The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) was passed in 1958 in response to the Soviet Union launching Sputnik. The NDEA aimed to strengthen US education in science, math, and foreign languages to produce more specialists in those areas. It provided funding to schools and low-interest loans to college students studying in defense-related fields. While the federal government was prohibited from controlling curriculum, the NDEA significantly increased the federal role in education by targeting funds to specific subject areas.

1. National Defense of
Education Act (NDEA)
Melanie Gritters
Current Perspectives 2013

2. Overview
The National Defense
of Education Act
(NDEA) is a United
States Act of
Congress, passed in
1958 and signed into
law by President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
on September 2, 1958.

3. “I have today signed into law H.R. 13247, the National Defense of
Education Act. This Act, which is an emergency undertaking to be
terminated after four years, will in time do much to strengthen our
American system of education so that it can meet the broad and
increasing demands imposed on it by considerations of national security.
While the congress did not see fit to provide a limited number of national
defense scholarships which I recommended as an incentive to our most
promising youth, I consider this to be a sound and constructive piece of
legislation.
Much remains to be done to bring American education to levels consistent
with the needs of society. The federal government, having done its
share, the people of the country, working through their local and State
governments and through private agencies, must now redouble their
efforts toward this end.”
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

4. “Oh little Sputnik, flying high
With made-in-Moscow beep.
You tell the world it’s a Commie
sky
And Uncle Sam’s asleep.
You say on fairway and on rough
The Kremlin knows it all.
We hope our golfer knows enough
To get us on the ball,”
--Governor G. Mennen Williams
(Michigan)

5. While the momentum for this type of comprehensive legislation had been building
for at least a decade, Sputnik, which was launched into space on October 4, 1957,
was the catalyst. The United States was seen to have lost the space race. Sputnik
threatened the status of the United States to remain a superpower.
The year 1957 also coincided with an acute shortage of mathematicians in the
United States. The growing computer industry was gobbling up mathematicians, so
there were not enough left to teach in the secondary schools and in higher
education. At the same time, there was also an explosion on students attending
college. This made the shortage of math teachers even more extreme.

6. STEM (Scientists, Technicians, Engineers & Mathematicians)
STEM is an acronym for Scientists, Technologists, Engineers and Mathematicians. NDEA was signed
into law in the hopes that academically able students would provide a steady stream for the STEM
workplace. Funds were also provided to K-12 education to improve math, science and foreign
languages at the earliest levels possible. This was the first federal act pertaining to education since
1917 (the Smith-Hughes Vocational Act). The Act consisted of eight Titles, with Title III providing
financial assistance for strengthening science, mathematics and modern foreign language
instruction for all students.

7. NDEA DARPA NASA
NDEA was one of a suite of science initiatives inaugurated by
President Eisenhower to increase the sophistication and power of the
United States. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency were the other initiatives begun at the same time.
The two main purposes of the NDEA were to provide the country with
specific, defense-oriented personnel and to provide financial
assistance to college students through the National Defense Student
Loan Program. Ninety percent of capital funds were provided to
higher educational institutions for these low interest loans. The
driving force behind these goals was to raise the technical literacy of
the nation.

8. Title V focused on guidance, counseling and testing , so that able
students would be identified. Aid was also provided for technical
education, area studies, geography, English as a Second Language,
school libraries and media centers.

9. “Nothing contained in this Act shall
be construed to authorize any
department, agency, officer or
employer of the United States to
exercise any direction, supervision or
control over the curriculum, program
of instruction, administration or
personnel of any educational
institution or school system.”
An aspect of the Act that is significant, especially in light of
future federal legislation concerning education, occurs in
Section 2, where federal control over education is forbidden:

10. The controversial aspect of the NDEA was an insertion into the Act after
McCarthyism scared the nation. This mandate stated that all beneficiaries
must complete an affidavit disclaiming belief in the overthrow of the
government.
This loyalty statement stirred
concern and protest from the
American Association of
University Professors and over
153 institutions. President
Kennedy repealed this
disclaimer affidavit in 1962.

11. IMPLICATIONS
Even though the NDEA was limited to four
years, and even though the federal
government was forbidden to control
curriculum, this Act was the most far-
reaching and expensive venture of the US
federal government into education that
the nation had seen to this point. The
funds increased on eight titles from 183
million dollars in 1959 to 222 million in
1960.
This began a tradition of the federal
government “targeting” funds where
they will “do the most good.” While this
is not an out-and-out take over of
curriculum, it certainly is influential.
The federal role in education accounts
for nearly 11% of the funds for
education. The remaining 88% comes
from state, local and private funds.

12. After NDEA, special science programs for gifted elementary students and for
high school students became more prominent. Also, several standardized
tests had been created and administered to nearly all US high school students
by the mid-1960’s.

13. Overall, NDEA impacted the general education landscape with more rigorous
science and mathematics courses along with greater opportunity to explore
STEM careers. The federal government’s stake and role in public education
was definitely increased. The NDEA certainly ensured that “the fullest
development of the mental resources and technical skills of it’s young men
and women” was reached.