A study was made of the reasons why children were retarded in the groups of schools attended mainly by Negroes, by white Americans, and by children of immigrants. Records were obtained at the schools for 1,469 Negro children and 1,560 white children who were listed according to the Board of Education's classification for retarded children.
Table XIV shows clearly that the predominating cause of retardation among Negroes is late entrance, which, according to the board's classification, means that they did not enter school until more than six years of age. This is generally explained by the fact that the family came from the South, where there was no school near enough for the child to attend, or the school was overcrowded, or the family was uneducated and indifferent. In some cases the parents have come North, leaving the child with grandparents who made no effort to see that it went to school.
TABLE XIII
Number of Children in Table XII Who Are Retarded One-half to One Year, One Year to One and One-half Years, etc. | YEARS |
|---|
| SCHOOL | ½ to 1 | 1 to 1½ | 1½ to 2 | 2 to 2½ | 2½ to 3 | 3 to 3½ | 3½ to 4 |
|---|
| Attended mainly by white Americans: | | | | | | | |
| Armstrong | 143 | 84 | 62 | 31 | 15 | 13 | 3 |
| Byford | 317 | 175 | 105 | 64 | 54 | 20 | 11 |
| Harper | 364 | 234 | 106 | 67 | 28 | 12 | 6 |
| Howe | 275 | 128 | 93 | 57 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| Key | 141 | 106 | 33 | 19 | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| Morse | 229 | 160 | 81 | 56 | 27 | 14 | 8 |
| Total | 1,470 | 887 | 480 | 294 | 143 | 70 | 32 |
| Attended mainly by Negroes: | | | | | | | |
| Colman | 109 | 114 | 109 | 66 | 50 | 46 | 27 |
| Doolittle | 229 | 175 | 146 | 152 | 117 | 86 | 69 |
| Douglas | 190 | 198 | 191 | 142 | 126 | 83 | 71 |
| Keith | 94 | 66 | 71 | 78 | 54 | 34 | 30 |
| Moseley | 95 | 104 | 96 | 54 | 59 | 31 | 34 |
| Raymond | 135 | 115 | 111 | 69 | 50 | 39 | 27 |
| Total | 852 | 772 | 724 | 561 | 456 | 319 | 258 |
| Attended mainly by children of immigrants: | | | | | | | |
| Bohemian: | | | | | | | |
| Bryant | 369 | 224 | 107 | 51 | 36 | 15 | 3 |
| Hammond | 306 | 225 | 114 | 69 | 47 | 13 | 10 |
| Jungman | 173 | 87 | 49 | 27 | 12 | 6 | 2 |
| Polish: | | | | | | | |
| Chopin | 323 | 216 | 125 | 57 | 43 | 23 | 16 |
| Hibbard | 252 | 158 | 68 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 4 |
| Holden | 216 | 190 | 112 | 91 | 60 | 36 | 18 |
| Italian: | | | | | | | |
| Goodrich | 236 | 185 | 104 | 68 | 42 | 28 | 10 |
| Jackson | 369 | 284 | 202 | 141 | 84 | 53 | 16 |
| Jenner | 281 | 253 | 135 | 86 | 42 | 32 | 20 |
| Jewish: | | | | | | | |
| Herzel | 521 | 294 | 124 | 71 | 38 | 19 | 9 |
| Lawson | 574 | 370 | 233 | 109 | 65 | 24 | 19 |
| Von Humboldt | 498 | 145 | 145 | 76 | 37 | 17 | 6 |
| Totals | 4,118 | 2,710 | 1,518 | 874 | 524 | 271 | 133 |
| Totals for three groups | 6,440 | 2,249 | 2,722 | 1,729 | 1,123 | 660 | 423 |
TABLE XIII (continued)
Number of Children in Table XII Who Are Retarded One-half to One Year, One Year to One and One-half Years, etc. | YEARS |
|---|
| SCHOOL | 4 to 4½ | 4½ to 5 | 5 to 5½ | 5½ to 6 | 6 to 6½ | 6½ to 7 |
|---|
| Attended mainly by white Americans: | | | | | | |
| Armstrong | ... | 4 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Byford | 32 | 2 | 2 | ... | ... | 1 |
| Harper | 4 | 3 | 1 | ... | 1 | ... |
| Howe | ... | 4 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Key | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Morse | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ... | ... |
| Total | 40 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Attended mainly by Negroes: | | | | | | |
| Colman | 18 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 2 | ... |
| Doolittle | 44 | 37 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Douglas | 45 | 26 | 21 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Keith | 32 | 17 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Moseley | 26 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Raymond | 12 | 10 | 6 | 2 | ... | 1 |
| Total | 177 | 117 | 74 | 41 | 24 | 17 |
| Attended mainly by children of immigrants: | | | | | | |
| Bohemian: | | | | | | |
| Bryant | 1 | 2 | 1 | ... | ... | ... |
| Hammond | 8 | 2 | 1 | ... | ... | ... |
| Jungman | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Polish: | | | | | | |
| Chopin | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ... | ... |
| Hibbard | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Holden | 13 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 2 | ... |
| Italian: | | | | | | |
| Goodrich | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ... |
| Jackson | 13 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ... | 1 |
| Jenner | 10 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Jewish: | | | | | | |
| Herzel | 4 | 4 | ... | 1 | ... | ... |
| Lawson | 7 | 4 | 2 | ... | ... | ... |
| Von Humboldt | 6 | 2 | 1 | ... | ... | ... |
| Totals | 81 | 36 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 3 |
| Totals for three groups | 298 | 167 | 103 | 59 | 31 | 21 |
TABLE XIII (continued)
Number of Children in Table XII Who Are Retarded One-half to One Year, One Year to One and One-half Years, etc. | YEARS |
|---|
