A Historical Analysis On The Formation Process Of U.S. National Defense Education Act Of1958

The National Defense Education Act of1958(NDEA) is one of the landmark bill in the history of American education of20th century. The studies about this bill were mainly concentrated on its background, reasons, implementation and impact while there’s a lack of in-depth study of its formation process. This study systematically analyzes the details of the formation process of the U.S. National Defense Education Act of1958to make a panoramic view showing the whole process of the bill’s production, then make a glimpse of the general procedures of the American education law-making process. Meanwhile, through the analysis and discussion, some conclusions are reached, which may be useful to the education law-making in China. This paper is divided into the following five parts:The first part introduces the reasons why the topic is chosen and its meaning, and defines the object of the study and scope, then shows the current domestic and abroad research about the bill, last presents the research methods and innovations of this paper.The second part introduces the reasons of the bill’s formation and the catalysts which urged the U.S. Congress to enact the bill. The low level of American education was the main reason, and the successful launch of a Soviet satellite was the catalyst of its enactment.The third part describes the development of the whole process of the bill:a letter from the US President to the Congress, which suggested the enactment of the law; several amendments of the draft bill in both houses of Congress; the speeches, debates and arguments from the members of both Houses in Congress; last the way how both of the Houses settled their disputes and ultimately passed the bill.The fourth part describes the education reflection about the phenomenon which existed in the bill-making process:the disputes between federal and local government about the control right of education, the contradictions between pursuit of educational excellence and educational equity and the American educational organizations and citizen’s influence on the bill. The last part attempts to draw the following conclusions:the law-making process shows the fact that American federal government’s education control right expands while that of local government narrows; Americans make great efforts on the pursuit of educational excellence along with the pursuit the fair practice of education; all types of American organizations and individual citizens have the courage to express their educational needs, and defend their right of education.