A team of six prominent West German educators has arrived in the United States to study American methods of social and civic education which can be adapted for use in German schools, it was announced today. The announcement was made jointly by Kenneth Holland, president of the Institute of International Education, and Dr. John Slawson, executive vice-president of the American Jewish Committee.
The visiting educators will be in this country through June 14 for the purpose of observing primary, secondary and higher educational teaching methods. They will give particular attention to high school courses in citizenship and human relations as a pattern for molding education for democracy in Germany. Conferences with American teachers, department heads and school superintendents, are also scheduled.
The Institute of Social Research at the University of Frankfurt, directed by Dr. Max Horkeimer, is coordinating the mission, which is financed by the West German Government, and administered by the Institute of International Education. Dr. Horkheimer, until recently rector of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, is a member of the West German Government’s advisory committee on political education. He is consultant on Germany to the American Jewish Committee. The American Jewish Committee serves as a resource for this program because of the AJC’s specialized knowledge of human relations, its extensive contacts in West Germany, and its long standing concern with education for democracy in Germany.
First stop for the West Germans is Washington, D. C., where they will meet with both government and private educators. They will then spend two weeks in Cincinnati, studying an American community school system. Afterwards, teams of two will visit key regions in this country. In mid-June, the entire group will participate in evaluation sessions under the auspices of the Institute of International Education.
Upon their return to Germany, members of the mission will attempt to create curricula which emphasize democratic processes, and to shape pro-democratic attitudes through education.
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