Rickover, Hyman (1900–1986)

In his Education and Freedom, Admiral Hyman Rickover stated that “only massive upgrading of the scholastic standards of our schools will guarantee the future prosperity and freedom of the Republic. This is the conclusion which I have reached as a result of my personal experience with developing a new source of power—nuclear fission.”

This quote presents a good summary of Rickover's education ideas. Although not, in his words, an “educationalist,” his dissent struck a chord in Congress and in the nation. The tone of his 1959 work Education and Freedom is controversial, and even a supporter, Charles Van Doren, describes him as “truculent.” He established his credentials because of the educational program he developed for training officers. He also stated, “I should like every American to get into battle for better schools.”

Rickover was noted for his development of nuclear-powered submarines and for his work at the Atomic Energy Commission. He was able to cut through red tape to accomplish the development and production of nuclear-powered submarines and ships. Because this field was new, he needed to develop new programs in leadership and technology. For this, he needed educated people. He found that the U.S. educational system was not producing graduates who could step up to the challenges of implementing civilian and military nuclear power plants. He was well known to both supporters and detractors in Congress, and to presidents, including Jimmy Carter. His book Education and Freedom discusses the challenges faced as society becomes increasingly complex and [Page 771]technological. Read in the early 21st century, his chapter on “Energy Resources and Our Future” seems almost prescient. His other books on education include Swiss Schools and Ours: Why Theirs Are Better (1962) and American Education, a National Failure: The Problem of Our Schools and What We Can Learn From England (1963).

The launch of the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, by the Soviet Union in 1957 caused widespread shock in the United States. Rickover used that event as a catalyst for a call to change in the U.S. educational system. His testimony to Congress contributed to the passing of the National Defense Education Act of 1958. Rickover stated: “Sputnik has been seen as the triumph of Russian education, and rightly so.” Viewing education through the lens of national defense, Rickover contended that the Soviet Union's lead in the space race, as demonstrated by its successful launch of Sputnik, was not the fault of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, nor was it the fault of the American military or U.S. rocket manufacturers. Rather, it was the fault of the schools. The positive effect of the National Defense Education Act was that money was invested in the schools. Sputnik sent a wakeup call to the United States, and the space race was on, with a focus on technical education as a key to that race.

Rickover's educational platform was in favor of a rigorous liberal arts and solid technological education, calling for more attention to be directed toward gifted students. A backer of ability grouping, Rickover criticized what he felt were the “watered-down” standards of the comprehensive high school. He advocated observing European and Russian schools and learning from them. He was in favor of national testing standards. As he stated, “The man of the future on whom we shall depend more and more is the technical expert.” He was critical of the theories of John Dewey and their focus on life skills, distrustful of the educational establishment, and opposed to letting professional educators be in control of American schooling. After Rickover's testimony about the superiority of the Soviet schools, the U.S. commissioner of education, Lawrence G. Derthick, testified before Congress to dispute Rickover's interpretation. He felt that the top salesmen of the Soviet schools had misled Rickover and that the Soviet Union had very different societal aims than those of the United States.

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