Harvard Official Join Local Forum on Teacher Shortages

Two University administrators joined local high school educators yesterday is explain ways of revering a decline is the member of students parsing teaching careers.

Susan R. McCaslin, administer of a Divinity School program for teaching certification, and Ellen S. Raghad, assistant to the director of the Education School's mid-career math and science teaching preparation program, attended a Lexington High School conference, along with three Lexington staff members and a representative of Simmons College.

Lexington Principal Michael G. Waring initiated the meeting after observing that his school may be unable to replace many faculty members approaching retirement in the next few years.

"We're already hurting for math teachers," Waring added.

Conference participants agreed to consider future joint efforts and pursue internship arrangements that could place more Harvard teaching students in the public schools.

While the Harvard administrators made no formal commitment to the infant project. McCaslin notes. "We do have Derek Bok on the record stating that the University should cooperate with the schools."

The number of active teaching applications on files with Lexinglon's presented office has dropped from 5200 in the early 1970s to a carries total of factor that 300, lie noted.

Simmen Education Professor Lydia A. Smith confirmed Waring's observations, saying, "a few years ago, we were finding 100 teachers. This year, we're down to four."

"Teaching preparation programs are in decline, and many of the best students are being skimmed off by business and law schools," Waring explained.

Improved Training

Lexington instructor Alan November proposed that the school try to cooperate with universities and other secondary schools to recruit undergraduates and improve training opportunities in the teaching field.

Smith also noted that members of a regional organization, Private Liberal Arts Colleges with Teacher Education Programs, currently average no more than five to 12 teaching students each.

November suggested that the group "go to the colleges and shake the trees loose to get some good people to think about education."

But Lexington High School Social Studies Department Head Robert Davenport questioned the potential interest of Harvard undergraduates in teaching, given the financial sacrifices involved.