Educators Address Conference: Conant, Bender, Nelson, Fowlkes Urge Improving of High Schools

President Emeritus James Bryant Conant last week defended the American system of public secondary education against critics who would replace it with a European-type system.

In a speech before the Summer School Conference on Educational Administration, Conant explained that institution of a European system would necessitate among other measures, abandonment of four-year liberal arts colleges and setting up a uniform standard and system of college admissions.

He added that it would also require vesting all power over education in state rather than in local school boards, and a change in labor's attitude towards apprentice training. He asserted that it would be easier to improve the present educational system than attempt to replace it.

Three important factors in American education which must not be neglected, Conant said, include: a general education for all, vocational courses for those who do not wish to enter college, and a strong academic program to take care of the needs of qualified students.

In addition to Conant, the Conference was addressed by several other speakers who discussed different aspects of the problems of secondary school education and school administration.

Wilbur J. Bender, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aids in Harvard, explained that the selectivity of colleges in the United States has been over-publicized and has caused hysteria where there was no need for it. He said that there are only 50-75 of the 2000 U.S. colleges that are not truly selective.

Bender criticized colleges for not explaining clearly their objectives or informing the secondary high schools about the kind of students necessary to fulfill these objectives.

Looking toward the future, Bender said that patterns of admissions will probably get worse before they get better. He thinks that selective colleges will eventually only associate themselves with certain selected secondary schools.

Dr. John G. Fowlkes, Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin, ended the conference with his speech, "Now for Action." He attacked the attempt to "sell" schools to the public in order to raise more funds, and stated that if the public were truly informed of the needs of the public high schools educators would encounter no problems in raising the necessary funds.

He also called for a differential pay scale for teachers, according to their responsibilities. Fowlkes said that teachers should have assistants and not be burdened with jobs that have no relation to teaching.