Despite schools in Harlem being open to black and white students on a non-segregation basis, a number of schools maintained an all black population, primarily because of the increase of black residents in Harlem. As the number of African Americans took advantage of free public education, schools quickly became overcrowded.      Some principals did not welcome African Americans to their schools and students often became victims of racial slurs by teachers and students. School buildings were often dilapidated structures and many of them did not have playgrounds for their students. Further the economic condition of the new arrivals forced many students to work long hours before and after school. Thus, delinquency was common.      There emerged discussions of the kind of education most beneficial to meet the needs of African Americans. The philosophical controversy that engaged educational thought was the teachings of Booker T. Washington’s doctrine of education for African Americans and the educational philosophy for African Americans proposed by W.E.B. DuBois.