are $1,400 for the first year, $1,600 for intermediate years, and $1,800 for the terminal year of graduate study. Postdoctoral fellowships carry a stipend of $3,400. For the academic year 1955-56, two new features have been added to the fellowship program: a senior postdoctoral fellowship program, and a faculty fellowship program. In the senior postdoctoral program, awards will be made to persons who have received their doctoral degrees at least 5 years prior to the time of application. The objective of this program is to provide opportunities for scientists who have demonstrated superior accomplishments in a special field to become still more proficient in their respective specialties by studying and doing research in outstanding laboratories. The purpose of the faculty fellowship program is to improve standards of college-level science instruction by providing teachers of science with opportunities for advanced study, and for pursuing courses that will give them a broader understanding and knowledge of their fields. Allowances for dependents, tuition, and other normal expenses are provided. Results of research carried out by a Fellow during his training may be made available to the public without restrictions, except as required in the interest of national security. Announcements of the fellowships' program are made about October of each year; awards are generally made in April. For the academic year 1954-55, 657 predoctoral fellowships and 79 postdoctoral fellowships were awarded. EDUCATION IN THE SCIENCES In addition to providing graduate fellowships and research support, the Foundation is experimenting with several other kinds of activities in the area of education. It has sponsored conferences in which recognized scientists and teachers of science have met to discuss recent scientific advances with a view to determining what place such advances should occupy in science curriculums. The program of summer institutes, initiated in 1953, has been expanded in each succeeding year. These give science teachers the opportunity to learn from leading scientists about recent concepts and methods in their fields and to exchange views on science teaching. In 1956, the Foundation is supporting, on an experimental basis, two academic-year institutes for high-school teachers, in which cooperating colleges and universities present subject-matter training programs in science and mathematics in an effort to improve the teaching of these subjects in the secondary schools. A visiting lecturer program, inaugurated in the 1954-55 school year in cooperation with the Mathematical Association of Amer ica, has been expanded to include other fields of study. This program, which is carried on with the advice and assistance of professional scientific societies, makes it possible for eminent scientists to make week-long visits to small colleges where they lecture and confer with students and teachers. SCIENCE LIBRARIES In 1955-56, the Foundation is supporting a project proposed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for traveling science libraries to visit schools where library facilities are inadequate. During the past 2 years, grants have been made to Science Service to assist Science Clubs of America. A summary of Federal funds allotted for research grants and fellowships for the past 5 years is given in table 91. Detailed information about the amounts, State by State, distributed according to the permanent residence of the participant, is given for the 1953-54 school year in table 92. Similar amounts, State by State, along with other Federal expenditures for education, are included in column 6 of summary table 7. In these amounts administered by the National Science Foundation was included $12,900 for research conducted by foreign nationals. Table 91.-FEDERAL FUNDS OBLIGATED FOR RESEARCH AND GRADUATE FELLOW. SHIPS AWARDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: 1951-52 TO 1955-56 NOTE: Differences between these and detail figures included in tables 7 and 92 are due to expenditures for research facilities. WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION In his State-of-the-Union Message, the President, on January 7, 1954, called upon Congress to pass legislation which would implement a program of conferences to discuss educational problems and make recommendations for appropriate action. The specific Table 92.-FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: 1953-54 portion of the Message pertaining to the conferences is quoted here: Youth our greatest resource is being seriously neglected in a vital respect. The Nation as a whole is not preparing teachers or building schools fast enough to keep up with the increase in our population. The preparation of teachers as, indeed, the control and direction of public education policy, is a State and local responsibility. However, the Federal Government should stand ready to assist States which demonstrably cannot provide sufficient school buildings. In order to appraise the needs, I hope that this year a conference on education will be held in each State, culminating in a national conference. From these conferences on education, every level of government-from the Federal Government to each local school board should gain the information with which to attack this serious problem. In response to the President's request, the 83d Congress approved Public Law 530, authorizing appropriations to assist the States to bring together, prior to the White House Conference on Education, educators and other interested citizens to discuss educational problems in the State and make recommendations for appropriate action. . . . The law also made provisions for the holding of a White House Conference ... to consider and report to the President on significant and pressing problems in the field of education. To accomplish the purposes of the conference, the President appointed a committee of 34 persons to plan the White House Conference and to assist the State and local governmental units in organizing their own conferences when such assistance was requested. Members of the Committee, broadly representative of the American people, were selected for their interest in the problems of education. Conferences preliminary to the White House Conference on Education were held in all 48 States, the District of Columbia, and the Territories of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In most of the States, local and regional conferences were conducted in addition to one or more conferences at the State level. Approximately 500,000 citizens have participated in these discussions. The plans and procedures for these conferences were developed by the States. An outline of the points to be considered at the national conference and a "work-book" for conferees were distributed as guides for those States which desired to use them and as a source of educational discussion materials which would help citizens in all the States to direct their attention to particular areas of common concern. Through this procedure, the local and State groups were able to plan and conduct conferences in a manner which would assist and contribute most effectively to the national conference. At the White House Conference on Education, held in Washington, D. C., from November 28 to December 1, 1955, more than 1,800 educators and laymen from all of the States and Territories came together to consider the Nation's school problems and exchange experiences in meeting these problems "back home." State and Territorial governors appointed 1,400 of the participants, the number allotted to each State being based upon the population of the State. Other conference participants, invited directly by the Committee for the White House Conference, included chief State school officers, governors, Members of Congress with legislative responsibilities for education, and representatives of national organizations. Discussions at the White House Conference were organized under six broad topics. These were: 1. What Should Our Schools Accomplish? 2. In What Ways Can We Organize Our School Systems More Effectively and Economically? 3. What Are Our School Building Needs? 4. How Can We Get Enough Good Teachers and Keep Them? 5. How Can We Finance Our Schools-Build and Operate Them? In the operation of the Conference, approximately 11 conferees were designated for each of the 166 round tables. The gist of the discussion at each of these tables was then reported by the respective table chairmen who were assigned to 1 of 16 round tables. Chairmen from these 16 tables, assigned to 1 of 2 round tables, further refined the discussions and selected a chairman for each table to prepare a conference topic report. Through this process, discussions, findings, and recommendations for the six conference topics were brought together to assist the Committee in their preparation of a final report to the President. Funds appropriated for the White House Conference on Education and for the State and local conferences totaled $1,320,000 for the 1954-55 and 1955-56 school years. Administrative funds for the Conference amounted to $200,000 for fiscal 1955, and $420,000 for fiscal 1956. Allotments to the States amounting to $700,000, made available until December 31, 1955, were expended over the 2 fiscal years. Five States, including Florida, Indiana, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, as well as Puerto Rico, did not accept their allotments of the Federal appropriations. Apportionments accepted by the States total $608,048 and are presented in table 93 showing amounts for all States and outlying parts of the United States. Table 93.-FEDERAL FUNDS ALLOTTED TO THE STATES TO ASSIST IN FINANCING STATE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCES ON EDUCATION: 1954-55 AND 1955-56 1 These States did not accept their apportionments for the conferences and amounts have not been included in the total. |