M.I.T., Harvard Found Program for Education

In a move to improve existing secondary school teaching, Harvard and M.I.T. have established a program to develop improved methods of instruction in the sciences.

M.I.T. president James R. Killian, Jr. in his annual report said that the Harvard Graduate School of Education and M.I.T. would coordinate for a five-year science-education program.

Under the new Harvard-M.I.T. program, the future science teacher will enroll in regular M.I.T. college courses for his first two years. At the beginning of the junior year, he will start out with a small course load in the School of Education, which increases in his senior year. During these last two college years, the student will also continue to take science courses at M.I.T.

After his regular Tech career is over, the trainee spends one graduate year with a heavy emphasis on education courses, and then receives a Master of Arts in Teaching degree jointly from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and M.I.T.

Cooperation Trend

Education development programs of this nature have become increasingly prominent during the past few years, as industry and foundations, notably the duPont organization, have taken an active interest in the problem of instruction in secondary schools.

This cooperative program also continues a trend which has developed in relationship to the two universities. During the past few months, they have decided to work together on an electronic computer and a nuclear reactor.

In his recent report, Killian emphasized that the new plan is one of the ways in which the universities "can help in meeting our national manpower needs by attempting to invigorate science teaching in secondary schools."