| SCHOOL | 7 to 7½ | 7½ to 8 | 8 to 8½ | 8½ to 9 | 9 to 9½ | 9½ to 10 | 10 to 10½ |
|---|
| Attended mainly by white Americans: | | | | | | | |
| Armstrong | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Byford | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Harper | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... |
| Howe | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Key | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Morse | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Total | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... |
| Attended mainly by Negroes: | | | | | | | |
| Colman | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Doolittle | ... | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ... |
| Douglas | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
| Keith | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Moseley | 3 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Raymond | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Total | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Attended mainly by children of immigrants: | | | | | | | |
| Bohemian: | | | | | | | |
| Bryant | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Hammond | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Jungman | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Polish: | | | | | | | |
| Chopin | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Hibbard | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Holden | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Italian: | | | | | | | |
| Goodrich | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Jackson | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Jenner | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... |
| Jewish: | | | | | | | |
| Herzel | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Lawson | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Von Humboldt | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Totals | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 |
| Totals for three groups | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
TABLE XIV
REASONS WHY 1,469 NEGRO CHILDREN AND 1,560 WHITE CHILDREN WERE RETARDED IN GROUP OF TWENTY-FOUR SCHOOLS| SCHOOLS | TOTAL | LATE ENTERING | FOREIGN | PHYSICAL DEFECT | ILL HEALTH |
|---|
| N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. |
|---|
| Attended mainly by Negroes: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colman, 92 per cent Negro attendance | 29 | 1 | 20 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Doolittle, 85 per cent | 603 | 6 | 190 | ... | ... | 6 | 3 | ... | 68 | ... |
| Drake, 24 per cent | 72 | 58 | 41 | 11 | ... | 3 | ... | ... | 4 | 15 |
| Farren, 92 per cent | 171 | 7 | 49 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | 34 | 1 |
| Felsenthal, 20 per cent | 173 | 69 | 58 | 13 | 3 | 2 | ... | ... | 6 | 12 |
| Forrestville, 38 per cent | 93 | 5 | 34 | 2 | ... | ... | 2 | ... | 4 | ... |
| Haven, 20 per cent | 71 | 59 | 56 | 9 | ... | 6 | ... | ... | 2 | 9 |
| McCosh, 15 per cent | 18 | 31 | 7 | 4 | ... | 2 | ... | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Oakland, 26 per cent | 50 | 44 | 18 | 6 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 4 | 5 |
| Raymond, 93 per cent | 133 | 6 | 64 | 2 | ... | 2 | 1 | ... | 7 | 1 |
| Webster, 30 per cent | 52 | 31 | 27 | 7 | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 5 | 9 |
| Attended mainly by White Americans: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fiske | 2 | 88 | ... | 3 | ... | 16 | ... | 2 | ... | 1 |
| Rowland | ... | 101 | ... | 13 | ... | 7 | ... | 2 | ... | 17 |
| Kenwood | ... | 25 | ... | 1 | ... | 5 | ... | ... | ... | 4 |
| Attended mainly by children of immigrants: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Farragut | ... | 107 | ... | 12 | ... | 10 | ... | 2 | ... | 11 |
| Goodrich | ... | 92 | ... | ... | ... | 28 | ... | 3 | ... | 8 |
| Jackson | ... | 255 | ... | 32 | ... | 48 | ... | 12 | ... | 38 |
| Jungman | ... | 21 | ... | 11 | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Kosciuszke | ... | 144 | ... | 23 | ... | 17 | ... | 4 | ... | 9 |
| Lawson | 1 | 155 | ... | 7 | ... | 15 | ... | 1 | ... | 19 |
| McCormick | ... | 21 | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... | 1 | ... | 7 |
| Seward | ... | 131 | ... | 19 | ... | 29 | ... | 2 | ... | 14 |
| Smyth | ... | 57 | ... | 3 | ... | 14 | ... | 1 | ... | 9 |
| Swing | ... | 46 | ... | 9 | ... | 2 | ... | 1 | ... | 7 |
|
| Totals by races | 1,469 | 1,560 | 564 | 187 | 3 | 217 | 9 | 33 | 140 | 204 |
| Totals of both races | 3,029 | 751 | 220 | 42 | 344 |
TABLE XIV (continued)
REASONS WHY 1,469 NEGRO CHILDREN AND 1,560 WHITE CHILDREN WERE RETARDED IN GROUP OF TWENTY-FOUR SCHOOLS| SCHOOLS | FAMILY DIFFICULTIES | DEFECTIVE VISION | DEFECTIVE HEARING | VARIANT MENTALITY | BACKWARD |
|---|
| N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. |
|---|
| Attended mainly by Negroes: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colman, 92 per cent Negro attendance | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 4 | ... |
| Doolittle, 85 per cent | 141 | ... | 7 | ... | ... | ... | 35 | ... | 73 | ... |
| Drake, 24 per cent | ... | 3 | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | 7 | 7 | 12 |
