Progress A1std Retardation of a Baltimore Class
- Author:
Charles A. A. J. Miller, M.D.,
Principal, Group S, Baltimore, Md.
Much has been written and more has been said about retardation in the public schools throughout the country. Many deductions have been made, many conclusions drawn that do injustice to schools in general, and to certain school systems in particular.
The old adage, “Comparisons are odious,” has much truth in it when applied to measurements of the merits and demerits of school systems. When men like Professor Thorndike, Mr. Ayres, Superintendent Greenwood, and Dr Cornman make comparisons, the educational world is stirred to words, more often than to deeds. In consequence of such agitation the public is aroused, is led to think that the money appropriated for education is uselessly spent or at least badly invested, that there should be radical changes in the system, because it appears that only certain children, generally the sons and daughters of the well-to-do, are getting the full benefits of public education. We do not wish to undervalue the work that has been done by men of high purposes and great abilities like Professor Thorndike and others. We wish to point out that the data from which they have drawn inferences are very unlike, and that all their carefully estimated allowances for errors and omissions in necessarily imperfect records cannot make the results of their researches absolutely correct and reliable. Indeed in fairness to these men it must be said that they do not claim perfect, but only approximate results.
If for instance the schools of Baltimore, a seaport, are to be compared with those of Columbus, Ohio, an inland capital city attracting to itself thousands of the best citizens of a dozen or more smaller Ohio cities and towns, we must take into consideration the kind of American population attending the respective schools, the almost complete absence of private schools in the latter city and the abundance of them in the former, the proportion of foreign elements, the great number of illiterate colored people in the former as against a much smaller number more intelligent in the latter, the compulsory attendance law and its enforcement, and finally the opportunities and requirements for promotion in the two cities. Even when all these factors are duly considered, it will be admitted that the school statistics furnished are very incomplete, and deductions made from them can only indicate that time, energy and opportunities for good are being wasted, and that there is room for improvements and reforms. Until more attention is paid to accurate statistics, and more money is spent to collect them, educators will continue to infer, sometimes correctly, sometimes incorrectly, but always approximately. I have been fortunate to have in one of my schools the record of a class of forty-eight pupils. Before presenting the results of my study, I wish to say that all the statements that will be made have been verified. In September, 1901, there were in the first grade of this school four classes, containing 182 pupils, of whom about seventy (30.5 per cent) were repeaters. The rolls of three classes were lost or destroyed; those of one class were saved. According to this record, verified by the school register kept by the principal, this class had forty-eight pupils, of whom five were repeaters, the very weakest of the previous year’s beginners. These five obviously belong to the year 1900, and cannot form part of the basis upon which to reckon percentages in our investigation. It is nevertheless interesting to know what has become of these five, retarded one whole year, because at that time there was but one opportunity for promotion, at the end of the scholastic year in June. Of the five, one girl died while attending the second grade; one left the fourth grade in May, 1906, on account of the protracted illness of her father; one boy was transferred to another school and left the fourth grade there to go to work in his father’s blacksmith shop and to attend night school; another boy left the fifth grade in 1906, worked for a while, and lost his life by drowning.
I shall now take up the forty-three pupils of 1901. Inquiries made as to the occupations of the parents show that four are tailors, of whom two have shops; one is a druggist; two have barber shops; three are bakers; two are plumbers; three are cabinet makers; one is a musician; three are widows; five are machinists; one is a tuner, one a carver; five are saloon keepers; one is an electrician, one a shoe cutter, one a traveling salesman, one a buyer, one a junk dealer; three have grocery ‘stores; one is a carriage maker, and one a painter. Thirteen fathers were born in this country, thirty in Germany; of the thirteen, ten are of German descent. During the period of almost eight years, twenty children changed residences once, four changed twice; nine of the twentyfour did not change school on account of removal, and fifteen got transfers to other schools, three being transferred twice. We find therefore that 56 per cent changed residences, and that such changes caused 35 per cent to be transferred to other schools. It is easy to see that retardation would result. Two children were registered as living one square from school, ten two squares, five three, one four, two five, three six, five seven, six eight, two ten, one eleven, one twelve, one thirteen, and four fourteen squares. Ten who lived from one to three squares away, moved and were transferred to other schools; the five other transferred children lived more than five squares from school. This record of distances shows that the school is not supplied from the immediate neighborhood, which has been encroached upon by business and boarding houses, by colored people, and by Italians, Lithuanians, and Russians. Of the forty-three pupils two were five years of age, thirty-one were six, nine were seven, and one was eight years old. Both the five year olds subsequently lost a year, and one left school after reaching the fourth grade. Seventy-two per cent were six years old, the other 28 per cent including the five, seven, and eight year olds. Of the forty-three pupils, twenty-eight were boys, and fifteen girls. One girl is now a half year ahead of time in her course, and in addition made one year on her high school course. Seven children, four girls and three boys, are in the eighth grade A, and two of them may make one year in the high school. Three, one girl and two boys, are in eighth grade B. Seven, five boys and two girls, are in seventh grade A, and three boys are in seventh B. One girl and one boy are in sixth grade A; two boys and one girl are in sixth B. Two boys are in fifth A. Five children, four boys and one girl, are in fourth A. One girl died while in the second grade. Eight children (18.6 per cent) left school to go to work, and one left the city for West Virginia. Thirty-three (76.7 per cent) are attending school; one of these is in a private school, and one in a county school.
