USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1936 > Part 14
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The Baxter School was also completely renovated. Yard and fences were repaired, bricks were pointed, a new tide gate was installed in the basement, and the roof was repaired.
In addition to these renovations, approximately 3,000 desks and chairs were refinished and many of the toilets have been painted, and a great deal of incidental repair to stair- cases, doors, and windows was done. There is now operating a project which will completely refinish all the school iur- niture throughout the city, and in addition will install modern desks and chairs where they are needed.
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OUTSTANDING ACTIVITIES
OPEN-AIR CLASS
Following the spring vacation, an open-air class, a signif- icant addition to our school program, was established for the benefit of certain children. The consideration of such a project has been before the school committee and the board of health for a number of years. This interest was developed from the findings of the several clinics which have been conducted by the board of health and the very great interest shown at the present time in preventive medicine. The work of these clinics with the school children has shown that there are large num- bers of children, in the grades particularly, who are serious- ly handicapped through diseases or who have physical in- firmities which do not permit them to attack the ordinary school work with a great deal of success. These children are fatigued easily, have poor digestions, do not sleep or rest properly, and are frequently highly nervous, and because of these defects have become much retarded in school. With the cooperation of the board of health, the building depart- ment, and the school committee, this class opened on May 4, 1936 with 13 pupils. The board of health supplies nursing serv- ice and medical advice, and gives them a good, substantial meal at noon, a midmorning lunch, and an afternoon rest period. A teacher interested in the undertaking, who has care- fully prepared herself for teaching individually the type of pupil who would be in the class, has undertaken the instruc- tion, and special care has been taken to provide her with the type of instructional materials which will permit the pupils to work efficiently. The building department has renovated and made suitable a building which was used formerly as a sum- mer health camp. The location of the class is very propitious because it can be conveniently reached from any part of the city by car line and because it is situated adjacent to the City Home which has large areas of gardens, grass, and a few animals, which permit the children to have a variety of ex- periences, which most school children in the city are not able to obtain. To show how successful the class is, it is interest- ing to note that there are at this writing 19 pupils in the class, whose difficulties are anemia, under-nourishment, chorea, neurosis, or similar conditions which may be easily and quick- ly benefited by proper diet and rest. Each of these pupils has been recommended by the school nurse, examined by the med- ical officer of the board of health, given special instruction approved by the superintendent, and each has responded by being happy, by gaining a considerable amount of weight, and by showing a considerable improvement in attitude towards
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ANNUAL REPORTS
his work and the school. Because of the small number of pupils involved, the significance and importance of this under- taking should not be minimized. All of the children accepted for membership in this class are future citizens, and arrange- ments have been made whereby they may be returned to their ordinary school work with little loss of school time and much improvedl bodies.
STUDENT AID
The past year has seen the development of the National Youth Administration program until at the present time ap- proximately 200 students in the secondary schools in the city are receiving aid or wages for work done, outside of school hours, under the direction of a teacher. The superintendent wishes to point out that we have here one of the most effective means to develop within the pupils certain traits of character which are of the utmost importance to them in later life. Each pupil is given an assignment of work and devotes a certain amount of time to it, to which time he must certify when mak- ing out his weekly time report. In order to receive his wages, he must have performed his work acceptably, must have at- tended school regularly, and must have been a good citizen of the school. The aid received through this plan has been responsible for many boys and girls remaining in school, and it has permitted them to purchase clothing and lunches and to pay carfares, items of expense which had become, because of the depression, a serious problem to many of our pupils. The enterprise has been conducted so far as possible by the pupils themselves, and only a moderate amount of direction is given to them regarding their responsibilities. The plan has been the means of making high school education a serious matter with many of the students and all of them have entered their school work and the extra work given them with a zest that is as- tonishing. The point that has been very evident in this work is that if pupils are given a definite goal and are provided with opportunities, they will rise to the occasion and will do sur- prising things. While this work has been somewhat of a problem to the clerical force of the superintendent's office and has without doubt caused many teachers involved in the ad- ministration of the plan to do much additional work, all have felt that great benefits have been received from it.
W. P. A. ACTIVITIES
Another phase of the W. P. A. program has been that con- cerned with relieving unemployed teachers. In this city it has
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taken two forms, that of the nursery schools, of which we have three in operation, and the other of an adult home sewing pro- ject. Both of these projects are under the supervision of a teacher who acts as a representative of the superintendent and compiles all records including payrolls, makes purchases, makes out requisitions, and supervises the delivery, use, and care of all articles or materials owned or used by the projects.
