Statement by United States Commissioner of Education Earl James McGrath, The Future of General Education
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OCR Page 1 of 17THE FUTURE OF GENERAL EDUCATION *
In a day when uncertainty is the dominant mood it is presumptucus to attempt
to predict the future of any educational phenomenon as complex as general
education. Instead of trying to foretell the fate of the recent innovations
in institutions of higher education classified as general education, I should
rather discuss certain educational and social forces which will probably
influence the future of these developments. If I had to venture a direct,
unqualified, off-hand opinion, it would be that the success of the general education
movement is by no means assured. Indeed the enormous force of academic vested
interests, traditional practices, and the unceasing demand for technicians and
specialists may nullify the progress thus far made. In any event, I feel
certain that only spirited, courageous and dedicated leadership will assure
the extension of the good results accomplished in a relatively few institutions
to the other colleges and universities of the country.
That the future of general education is of paramount importance in our
national life, as we attempt to preserve our free society here at home and
further international understanding, seems to me equally clear. There is among
our people an immense amount of confusion about the internal purposes of our
national life and about our destiny as a people in the world at large. This
perplexity is our greatest present danger.
* By Earl James McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency,
Washington, D. C., before joint meeting of the American Educational Research
Association and the National Society for the Study of Education, upon the occasion
of the presentation of the Yearbook on General Education, 8:00 p.m., Hotel
Jefferson, St. Louis, Missouri, February 23, 1952. Published in The School Review,
Vol. LS, No. 8, November 1952, pp. 460-466, a journal of secondary education
published by the Universi ty of Chicago Press.
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