Along with San Diego's rapid growth in population, the school 

 enrollment has increased tremendously, thus making it very diffi- 

 cult to provide sufficient school rooms and teachers. Strenuous ef- 

 forts have resulted in a progressive system built up in the face of 

 great obstacles. There are too many pupils per teacher and 

 overcrowded rooms and buildings, but the situation is being met 

 as fast as possible. With heavy demands upon the building fund 

 careful consideration must be given to the type of building to be 

 constructed. It is pointed out that the new Washington school 

 accomodating 750 pupils was built at a per capita cost of $130 for 

 plant alone ; the Grant, accomodating 200, at a per capita cost of 

 $95. The former has an expensive ventilating and heating plant 

 and the latter is an open-air building admirably suited to the 

 climate. 



The High School 



The High School has recently opened technical departments 

 giving courses in the mechanical arts and home economics. It is 

 stated that 30 per cent, of all the pupils take work in the well 

 established commercial department and nearly all find local posi- 

 tions, many before graduating. The work of the technical de- 

 partments simply furnishes opportunity for finding vocational 

 aptitudes. Vocational guidance is not attempted, although 42 

 per cent, of the boys work outside of school hours from four to 

 forty hours per week, and many girls earn their way also. The 

 Higt School plant cost a half -million dollars and is in operation 

 two-thirds of the working days of the year for seven hours per 

 day. Consequently, it is idle about half the time. Since not 

 more than 50 per cent, of the students entering the Freshman 

 Class graduate, it is clear that the community is not receiving a 

 fair return, in terms of efficiently trained youth, for its invest- 

 ment. In other words, the High School does not function in pro- 

 portion to its equipment. 



Physical Training 



The physical training department seems to be well administ- 

 ered on the formal side, but the feature of folk dancing and 

 plays and games involving much free movement needs far more 

 emphasis. In general, a way should be devised to secure larger 

 playgrounds and more apparatus for the schools. Even under 

 present conditions, however, co-operation between the Board of 

 Playground Commissioners and the schools would mean money 

 saved and a larger good to the districts served by each organiza- 

 tion. For example, the school yards might be enlarged and used 

 as public play grounds under the control of the Commission, after 

 school hours, while the school buildings could be used as field 

 houses. 



Dropping Out and Truancy 



A system of semi-annual promotion goes far toward preventing 

 the usual loss of time to pupils obliged to repeat work. By this 



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