We have at this writing a total of approximately 100 children in the three nursery schools. A regular daily pro- gram is followed during which the children receive cod liver oil, a midmorning snack, a meal at noon, an hour's nap, and a delightful story-telling hour, followed by an early dismissal. This program is conducted to meet specifications and restric- tions set down by the government and is supported entirely by it, the city providing only the furniture and the room. Ten cents a day is allowed for each child for food and there is an ample allotment of money to use for the ordinary expenses. The menus are supervised by a representative of the State De- partment of Education who devotes her entire time to the supervision of such projects . The activities are also suggested by her and they have been very interesting ones, including ordinary nursery work, and visits to the parks, florists, and fire stations. The services of the nurse have been extremely valuable. Her duties have been to examine the children daily, exclude from the class such children as have bad colds and those suspected of contagious disease, to examine and weigh the children frequently, and to visit the homes as a result of such examination to suggest methods of treatment which would be helpful. There is now contemplated a mothers' education program, to be conducted by the teachers and the nurse, through which the mothers may obtain additional serv- ice from the school.
The other part of this program is the adult homemaking unit. Originally it was contemplated as a part of the nursery school program, but owing to the lack of room and proper facilities it was placed in another school building. There are at present over 105 women enrolled in this unit. They are as- sisted in the making of new garments and the renovation of old garments by two teachers. These services have been very grate- fully received and the unit has accomplished a great deal of good, particularly in those families where there are a large number of children, in which a lowered income has made neces- sary the continuous passing of clothing from one child to another or the making over of the parents' clothing for use by the children. Nearly 200 different garments, including shirts,
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ANNUAL REPORTS
dresses, coats, under-garments, quilts, bathrobes, and costumes for children who take part in school plays, have been made or renovated, proving beyond doubt the value and pertinency of this program.
MEMBERSHIP
The public school membership at the present time is 16,950. A comparison of the size and change in membership over a period of years is indicated in the following table :
December
Membership
Increase
1936
16,950
2
1935
16,948
63
1934
16,885
-30
1933
16,915
344
1932
16,571
400
1931
16,171
149
1930
16,022
396
1912
11,712
4,310
The net increase of only two over the total membership of a year ago is accompanied, however, by a decease of forty in the high school membership. This slight decrease followed year- ly increases of 130, 5, 237, 160, 281, and 272. The decrease of forty is in no way significant in indicating a tendency towards a general reduction in the high school, but is evidence only of the fact that there is a fluctuation in the birth rate from year to year. This fluctuation in the birth rate is at the present time becoming a very gradual decrease as indicated by the fact that the elementary school membership has gradually been falling off as follows :
December
Membership
Increase
1933
9,356
1934
9,322
34
1935
9,310
12
1936
9,294
16
Another factor which may be a determinant in this situa- tion is the fact that during the past four years the population of the city has decreased approximately 3% from 104,000 to 101,773.
It was pointed out last year that by comparison of the figures for 1918 and 1935 in the high school there has been an increase of approximately 135% in the membership, while the teacher load - number of pupils per teacher - has been in-
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
creased from 22 to 30, and the high school population has in- creased from 12% of the whole school population in 1918 to 20% in 1935. These figures indicate an increasingly econom- ical administration.
The decrease of 40 in the high school membership does not in any way affect the statement previously made that the ac- commodations of the high school building are being taxe ! beyond their limits of elasticity, and consequently the super- intendent believes that this situation should be relieved by re- leasing the present administration office and store-rooms for classroom work. It is therefore again recommended that serious consideration be given to the possibility of erecting an administration building for the school department, such a con- struction being less expensive than an addition to the high school building, which probably is impossible due to the physical limitations of the site.
CHANGES IN PERSONNEL
During the year of 1936 twenty-eight teachers have severed their connections with the Somerville schools. Of this number sixteen left to be married ; one to remain at home: five died ; and six retired,-five voluntarily and one was forced to retire in accordance with the provisions of the Teacher Retire- ment Act. All of the persons selected by the school committee to fill these positions were qualified under the eligibility rules of the school committee.
Notable for length of service, achievement, and efficiency were the terms of Annie G. Sheridan, over fifty years ; Florence E. Baxter, forty-five years; Elizabeth M. Warren, forty years; Cora Demond, thirty-six years ; Maude Valentine, thirty-five years ; Eva M. Barrows, thirty-three years ; Alice M. Jordan, twenty-five years ; Margaret Beattie, twenty-one years ; Anna Coll, twenty years; and Geneva C. Farnsworth, nineteen years.
The influence of these teachers will long be effective upon the lives of the citizens of our community even though they have terminated their active services to the children of our city.
