be possible

1. To save two years of the time now regularly required to complete the elementary-school course.

2. To prove that under proper conditions of discipline and instruction pupils will suffer no physical or mental injury by reason of an additional eight weeks of school attendance during the months of July and August.

3. To prove also that the continuous session through July and the greater part of August saves an enormous loss of time and energy.