A Study of Exceptional Children in New Orleans
NEWS AND COMMENT.
The opening of the school year 1913-14 saw the inauguration in New Orleans of a Department of Educational Research, which bids fair to place the school system of that city among the most efficient and progressive in the country. During 1912-13 Dr David Spence Hill, now director of the new department, while a professor in Tulane University, united with Superintendent of Schools Joseph M. Gwinn in organizing and directing what has been known as the Board of Education?Tulane Co-operative Undertaking. The threefold task assumed was (1) statistical study; (2) investigation of typical cases of exceptional children by systematic co-operation of teachers, parents, social workers, and psychologists; (3) instruction of prospective teachers of markedly exceptional children. The results of this preliminary work were published by Dr Hill in August, 1913, in a report of ninety-two octavo pages entitled, “Notes on the Problems of Extreme Individual Differences in Children of the Public Schools.” The report is in three divisions,?part I, Ideals and Measurements of Results; part II, Individual Studies of Children; part III, Remedies Available and Proposed. “The number of maladjusted children,?whatever may be the causes,?
that our teachers must deal with in New Orleans,” remarks Dr Hill, “is hereby illustrated: the enrolment in the first grade of the white schools during 1911 was,? 2498 children six years of age, 1794 seven years of age, 695 eight years of age, 281 nine years of age, 212 ten years of age, 60 eleven years of age, 30 twelve years of age, 16 thirteen years of age, 9 fourteen years of age, 8 fifteen years of age, 4 sixteen years of age, 5 seventeen years of age, 3 eighteen years of age.” But he adds, “One encouraging feature is that during the past three years a slowly increasing number of children relatively are found in the upper grades and a relatively decreasing number in the lower grades.” The superintendent’s studies of age-grade distribution in New Orleans for 1911-12 gave the percentages of over-age white children as 48.8 per cent for boys and 44.2 per cent for girls, and of over-age colored children as 75.0 per cent for boys and 73.8 per cent for girls. Considering the children in grade groups, some surprising facts appear. “Suppose for example,” says Dr Bill, “we subtract from the average of children in the fifth grade during September, the average age of children in the first grade. The result will approximate the number of years it takes the average child to complete four grades. If the child proceeds at about the same rate until the eighth grade, it is possible to estimate from these data also the average time it takes the average child to pass through the eight grades.” On the basis of the enrolment for 1911-12 it was found that the average white child takes five years to complete four grades, or ten years to complete eight grades; while the average colored child takes 5.37 years for four grades, or 10.7 years for eight grades. “These figures apply to the majority of children, but are of course only approximately true, for several reasons. The first grade contains many pupils who are repeaters and older than beginners. This factor tends to make our estimate too low. On the other hand, … what probably happens is that the exceptionally able children remain after the fifth grade, while a host drop out,?some fifty per cent by the eighth grade.” Like other investigators, Dr Hill finds, “It is not safe to assume that as a rule each of the eight fractions (grades) of the elementary course is of equal difficulty for the respective ages; that one year is the normal time for all pupils and all grades alike.”
In order to ascertain in what schools or grades children with extreme individual variations were to be found, and also the kinds of exceptional children in the grades as judged by the teacher, a preliminary census or survey was organized in 1912. Before taking the census the following letter of direction was sent by the superintendent to each grade teacher:
“To The Principal and Teachers: “1. Please fix clearly in mind the five kinds of exceptional children tentatively classified below. “2. Let every teacher, with the assistance of the principal, fill in carefully upon the accompanying blank all the required facts for her grade. “3. Let the principal collect the blanks from each grade and enter all the figures upon the blue blanks for principals.
“Please return promptly all the blanks to the superintendent. “It is understood, of course, that the opinions of the teacher or principal, though given carefully, are unofficial and are merely preliminary to more scientific studies which may be made afterwards in individual cases. “Such studies of children will be made only with the consent of parents, approval of superintendent, and by appointment made at Newcomb Laboratory of Psychology and Education.
“Class A.?Feebleminded or insane children who should be under institutional or home care rather than in the public schools. “Class B.?Backward children (not in Class A) or those who urgently need special educational methods in special classes within the public schools. “Class C.?Exceptionally able or gifted children. “Class D.?Incorrigible, habitually vicious children. (a) Who seem to be of defective mentality. (b) Who seem to be of normal mentality. ” Class E.?Children of apparently good intelligence, but suffering obviously from some serious physical defect, temporarily or permanently unfitting them for the work of the grades.
“(1) Defective vision; (2) Deaf and semi-deaf; (3) Suffering from speech defects; (4) Crippled children; (5) Epileptic. “November 21, 1912. “Joseph Mare Gwinn, Superintendent.”
The results were compiled in a large table showing the returns from the several schools, white and colored. The following table gives a summary of the preliminary census: Total Enrolment. Class A Feeble-minded,un fitted f Boys for public schools [Girls Boys Girls Class B Backward children re- i jjoys quiring special class within public schools Class C Exceptionally able or f jBoys gifted children Girls Total white Numbers 14,530, 15,684| 30,214 1,336 Percentages Total colored I Total white and colored Numbers 3,527 4,083 9.2 926| 2,262 5.9 7.5 292 323 340 7,610 26 9.1 663 8.3 Numbers Percen- 18,057 tages | 19,767 37,824 115 .34 8.7 1.5 27 1,659 1,266 186 221 107 2,925 407 Percentages 7.7 1.2 Class D Incorrigible habitually vicious children Class E With obvious physical defects but good mentality 1. Apparently ( of defective mentality 2. Apparently f of normal mentality 1. Defective vision 2. Deaf and semi-deaf 3. Speech defect 4. Crippled 5. Epileptic Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls 397 480 170 162 406 288 10 107 187 877 332 694 140 18 .6 j .1 ! .4 1. .2 .6 2.9 75 196 1.1 2.3 50 271 148 37 3.5 2.6; 1.4 j2 205 50 157 255 492 676 1,168 194 207 497 345 401 842 177 33 3.1 2.2 .09
Before attempting any other use of these results, an organized effort was put into operation for studying as individuals all of the white children designated in Class A. With a few exceptions all of the schools where white children of Class A were reported, were visited by the director, who explained to the prinNEWS AND COMMENT. 235 cipals the procedure to be followed, and left the proper blank forms. It was carefully explained that in no case would a study of a child be undertaken except upon the written request of a parent. Principals and teachers co-operated promptly and intelligently. During the year sixty-seven such requests were received, and “practically every child brought under the conditions of investigation was subjected to the usual form board and Binet tests at the Callender Laboratory of Newcomb College,” supplemented by a few of the tests of Drs. Fernald and Healy, such as the picture puzzle and Aussage tests. Full pedagogical, family, personal, and medical histories were taken, and anthropometric measurements were made of each child. Suspected cases of eye, ear, and throat defects were referred to medical specialists, and tests of blood and excretions were made at the Touro Infirmary.
All of the findings from parents, social worker, teachers, physicians, and psychologists, were collated by a recorder, the whole summary being reviewed finally by the director, Professor Hill. “Afterwards a conference was called between the staff of the laboratory, teachers, principal, parent, and superintendent of schools, where the summary and recommendations in the case of each child were discussed as tactfully and frankly as possible.” Nineteen cases are reported brief!}’ to show the kind of information collected from these various sources on blanks adapted from Huey and Goddard.
“What immediate steps should be taken as relief measures pointedly in behalf of children who exhibit extreme individual differences in the schools, is a question pressing upon all cities,” says Dr Hill. In the report of a committee on exceptional children adopted recently by the Public School Alliance of New Orleans, several progressive recommendations were embodied, among them the following:
“The exceptional child is of significance as affecting all of the children. It seems that some such measures as are included in the following typical scheme should be gradually adopted by city and state authorities, measures intended especially for the markedly exceptional child. To put into effect some of the measures here indicated would involve much less expense than would appear at first reading.
“1. (a) School for the Training of Feebleminded Children. For the protection, segregation, self-support, and study of feebleminded, imbecile, and idiotic children who have not adequate home care, one institution is needed in the state, to be conducted scientifically and humanely without undue political or sectarian influence.
” (b) Hospital Schools. For another class of children there should be hospital schools in the city, where under favorable environment?physical, social, and educational?certain children could be kept under observation while being given a chance to improve their physical and mental status.
“(c) Parental Schools. These are similar to the hospital schools, except that they are intended for disciplinary cases, for the incorrigible boy or girl for whom there remains hope and whose age and possibility of betterment should prevent his or her being committed to a reformatory or penitentiary. Parental schools should, of course, have agriculture and industrial features and should utilize some of the pedagogical principles of the Junior Republic. “2. Special Day Schools, (a) For truants and incorrigibles?disciplinary cases; (b) for extremely backward children; (c) for the deaf and mute; (d) for the blind; (e) for the hopelessly crippled, to aid them toward self-support. “3. Auxiliary Classes within our Present School Buildings, (a) For coaching the temporarily backward or handicapped boy or girl; (b) for special attention to children reported as exceptionally capable or gifted.
“The Alliance should work for the permanence of the method of educational research in attacking these problems.”
It is gratifying to see that New Orleans is approaching an extensive adoption of vocational and trade education because of the opportunity afforded by the legacy of nearly a million dollars from Mr. Isaac Delgado for the equipment of a central trade school for boys in that city. Dr Hill comments that this “is both an example to philanthropists of New Orleans and other cities, and also a challenge to educators to see that the best results to our people may be assured upon this noble foundation.”
“Betterment in the schools of New Orleans and many other Southern cities,” Dr Hill observes, “is slowly coming about by attempts at improvement all along the line?as to buildings, teachers, courses of study, and health conditions.” During the year 1912-13 a course of thirty lectures on school hygiene was delivered to students in the New Orleans Normal School by Dr Creighton Wellman and Professor Hill. In addition a systematic attempt was made to introduce senior medical students at Tulane University to the problems of educational science, a course of five lectures being delivered by Dr Hill under the title, “Some Educational Problems of interest to the Modern Physician and Sanitarian.” It is safe to say that this investigation conducted by Dr Hill for the city of New Orleans, is the best scientific contribution which has yet come from a direct clinical investigation of the exceptional children of a city school system. The work as originally undertaken, presented also the soundest basis on which to conduct such an investigation, namely, the co-operation of a university department of clinical psychology and the school authorities. That Tulane University has not been able to continue to play its part in this important co-operative scientific survey, is an evidence of the conservatism?to say nothing more?of some of our departments of psychology and education. Owing to the failure of Tulane University to appreciate the value and importance of this work, Dr Hill has been compelled to sever his connection with that institution, and is this year devoting himself exclusively to clinical work in connection with the public schools of the city of New Orleans. The character of his report inspires the belief that New Orleans is at the present moment better equipped than any other city in this country to carry forward a scientific survey of the children in its schools, along the lines of sound clinical methods. L. W.
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