Herzog, Conroy To Control Center, Study Educational Backgrounds

The School of Education's new Center for Research and Development on Educational Differences has appointed John D. Herzog as its new Executive Director.

The center was created this fall when the Ed School received a $2.4 million Federal grant to study the effects of different backgrounds on learning at the elementary and secondary school level.

Vincent F. Conroy was appointed Director of Field Studies for the program. He has directed field studies for the entire Ed. School since 1962. Herzog has been as Harvard since 1956, and was assistant to the dean of the faculty of Education from 1956 to 1959.

According to Conroy, the new Center will attempt "to fill in the great gap between the pure research groups and the activist groups" that deal with education.

Both Conroy and Herzog expressed optimism about the development of new teaching methods for secondary and elementary schools. Herzog believes that the major problem is that of utilizing the available finances. "We must find the most efficient method of spending this money so that this generous gift will not be wasted," he stated.

Oregon, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin Universities have all received similar grants. Each of these school's centers will specialize in a specific area of educational activity.

Oregon's program will be directed toward the problems of the administration in education while the Pittsburgh Center will concentrate on curriculum in the secondary schools. Wisconsin's Center will deal with educational psychology. More schools--possibly 15--will receive similar Federal grants for Centers next year.

"The Center at Harvard," Herzog stated, "will be in existence for about five years." During this time various written reports will be made and numerous seminars will be held.