Sizer Views New Role For American Education

American education is entering a new phase which will emphasize the economic and social value of public instruction, Theodore R. Sizer, dean of the School of Education, said Tuesday.

Speaking at the Summer School convocation in Sanders Theatre, Sizer asserted that the civil rights movement, the war on poverty, and concern over underdeveloped countries have focussed attention on the socio-economic importance of education--on the relationship between education, income and social usefulness.

Sizer pointed out, however, that the American view of the purpose of education has passed through a recognizable series of cycles, and the socio-economic emphasis was merely the latest of them.

In the late '30's, he said, education was considered primarily as the back-bone of American democracy. By the 1950's this concern with the social purpose of education had decreased, and emphasis had shifted to developing the ability to think. During this "decade of intellect," the gifted child received much attention, and was the beneficiary of such innovations as the Advanced Placement Program.

Excesses Also

This era produced many constructive changes in our educational system, Sizer said, but it produced its excesses as well: the tendency to "push the intellectual line to the extreme" for the less gifted child or ignore him altogether.

"The danger today is the reverse," Sizer commented. "There may be a tendency to look at school as a part of the economy and look at children as cogs, as economic units." He said the new emphasis on education of culturally deprived groups was certain to benefit America, but warned, "We must recognize the diversity in our educational system and avoid undue concentration on any one group," which would produce "a truncated version of a complete program."