NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT OF 1958

NDEA

By 1958 the Soviet threat grew more immediate; the Soviet Union had launched Sputnik in late 1957, suggesting the capability to launch offensive missiles at the United States. For the first time in the decade, the president recommended deferring plans for school construction in favor of support for the sciences. The National Defense Education Act provided $887 million over four years for education that could support national security goals—especially training scientists. The act contained ten titles designed to improve the nation's schools:

Title I prohibited federal control over curriculum, administration, or personnel;

Title II provided federal assistance for low-interest loans to college students ($295 million);

Title III provided financial assistance for science, mathematics, and modern foreign-language instruction ($300 million);

Title IV created National Defense Fellowships for students entering teaching fields at universities or colleges;

Title V established grants for state educational agencies for guidance testing services ($88 million);

Title VI provided support for modern foreign language programs ($15.25 million);

Title VII provided for research and experimentation in effective uses for television, radio and other audiovisual mediums for educational purposes ($18 million);

Title VIII authorized grants for occupations necessary for the national defense ($60 million);

Title IX provided for the Science Information Service in the National Science Foundation;

Title X authorized federal grants for improvement of statistical services for state educational agencies.

No Strings

Controversy erupted in 1959 over two provisions of the act. Some twenty colleges and universities refused to accept loans because the act required loan recipients to pledge their loyalty to the United States and swear that they did not support attempts to overthrow the government. President Dwight D. Eisenhower stated he "deplored" the actions by the universities involved, and the requirement stayed. In another case, the Board of Education in Cincinnati, Ohio, refused to accept a grant, based on its desire to avoid any federal control of its system as a result of its acceptance of federal funding.

Sources:

Douglas M. Knight, ed., The Federal Government and Higher Education (prepared for the American Assembly, Columbia University (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1960);

Erick L. Lindman, The Federal Government and Public Schools (Washington, D.C.: American President's Committee on Education).