USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1939 > Part 18
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The Reading School system has wisely been organized in such a way as to further the goal suggested above. In its elementary schools, will be found adequate emphasis on those fundamental processes of learning without which adults in a civilized society are inefficient, and yet these learnings are developed in relation to pupil interests and life situations.
The Junior High School is a segregated institution with its own organization. Its curriculum is based on a philosophy of studying the
246
individual student and aiding him to develop in those ways which for him bring about maximum educational experiences. By bringing each student in contact with all sorts of activities, the faculty of the Junior High School studies the abilities of individual pupils so that its mem- bers may guide both students and parents with reference to the wisest choice of High School courses. These courses in the high school are usually grouped around definite preparation for college entrance, busi- ness careers, general cultural background, and the like. The Reading High School does not place a child in one definite curriculum and keep him there if his interests change or the circumstances in the home develop so as to make possible definite opportunities in a particular career. Throughout the school system, the needs of the individual are uppermost, and all efforts are made to help him develop to be an efficient individual as well as an effective member of the social group.
Organization of School Department
The success of a school system is based upon an intelligent dele-
CITIZENS
OF
READING
TOWN ORGANIZATION
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
SUPT. OF SCHOOLS
Art
Music
Elem. Schools
Health PhyEd.
Atten- dance
High School
Highland
Pearl
Junior High School
Low ell St.
Chest- nut Hill
Pros pect
PUPILS IN THE READING .SCHOOLS
247
gation of responsibilities. In the plan of the administrative organi- zation, therefore, each person has definite relationships with other persons, so that the system may function easily as a whole. Above will be found a diagram which attempts to show these relationships and responsibilities in a graphic form.
. In the above diagram it will be seen that the School Committee functions as one of the departments of the Town and as such repre- sents the citizens of the Town in all educational concerns. The Com- mittee is a body formulating policies which the Superintendent of Schools executes. The Superintendent's function, in relation to the Committee, is to collect and analyze facts and information upon which the School Committee may base its policies. In this manner, the work of the Committee and of the Superintendent supplement each other to the end that the kind of schools the community desires are effectively developed.
Besides the administrative organization of a school system, there exists a more important phase concerned with the development of instructions. This is generally known as the supervisory organiza- tion. It is here that skill must be used in dealing with human beings, yet it is also here that all the scientific knowledge of methods and teaching technique must be utilized. Progress in the improvement of instruction is necessarily slow, because it does concern human beings. In order to make progress permanent, any supervisory program must include four definite elements : first, there must be a recognized need for improvement; second, changes must be suggested by both super- visors and teachers; third, the procedures to be tried must be thor- oughly understood and planned; and last, definite evaluation of the results must be made to determine the value of the new procedures.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS New Building
The most important occurrence in the field of elementary education in Reading in the last fifty years was the opening of the new school on Pearl Street. This school makes it possible to abandon the three unsafe, wooden structures known as the Union Street School, the Center School, and the Channel House,-the latter occupied by special students. The town is fortunate to be able to house its dhildren in a modern building away from the worst traffic hazards in this vicinity yet near which two of the three old structures were located. The building is located on the grounds of the Parker estate which in more recent years was used as the Town Farm. In 1922 the Selectmen had the foresight not to sell this property but to hold it for possible school use. The school building survey conducted by Professor Jesse B.
248
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FIRST FLOOR PLAN
Davis of Boston University in 1930 planned a school building on this site. An attempt to construct the building was made in 1933, but at that time the project was defeated by a referendum vote. The pres- ent School Committee was successful in obtaining in September, 1938 a P. W. A. project for the construction of the building. This project included a grant from the Government for construction and equipment of $88,136, or 45 per cent of the total estimated cost. In September of 1938, the Town of Reading voted $110,000 as its share in the project, and the building was started December 27, 1938. After the painstak- ing, detailed studies of all educational facilities and equipment by Superintendent Arthur E. Pierce and members of the School Com- mittee, the building was constructed by the Frankini Construction Company, under the direction of Mr. George H. Sidebottom, Architect.
Building Details
The new building is of New England architecture and constructed of brick and limestone. It contains fifteen rooms, of which fourteen were immediately used to house the 413 pupils transferred to this school. Some of the outstanding features are as follows : sound-proof, ceilings in rooms and corridors; automatically controlled lighting by" means of photo-electric cells; excellent auditorium; ample-sized class- rooms (25-32 feet-some 35 feet) ; gang wardrobe doors in each cless- room; book cases; storage space and teacher supply closets in every classroom; stoker-fed steam boilers; internal telephone system; and adequate visual education equipment. Both rooms and auditorium are equipped with loud speakers which are connected to a central public address cabinet in the principal's office. This equipment can also be used to convey speeches from the platform of the auditorium. The Town cooperated with the School Committee by sponsoring a project to construct a sixteen hundred foot sewer from Salem Street along Harrison and Pearl Streets. This was a W. P. A. project, and will materially aid all property from the school building to Salem Street.
