RETARDATION OF PUPILS.

The report of the Commission pays special attention to the "retardation" of pupils, and data relative to retardation are shown race by race. A "retarded" pupil, as the term is used throughout this report, is one who is older than the normal age for his grade. Thus, a pupil is retarded if 8 years of age or over and in the first grade; 9 years of age or over and in the second grade; 10 years of age or over and in the third grade; 11 years of age or over and in the fourth grade, and so forth.

Throughout the report on the "intensive" investigation all tables relative to retardation include only those pupils who are 8 years of age or over. The total number of pupils 8 years of age or over included in the investigation is 46,836, and of that number 17,127, or 36.6 per cent, were retarded, or older than the normal age for their grade. The proportion retarded is shown, by general nativity and race of father of pupil, in the table which follows, the principal foreign races being grouped in the second part of the table:

TABLE 19.-Number and per cent of pupils 8 years of age or over who are retarded, by general nativity and race of father of pupil.

Among pupils who are children of foreign-born fathers, 40.4 per cent are retarded. The percentage retarded is 27.3 among children of foreign-born fathers who belong to English-speaking races, and 43.4 among children of foreign-born fathers who belong to non-Englishspeaking races. The percentage retarded is 28.1 among children of native-born white fathers and 66.8 among children of native-born negro fathers.

Of the principal foreign races enumerated the children of Polish Hebrews show the largest proportion retarded, the percentage being 66.9; the children of South Italians are next in order, with 63.6 per cent retarded. The Swedes show the lowest proportion and the Dutch the second lowest proportion retarded, the percentages being 15.5 and 16.1, respectively.

In the further brief analysis in this summary of the tables relative to retardation five races only will be considered. Data relative to other races are shown in the Commission's complete report on the children of immigrants in schools. The races shown in this summary are the children of

Native-born white fathers.
Foreign-born English fathers
Foreign-born German fathers.

Foreign-born Russian Hebrew fathers.
Foreign-born South Italian fathers.

It will be seen that of these five races selected for summarization here, one is native-born; two are races of older immigration, one English-speaking and one non-English-speaking; and two are numerically important among races of recent immigration.

The first table following shows data for retardation related to birthplace of pupil.

TABLE 20.-Retardation, by birthplace of pupil.

Three of the five races show a smaller proportion retarded among those born in the city in which they lived at the time of the investigation than among those born elsewhere in the United States. All c the foreign-born races show a larger proportion retarded amon pupils born abroad than among pupils born in the United States. The South Italians report the largest percentage and the Englis the smallest percentage retarded under each of the groupings.

The next table includes only pupils born in the United States an outside of the city in which they were attending school at the tim of the investigation.

TABLE 21.-Retardation, by school attendance elsewhere than in city in which pupil lived at the time of the investigation.

Four of the five races report a higher proportion of their number retarded among the pupils who have attended school "elsewhere" than among those who have not. The Russian Hebrews have the lowest proportion and the South Italians the highest proportion of retarded pupils among children who have attended school "elsewhere." The English have the lowest proportion and the South Italians the highest proportion among those who have not attended school elsewhere.

TABLE 22.-Retardation, by age of foreign-born pupils at time of arrival in the United States.

For each of the four races the proportion retarded increases as the age at time of arrival advances. The English show the lowest proportion retarded in each division of the table. The South Italians show the highest proportion retarded except among pupils who were 10 years of age or over, in which division all of the German pupils

are retarded.

TABLE 23.-Retardation, by school attendance abroad of foreign-born pupils who were 6 years of age or over at time of arrival in the United States.

Two of the races show a lower proportion retarded among those having attended school abroad, and two a lower proportion among those not having attended school abroad.

The English have the lowest proportion retarded among those having attended school abroad and the Germans among those not having attended school abroad. The South Italians have the highest proportion retarded in each division of the table.

TABLE 24.—Retardation, by age of foreign-born pupils at time of entering public school in the United States.

For each of the four races the proportion retarded materially increases as the age at time of entering public school in the United States advances. The English have the lowest proportion and the South Italians the highest proportion retarded in each of the three age classifications.

TABLE 25.-Retardation, by grade entered in public school.

For each race the proportion retarded is greater among those who entered the second grade or above than among those who entered the first grade. The English have the lowest proportion and the South Italians the highest proportion retarded in each of the two divisions of the table.

TABLE 26.-Retardation, by rate of progress and time in school in the United States.

The native-born whites show the lowest proportion retarded in the first division of the table and the English the lowest in each of the other two divisions. The South Italians show the highest proportion in all divisions.

TABLE 27.-Retardation, by ability of foreign-born fathers of pupils to speak English. [This table includes only non-English-speaking races.]

For each of the three races a higher proportion is retarded among pupils whose fathers do not speak English. The Germans have the lowest proportion and the South Italians the highest proportion retarded under each of the two divisions of the table.

TABLE 28.-Retardation, by citizenship of foreign-born fathers of pupils.