Dean Proposes Major Reforms For Ed School

The dean of the Graduate School of Education proposed broad revisions in the school's curriculum and organization yesterday, including a plan to impose a one-year suspension on admissions to the Master of Arts Teaching program.

Paul N. Ylvisaker, dean of the Ed School, outlined his tentative plans to impose the suspension and to abolish the Doctor of Clinical Psychology and Public Policy program before an open meeting of the Ed School that attracted 300 people.

Ylvisaker said that the size of the student body would have to contract "gently," and that alternative forms of student aid would have to be devised because of a decline in outside funding.

Ylvisaker also said that he planned a major fund-raising effort soon. "I would hope that we could start an endowment drive and general support drive before the end of the year," he said.

The end of the M.A.T. program, which began under then President James Bryant Conant '14, will decrease the Ed School enrollment by about 90 from its current level of about 800. Last year the size of the M.A.T. program was cut in half.

Punctuation Point

Ylvisaker called his program a "punctuation point in a sentence of growth." In addition to calling for a contraction in the size of the school and a temporary end to the M.A.T. program, he proposed the reorganization of the school's programs into two broad areas: student training and educational research.

Ylvisaker called the meeting in part to calm uneasiness in the school about impending reorganization. "Some people are worried about their jobs," he said. He promised all currently enrolled students a "grandfather clause" to permit them to graduate in the programs they are currently enrolled in, and assured faculty and staff that he would respect their preferences in job reassignments.

A series of task force reports--including reports on part-time study, programs in social policy and educational planning, and teacher training--preceded social policy and educational planning, and teacher training--preceded Ylvisaker's speech.

The report on teacher training recommended keeping the M.A.T. program only if it is strengthened. Donald K. Davidson, director of Student Teaching and chairman of the teacher training task force, said yesterday, "we've lost a great deal of junior faculty due to budget cuts and we've lost a great deal of support for students in the program in recent years."

'The Sensible Thing'

Stanley Bolster, professor of Education and another member of the task force, said yesterday that by curtailing the program for lack of support, Ylvisaker "is doing the sensible thing."

"It's important to separate the M.A.T. program from teacher education; they've become synonymous around here," Bolster said. "Ylvisaker's not saying we are going out of the teacher training business." He and Davidson both emphasized that the Master in Education program was an alternative form of teacher training, for students who had already taught for several years.

Ylvisaker has not yet presented his proposals to the Faculty of Education. The Ed School Faculty of Education. The Ed School Faculty will formally consider Ylvisaker's program in mid-March, he said.