The author lists seven tasks and responsibilities that our people and our country face in the decades ahead. He believes that general education must be so broadened and its standards must be made sufficiently flexible that all persons with ability to deal with ideas—and this means the great majority of our population—will find opportunities to achieve to some degree the goals to which this phase of education is directed. Further, the author believes that the parallel but related development of general education and education for lifework will serve to enlighten and make both more meaningful.

A tribute to Professor Clifford Brewster Upton of Teachers College, who was deeply and continuously devoted to his chosen field of scholarship—mathematics.

A point of view toward public schools is presented that is being advanced with increasing frequency—that the public schools are irreligious. There are few accusations as serious as this one against the public schools which are so completely lacking in a basis of examined facts. It is of the greatest importance that this issue be brought out of the realm of unsupported opinion and down to the facts of the situation.

Many critics are not attacking just extreme and fringe aspects of the program of public educa¬tion; they are striking at basic and dis¬tinctive characteristics. There are no more central and important features of the program of American schools than our concept of equality of educational opportunity, the way in which modern methods of teaching have been devel¬oped out of research on learning, and our solution of the relation of religion and education. Yet current criticisms involve all of these.

This issue of THE RECORD presents reports of the 1951 Teachers College Alumni Conference. The purpose in publishing them is twofold: first, to provide a summary of the discussions for those who attended the conference; second, to share the results of the deliberations with those who could not attend.

A tribute to Professor William B. Featherstone, 1900-1951, of Teachers College, Columbia University.

The Teachers College program provides preparation for a great variety of educational positions. The following illustrations are suggestive of the range: professor of educational psychology, superintendent of schools, clinical psychologist, director of health and physical education, director of religious education, professor of education for marriage and family life, teacher of science in schools of nursing, supervisor in public health nursing, manager of residence halls, dean of students, director of curriculum. Altogether, more than 150 positions are given specific consideration by the several departments of the College in planning their programs.

The nature of the professional preparation which should be provided for teachers has long been one of the points of sharpest conflict in the entire field of education. There is emerging among students of teacher education considerable agreement as to certain desirable features of the curriculum of teacher preparation. It is the author’s purpose to indicate what he believes to be the more important desirable characteristics of the professional sequence.

It is the purpose of this article to consider major features of school organization and administration as they concern curriculum improvement.

A description of the influence that John Dewey had on the curriculum of American Schools. There is no phase of curriculum development which has not felt the force of John Dewey’s thinking.

The author emphasizes the need for experimentation designed to discover how better to incorporate laboratory experience in teacher preparation.

The war disrupted normal developments in the educational program at a number of points and required special emphasis at others. Now that we are back on a peacetime basis—however fraught with tensions and alarms the days may be—it is important that we recognize that there is some unfinished business in curriculum development. It is time to be about this business with aggressiveness and determination.

Four types of aids to instruction which reflect the scientific movement in education to a marked degree are discussed: first, the organization of research facilities in school systems; second, the provision of written and construction materials; third, the utilization of audio-visual aids; and fourth, the provision of standard tests. School buildings, personnel administration, and other phases of school organization and administration should also serve as aids to instruction.

Since 1890 a progressive educational theory has developed which is a unique expression of American democratic ideals and processes. During the same time a vast body of scientific evidence has been accumulated on processes of teaching and learning, and on organization of the curriculum. During these fifty years practically every major educational development in American elementary and secondary schools has arisen from these two great sources.

This issue of the TEACHERS COLLEGE RECORD presents accounts of educational programs in a selected group of schools which are making unusually significant adjustments to the fact that their older students soon will be entering military service.

The purpose of this article is to draw together certain of the more relevant points of the influence of the war situation on education and to relate them directly to the problem of developing a sound comprehensive wartime program for our schools.

Current staff publications.

The position presented in this article is based on the belief that the development of understanding of the problems of contemporary social life and ability to deal effectively with them is a major responsibility of the school, and that the discharge of this responsibility should not be left to incidental instruction or expected as an automatic result of schooling.