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Nathan Holland

Mr. Griffin

US History

2 May 2017

What impact did Lawrence G. Derthick and the National Defense Education Act of 1958 have on

the race to beat Russia into space?

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik,

into orbit, propelling the US into the space race to try and establish supremacy in spaceflight

capabilities. While America had made plans for their own satellite, the Vanguard, the Sputnik

was much more impressive. It became clear to President Eisenhower that in order for America

to establish its dominance in spaceflight, we needed to improve our education systems.

Eisenhower knew the man for the job was the US Commissioner on Education, Lawrence G.

Derthick. The result was the National Defense Education Act of 1958, providing $887 over four

years to students studying subjects that could help meet national security goals.

Lawrence Derthick was a graduate of Milligan College in East Tennessee in 1927, with

masters and doctorate degrees in teaching. Before President Eisenhower appointed him as the

US Commissioner on Education in 1956, he served as a teacher, principal, college professor, and

superintendent of schools in Chattanooga. Derthick served as the Education Commissioner from

1956 to 1961.

As the Soviets developed spaceflight technology, America struggled to keep up. By the

time they successfully launched Sputnik, the first artificial earth satellite, into space, President

Eisenhower knew that something needed to change for America to take its place back on top.

The U. S. Congress knew that American schools were not producing the quantity and quality of
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scientific specialists needed to pass the Soviet Union in the space race. The problem was that the

senate had been trying to pass education acts for years, but they were consistently rejected by the

house of representatives. After the launch of the sputnik, they changed the way they marketed

the act to reflect support for national defense through education, thus came the National Defense

Education Act of 1958. The act would result in the increase in funding in STEM education, and

with the National Defense Education Act of 1958, programs for students studying subjects that

could support national security goals, for example scientists, received $887 million. The act also

improved graduate education by providing upgraded instruction and facilities in science,

mathematics, and foreign languages. However, many schools still resented this act because it

required the students receiving the loan to pledge loyalty to the United States, and swear to not

support any attempts to overthrow the government.

Lawrence Derthick played an important role in creating support for the act. He took a

group of nine other educators to visit the Soviet Union, where they observed the teaching

methods used by the soviets to see what they could bring back to America. On the trip the other

educators saw how important it was for America to improve its education if they were goig to

pass the Soviet Union in the space race.

In conclusion, Lawrence Derthick played an integral role in the approval of the National

Defense Education Act of 1958 and helped America to continue to advance in the space race

against the Soviet Union. His incredible foresight about the future of American educational and

cultural needs paved the way for the modern advances in STEM based education. Our country

owes a great debt to this man who dedicated so much of his time and energy to preparing the

students and teachers of America for greatness. The modern American school system would

most certainly look very different without the powerful influence of Lawrence Derthick.
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Overton, Richard K. A Radical (Russian) Training Aid, the "Kniga" The Phi Delta Kappan.

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