peers and placing him with his intellectual peers. It may also
result partially from the reflection upon the job of the secondary
school which is seen in the program."
This dean
noted that there appeared to be a marked difference among high
schools, depending on the quality of their own instruction. "Those
schools which were well-established and doing very good jobs saw
this as another indication of the fine work they were doing in
having their students qualify for admission after only two or three
years with them," he said. "On the other hand, the weaker schools
tended to see this as a criticism of the programs which they were
performing and a reflection that they were doing so poor a job that
an additional year or two with them made little difference in the
college success of the student."
Some of the
colleges and universities have reported cases of active high school
interest in and co-operation with the experiment. For example, one
large university reported that the majority of high schools from
which its Scholars came were quite enthusiastic and continued to be
so, except in the case of a few Scholars who failed to stay.
Another university, noting that a few high schools have sent it a
large proportion of its Scholars, remarked: "Their views on the
program are, of course, colored by the experience of their boys;
since they have sent us applicants year after year they presumably
approve the plan."
One
university said that some principals in its state "have realized
early admission could take some burdens from their shoulders, by
removing some of the pressure for college preparation of a few
students. If, for example, a boy shows potentiality as a scientist,
but goes to a school which does not teach mathematics beyond
algebra, early admission offers him a way to get his trigonometry,
without straining the resources of the school."
A number of
the participating institutions reported that high school attitudes,
first largely negative, have changed, presumably as a result of
experience with early admission, and that there has been a growing
acceptance of its possibilities during the last few years.