NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1959 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON GENERAL EDUCATION, OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, Washington, D.C. The subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 429, Old House Office Building, Hon. Cleveland M. Bailey, chairman of the Subcommittee on General Education, presiding. Present: Subcommittee on General Education: Representatives Barden (chairman of the full committee), Bailey, Thompson, Brademas, Frelinghuysen, Jr., Lafore, and Kearns. Subcommittee on Special Education: Representatives Barden, Elliott (chairman of the subcommittee), Green, Daniels, Giaimo, Lafore, and Kearns. Also present: Fred A. Hussey, chief clerk; Russell C. Derrickson, investigator; Robert E. McCord, clerk of the Subcommittee on General Education; Mary Allen, clerk of the Subcommittee on Special Education. Also present: Representatives Wier, Griffin, and Metcalf. Mr. BAILEY. The committee will be in order. Will the clerk call the roll of the members to see if we have have a quorum. Mr. McCORD. Mr. Bailey. Mr. BAILEY. Present. Mr. McCORD. Mr. Elliott. Mr. McCORD. Mr. Frelinghuysen. Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Present. Mr. LAFORE. Present. Mr. McCORD. A quorum is present, Mr. Chairman. Mr. BAILEY. The subcommitte of the Committee on Education and Labor, commonly referred to as the General Education Committee, and the committee headed by Congressman Elliott having to do with legislation beyond the high school level, have been convened this morning for the purpose of having the Federal Commissioner of Educa tion and the members of his staff explain to the committee the extent to which they have been able to implement and get underway the several titles contained in the Defense Education Act of 1958. When we are discussing matters pertaining to the elementary and secondary schools your discussion will be presided over by me and on matters relating to the implementation of the title to the bill having to do with education beyond the high school level, my cochairman here will ride herd on the committee. Mr. Elliott, do you have any comment to make at this time? Mr. ELLIOTT. Mr. Chairman, I want to say that it is a pleasure to meet again with you and the members of the Subcommittee on General Education and with the Commissioner of Education and his staff on what I consider to be a very important occasion as we learn from the Commissioner how the administration of the National Defense Education Act is proceeding. You and I, Mr. Chairman, had the wonderful privilege of working together last year on the fashioning of this act. I want to say it is a pleasure to be with you and to work with you on this occasion again. I am sure we will have a fine opportunity. It was my thought, before we had this experience last year, that two subcommittees could work not very well together, but I want to say to you, Mr. Chairman, and to all those present that we were able to work together last year most successfully. I do not think I have had an opportunity to express to you my appreciation for that up until now. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your spirit of cooperation all through the fashioning of this important act. Thank you very much. Mr. BAILEY. Thank you, Mr. Elliott. Mr. Commissioner, will you identify yourself to the reporter and introduce the members of your staff who are present who will participate in the discussions today? STATEMENT OF LAWRENCE G. DERTHICK, COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION; ACCOMPANIED BY RALPH C. M. FLYNT, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, AND DIVISION OF STATISTICS AND RESEARCH SERVICES, DR. ROY M. HALL AND DR. KENNETH D. NORBERG; DIVISION OF HIGHER EDUCATION, DR. LLOYD E. BLAUCH, DR. HOMER D. BABBIDGE, JR., DR. RALPH C. BEDELL, PETER P. MUIRHEAD, DR. J. P. ELDER, AND DR. WILLIAM R. PARKER; DIVISION OF STATE AND LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS, DR. E. GLENN FEATHERSTON, DR. JOHN R. LUDINGTON, DR. HERBERT A. SMITH, LLOYD W. KING, DR. FRANK WELLMAN, AND DR. GEORGE C. DECKER; DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, JAMES H. PEARSON; DR. JAMES E. GIBBS, JR., STATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, CHIEF IN CHARGE OF THE STATE STATISTICAL IMPROVEMENTS; ALLAN LICHTENBERGER, STANLEY SMITH, PAUL REASON, AND JACK HUGHES Mr. DERTHICK. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I am Lawrence G. Derthick, Commissioner of Education. I have with me members of the staff who are playing key roles in the administration of the National Defense Education Act of 1958. I might take advantage of your invitation to introduce these people now. First of all, on my right over here is Dr. Homer D. Babbidge, who formerly was director of financial aids at Yale University who heads the Financial Aids Branch in the Division of Higher Education, and is in charge of those titles having to do with higher education. Then on my extreme left up front is Dr. John Ludington, who is head of the Aid to State and Local Schools Branch of the Division of State and Local School Systems, who has the responsibility for those titles having primarily to do with elementary and secondary education. Mr. THOMPSON. May I interrupt? Were Dr. Babbidge and Dr. Ludington brought into the department particularly to administer -this act? Mr. DERTHICK. We have several people who were brought into the department, about 19, I believe, to assist with the administration of ..this act. Dr. Babbidge was in the department as Assistant Secretary to Secretary Folsom. We recruited him and brought him into the office for this assignment. Dr. Ludington has served for some years in the Office of Education as Chief of the Secondary Education Section and formerly professor at the University of North Carolina. Mr. THOMPSON. Thank you. Mr. DERTHICK. Now, then, I might introduce next the key personnel heading up various programs in the Financial Aids Branch in the Division of Higher Education. I come next to Dr. Ralph Bedell, who is in charge of the counseling and guidance training program, the institutes in the Division of Higher Education. Dr. Bedell is behind me here. Then Mr. Peter Muirhead, who is on leave from his post as director of the New York State regional scholarship and examination program, to head the title II, the loan title. Mr. Muirhead is behind me. Then in charge of title IV, the graduate fellowship title, is Dr. J. P. Elder, who is on leave from his post as dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University and where he is also professor of Latin and Greek. In charge of the Language Development Section we have secured the services of Dr. William R. Parker, who is on leave from his post as distinguished services professor of English in Indiana University. I might say that these people have national standing in their fields. For example, Dr. Parker was formerly executive secretary_of_the Modern Language Association and is looked upon as Mr. Foreign Language. We look upon Mr. Elder as Mr. Graduate Dean. Now in the Division of State and Local School Systems, the Aid to State and Local Schools Branch, I have introduced the head of that Branch, Dr. Ludington. I will next introduce Dr. Herbert A. Smith, professor from the University of Kansas. We brought him in to head that section having to do with science, math, and foreign language. He, like the other people we have been fortunate in securing, has the endorsement of the various associations and scientific bodies and professional bodies who are tremendously interested in this act. In introducing these people that we have drafted for a year or more, or, in some cases, less, I might express appreciation to the institutions and various educational bodies in the United States from which we have borrowed these people. Without exception the institutions have loaned us their finest staff members, among their finest staff members, under the conviction that the National Defense Education Act of 1958 is a third milestone in the history of the Federal role in education. Not only have these people responded very graciously to our request, but many presidents and deans have taken the initiative and have called us to offer the services of their institutions in appreciation of the great significance of this act. Mr. Lloyd W. King is behind me. He is a former State commissioner of education in the State of Missouri and more recently he has served as executive secretary of the American Textbook and Publishers Association. I believe that Dr. Frank Wellman, who is associated with Dr. Frank Sievers in the Guidance Counseling and Testing Section of Dr. Ludington's branch, is behind me. Dr. George C. Decker heads up that part having to do with loans to schools, the private and independent school section. Then I did not introduce the assistant Commissioner for the Division of Vocational Education, Mr. James H. Pearson, who is in front of me. Also associated with us is Dr. James E. Gibbs, who is the State School Systems Chief in charge of the State statistical improvements, formerly with the Department of Public Instruction in Tennessee. |