One noted educator has stated that the school program cannot advance beyond the building facilities. If this is true, the pupils in the Pearl Street School are very fortunate to have the excellent facili- ties and equipment as a basis for the more fundamental factor,-their educational development.
Changes in Elementary Program
After a thorough study of modern educational methods, the teach- ers under the leadership of Mr. Pierce, Miss Wadleigh, and Miss Ad- lington recommended organizing the fifth and sixth grades at the Highland School by classrooms and abandoning the departmental teach-
253
ing which had been in operation for the last few years. One of the oustanding factors in this study was the advantage that children had in becoming thoroughly acquainted with one teacher. Formerly, this teacher taught from one hundred to one hundred and fifty different children a day, and obviously could not know them as well as she could thirty or thirty-five. This closer contact with a smaller number of pupils permitted the teacher to be conscious of individual differ- ences and minister to the particular needs of each child. A second finding of the study was that emphasis in the smaller group could be placed on teaching children rather than making the most important thing the teaching of subject matter. It has been proven time and again that children learn better when their effort is based upon inter- est. In the smaller group, therefore, better results should be obtained even in subject matter when the bond between the teacher and the child is closer.
Change of Hours
When the fifth and sixth grade pupils from Highland School were distributed between that school and the Pearl Street School, and both Highland and Pearl Street became six-grade buildings, it seemed wise to change from a one-session to a two-session day similar to that of Chestnut Hill School, Prospect Street School, Lowell Street School, the Center, and Union St. School. This did not seem to necessitate any readjustment, except for the fifth and sixth grade pupils. A two-ses- sion day has the advantage of a long noon period, during which chil- dren can go home for lunch, and an afternoon session to which each student comes back refreshed by the long break in the middle of the day. Throughout the country, at least in the public schools, the two- session day has increased in use rapidly and is estimated by most edu- cators as the more advantageous from the child's point of view. The morning session of the school day in the elementary schools begins at 9.00 a. m. and closes at 11.45 a. m. The afternoon session begins at 1.30 p. m. and stops at 3.30 p. m.
1
Habit Clinic and Lip-Reading Classes Discontinued
Due to the very small number of applicants for habit clinic exam- ination and the restricted funds of the State Department, the Habit Clinic was closed last June. Arrangements, however, have been made through the State Board to send any child needing this service to the clinic in Lawrence.
The lip-reading classes were closed because of the small number of students applying for this type of instruction.
254
Need for Visiting Teacher
According to the school laws of the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts, a community has to make provision for a visiting teacher if five or more pupils of school age are able to be instructed but unable physically to go to school. Reading has at present four such cases receiving instruction from one of our substitute teachers who goes to each home once a day for a period of one hour. There are one or two additional children who may need this service next year. An amount of $500 has been recommended in the 1940 budget to provide education for these bedridden children who otherwise could not get any formal school instruction. In many instances, this service not only helps the pupils progress in their school work, but has definite therapeutic value in bringing encouragement and hope.
Visual Education
Of increasing importance is the development of a rich educational background by means of film slides, stereoptican slides, films, and matterial which can be thrown on a screen by means of an opaque projector. All these vitalize education, and not only permit the child to appreciate the relation of content material to life situations, but use a medium increasingly familiar to us. In many instances, an indi- vidual child or a group plans its own program, and works over ma- terials in committees, thus gaining practice in those activities in which we want them proficient as adult citizens.
Music Stressed
Due to the tragic death of Miss Margaret Whittier, the Reading school system lost a valued and well-loved leader. Teachers and par- ents will miss her inspiring personality. In her place we have secured the services of a talented young women who is developing vocal and instrumental music in the elementary schools, and we look forward to increased enrichment of the program in this department. In September, Mr. Samuel A. W. Peck was appointed Director of Music, so that the general development of the department could go forward as a unit.
Radio Helps Education
Another modern device which has brought an enrichment of the students' educational background is the modern radio. The schools are using the excellent programs coming over the nation's networks. Dramatizations of history, direct speeches of the European premiers, and talks on civic events, permit our children to experience history in the making. In some classes there are requirements that pupils listen to some of the outstanding broadcasts, particularly those of the Town Meeting of the Air and the People's Forum. The Damrosch
255
Concerts provide part of our weekly music program, and many other broadcasts have been used to enrich the experiences of our pupils.
