Northwestern Reviewing Stand – “Are The Schools Doing Their Job?” – 1946 – Mutual Broadcasting – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Education in the America of 1946. The war had been over for a year – so much of what the country focused on was the War Effort; training of the Armed Forces – building newer and deadlier weapons – maintaining high morale.
Schools, it was feared, were not keeping pace with the rapidly changing post-war world, particularly in the area of technology, which was a relatively new area at the time. Was the education from K-12 sufficient enough to prepare boys and girls for college? That was the issue, many wondered. In this broadcast, the focus was on Secondary schools, or High Schools. It was estimated there were some 28,000 High Schools in the U.S., enrolling some 7 million young men and women. 80%, it was estimated finished high school and that concluded their education. 20% went on to college. Many felt, in the current postwar climate, that the nature of education was going to change and change quickly, but only the nature and the direction of that change could be controlled.
On hand for this discussion are several educators, primarily from the university sector. The question was asked; in light of the current state of the world, what sort of changes did each of these educators propose to meet those challenges. The general consensus was that Schools did an excellent job preparing kids for war, the ability to take quick training and direction when necessary. But, it was discovered, the schools lacked considerably in teaching fundamentals like reading and conveying the need to acquire a discipline. The basics were lacking; reading, writing and calculation as well as certain fundamental skills of communication. There was also the matter of vocational training – preparing these kids to enter the workforce, and if they were prepared, would they be able to cope with changes in technology or would they be trained to perform jobs for which there would be no future?
Also high on the list of improvements was the funding consideration – Government needed to step up to help pay for education – it also needed to step up in the area of teachers pay, which was woefully insufficient, even in 1946.
A lot is discussed in this half-hour program. Strange that so much of the problem with our schools is something that never quite got remedied, and that even some 70+ years later, we’re still asking the question whether or not schools were doing their job. Some things just never change.
Here is that discussion as it was broadcast in 1946 over the Mutual Broadcasting System.
