Hebrew Pta Conclave Told of Federal Plan for Public-non-public School Conference

Plans for a conference here of officials of public and non-public schools to determine the degree of cooperation between the two forms of education stimulated by federal aid to education were announced by Harold Howe, federal Commissioner of Education, at the weekend 19th annual convention of the National Association of Hebrew Day School PTAs.

Mr. Howe told the 400 delegates, representing Orthodox-sponsored Hebrew day schools in 30 states and five Canadian provinces, that he was planning such a conference because he felt there was not enough communication between the two sectors. The commissioner also told the delegates that creation of day schools was “an expression of freedom which we must cherish” and he urged the Hebrew day schools, like all other private schools, to make a qualitative impact on the public school system by continuing their role as “a major source of educational stimulation to the public school system” and by use of their private status to innovate educational methods and experiments.

Prof. Gabriel D. Ofiesh, director of the school of education of the Catholic University of America, told the delegates that the average high school graduate spends 6,000 more hours watching television than he does in the classroom but he urged the delegates not to resist “the new technology” but to use it in education programs.

Rabbi Joseph Grunblatt of New York City, an adviser to Jewish college students, denounced the “de-escalation” of moral and sexual values in the American society and said the Hebrew day school was the only educational medium which could offset the dangers to Jewish survival in an open, socially-fluid society. Mrs. Henry C. Thein was elected to a second two-year term as president.