The Selection of Students for the Profession of Teaching
. . . The health of our school children should be improved. . . . They do not develop sufficient skills in reading. . . . Their academic knowledge is limited, and the functional use of that knowledge is disappointing. . . . There is much emotional instability and social incompetence. . . . High school graduates lack a sense of civic responsibility. Such statements can be gleaned from reports of research, surveys, and papers at educational conferences. All such reports would be depressing and disheartening to say the least if there were not some consolation in the fact that most research has been more concerned with the defects in education than with the progress that has been made. Also, we have come to think that recognition of weaknesses is, in itself, a healthy sign that our efforts in education are not static but in a process of develop ment. We do not know as yet just what portion of the failures of educa tion can be attributed to the types of individuals whom we have as teachers in our schools. Although there is little scientific observation from which conclusions can be drawn, it is likely that such terse state ments as, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach/' have been backed by a mass of observation deserving of some credence. The Car negie1 and other Reports indicate that, in at least some states, the better students in our colleges and universities have not been going into the profession of teaching.