Conant Fears Federal `Influence' In High School Finance Program

Federal aid to schools would mean "powerful federal influence" in their curricula, Dr. James B. Conant '14, President, Emeritus, of Harvard, warns in his new book, The Child, the Parent, and the State. He sees little hope, however, for a "radical revision" of the state and federal tax systems, his alternative solution to the "urgent" financial needs confronting American schools.

His book, to be published today, makes no attempt to offer a final solution. Instead, it tries to clarify the relationship betwen the faculties of the American schools, their students, and the society they are going to face.

Many educators are blind to "the stark realities" of modern society, he writes. Moreover, they don't even have a "feeling of urgency" about the situation. He accuses Americans of complacency and of not doing "more to insure our meeting Soviet competition."

In federal aid, he sees countless pitfalls awaiting the United States. Since as much as $8 billion more per year would go to schools, "the educational committees of the House and Senate will have every reason to examine in detail the curricula and school organization" of the institutions given aid. Such committees, he warns, may be composed of "power-seeking politicians."

What a Federal aid program would mean to the educational standards, "no one is wise enough to foresee." For instance, until a few years ago, certain social science courses might have been forced on the students, if the government had been in control. Today, advanced math and science courses could become high school requirements, Conant says.