NAEB Newsletter (May 1958)

William Kitchen, from Hofstra College, Hemp¬ stead, N. Y., who will attend a New York University television workshop June 23 to August 1. Robert S. Metzler, of Millersville (Pa.) State Teachers College, who will attend Pennsylvania State University, June 30 - August 29. James Saunders, representing Ohio University, Athens, who will participate in the two-week training session at KQED, San Francisco. Miss Kathleen R. Schoonmaker, of the Norfolk (Va.) City Schools System, who will attend the Uni¬ versity of North Carolina August 4-22. Mrs. Ursula M. Watson, representing Montana State College, Bozeman, who will complete her Master’s degree in radio-television during the sum¬ mer session at Indiana University. Mr. Norman Weiser, of WBGO, Newark, N. J., who will attend the University of Southern California, June 23 - August 1. Subsequent awards will be announced at a later date. —NAEB— IERT CONVENES THIS MONTH The 28th annual Institute for Education by Radio- Television will be concerned with broadcasting’s re¬ sponsibilities in helping to meet the educational prob¬ lems confronting America. The four-day conference, sponsored by Ohio State University, will meet May 12 - 15 in Columbus. The NAEB and four other national groups will hold meetings concurrently with the conference. The opening luncheon of the institute will be presented by NAEB, followed by two afternoon clinics on in¬ structional uses of radio and TV. —N A E B— WITNESSES TESTIFY FOR MAGNUSON BILL HEARINGS The Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce opened hearings April 24 on the Magnuson Bill (S2119) for provision of federal grants for educa¬ tional television. A list of witnesses was submitted to the committee by Robert Schenkkan of the Univer¬ sity of Texas, who coordinated testimony in support of the bill for the NAEB. An early witness, Henry Chadeayne, executive di¬ rector of the St. Louis (Mo.) Educational Television Assn., and coordinator of testimony for all ETV sta¬ tions, told the committee of the success achieved by the St. Louis community station, KETC. Using it as a typical example of an ETV station, he said, “There is crying need for financial support by the government for the operation of these educational TV stations throughout the country.” Dr. Alan Willard Brown, president of META in New York City, stated, “With the tremendous pres¬ sure on our schools to discharge an ever-increasing responsibility, the wise and imaginative use of tele¬ vision can do much to strengthen education. Tele¬ vision can bring the great teacher into contact with millions instead of hundreds.” Citing the situation in his own state, Dr. Brown said, “New York needs and wants more, television, but thus far we have been limited by the time avail¬ able on commercial channels, which is ordinarily time not usable for commercial purposes. The plans and hopes of universities, schools, museums, and libraries in New York all point toward this pressing need . But without financial support, the task facing META and its constituency is difficult, if not impossible.” Richard B. Hull, management consultant on ETV at Ohio State University and vice-president and of¬ ficial spokesman for the NAEB, said passage of the proposed legislation may be the deciding factor in construction of statewide educational TV facilities in some states like Oklahoma, Ohio and Georgia. Hull, who has made a nationwide survey of educa¬ tional TV, said it already has proved a time-saver, provides better instruction and new efficiencies. In his testimony, Raymond D. Hurlbert, general manager of the Alabama Educational Television Com¬ mission, said that educational TV can provide great teachers’ facilities for reaching many students, that it reaches home-bound and disabled children, aids adults who want to continue their education, and provides new material that would otherwise be unavailable for classroom use. He testified that the Alabama State Board of Education is now the only one in the coun¬ try permitting public school credit for approved television courses. Dr. William Friday, president of the University of North Carolina, said that his state needs financial help to extend educational TV to all of its 100 coun¬ ties. Dr. William Brish, superintendent of schools in Washington County, Maryland, said there are more than 200 closed-circuit televised instructional projects in this country, including his own Hagerstown project now in its second year. Citing this countywide project as an example, he testified that the cost of teacher services per pupil for television instruction in music and art will be $1.71 compared to $16.78 for tra¬ ditional classroom instruction. Other witnesses asked to appear in support of the bill included Ralph Steetle, executive director of the NEWSLETTER