The New Congress and the 1967 Amendments to ESEA - 1967 amendments overview

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia

The document discusses the Ninetieth Congress’s education message in early 1967 and outlines how the President’s Welfare and Education message led to rapid filing and hearings on ESEA amendments. It explains provisions extending existing programs, including affected PL-874 and PL-815 areas and ESEA-related titles under PL 89-10 and PL 1966 changes. It then details two major amendment components: the National Teacher Corps, including training, funding, oversight, and cautions about losing its unique identity, and Comprehensive Educational Planning, emphasizing the need for continuous statewide reassessment and effective use of federal resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

The New Congress and the 1967 Amendments to ESEA

The National Teacher Corps

Comprehensive Educational Planning

Number 10 April 1967 # The New Congress andthe 1967 Amendments to ESEA The Ninetieth Congress,and the American public,had to wait longerthan usual for a message on education this year。The President↑s messageon Welfare and Education was not delivered to Congress until the last dayof February.This was the day that the Commissioner,Harold Howe II,spoke to the NASSP Convention in Dallas at its last session.He had a copyof the President1s message in his pocket,embargoed against release untilnoon that day. No sooner was the President?s message delivered --and before theHouse took action on the problems of the Chairman of the Education andLabor Committee,Adam Clayton Powel1 --than bills embodying the Adminis-tration1s proposed amendments to major education enactments were filedwith the House and Senate。 As if this were not prompt enough,the Housecommittee proceeded at once to hold hearings on the ESEA amendments.Thehearings were completed by March 20,which is surely some kind of recordamong major education enactments.What the Senate will do to the parallelbil1 remains to be seen. The amendments do provide,of course,for prolonging the life ofthose titles and programs which would expire next June if further authori-zations were not made in time.This applies to elements of PL-874 andPL-815(the impacted-areas aid programs)as well as to the various titlesof PL 89-10(the ESEA of 1965)and the 1966 amendments in PL-750.Thesubstantive sections of the Administrationts bill are contained in fiveparts --on the National Teacher Corps,comprehensive educational planningat state level,improved services for handicapped children,vocationaleducation,and some miscellaneous technical(but not unimportant)amend-ments.Each of these deserves a paragraph or two of its own. # The National Teacher Corps Secretary John Gardner of the Department of HEW appeared before theHouse Committee on March 7 to testify on behalf of the Administrationtsbil1,HR 6230.(The hearings were held by the full membership of theCommittee on Education and Labor,under the new Chairman,RepresentativeCarl D。Perkins of Kentucky.The shift in committee membership to includefour more Republicans this year wil1 have its repercussions on the successor failure of the Administrationts proposed amendments.) Mr.Gardner chose to address his testimony to only two of the topicsincluded in the bill,the Teacher Corps and the support for ComprehensiveEducational Planning.He told the Committee that the vital ingredientfor slum children,if they are ever to find a place in the world,is aninspired,considerate and concerned teacher.The Teacher Corpsmen carrywith them,or develop,special skills geared to the problems of the under-privileged.They are also partially making up for the crucial shortage ofteachers.The fresh outlook of the Corps has brought new spirit to manyschools and is already effecting changes in teacher training practices.It provides an outlet for the youthful idealism which our society morethan most others has always valued and must continue to foster and reward. The Administration proposes to transfer the Teacher Corps programfrom the Higher Education Act to the ESEA。The Office of Education re-gards it precisely as a program for alleviating the strains caused by twoyears of rapid expansion in slum schools.The new bill would authorizefunds for fiscal 1968 at the level originally proposed in 1965,which ismuch higher than the Teacher Corps has ever received.The Commissionermust obtain the approval of the State education agency for each traininggrant and service agreement in the State。The bill would also strengthenthe authority of local education agencies to refuse to accept particularmembers of the Corps assigned to them。It specifically includes in theprogram the Department of the Interior schools for Indians and the schoolingarranged for the children of migratory agricultural workers. These proposals are supported by the NEA's Federal Relations Divisionand were widely approved

FAQs

Why did the education message arrive later in 1967, and what followed it?

The President’s message on Welfare and Education was delivered to Congress on the last day of February. Bills embodying the proposed ESEA amendments were then filed, and the House committee quickly began hearings that concluded by March 20.

What is the purpose of the National Teacher Corps in the proposed amendments?

The Teacher Corps is presented as providing an inspired, considerate, and concerned teacher for slum children, helping address teacher shortages and developing special skills for under-privileged communities while improving teacher training practices.

How does Comprehensive Educational Planning differ from fragmented or ad hoc planning?

The document argues that many states lack a unit for statewide planning, and that existing planning is inadequate. It stresses continuous reassessment, avoiding separate “vacuum” programs, and ensuring federal money targets where needs and resources best align.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia