Atlanta Public School

In 1939, the progressive leaders of Atlanta were looking forward to consolidating all of the outlying community schools to form a bigger district. There was even talk of combining Atlanta and Queen City high schools. As you read this reprinted article, it’s easy to imagine this could still, some day, happen.

PRESENT STATUS AND POSSIBILITIES OF THE ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOL

In a democracy such as ours, the function of a school is to assist in developing talents, abilities, and powers of its students along socially approved lines. An educational institution can have no other; for any other purpose is too vogue and indefinite. But one’s native intelligence and ability remain practically the same throughout life. It is a concrete definite something and can be trained to play its part more effectively in the scheme of life. It can neither be added to nor subtracted from, to any appreciable extent. The sum total of one’s powers, abilities and talents constitutes his intelligence. It is the fundamental unit with which the teacher works; and the purpose, if correctly interpreted, of the teacher is to aid in developing it to the greatest extent possible.

A public school system does not become full grown over night. Like every other social institution, it develops gradually. The varying forces of the community which it serves push it this way and that. But in the more progressive communities its progress is conservative but sure.

During the past seven years in particular, the Atlanta Public School has made rapid progress. An excellent building has been constructed and equipped. Approximately twenty-five units of affiliation have been secured. Commercial, fine arts, home economics, library, science, and vocational agricultural departments have been introduced and maintained. Intelligence and achievement tests have been used to assist in determining as far as possible the best manner in which to render aid to the students.

Wherever possible, business methods have been substituted for the old hit-or-miss, more or less haphazard methods of a decade ago and more. It has assisted in operating an amateur broadcasting station. Considerable attention has been given to improving the appearance of the campus. More than 130 transfers attest to the service the school is rendering adjacent communities.

In brief, the Atlanta Public School is today the biggest school its size anywhere. Shall the Atlanta Public School rest content with its present achievement? The answer is NO! To do so will be to retrograde. The progressive citizens of this and contiguous neighborhoods, who have made possible the great progress already achieved, will never consent to a backward step.

Rather will they demand even greater progress in the future than in the past. They will ask for, and rightly so, a more effective service. The school as an institution will seek to perfect the varied activities already begun. The amateur broadcasting station will, it is hoped, become a permanent one with an allotted wave-length. The excellent central and grade libraries will grow into a still greater library. In short, every undertaking now in progress of completion will be carried through to a successful conclusion. Again, today is an era marked by cooperation and consolidation of business organizations throughout the country and even the world. Railways, motor companies, wholesalers, retailers, corporations of every conceivable kind—all are combining into larger organizations.

Even schools are consolidating and forming larger and more effective units of administration. This is no new movement in the field of school administration but is a tried and proved method of increasing the efficiency of the schools while decreasing the expenses under the old method. Schools are everywhere adapting themselves to a more efficient business administration.

In an educational way, nothing except the best will satisfy the progressive citizens of Atlanta and her neighboring communities. That means, in the first place, the consolidation for high school purposes of Atlanta and Queen City. Except from a legal standpoint, these two communities are already practically one in a high school way. Secondly, it will mean the eventual consolidation, either directly or indirectly, of Unity, Stewart, and possibly, Liberty Grove with the Atlanta - Queen City Independent School District.

As soon as permanent highways become more common, other schools will likely join in. The people of these districts will maintain a big central high school in Atlanta to provide the best educational facilities possible for their children. Petty prejudices and jealousies will play no part in this undertaking; for every parent will realize that he is most effectively aiding his own children to have a better chance and opportunity in the game of life.

So the Atlanta-Queen City Public School System of the future will include a big central high school and seven or eight junior high schools. There will be thirty or forty teachers and 1,200 to 1,500 students. Are you one who wants to see this vision come true, to have available for your boys and girls, your brothers and sisters, finer and better educational opportunities than you yourself had? If you are, then you belong to that great army of citizens who are quietly but persistently pushing forward.

This program, like all other undertakings in this progressive section, can and will be realized. Thus will greater efficiency be introduced into and less expense attached to the administration of schools round about. Do you not want a part to play in such a glorious achievement?