Excursions Found Beneficial
Education cannot proceed vitally unless the child is in contact with real experiences. To make this possible, the teachers have con- ducted children on trips to various places and institutions. The ex- periences thus acquired have been used in writing and composition, and particularly to provide a readiness for beginning reading. Trips are picked out for their value in specific situations, and have proved to be one of the most important factors in the broader education of our children. I cite below the trips which were taken last year in the elementary grades: dairy farms, chicken farms, fire station, bird walks, zoo and park at Stoneham, police station, nature walks, Chil- dren's Museum, Pioneer Village and Peabody Institute at Salem; Parker Tavern and Post Office in Reading; Aquarium at South Bos- ton; Natural History Museum in Boston; Essex Institute; Bunker Hill; Byrd Expedition Ship in Boston Harbor; Maparium in Christian Science Building; WEEI Station; Woolen Mills at Lawrence; North Station; Airport; Commonwealth Pier; Art Museum; Boston Public Library; Chronicle Office; and the Reading Library.
Art
The art work in the elementary schools has been progressing under the supervision of Mr. L. Reginald A. Kibbe. He has stressed the development of the child's own ideas in design and beautiful form and has been valuable in helping the teachers develop their own back- ground in his field.
Opportunity School Moved
The Opportunity School which has been located in the Channel House has been moved to the Pearl Street School where it has be- come an integral unit of that school rather than an isolated one as formerly. Mrs. Stockwell is contiuing her careful work with individual students and is providing for their needs i nthe light of their individual capacities. Some of her students have returned to the regular classes, making room for others who have been assigned to her.
Testing Shows Excellent Results
A report of the testing in the elementary field has indicated that our pupils are not only holding their own, but are exceeding the norms for pupils of their various grades. Below will be found the results of 674 pupils in the first four grades. These results were taken from the scores in the Detroit Reading Tests and show that Reading pupils are more than meeting the requirements which should be expected of them.
256
DETROIT READING TESTS
12
Grade I
13
10
Grade li
18
13.7
Grade III
10
Grade IV
13
National Norms
Reading Medians
It is interesting to observe that the medians for each school where the pupils were tested are significantly higher than the norm for the country as a whole. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, 522 students took the Metropolitan Reading Tests in April, 1939, with similar gratifying results. A comparison of the medians obtained by the Reading pupils with the national norms will be found in the fol- lowing graph :
METROPOLITAN READING TESTS
4.7
Grade IV
5.5
Grade V
5.7
ZZ 6.1
6.7
Grade VI
6.8
Grade
4
5
6
7
National Norms
§ Reading Medians
In each instance, the medians for the Reading pupils are consid- erably above the expected norm, particularly in the fourth and fifth grades. Miss Adlington has compared the achievements in various studies made by the fifth grades and the sixth grades in 1938 and 1939. In the fifth grade, she tested 193 pupils in 1938 and 178 pupils in 1939. In the sixth grade, there were 190 pupils taking the test in 1938 and 178 in 1939. The following diagram shows that the Reading pupils are not only holding their own but that the 1939 scores in most instances were as high as the 1938 class scores or exceeded them.
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20
METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TEST
Grade 5
Reading
Arithmetic
English
Literature
History
Geography
5
5.7
6
7
Grade 6
Reading
Arithmetic
English
Literature
History
Geography
Grade norms 5
6
6.7
7
1938 medians
1939 medians
It is also interesting to note that the fifth grade class medians in both years were nearly up to the seventh grade norm in English. A corresponding result was obtained in the sixth grade classes. It can also be seen that arithmetic appears to be the most difficult subject, though definite progress has been made as indicated by the scores in 1939. Tests of this sort indicate where weaknesses and strengths occur so that emphasis may be placed on teaching in those areas where the pupils are not up to standard. Thus we may use the results of constant testing for intelligent guidance in reference to pupil learning.
Age-Grade Table and Promotion Statistics
On page 271 will be found the Age-Grade Table, showing the num- ber of pupils in each grade and the normal age for the pupils in every grade. A study of this table will show the number of under-aged pupils and over-aged pupils. The table itself shows the care which principals and teachers have taken in the organization of their schools.
Of interest also are promotion statistics which indicate the num- bers of pupils who are repeating their work in the various grades. This table was made up from the data collected in June, 1939. It is interesting to note that less than seven per cent of the pupils in the
258
regular grades had to repeat their work. This is approximately two children in a class of thirty-five.
STATISTICS OF PROMOTIONS Number Promoted by School and Grade June, 1939
Grade No. Pupils Promoted Repeating Opportunity On Trial
1
194
166
26
2
9
2
156
141
13
4
5
3
140
158
12
1
16
4
171
161
5
0
0
5
190
179
11
0
4
6
185
181
4
0
0
Total
1,066
991
71
7
34
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION
During the past year, the Junior High School has continued to emphasize the study of individual pupils with reference to their own needs and their adjustment to the group curricula of the Senior High School. The faculty appears particularly well qualified to appreciate the problems which these pupils are facing and their struggles in those years which cover a period in the lives of young people needing sym- pathetic understanding and skillful guidance.
Program Meets Pupils' Needs
To meet these problems and to try out the abilities and capacities of students, the school has arranged many activities which permit stu- dent contribution in various fields. The assembly programs are devel- oped from curriculum backgrounds and under the guidance of teach- ers and class committees. Groups of students who are interested in particular fields are encouraged to join others in clubs and groups of mutual interest. Among these can be cited the Student Council, the Orchestra, the Glee Club, dramatic groups, assembly committees, Traf- fic Patrol, Service Club which operates moving picture equipment, Newspaper Club, Gym Leaders' squads, Committee on Cafeteria Con- duct, Art Committee in charge of corridor decorations, Cheer and Song Leaders' Squad, and the like. These clubs give opportunity for the energy of these young people to be expended in cooperative activi- ties leading to better social adjustment.
Excursions Found Valuable
As in the elementary schools, trips and excursions are assuming an increasingly large importance in developing a background for pupil experiences. These excursions in the Junior and Senior High Schools
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· have a definite vocational value since they bring the pupils into close touch with industries and services, as well as the cultural backgrounds of art, literature, and history. Among the excursions which the Junior High School pupils took in 1939 were the following: historical tours of Boston, Lexington, and Concord! trips to Boston Airport; Woburn District Court; courts and New Court House in Boston; Ford Motor Company in Somerville; Housing Project and Slum Clearance, Boston ; Student Council, guests of the Student Council of the Frank A. Day School, Newton; exchange of assembly programs with the Andover Junior High School; business training classes to Telephone Company, Post Office, banks in Boston, Christian Science Publishing Company ; social science classes to State House and museums in Boston and Cam- bridge; English classes to Public Library, Book Fair in Boston, and the Boston Public Library.
The expense of these trips has been borne chiefly by the pupils. In cases of inability to finance the trip, no pupil has been left behind who wanted to go. Money has been found in some fund or was con- tributed from the amount of $100 set aside in the school budget for such purposes.
Moving Picture and Radio Programs
To supplement the instruction in the school, considerable use is inade of moving pictures, and of programs which have come over the radio. By means of a rental service at Boston University, the school has been able to procure films at a very low cost. These films are obtained at the time when they can be of most significance in the teach- ing of various subjects in the curriculum. The students themselves have become so conscious of the value of excellent radio programs that they have issued and distributed an extremely fine guide for all the students in the school, outlining the best educational programs of the month. This guide is well put together, practical, interesting, and valuable.
Six-Man Football Successful
The development of six-man football was started this fall as a part of the afternoon athletic program. It provided boys with the opportunity to become acquainted with the game and to develop the skills which they would use when they become members of the Senior High School football squad. Experience shows that restricting the use of equipment to ninth grade boys was probably less wise than to open the opportunity to boys in the other grades as well. It is sug- gested that this change of policy occur so that more boys will be included in this activity.
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Homeroom Guidance
The guidance in the Junior High School is carried on by the homeroom teachers who check the students in their rooms carefully and study their progress, not only in the various classes but in their extra-curricular activities as well. Over a period of three years these homeroom teachers become thoroughly acquainted with their individual home room students and are in an excellent position to advise both parents and the High School Principal concerning the future course an individual student should pursue. It is during these Junior High School years that guidance assumes its most vital importance. In this guidance the careful, sympathetic understanding of the teachers is the greatest factor.
Library Badly Needed
The outstanding need in the Junior High School is a library where supplementary and reference books may be brought together and to which students may go on definite assignment from teachers, or volun- tarily, to trace down material which is not found in textbooks. In a junior or senior high school, one might say the library is the heart of the institution because students constantly refer to it for important material that cannot be transported from classroom to classroom or cannot be contained in the general materials which are furnished by the school. Supplementing the classroom discussions and reading by valuable source material is fundamental to the development of a broad understanding of the work in any course. The Junior High School should have a library for this purpose. Since the fourth grade has been taken out of the Junior High School building, classes can be shifted to this room and the space originally constructed for a library and reference room can be available, but only if tables, chairs, and some additional reference books can be purchased. The faculty of the school can supervise a library at no additional expense.
The Junior High School has done an outstanding piece of work in interesting parents and the general public in its programs and devel- oping an appreciation of the things which they are doing. In June, the girls in their Home Economics Department served supper to 250 parents in the cafeteria. A production, "Tonight at Eight", showed the citizens of the Town how the Junior High School activities are related to dramatics, physical education, music, and practical arts. The Parent-Teacher Association is particularly active, and programs have been developed so that there may be an appreciation on the part of parents of the work carried on in the school. The faculty under the leadership of the Principal is studying the changes in junior high school education and constant progress is being made to adapt the best meth- ods of instruction which have proved sound in other excellent school
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