LOANS FOR COLLEGE CONSTRUCTION

We are all concerned about the size of college facilities and I am all for measures in the Federal area which will help them construct facilities. But I suggest this to you: That even that can be done on a loan basis as we are doing in the college housing program if you back them up with tuition-paying students. That is why a loan program such as described is so vitally important.

I will give you this analogy: The college population expanded from 2 million to 3 million from 1945 to 1956, in round figures. We were not putting up any Federal aid for college construction. Where did the offsets come from? They came from the fact that given paying students through the GI bill, the colleges found means for expanding their loan facilities because they had what we in business call a credit basis. They had the paying students who would help carry the load, hence they were able to engage themselves in tremendous expansion.

I recommend that to you because I think it is extremely important that when you look at both sides of it; that is, the new intake and the capacity to accept it, you always think in terms of a credit basis which by a broad loan program you are establishing.

I regret to say that I wish that Congress would go for your 40,000 scholarships, Senator Hill, but I think there is a lot more chance of their going for a combination scholarship and loan bill which will give you even more than 40,000.

LOANS AND SCHOLARSHIPS FAVORED

Senator MORSE. I want to make one comment. I want to say that I strongly share your views on loans. I am for scholarships, but scholarships are not the answer to this problem. What you are trying to do is reach a broad base. Scholarships too frequently go on the basis of need. You are not allowed to take into account some phases of need that determine whether or not a boy is going on to school or not.

I want to point this out to you: After the basis of 21 years of teaching, I have seen many a boy and girl do great damage to himself and herself by trying to overdo the outside work with the result of injury to health, but even more, resulting in injury to the attitude, psychological injury, discouragement.

I have also seen many a boy and girl whose parents were well able in some instances and even wealthy send their children to college and they did not go on to college, not because the father could not pay for it but the boy had a mind of his own and he is not going to "let dad pay for it." Or dad says, "I will pay for it if you take this discipline, but I will not pay for it if you take that discipline."

COLLEGE LOAN FUND BACKED BY FEDERAL PROGRAM

On the basis of that 21 years of experience, I would say that one of the great needs is a college loan fund backed up by some such program as you are suggesting here with a low interest rate.

This moral issue is an important one where this boy or girl feels that he or she is being given an opportunity to direct his or her educational course. They feel they are free of dad and mother.

You would be surprised at the thousands of boys and girls in this country who, when they get to college age, do not want to be dependent upon dads and mothers. They want to go it alone. We ought to encourage it and not discourage it.

The loan program, in my judgment, is a very important part of this

answer.

With those comments, I would like to ask the Senator from New York if his observations have been somewhat similar; that we would give inducements and encouragement to a lot of boys and girls that do not go to college if we would provide them a loan fund."

IMPETUS TO SELF-RELIANCE

Senator JAVITS. I could not agree with you more, Senator Morse. I think it is not only true in every way that you have said, but even in the way you implied. We are talking about teaching our young people, giving them not only the education but the heart. What better way is there to make them almost immediately self-reliant, rich or poor, than this program?

I think you have analyzed the case magnificently, and I hope very much, Senator Hill, that the committee follows your lead in that particular way, because I think that is the real orderly way for getting volume. I am very dubious. I am speaking very practically about the Congress doing enough in terms of scholarship programs alone.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator, we certainly appreciate your appearance this morning. You have made a very helpful statement. You have contributed very much to our thinking on this matter, and we are deeply grateful to you.

(The figures relating to New York City and Buffalo, N. Y., follow :) BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, Brooklyn, N. Y., January 15, 1958.

Hon. JACOB K. JAVITS,

United States Senate, Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR JAVITS: Your letter addressed to Hon. John J. Theobald, dated December 26, 1957, has just been sent to me for attention. I will attempt to answer your questions in the order in which they were presented.

1

Children in the elementary schools study elementary science. A new elementary science course, for the kindergarten through the sixth year, is now being experimented with, and will be introduced into our 600 elementary schools by September 1959. We are now in the process of training our elementary-school teachers to assure the orderly introduction of the new program.

Three years of general science are required for all junior high school students. Only ninth-year general science is required in the senior high schools. Students study arithmetic and mathematics throughout the elementary schools and in the junior high schools. Only ninth-year mathematics is required in our senior high schools.

2

Enrollments in the science and mathematics courses in the senior high schools as of October 31, 1957, are as follows:

Mathematics:

9th-year mathematics, including algebra_.

9th-year remedial arithmetic____

Number of students

11th-year mathematics, including intermediate algebra and trigonometry.

27, 515

2, 503 30,857

23, 899

10th-year mathematics, including plane geometry-..

12th-year mathematics, including solid geometry and advanced algebra__

Advanced mathematics__.

5, 140 896

3

Three years of science and three years of mathematics are required in the junior high schools as follows:

Science:

Seventh year : 2 periods a week.
Eighth year: 2 periods a week.
Ninth year: 5 periods a week.
Mathematics:

Seventh year: 5 periods a week.
Eighth year: 5 periods a week.
Ninth year: 5 periods a week.

In the senior high schools, 1 year of general science and 1 year of mathematics are required in the ninth year.

