PROBLEM 55

PLANNING A PLATOON SCHOOL

Problem: The Board of Education of Mendoka, N. K., a city of 75,000 people, approved the recommendation of the superintendent of schools with reference to the development of a platoon school. Up to the present time, the new buildings erected in the community have been planned to conform to the needs of the traditional elementary school program. The teaching staff and the superintendent have agreed that it would be desirable to plan the next new building with the purpose of giving the platoon plan a thorough trial. The superintendent has been delegated by the Board of Education to present at the next meeting a statement of what constitutes the difference between the facilities required for the traditional school program and those required for a platoon school.

Previous to the development of the most recently constructed elementary buildings, the Board of Education had, upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, approved of the following accommodations for these elementary buildings. In addition to the personnel, janitorial, and engineering service facilities required, the following types of rooms were incorporated in these new buildings:

1. Classrooms and cloakrooms for Grades 1 to 6 and for ungraded classes, the number of rooms varying with the size of the enrollment to be provided for. The size of each classroom unit exclusive of the cloakroom was fixed at 23 ft. x 29 ft. 6 in.

2. Principal's office including storage and vault.

3. Storage room for textbook and general supplies.

4. Health supervision suite, including physician's room, dressing booths, dental clinic and nurse's room.

5. Teacher's rooms, including lunchroom, workroom, and rest

room.

6. Library reading room.

7. Kindergarten, including assembly or game room, occupational room, storage room, and cloakroom.

8. Auditorium-gymnasium planned for both activities, with the main floor dimensions 50 ft. x 80 ft., with the following auxiliary spaces: balcony, dressing rooms, picture booth, stage, director's room, locker and shower rooms for boys, locker and shower rooms for girls, and storeroom under stage for auditorium seating. 9. Community room.

10. Pupils' lunch room and kitchen.

11. Cooking room for household arts. 12. General shop for boys.

13. Play rooms for boys and for girls.

Assignment

1. What are the variations in the platoon plan which require changes from a building plan that meets the needs of the traditional school program?

2. What is the platoon plan which you, as superintendent of schools, would desire to follow in this case?

3. Make a list of the types of rooms which you would need and indicate the approximate sizes of these spaces.

4. What difficulties present themselves in the administration of the platoon school program, which can be met by the proper location of room spaces in the original planning of the building.

5. Draw the plan of the first and second floors of the platoon school which you propose, roughly indicating the layout. Develop the report which you, as superintendent of schools, will present to the Board of Education in this case.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BANKES, W. J. Model Platoon School: Mason School, Akron, Ohio. School and Society, 17:581-86, May 26, 1923.

BARROWS, A. First National Conference on the Work-Study-Play or Platoon Plan. U. S. Bureau of Education, Bulletin, 1922, No. 35, Washington, D. C. BLISS, D. C. Platoon Schools in Practice. Elementary School Journal, 20:51015, March, 1920.

BURRIS, W. P. The Public School System of Gary, Ind. U. S. Bureau of Education, Bulletin, 1914, No. 8, Whole No. 591, pp. 10–11, 20, 26–28, 32–33. Detroit, Mich. Eightieth Annual Report of the Detroit Public Schools, pp. 10-11 62-77. Board of Education, Detroit, Mich., 1923.