Ed School Approves Two Reform Measures For Master's Program

The Ed School faculty yesterday approved a new Learning Environments program, despite the outspoken opposition of a dozen of its members.

The faculty also authorized the development of a Childhood Education program which will begin in 1972.

The programs are two of seven recommendations made by the faculty's Committee on Academic Policy in an effort to consolidate the school's 22 doctoral programs and reorient its two master's programs.

The sharpest and most persistent criticism of the committee's proposals came from Fletcher G. Watson, Shattuck Professor of Education, and David V. Tiedeman, professor of Education.

"The job of the Ed School is the education of teachers," Watson told the faculty. "By supporting these proposals, you are preempting the faculty from the teaching area."

Emotional Growth

The Learning Environments program was developed in response to increasing student and faculty criticism of the school's traditional emphasis on teacher training within specific subject areas. Its aim is to study the effects of teaching environments on adolescents' emotional and intellectual growth.

The childhood program will do comparable work with elementary school-aged children.

Watson challenged the ability of the new programs to handle the current number of master's students, who comprise nearly half of the Ed School's enrollment. The traditional programs which now enroll most of the master's students will probably lose most of their funding to the new programs.

"You have destroyed the faculty which has supported the MAT program," Watson charged. "Next year it will be in utter shambles."

Donald W. Oliver, professor of Education, who will be extensively involved in Learning Environments, said that heexpects the program to accommodate 30 to 40 master's students, and Childhood Education to accept another 15.

Sizer said that the total number of full-time master's students (318) "will drop slightly" next year. He added that the bulk of the students will be distributed among several programs which will "accept responsibilities according to the resources they are allocated."

Francis H. Duehay '55, assistant dean for admissions, said he expects little transitional difficulty next year. "Curriculum and methods courses [presently given by faculty in the specific disciplines] can be given in conjunction with the normal summer student-teaching sessions at Harvard's teaching site in Newton," he explained.

"The real question arises the following year, when the responsibility for the MAT's will belong completely to the Learning Environments and Childhood Education programs," he continued.

Watson speculated that the drop in the master's student enrollment may be as much as 50 per cent, with a revenue loss of half a million dollars.

"Professor Watson has perhaps exaggerated the figures," Duehay said after the meeting, "but it is a serious issue."

The faculty will continue discussion of five remaining policy committee proposals January 6. Opposition is expected on proposals concerning "teacher development" and a one-year moratorium on admissions to doctoral programs in subject-matter areas.