Records of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education Center for Field Studies

The Harvard University Graduate School of Education Center for Field Studies (1949-1968) engaged in analyses of educational problems and planning for improvement of educational practices. Studies were made at the request of state and local boards of education, legislative committees, and educational agencies.

Professor Alfred Dexter Simpson (1891-1955) began planning for the Center in 1940; however, the Second World War curtailed the development of the Center, and it was not established until the 1949/1950 academic year. Assistant Professor Cyril G. Sargent was the first administrator for the Center. (The Director of the Center from 1955 to 1962 could not be identified through online resources in April 2021, when, due to the COVID19 pandemic, the archivist writing this finding aid was working from home.) In 1962, Vincent Faulkner Conroy became the Director. His term ceased when he was killed in a plane crash in Vietman on March 23, 1967 while studying teacher training in South Vietnam. The Center ceased operations in 1968. In 1969 the Office of Field Activities was formed with a broader mandate to coordinate the School's external relationships and field activities, including field studies. However, the Office of Field Activities is not mentioned in Harvard Annual Reports after 1969.