Race Policy Said Needed By Schools

There is a lack of consensus among central administrators in the Ann Arbor Public Schools on the best way to better the quality of interaction between the black students and the secondary schools, the Board of Education has been told. This is the opinión of Ronald R. Edmonds, human relations director for the public schools. Edmonds gave his view in a memorandum to the school board. The memorandum reviews efforts of the public schools during the past semester to créate better race relations on the secondary level. In order to evalúate whether present administrative strategies are responsive to the education needs of the black students, Edmonds said, "there would have to be a shared perception of our educational goals and a shared commitment to the educational strategies that would be most productive." "In my judgment, no s u c h consensus exists in the Ann Arbor Public Schools." He also told the board that none of the school activities to better race relations will be "as effeetive as possible unless and until we intégrate our secondary faculties. Staff integration is prerequisite to resolution of more fundamental issues regarding race relations in particular and human relations in general." Before present methods bêing used to better race relations in the schools can be evaluated, the human relations director sa id three steps should be taken. There should be : "Central administrative agreement on the origin and nature of student disability throughout the school district." - "Central administrative agreement on those educational strategies that will be most appropriately responsive t o those disabilities." -"Board. of Education commitment (to the above two steps) and attendant public discussion." Central administrative personnel are presently involved in such discussions, E dm on ds said. The human relations director cited activities at all Ann Arbor secondary schools, most instituted recently, which are attempting to créate better race relations. These include one-semester Negro history electives at both high schools and at all junior highs except for Scarlett, BiRacial Committees at Pioneer and Huron Highs and at F o r-i sythe and Slauson Junior Highs, a Black History Interest Club at Scarlett, a Human Relations] Club at Scarlett, a United Stu-j dents for Change group at Tap-I pan Junior High, and a Bringl Out School Spirit (BOSS) groupl at Forsythe Junior High whosel principal interest is black-whitë relations. Bulletin boards devoted to events of interest to black students are kept up to date at Pioneer High and Forsythe. Black Student Unions also have been formed at both high schools.