John F. Kennedys Legacy in Education and the Space Race

While the last photographs of John F. Kennedy preserve him eternally in Americas collective memory  as 46 years old,  he would have been 100 years old on May 29, 2017. Education was one of the signature issues of President Kennedy, and there are a number of legislative efforts and messages to Congress that he initiated to improve education in several areas: graduation rates, science, and teacher training. On Raising High School Graduation Rates   In a  Special Message to the Congress on Education,  delivered  on  February 6, 1962, Kennedy laid out his argument that  education in this country is the right—the necessity—and the responsibility—of all.   In this message, he noted the high number of high school dropouts: Too many—an estimated one million a year—leave school before completing high school—the bare minimum for a fair start in modern-day life. Kennedy referenced the  high percentage of dropouts in 1960, two years earlier. A data study  prepared by the  Institute of Educational Studies (IES) at the  National Center for Educational Statistics, showed the high school dropout rate in 1960 was at a high 27.2%. In his message, Kennedy also spoke about the 40% of students at that time who had started but never completed their college education.   His message to Congress also laid out a plan for increasing the number of classrooms as well as increased training for teachers in their content areas.  Kennedys  message to promote education had a powerful effect. By 1967, four years after his assassination, the total number of high school dropouts was reduced by 10% to 17%. The dropout rate has been falling incrementally ever since. As of 2014, only 6.5% of students drop out of high school. This is an increase of 25% in graduation rates from when Kennedy first promoted this cause. On Teacher Training and Education In his Special Message to the Congress on Education (1962), Kennedy also outlined his plans to improve teacher training by collaborating with the  National Science Foundation and the Office of Education.   In this  message, he proposed a system where, Many elementary and secondary school teachers would profit from a full year of full-time study in their subject-matter fields, and he advocated that these opportunities be created. Initiatives like teacher training were part of Kennedys New Frontier  programs. Under the policies of the New Frontier, legislation was passed to expand scholarships and student loans with  increases in funds for libraries and school lunches. There were also funds directed to teach the deaf, children with disabilities, and children who were gifted. In addition, literacy training was authorized under Manpower Development and Training Act (1962) as well as an allocation of Presidental funds to stop dropouts and the  Vocational Education Act (1963). Kennedy saw education as critical to maintaining the economic  strength of the nation.  According to Ted Sorenson,  Kennedys speechwriter, no other domestic issue occupied Kennedy as much as education. Sorenson quotes Kennedy as saying: Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource. On Science  and Space Exploration The successful launch of  Sputnik 1,  the first artificial Earth satellite, by  the Soviet space program  on October 4, 1957, alarmed American scientists and politicians alike. President  Dwight Eisenhower appointed the first presidential science adviser, and a Science Advisory Committee asked part-time scientists to serve as advisers for their initial steps. On April 12, 1961, only four short months into Kennedys presidency, the Soviets had another stunning  success. Their Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin completed a successful mission to and from space. Despite the fact that the United States space program was still in its infancy, Kennedy responded to the Soviets with his own challenge, known as the moon shot, in which Americans would be the first to land on the moon.   In a speech  on  May 25, 1961, before a joint session of Congress, Kennedy proposed  space exploration to put astronauts on the moon, as well as other projects including nuclear rockets and weather satellites. He was quoted as saying: But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead. Again, at  Rice University on September 12, 1962, Kennedy  proclaimed that America would have a  goal to land a man on the moon and bring him back by the end of the decade, a goal that would be directed to educational institutions: The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, the home as well as the school. As the American  space program known as Gemini was pulling ahead of the Soviets, Kennedy gave one of his last speeches on October 22, 1963,  before the National Academy of Sciences, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary. He expressed his overall support for the  space program and emphasized the overall importance of science to the country: â€Å" The question in all our minds today is how science can best continue its service to the Nation, to the people, to the world, in the years to come†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Six years later, on July 20, 1969,  Kennedys efforts came to fruition  when Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong took a giant step for mankind and stepped onto the Moons surface.