Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-06
Classroom Cold War

All of us have reason to be Sobered
by the latest batch of figures on what
has been called the Soviet-Amerlcan
"cold war of the claSSroomS." For the
figures, as released by the National
Science Foundation, fully confirm earlier
estimates that RuSSia'S educational SyS-
tenn is annually turning out more than
twice as many scientific and engineering
graduates as are the colleges and univer-
sites of the United States. In 1855, for
Instance, the totals were 10000 over
there and only $4,000 in our own country.
Disturbing and even shocking as such
statistics are, however, DR.. Alan T. Water
man, the foundations director, has
cautioned against excessively alarmiSt
interpretations of the situation. 1t does
not mean, for one thing, that the United
States is in immediate danger of being
outstripped by the Soviet Union in num-
bers of technically trained personnel.
OF course, in terms of the next decade
or so, such possibility is one that must
be reckoned with most seriously. But 1T
will not materialize if our country, as DR..
Waterman has urged, takes prompt, en-
ergetic and intelligent action to meet the
problem with great cooperative effort
involving the Federal Government, our
educational institutions, private industry.
and other interested individuals and
groups at the local, State and national
levels
Meanwhile, as DR.. Waterman has just
said in an address to the Air Force
Association, it would be mistake to
make oversimplified comparisons between
American and Soviet education in this
field. Essential differences are involved
differences as to standards, national
needs, detectives and so forth-which the
bare statistics do not reflect. To that
extent therefore, our shortages of sci
entistS and engineers, although real and
critical enough, may not actually be
relatively so bad as they seem on the
surface, especially if vigorous measures
are taken to eliminate them. Moreover,
according to Dr. Waterman, the problem
ought to be viewed in the perspective set
forth by subcommittee of the Joint
Congressional Atomic Committee in its
recent excellent report on the subject.
In the reports words:
1t is important to recognize at the
outset that these serious shortages are not
sign of failure but an indication of star
ting success. A way of life has been created
in which the demands made for superior
skills in every field have become so tre-
mendous that growth and expansion have
become constant elements of the normal
pattern. A society has been created in
which progress is not simply matter Of
occasional spurts and short-term crises.
Rapid progress has become normal part
OF our national life and the skilled man
power to keep up with this steadily and
rapidly advancing march of progress will
be in demand for years to come
But how meet the demand? Along
with other experts, DR.. Waterman is hope
full that the American people, as they
become aware Of the need for decisive
action, will figuratively roll up their
sleeves and do something effective about
the matter. Not the least of the require
ments is that special steps be taken to
encourage gifted young people, at the high
school level, to venture seriously into the
science field. And corollary imperative
is to provide much stronger incentives to
good teachers. Given that, plus an all
around cooperative program established
on permanent basis, our country should
be able to give good account Of itself in
the cold war Of the classrooms."