Conant Proposes Program to Shift School Patterns

President Conant last night advocated a ten-point program to revamp the educational pattern of the United States within the next decade. He proposed the plan in the last of three lectures at the University of Virginia on "Education and Liberty."

Conant offered the plan to cope with the problem created by the increased birth rate after World War II, which has caused a 50 per cent increase in the number of students who will be entering high school by 1960.

Instead of expanding the four-year college system to accommodate the increased numbers, Conant proposed a greater number of local two-year colleges to take care of the majority of high school graduates. Enrolment in colleges would not decrease, he said, but the program would provide more people with some sort of college education.

Although the plan would not take effect until the increase in students reaches the senior high schools, it would make a two-year college course more "fashionable," without expanding the present college system.

Conant declared that high schools must be expanded to meet the new bulge in enrolments, and such an expansion would call for the reorganization of many school curricula.

"Top priority" would be given to re-remove financial restrictions.