During the year the community has sustained serious losses in the passing of three former school committee mem- bers-Minnie S. Turner, Lucille J. Marquess, and Orville S. Waldron. During their terms of office as members of the
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ANNUAL REPORTS
school committee all served the interests of the children, parents, and teachers with unusual devotion, and made notable contributions of inestimable value to the progressive and effec- tive work of education. Their breadth of vision and nobility of character were sources of inspiration to the youth, to the teachers, and to all who were privileged to know them. Deep appreciation of their influence upon the educational advance- ment of our city was expressed in resolutions framed and adopted by the school committee.
COSTS
Much has been written in previous reports about the costs of our educational system and each discussion has proven that, while the tendency towards increases in cost have been general all over the country, the costs in Somerville have not increased proportionately to the increases in those factors which cause higher costs. The facts covering the school year September 1935 to June 1936, figures for which have just been released by. the State Department of Education, place Somerville in even a more favorable position than last year and show clearly that our schools have been operated economically and at the same time without curtailment of any of our activities. Rather have we been able to increase the scope and efficiency of our activ- ities with a decrease in our costs.
Somerville ranks seventh among the thirty-nine cities of the Commonwealth in population, yet its valuation in com- parison with the pupil enrollment in the schools places it in twenty-fifth place among the cities. This statement indicates that our schools must be operated on an economical basis, and, if we are to keep abreast of the times, offer a curriculum which compares favorably with the desires of our citizenry and our neighboring systems, and keep within the scope of the ability of the city to maintain and support the institution.
A comparison of the per capita costs of a number of the largest cities of the state with those of Somerville will sub- stantiate the statement that the schools of our city are oper- ated efficiently and well from a financial standpoint.
The table of per capita costs released by the state office shows that the average cost per pupil in the cities of the state is $99.56. The figures for some of our neighboring cities which show an excess above the average of the state are as follows :
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Newton, $122.53; Boston, $121.43 ; Cambridge, $120.11; Spring- field, $112.87 ; Worcester, $112.01. Included among those whose costs are below the average we find Lynn, $92.48; Lawrence, $92.26; Somerville, $86.58; and Medford, $83.56. Somerville, the seventh city in population, ranks eighteenth in per capita cost. Last year our rank was eleventh, an indication that in spite of the fact that we have reduced our cost only twenty cents per pupil several other cities were not able to effect a reduction or even hold their own; consequently, the accom- plishment of Somerville in dropping from eleventh to eight- eenth place is notable.
A study of the topic "Costs of Schools" in the Summary of Statistics where the per capita cost is broken down into such items as instruction, maintenance, books, supplies, etc., makes very interesting reading and proves again that our schools are operated economically.
RESEARCH
In the business of Education, which is the foundation of human progress, the processes have been developed through the various stages, gradually but slowly and always tending towards improvement. The results of the accomplishments or failures are so permanent and far-reaching that those charged with the control and operation of schools are prompted to the utmost concern for their success. Consequently changes in the policies and processes are not made quickly and impulsively, as the implications of our fast-changing social trends would in- dicate should be done, but rather by slow and gradual changes and then only after a very careful study has shown the per- manency of the social changes to have been established and the effectiveness of those changes upon the implications for education have been proven to be necessary, advisable, and a benefit to the maintenance and betterment of the citizenship of the community.
In 1930 the Superintendent made a very urgent plea for the development of a plan which would increase the efficiency of our very meager organization for research. By a slow and gradual process a part of the plan has been developed, but with our limited means in the way of organization we have been able only to do a little more scratching on the surface. It is my earnest belief that we should not delay longer the establishment of an effective organization for the carrying out of the study of those problems which will, through their
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ANNUAL REPORTS
solutions, be thoroughly justified by the improvement which will soon be manifest in our educational system. The presenta- tion of new problems or perhaps extensions to problems which were not then so important because of their scope indicates the wisdom of repeating parts of the discussion of the 1930 report which are pertinent to my recommendation.
"A continuous measuring and checking up of the accom- plishments of a system and a constant adjusting of the educa- tional opportunities offered to meet the needs of the students are antidotes to allowing our educational processes to become merely routine.
"Constant research can and will be the factor upon which the effective management and operation of education will be dependent.
"In the field of education, research is proving that educa- tion is not the intangible process that it was formerly sup- posed to be. Research indicates that education can be directed by studying the individual child as he is, by visualizing him with his particular capacities developed, and by adapting courses of study, methods, and environment to bring about those changes by which he may go out to meet life in terms of his own best self. Scientific educational research only dates back to approximately 1900. In the last quarter of a century we have glimpsed its possibilities. Challenging years of thoughtful experimentation lie ahead of us. Research which evolves out of a sound educational philosophy and which is interpreted by this same philosophy aids all educators.