| Farren, 92 per cent | 21 | ... | 3 | ... | 1 | ... | 12 | 2 | 18 | ... |
| Felsenthal, 20 per cent | 56 | 15 | ... | 2 | 1 | ... | 7 | 1 | 33 | 10 |
| Forrestville, 38 per cent | 10 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 4 | ... | 30 | ... |
| Haven, 20 per cent | ... | ... | ... | 4 | ... | ... | ... | 3 | 7 | 19 |
| McCosh, 15 per cent | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 |
| Oakland, 26 per cent | ... | 6 | 1 | 2 | ... | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Raymond, 93 per cent | 18 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 11 | ... |
| Webster, 30 per cent | 6 | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Attended mainly by White Americans: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fiske | ... | 34 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 21 |
| Rowland | ... | 3 | ... | 4 | ... | ... | ... | 9 | ... | 28 |
| Kenwood | ... | 4 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... | 5 |
| Attended mainly by children of immigrants: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Farragut | ... | 6 | ... | 3 | ... | ... | ... | 5 | ... | 23 |
| Goodrich | ... | 7 | ... | 3 | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... | 23 |
| Jackson | ... | 38 | ... | 8 | ... | 1 | ... | 3 | ... | 45 |
| Jungman | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Kosciuszke | ... | 18 | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | 12 | ... | 4 |
| Lawson | 1 | 20 | ... | 2 | ... | 1 | ... | 25 | ... | 39 |
| McCormick | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
| Seward | ... | 10 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 2 | ... | 13 |
| Smyth | ... | 4 | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 14 |
| Swing | ... | 4 | ... | 2 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 6 |
|
| Totals by races | 253 | 175 | 12 | 38 | 2 | 5 | 62 | 81 | 192 | 271 |
| Totals of both races | 428 | 50 | 7 | 143 | 463 |
TABLE XIV (continued)
REASONS WHY 1,469 NEGRO CHILDREN AND 1,560 WHITE CHILDREN WERE RETARDED IN GROUP OF TWENTY-FOUR SCHOOLS| SCHOOLS | LOW MENTALITY | FEEBLE-MINDED | IRREGULAR ATTENDANCE | TEMP. IN GRADE | DEMOTED FOR CONDUCT |
|---|
| N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. | N. | W. |
|---|
| Attended mainly by Negroes: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colman, 92 per cent Negro attendance | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | 2 | ... |
| Doolittle, 85 per cent | 10 | ... | ... | ... | 68 | ... | 8 | ... | ... | ... |
| Drake, 24 per cent | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 19 | 5 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Farren, 92 per cent | 11 | 2 | ... | ... | 21 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Felsenthal, 20 per cent | 3 | 4 | ... | ... | 13 | 2 | ... | 1 | ... | ... |
| Forrestville, 38 per cent | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 6 | 3 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Haven, 20 per cent | 2 | 4 | ... | ... | 4 | 5 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| McCosh, 15 per cent | 1 | 6 | ... | ... | 3 | 9 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Oakland, 26 per cent | 4 | 3 | 1 | ... | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | ... | ... |
| Raymond, 93 per cent | 6 | ... | 6 | ... | 19 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Webster, 30 per cent | 9 | 6 | ... | ... | 1 | 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Attended mainly by White Americans: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fiske | 1 | 2 | ... | 1 | ... | 6 | ... | 1 | ... | ... |
| Rowland | ... | 10 | ... | 1 | ... | 7 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Kenwood | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 3 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Attended mainly by children of immigrants: | | | | | | | | | | |
| Farragut | ... | 32 | ... | ... | ... | 3 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Goodrich | ... | 10 | ... | ... | ... | 8 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Jackson | ... | 8 | ... | ... | ... | 19 | ... | 2 | ... | ... |
| Jungman | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 7 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Kosciuszke | ... | 8 | ... | 1 | ... | 39 | ... | 9 | ... | ... |
| Lawson | ... | 19 | ... | 2 | ... | 5 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| McCormick | ... | 8 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... |
| Seward | ... | 11 | ... | 5 | ... | 20 | ... | 5 | ... | ... |
| Smyth | 1 | 5 | ... | ... | ... | 5 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Swing | ... | 6 | ... | 1 | ... | 2 | ... | 4 | ... | ... |
|
| Totals by races | 49 | 146 | 9 | 12 | 167 | 161 | 9 | 24 | 3 | ... |
| Totals of both races | 195 | 21 | 328 | 33 | 3 |
The next most important cause of retardation among the Negroes is family difficulties. The fathers are often kept away from home weeks at a time by their work. A large number of the mothers are working, and the parents' lack of education is frequently the cause of a home life that is below standard, physically and morally.