Re: Physics Education reform in 50s and 60s

[Larry Cartwright <exit60@CABLESPEED.COM>]

Have your student start looking for information about the National
Defense Education Act, which became federal law in 1958.  The NDEA
provided financial support to US schools to help them beef up science
and mathematics education, following the embarrassing realization that
our space program efforts were running substantially behind the USSR's
accomplishments.

Best wishes,

Larry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larry Cartwright               Retired Physics Teacher
<exit60@cablespeed.com>        Charlotte MI 48813 USA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Teacher's Lament:  I pointed out to you the stars,
and all you saw was the tip of my finger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter Schoch wrote:

> One of our education majors came to me with a good question, but one I
> couldn't answer, and I'm hoping for some help/direction.
>
> With the new focus to return to the moon, the student wanted to know how
> physics education was 'retooled' during the late 50s and early 60s
> vis-a-vis the last push to get to the moon and our supposed 'knowledge
> gap' with the Soviets.
>
> I thought there was some physics education reform at that time, but I
> didn't know if it was driven by those reasons.  I also couldn't remember
> what the reform was.  Can anyone point me to a reference I can give the
> young man?
>
> Thank you,
> Peter Schoch