"We must continually take stock of our system because we are spending public money for its support and the steward- ship of the system must justify the expenditures, so that one hundred cents worth is returned for every dollar expended, and the improvement always must be manifested.
"We must know: (1) What is being done; (2) Why it is being done; (3) How well it is being done. The answers to these questions cannot be found in terms of traditionalism, custom, or subjective analysis. Research is the only means by which the answers may be found. Facts are necessary to all research. Therefore we must secure the facts about what is being done. Research considers all policies, plans, procedures, technics, judgments, and appraisals in terms of objective evi- dence.
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
"In industry the sales department soon learns whether or not the product is right through the variation in volume of sales. But the validity of the product of the schools is not so easily discovered. Research must be employed to determine this, and it must explore the fields of psychology, society, and industry to get the facts. Are the schools putting into practice that which scientific contributions indicate should be in practice ?
"Also, it must be determined by measurements how weli things are being done. Measurements require standards. Re- search must determine these standards. Then these standards must be used in research to determine achievements.
"The school organization should therefore within itself check its own progress, discover its mistakes, and direct its own changes and adjustments. Then and only then will it have evidence to justify what it is doing.
"No city school system in a municipality of over 100,000 inhabitants like Somerville, with approximately twenty-five per cent of its inhabitants in day schools and another two per cent in evening schools, and many more in private extension evening schools, can afford to be without an organization for the performance of the functions of research.
"Scientific research in a city school system should be the agency by which: (1) objective information with respect to existing conditions may be secured; (2) the relative value of existing means may be determined; (3) policy and procedure may be developed ; and (4) appraisal of results may be made.
"Research depends on records which must be of such sort that they are valuable and usable for study to make improve- ments. Research and its records and the application of statistics and curves are not for the purpose of treating human beings as machines but to discover how human beings should be treated because they are human.
"Research and experimentation are the means by which remarkable progress has been made in the humanization of education during the past thirty years. They supplant custom and opinion. They displace guesses with facts.
"A research department should be prepared to render service in :
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ANNUAL REPORTS
(1) The whole field of instruction.
(2) The selection of textbooks and courses of study, strictly upon the merit basis.
(3) Measuring the abilities and achievements of pupils.
(4) Organizing and directing testing programs and inter- preting their results.
(5) The diagnosis of teaching difficulties.
(6) The analysis of difficult pupil cases.
(7) The study of educational guidance.
(8) The evaluation of methods of teaching.
(9) The study of the population.
(10) The study of child accounting.
(11) The study of teaching personnel.
(12 The study of finances and the school budget.
"This exceptionally important and far-reaching proposal should in no wise be considered as a reflection upon the ef- ficiency of the present system but rather as an attempt to keep abreast of the ever increasing tendencies to better the good and to approach the ideal."
RECOMMENDATIONS
In writing this report, the items discussed have been chosen because of the fact that something outstanding has been accomplished during the past year, or that attention should be given to the problem involved. Certain recommendations have been made as the report progressed, and in order to focus at- tention upon what the Superintendent deems the most out- standing needs of the immediate future, it is well to group the recommendations here.
It is urgently recommended that the School Committee during 1937 give earnest and serious consideration to :
(1) The preparation of a bill which would change the city charter so that the control and maintenance of the school build- ings and grounds will be placed under the jurisdiction of the
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
School Committee as is the practice in most other cities and towns in Massachusetts.
(2) The necessary addition, renovation, and repairs for the Northeastern JJunior High School Building.
(3) The replacement of the Prescott Building.
(4) The necessity of a survey of the conditions of the elementary buildings in general so that a wise building pro- gram may be evolved, involving particularly the now unused Lincoln Building.
(5) Relieving the overcrowding of the High School plant by the erection of an administration building.
(6) Further study and action upon increasing the size and scope of the research work by the establishment of a Division of Research and Pupil Guidance.
CONCLUSION
In concluding this, my ninth annual report as Superin- tendent of Schools, it is highly gratifying to report progress in the work of the school system, and it is pleasurable to express my appreciation for the excellent spirit of teamwork which has been manifested by the School Committee and the instructional corps. It has been through the unqualified support given by the School Committee to principals, supervisors, teachers, and administrative force, and through the splendid cooperation of the teachers and supervisors and their devotion to their work that such gratifying results have been attained.
The Superintendent acknowledges this fine spirit of co- operation and loyalty and wishes to assure the School Com- mittee and the citizens that he will continue as in the past to give his very best efforts to secure continued progress in the work of our schools.
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ANNUAL REPORTS
SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Students entering Higher Institutions in September
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