4

The New York City Board of Education has a bureau of supplies which prints a science supply booklet each year. From this booklet, elementary, junior, and senior high schools order science supplies and equipment. Our junior high schools are equipped with science rooms and science storerooms. Our senior high schools are equipped with science rooms, science laboratories, science storerooms, and preparation rooms. In addition, our senior high schools have laboratory assistants to aid science teachers in the preparation of their demonstrations and experiments. All rooms in our new elementary schools are provided with "science corners." This corner contains a sink, some storage facilities, and a table on which some science exhibits can be placed and at which students can work.

5

Requirements for each of the school divisions follow:

Elementary division: A college degree is required for prospective elementaryschool teachers. No science or mathematics, as such, is required.

The minimum requirements for a substitute science teacher in the junior high schools are 14 semester hours in science and 8 semester hours in education. In order to get a regular license as a teacher, he must have 24 semester hours in science and 18 semester hours in education. The same is true for mathematics teachers.

In the senior high schools, the minimum requirements for a science substitute are 24 semester hours in science and 8 semester hours in education. In order to become a regular teacher, 36 semester hours in science and 21 semester hours in education are required.

6

Junior high schools have positions for 478 science teachers and 632 mathematics teachers. In these positions, 171 science teachers and 310 mathematics teachers are now teaching out of license.

The academic high schools contain 877 science teachers and 659 mathematics teachers. Approximately 10 percent of the science teachers and 25 percent of the mathematics teachers are teaching out of license.

Our vocational high schools contain 170 science teachers and 86 mathematics teachers. Between 40 and 50 percent of the science and mathematics teachers are teaching out of license.

I am enclosing for your information a report from the board of education's advisory committee on science manpower and two reports that I have made. The information contained therein may prove useful.

May I state that the crucial problem facing science education today is the lack of a sufficient number of well-qualified teachers in science and mathematics. Solving this problem requires the expenditure of money and the start of a campaign to raise the status of all teachers. Only then will we be able to attract young men and women into the teaching profession. I believe that these measures would prove more productive than pouring unlimited moneys into scholarships.

Your help in the cause of science education is very welcome. If I can be of further service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Respectfully yours,

SAMUEL SCHENBERG,
Supervisor of Science.

BOARD OF EDUCATION,

Buffalo, N. Y., January 23, 1958.

Hon. JACOB K. JAVITS,

Member of the United States Senate,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR JAVITS: I am replying to your letter of December 26 in which you requested information concerning the teaching of science and mathematics in the Buffalo public schools.

I am enclosing a memorandum which I believe will give you the information you require.

We are happy to be of service to you in this matter.
Yours sincerely,

JOSEPH MANCH, Superintendent of Schools.

DATA RE TEACHING OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS IN THE BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

1. Science is offered in each of the grades 1 to 6, 10 percent of the instructional time being devoted to its study. In the junior high schools, general science is taken by all pupils in grades 7 and 8 for 5 periods per week. In the senior high school, ninth-grade general science, trade science, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics are offered. In addition, laboratory instruction is given in biology, chemistry, and physics.

2. The following figures indicate the number of pupils studying science in the senior high schools:

The total enrollment in our senior high schools this year is 16,456. It should be carefully noted that to make any comparisons between the number of students who are taking various sciences, and the total number of students enrolled in the senior high schools, would be highly misleading, except in the case of freshmen. All 5,000 freshmen are taking general science. Since chemistry is taught in the senior year, the 985 pupils taking this subject should be compared with the 2,816 pupils in the senior classes who are eligible for this subjectnot with the 16,000 pupils enrolled in our high schools. Similarly, the 925 pupils taking physics should be compared with the 3,747 pupils eligible for this subject.

22201-58-78

The following figures indicate the number of pupils studying mathematics during the current year:

Again, caution should be observed in making any comparisons as to the number of pupils taking various courses in mathematics in comparison to those who could possibly be taking such courses.

3. The minimum requirement for graduation from the eighth grade is 2 years of science in addition to grades 1 to 6 science. In the senior high school, all pupils must take at least 1 year of science.

In the field of mathematics, pupils must take arithmetic in grades 7 and 8 as a requirement for graduation from the eighth grade. At least 1 year of mathematics is required for graduation in all senior high school programs. As indicated by the foregoing figures, a large percentage of pupils take two or more courses in mathematics in the senior high school.

4. The science laboratory facilities in the Buffalo high schools range from excellent to rather poor. In some of the schools which have recently been remodeled and reequipped, the laboratories are among the finest to be found anywhere. We are currently engaged in a program of rehabilitation of the high school laboratory facilities, and some of this work has already been completed. The least satisfactory of our laboratory facilities at the present time are in the area of biology. Work is going forward which will result in the development of good biology laboratories in each high school.

In the matter of supplies, science supplies have generally been adequate. More generous allotments are anticipated for the future.

5. Teacher qualifications-Science: Bachelor's degree, plus a fifth year of preparation; minimum requirement in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science, 30 semester hours.

To teach physics the teacher must have a minimum of 12 semester hours in physics; to teach chemistry a minimum of 12 semester hours in chemistry; and to teach biology a minimum of 18 semester hours in biology.

Teacher qualifications-mathematics: Bachelor's degree, plus an additional 30 semester hours. This college work must include 24 semester hours in general and professional education courses, and 30 hours in mathematics, including differential and integral calculus.

6. Number of teachers: