SCIENCE INFORMATION SERVICE The CHAIRMAN. Doctor, let me ask you one other question, and that is with reference to establishing a program in the Ñational Science Foundation to better provide or arrange for the indexing, abstracting, translating, and other services leading to a more effective dissemination of scientific information, to undertake programs to develop new and improved methods, including mechanized systems— in making scientific information available. Would you comment on that, sir? Mr. TRYTTEN. If I may, I would like to ask Dr. Cleland to comment on that. The CHAIRMAN. All right. Mr. CLELAND. I feel that this is an extremely important matter. The way in which scientific literature is developing it is becoming increasingly impossible to keep track of it all, even in a small, specialized field. We must give a great deal more attention to the developing of adequate means of abstracting, indexing, and so forth, and we must give a great deal of thought to new forms of publication. I also think that it is extremely important that we give a lot of support to translation programs. For instance, so few scientists or any other scholars can read Russian at the present time and it is essential that we know the Russian literature. RUSSIAN TRANSLATION PROGRAM The Russians have a terrific program with hundreds of scientists engaged in translating into Russian the world's literature in the field of science. They are thoroughly familiar with what we are doing. We hardly know what they are doing at all. They are doing a great deal. It is very important that we do this sort of work. At the present time there is a small amount of translating going on, and most of what is becoming available is so expensive that it is only the major universities that can afford to subscribe to it. Consequently, there is one area where a great deal of money can be wisely spent, I think. I would certainly favor a program in this general area. I think it is extremely important to science and to scholarship in general. The CHAIRMAN. Dr. Whaley, do you have any comment? Mr. WHALEY. No. I would support that. The CHAIRMAN. Would you say amen to what Dr. Cleland and Dr. Trytten have said? Mr. WHALEY. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. Have you anything to add, Dr. Trytten? Mr. TRYTTEN. I say amen once more. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Allott? Senator ALLOTT. I have no further questions. The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen, we certainly want to thank you, and express to you our deep appreciation for the very fine contribution you have made this morning. You have certainly been tremendously helpful and we are grateful to you. Mr. TRYTTEN. It has been a tremendous pleasure to be here, Senator. The CHAIRMAN. Tomorrow morning we will hear from representatives of the National Association of Science Teachers, the National Society for Professional Engineers, and the Coordinating Committee on Scientific and Engineering Technicians. The committee will now stand in recess until 10 o'clock in the morning. (Whereupon, at 12:05 p. m., the committee recessed to reconvene at 10 a. m., Tuesday, February 25, 1958.) SCIENCE AND EDUCATION FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1958 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to call, in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the Capitol, Senator Lister Hill (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Hill (presiding), Murray, Yarborough, and Purtell. Committee staff members present: Stewart E. McClure, chief clerk; Roy E. James, assistant chief clerk; John S. Forsythe, general counsel; William G. Reidy, and Michael J. Bernstein, professional staff members. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will kindly come to order. We are very happy to have with us this morning the representatives of the National Science Teachers' Association; Dr. Glenn O. Blough, president of the association and associate professor of education, University of Maryland, and Robert Carleton, the executive secretary of the association. Doctor, we welcome you here, and we would be glad to have you now proceed in your own way, sir. Mr. BLOUGH. Thank you, Senator. STATEMENT OF DR. GLENN 0. BLOUGH, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND; ACCOMPANIED BY ROBERT CARLETON, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE TEACHERS Mr. BLOUGH. I am Glenn O. Blough, associate professor of education at the University of Maryland, and president of the National Science Teachers' Association. I have held positions as teacher of science in elementary and secondary schools. I have been on the staff of several colleges and universities, and for 8 years I was a member of the staff of the United States Office of Education. NSTA is a department of the National Education Association and an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. We have over 10,000 members and 69 local, State, regional, and national organizations of science teachers affiliated with NSTA. The general purpose of our association is to help advance and strengthen the teaching of science at all educational levels, elementary school, high school, and college, and in all branches of science. What we have to say today conforms fully, we believe, with all statements of views and policies adopted by the NSTA board of directors. MAJOR PROBLEMS OF SCIENCE TEACHING Coming directly to the purpose of this presentation, we will deal with some major problems of science teaching in the United States as they exist today. We will deal with these problems from two points of view. First, we shall examine positive and favorable aspects of the situation, and then we shall have a look at some of the shortcomings and needs. In conclusion, we will offer some suggestions for achieving substantial or significant improvement in the teaching of science at the elementary and secondary levels. Since there has been so much controversy over enrollments and course offerings at the high-school level, it seems advisable to set the record straight. Based on data obtained from the United States Office of Education and the United States Bureau of the Census, it is evident that during the period 1900-1954, there has been a 50-percent increase in total United States youth ages 14 to 17, a 1,200-percent increase in youth enrolled in grades 9 to 12 in public schools, a 200percent increase in actual enrollment in high-school physics, and a 1,100-percent increase in actual enrollment in high-school chemistry. INCREASE IN NUMBERS OF SCIENCE STUDENTS We have multiplied by a factor of 2, the percent of all United States youth ages 14 to 17 who are in school and are enrolled in physics. We have multiplied by a factor of 8 the percent of all United States youth ages 14 to 17 who are in school and are enrolled in chemistry. Some other facts that might be important for us to present are that in 1900 physics was offered usually as a required 10th grade course. Today physics is offered usually at the 12th grade level, and as an elective in the smaller schools. In some of the smaller schools, physics is commonly alternated with chemistry in the 11th and 12th grades. PERCENTAGE OF ENROLLMENTS BY GRADES In the past three decades, general science has become one of the major subjects in grades 7, 8, and 9. Practically all students take at least 1 year of general science during these grades. About 3 in 4 students also take I year of high-school biology. More recent data obtained by the United States Office of Education in a study of pupil enrollments in science during the school year 195657, reveals that 67 percent of all 9th grade students are enrolled in general science, 75.5 percent of all 10th grade students are enrolled in biology, 34.6 percent of all 11th grade students are enrolled in chemistry, and 24.3 percent of all 12th grade students are enrolled in physics. We present this because there has been some misrepresentation of the situation as regards to enrollment in high schools, particularly in chemistry and physics. These facts certainly refute completely the claim made by an eminent American scientist only 2 weeks ago in |