Of the forty-three pupils, therefore, if we include the one girl in the high school as being “on time,” we have ten children (23 per cent) on time and thirty-three (77 per cent) retarded. Of the number on time, eight are in school, one left the eighth grade in October, 1908, and one left the sixth grade B, having gained onehalf year. Of the retarded pupils, twenty-five are still in school, and of these
3 lost 1/2 year 3 lost 2l/2 years 7 ” 1 ” 2 ” 3 ” 3 ” iy2 years 5 ” 4 ” 2 ” 2 ” ? PROGRESS AND RETARDATION 139 Eight have gone to work, left the state, or died, and of these lost 1 year in 2 years of school a a a g a u ? ? g u ” 2l/2 years ” 7 ” ” 1 year ” 6l/2 ” ” 2 years ” 7 ” 2 ” 3 ” ” 7 ” Eleven of the twenty-five retarded pupils still in school are among the transferred, a significant fact.
Looking into other causes of retardation besides removal and change of schools, we discover the following facts. Two children lost a year on account of sickness. Some would have lost a half year less, if earlier in their course they had had semi-annual opportunities for promotion, as is shown by the fact that six children were prevented from losing a half year more, by the halfyearly promotions in the latter part of their course. Of the twelve children who lost from two to four years in their course, we know that the loss was due to sickness or physical disability in two cases; to very irregular and interrupted attendance in two cases; to removal to the country and subsequent return to the city in one case; to total lack of application (due to lack of home discipline caused by death of father and remarriage of mother) in one case; and to “natural stupidity” in six cases. Another cause for retardation is to be found in some instances where English is not the mother tongue. Of the eight at work, two had to leave on account of separation in the family; one to help in a restaurant; one, employed as a bundle boy, to help support the family, the head of which was out of work for two years; one, a shuttle boy, had to give up school because his father died; one girl left in the eighth grade to take a position in a store, because her father was out of work a very long time; one left the seventh grade to attend catechetical instruction, and to assist her mother at home. Three months after these forty-three children had entered school, they were rated, in respect to their mental capacity, as 1, 2, or 3. Only those who were marked 1 are now in the eighth grade, A or B. In the seventh grade A we find four l’s and two 2’s; all in the seventh B are 2’s. Those who were marked 3, if in school at all, are in the lower grades. Only two of the original l’s are in the sixth grade. This indicates that mental slowness is certainly detected in the lowest grade; slow pupils do not make up their deficiencies in the higher grades; and few good pupils retrograde as they move up.
Inquiring into the future plans of these children of the original class now in the eighth grade B, seventh A, and seventh B, I find that it is almost certain these will finish the elementary course; two in the sixth A will probably stay to finish the eight years’ work. If these numbers are added to the number now in the high school and the eighth grade A, we have twenty-three (53.5 per cent) who will probably get the full benefit of the elementary course. > If we regard this as slightly too high a figure, and cut it down to 50 per cent, we have left 50 per cent who do not reach the secondary school, of which number 21 per cent get as far as the sixth grade or higher, and 27 per cent leave school below the sixth grade. Of this number one child died and none* left below the fourth grade. In my opinion this is a good record.
The figures and percentages plainly show:
1. The more frequent the opportunities for promotion, the less time will be lost by the retarded pupils. 2. Permanency of residence and consequent continuous attendance in the same school increase the chances for promotion. 3. Parents in average circumstances aim to give their children eight years of schooling, unless death or other untoward causes interfere.
4. From 20 to 30 per cent of the children do not reach the sixth grade.
5. Those who do not reach the sixth grade, and those who have to leave before the completion of the eighth grade, ought to have an opportunity to get some training for the industries which they will very probably enter.
In this investigation we had to deal with a school attended almost exclusively by children of German extraction, whose parents on the whole are far from being in easy or even comfortable circumstances. We believe that if a similar study were made in a better neighborhood, a better showing would be recorded, and it would be found that as many as 70 per cent get the benefits of the entire elementary course, 40 per cent of that number being on time.
Disclaimer
The historical material in this project falls into one of three categories for clearances and permissions:
Material currently under copyright, made available with a Creative Commons license chosen by the publisher.
Material that is in the public domain
Material identified by the Welcome Trust as an Orphan Work, made available with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
While we are in the process of adding metadata to the articles, please check the article at its original source for specific copyrights.