Report Card

P: Pulitzer Prizewinning Historian R. Carlyle Buley (The Old Northwest, Pioneer Period, 1815-1840) of Indiana University gloomily reported the results of an informal American history quiz he gave 90 of his students. Of the 90, only eight could identify the Bill of Rights, only four knew what a right-to-work law is, only 15 came anywhere near estimating the population of the U.S., and none could name a scholarly history of the country or an author who had written one. The best showing: 18 could describe the progressive income tax. But, said Historian Buley, "I'm sure the knowledge was gained at home, and not at school."

P: Secretary Marion Folsom of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare added some more dismaying figures to convince the Congress that something must be done to help the nation's colleges and universities. In addition to the 18,000 new college teachers needed each year to replace those who retire or die, the colleges must have between 180,000 and 270,000 more by 1970.

P: Clayton Buell, an official of the Philadelphia public school system, warned his colleagues of the dangers of a popular pedagogical trend. Said he in the current Clearing House: "The group determines all, in school. Pupils are made to feel they must go along with the group . . . Even the extremely gifted pupil is told, 'What you need is to go out and play marbles with the other boys.' And we are partly right--he does have to learn to get along, but does he need to lower his interests and his actions to the average? . . . We have taught well the ideas of cooperation. On the other side of the picture, are we developing the individual? Are we putting enough of a premium on the pupils who are different, who are exceptional? Are we developing our geniuses, or are we averaging them out? Are we encouraging some individual thinking, or are we making group decisions paramount? Are we afraid of being branded 'intellectual snobs' if we suggest that the gifted be educated to the limit of their ability? Are we sacrificing our children on the altar of 'rugged groupism?' '

P: Though $65 million in college scholarships is available each year, said the National Youth Scholarship Fund, some of the money will go to some rather special people. Examples: Pembroke has a scholarship for a girl who does not smoke, Yale has $1,000 for a boy named DeForest, Princeton has a scholarship for an Eagle Scout and Harvard has funds for boys with the name Anderson, Baxendale, Borden, Bright, Downer, Haven, Murphy or Pennoyer--and also for an lowan, preferably living somewhere along the Burlington. Among the lowan takers: Nathan Pusey of Council Bluffs.

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