LAAA&V.&WWWM OVeTTMW ED 055 890 SE 012 591 TITLE U.S. Metric Study Interim Report- Education. INSTITUTION National Bureau of Standards (D0C), Washington, D.C. REPORT NO NBS-SP-345 6 PUB DATE Jul 71 NOTE 210p.; aLxth in a series of interim reports prepared for the Congress of the United States AVAILABLE FROM Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Catalog No. C 13.10:345-6 $1.75) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$9.67 DESCRIPTORS Curriculum Developmen ; Educational Attitudes; Educational Change; Educational Strategies; Instructional Materials; *Metric System; *National Programs; Teacher Education; Vocational Education ABSTRACT This report-is another in the .series being .prepared on the numerous investigations comprising the U. S. Metric Study, by the U. S. National Bureau of Standards. This report concerns tho effects of increasing worldwide use of the metric system on-education in the United States. Its purpose is to present the.educational; -advantages and disadvantages of both-the metric and the customary systems. of units; to determine the current usage.of metric, measurements in schools, and trends in that usage; to find the ways in:which education would have to .change as the-U. S. accommodates to increased worldwide use of the-metric system, under a planned national progra or withoutsuch a program; and to eStimate the costs . of the changes; and to make -recommendations for:ways_ in which to take best-Advantage .of the changes. It is concluded thatithe..advantages of going.metric. in education are significant:but notoverwhelming. On the'other hand, the costs are not prohibitive and cam -be .met largely- out of normal expenditures.,A conversion-period of 10 years seems to bea Close- to the optimum, bat national leadership andsense of purpose -would .be.-needed to completely benefit from metric conversion. (Author/TS) U.S. DEPARTMENTOF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE oFFICe Or EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HASSEEN REPRo- UNITED STATES mica) EXACTLY ASREGEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION EPARTMENT OF ORIG- INATING IT. POINTSOF Iiipw OR OPIN- :OMMERCE IONS sTATED DONOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL 11BLICATION OFFICE OE FOU1 CATION POSITION ORPOLICY .0041 Of U.S. METRIC STUDY INTERIM REPORT , ,r.71 .;" U.S. &ea PARTMENT OF .:OMMERCE National Bureau of Standards S SP 345,6 U.S. METRIC SUBSTUDY REPORTS The results of substud es of the U.S. Metric Study, while being evaluated for the preparation of a comprehensive report to the Congress, are being pnblished in the interim as a series of N BS Special Publications. The titles of the individual reports are listed below. REPORTS ON SUBSTUDIES NBS SP345-1: International Standards (i sued December 1970. SD Catalog No. C13.10:345-1, Price $1.25) NBS SP345-2: Federal Government: Civilian Agencies (issued July 1971, SD Catalog No. C13.10:345-2, price $2.25) NBS SP345- Commercial Weights and Measures (issued July 1971, SD Catalog No. C13.10-345-3, price $1.00) NBS SP345-4: The Manufacturing industry (issued July 1971, SD Catalog No. C13.10:345-4, price $1.25) N BS SP345-5: Nonrnanufacturin,-; BusineSses (in press) N BS SP345-6: Education (this publication) NBS SP345-7: The Consumer in press) N BS SP345-8: International Trade (in press) NBS SP345-9: Department of Defense (issued July 1971, SD Cata- log No. C13.10:345-9, price $1.25) NBS SP345-10:A History of the Metric System Controversy in the United States (in press) NBS SP345-11:Engineering Standards (issued July 1971, SD Cata- log No. C13.10:345-11, price $2.00) N BS SP345- Testimony of Nationally Representative Groups (issued July 1971, SD Catalog No. C13.10:345-12, price $1.50) .-,COMPREENSIVE REPORT.. O.N- THEU.S. :METRi_ STUDY --.TO.ber-ptiblished in August 1971 Those publications with catalog numbers have already been issued, and may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 for the prices indicated. Add one- fourth of the pUrchase price if the publication ordered is to be sent to a foreign address. Be sure to include the SD Catalog number with your order. 1 US. METRIC STUDY INTERIM R.O'ORT EDUCATION Sixth in a series of reports prepared for the Congress METRIC-.STUDY Daniel V. De Sinionei- Director National Btireati Of. Standards Special Pnblication 345-6 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MAURICE H. STAN'S, Secretary NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS -LEWIS -M. BRANSCOMB, DireCtor Nat. Rur. Stand. (U.S. ). Spec. Publ. 45-6,216 pages (July 1971) CODEN: XN BSA Issued July.1971, ale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. !Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. C 13.10:345-6), PP= 51.75 Stock Number 0303-0858 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL THE HbNORABLE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE THE HONORABLE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIRS: I have the honor to present the sixth in the series of interim reports stemming from the U.S. Metric Study, prepared by the National Bureau of Standards. This Study was authorized by Public Law 90-472 to reduce the many un- certainties concerning the metric issue and to provide a better basis upon which the Congress may evaluate and resolve it. I shall make a final report to the Congress on this Study in August 1971. In the meantime, the data and opinions contained in this interim report ap-1 being evaluated by the Study team at the National Bureau of Standards. MY final report to you will reflect this evaluation. Respectfully submitted, Secre ary of Commerce Enclosure LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Honorable Maurice H. Stans Secretary of Commerce Dear Mr. Secretary: I have the honor to transmit to you another interim report of the U.S. Met- nc Study, which is being conducted at the National Bureau of Standards at your request and in aecordanee with the Metric Study Act of 1968. The Study is exploring the subjects assigned to it with great care. We have tried to reach every relevant sector of the society to elicit their views on the metric issue and their estimates of the costs and benefits called for in the Metric Study Act. Moreover, all of these sectors were given an opportunity to testify in the extensive series of Metric Study Conferences that were held last year. On the basis of all that we have been able to learn from these conferences, as well as the numerous surveys and investigations, a final report will be made to you before August 1971 for your evaluation and decision as to any recommendations that you may wish to make to the Congress. The attached interim report includes data and other opinions that are still being evaluated by us to determine their relationship and significance to all of the other information that has been elicited by the Study. All of these evaluations will be reflected in the final report. Sincerely, .12A. Lewis M. Branscomb, Director National Bureau of Standards FOREWORD This report concerns the U.S. educational system. No other sector is so nearly unanimous in its endorsement of the metric system than is education. This report examines the role that education would play, as well as the problems and opportunities it would experience, in a national change to met- ric. Reports covering other substudies of the U.S. Metric Study are listed on the inside front cover. All of these, including this report, are under evalua- tion. Hence, they are published without prejudice to the comprehensive re- port on the entire U.S. Metric Study, which will be sent to the Congress by the Secretary of Commerce in August of 1971. This report was prepared by the Education Development Center (EDC) of Newton, Massachusetts. The project at EDC was directed by Dr. Berol L. Robinson, under the general guidance of a steering committee composed of Dr. Jerrold R. Zacharias, Acting President of EDC ; Kevin H. Smith, Ex- ecutive Vice President of EDC; Dr. Charles Brown of the Ford Foundation; and Dr. Bobby J. Woodruff, Ridgewood, New Jersey, High School. Profes- sor N. H. Frank of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carlyle E. Maw, Jr., of Harvard University and the University of Chicago served as senior consultants to the project. Others who assisted in the project were Mrs. Cheryl Doyle, Mrs. Wendy Baron and Miss Kathleen Ennis of the Education Development Center, and Mr. Bruce D. Rothrock of the Na- tional Bureau of Standards. In addition, many educational institutions and organizations were visited to gather data for this report, and well over a hundred persons made con- tributions to the work of the Education Development Center, for which it is grateful. In this as in all aspec,s of the U.S. Metric Study, the program has benefited from the independent judgment and thoughtful counsel of its ad- visory panel and the many other organizations groups, and committees that have participated in the Study. Daniel V. De Simone, Director U.S. Metric Study TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Letters of Transmittal iii, iv Foreword Executive Summary 1 Chapter I 5 Introduction 5 Summary of Current Usage and Trends in Use 7 Educational Advantages and Disadvantages of the Customary 8 and Metric Systems of Measurement Chapter II 10 Bilingualism in Measurement Language 10 The "Costs" of Not Going Metric and Recommendations 11 Costs and Benefits of Going Metric and Recomi nendations 13 Chapter IIISome General Considerations 17 Methods 17 Metrication in Education in the United Kingdon 18 Occupational Education 20 Chapter IVPresent Status and Problems of Transitvn 21 A Curriculum Materials, and Testing 21 Textbooks 21 Publishing and Purchasing Patterns 21 Elementary Mathematics 23 Secondary School and College Mathe 29 Vocational Mathematics 30 Elementary Science 31 Intermediate Science 36 Secondary aiid College Science Going Metric in the Social Sciences 40 Books for Use in Occupational Ediication, Secondary 41 and Post-Secondary School Libraries, Works of Reference Nonprint Materials Testing 4.