cided "who does what," we shall be in a better position to define the meaning of "counseling." Some observers of current trends detect another problem in the offing. Will the emphasis on high ability students tend to produce in the public mind and in the minds of counselors themselves a distorted picture of what their job is? It would indeed be unfortunate if counselors limited their efforts to the task of motivating above-average students to go to college. It would be doubly unfortunate if counselors were evaluated according to how successfully they accomplished this task. If this were the case, a counselor who sent 80 percent of his eligible counselees to college might be rated higher than one who could only induce 60 percent to go. There is nothing in the NDEA legislation itself that would lead directly to such an outcome. It will turn out to be a danger only if we let it happen. But it is well for persons in the counseling profession to be aware that this is a possible misconception they may encounter. There is no difference in philosophy and attitude between counseling for the gifted and counseling for the average or retarded, but somewhat different kinds of knowledge and skill are involved. We are interested in facilitating the development of all individuals, and in seeing that all kinds of talents are utilized. We are interested in doing this through a process that leads to voluntary choices, not through pressure and coercion. As indicated at the beginning of this report, the National Defense Education Act makes it possible to provide counseling service to a group that is likely to be slighted where counselors are scarce and problems are acute. It should broaden the scope of counseling activity in secondary schools, but should not change its basic purpose. 1 The American Psychological Association now has a committee on Relations between Psychology and Education. A subcommittee is considering the training of pupil personnel services staff. The report of this subcommittee dated Aug. 14, 1958, contains an excellent outline of pupil personnel activities. CHAPTER 13 Recommendations THROUGHOUT THIS REPORT an attempt has been made to translate experience obtained in the 1959 summer institutes into suggestions for their improvement in subsequent years. We shall sum up here recommendations that apply particularly to the planning of future institutes. They are directed both to representatives of training institutions who are formulating institute proposals and to representatives of the U.S. Office of Education who determine policy and help institutions transform their proposals into plans of operation. First, contracts for institutes should be awarded as early as possible. Every effort should be made to close these contracts by January 1 of the year the summer institute is to be held, or even earlier if possible. Second, training institutions should place special emphasis on the first stage of the process of contract negotiation, the determination of needs. Every effort should be made to find out the most salient needs of an area, and the proposals submitted should show how these needs have been determined. Third, training institutions should attempt to limit the number and scope of their objectives as appropriate for a short session. Fewer courses should be offered and more time allowed for each. A lower student-staff ratio than is usually required for college courses should be maintained. Fourth, adequate provision for individual differences should be made by introducing some flexibility into institute programs. Fifth, a standard application blank should be prepared for the use of all the institutes. It should include the items by which eligibility is determined, and the other items that all or most of the 1959 institutes found useful. In each locality, this can be supplemented by whatever additional information the local committee wishes to use as a basis for selection. Sixth, a resource file of materials and forms used in the different institutes should be set up in a central place. Much of this material is included in the final reports of the directors of the 1959 summer institutes. The reports include objective test items, appraisal forms, reading lists, and many other specific materials. It would be an advantage to institute directors to have access to these materials. Seventh, attention should be directed each year to the geographical distribution of institutes and the enrollees they serve so that inequities appearing in any one year's distribution can be corrected in the next. Eighth, special attention should be given to the kinds of knowledge and experience that will equip enrollees for counseling able students. APPENDIX A Pertinent Portions of the National Defense Education Act of 1958 to the Counseling and Guidance Training Institutes Program (Reprinted below in the language of the National Defense Education Act of 1958 are the "Findings and Declaration of Policy" of the Congress from Title I, and Title V in its entirety.) TITLE I-GENERAL PROVISIONS FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY SEC. 101. The Congress hereby finds and declares that the security of the Nation requires the fullest development of the mental resources and technical skills of its young men and women. The present emergency demands that additional and more adequate educational opportunities be made available. The defense of this Nation depends upon the mastery of modern techniques developed from complex scientific principles. It depends as well upon the discovery and development of new principles, new techniques, and new knowledge. We must increase our efforts to identify and educate more of the talent of our Nation. This requires programs that will give assurance that no student of ability will be denied an opportunity for higher education because of financial need; will correct as rapidly as possible the existing imbalances in our educational programs which have led to an insufficient proportion of our population educated in science, mathematics, and modern foreign languages and trained in technology. The Congress reaffirms the principle and declares that the States and local communities have and must retain control over and primary responsibility for public education. The national interest requires, however, that the Federal Government give assistance to education for programs which are important to our defense. To meet the present educational emergency requires additional effort at all levels of government. It is therefore the purpose of this Act to provide substantial assistance in various forms to individuals, and to States and their subdivisions, in order to insure trained manpower of sufficient quality and quantity to meet the national defense needs of the United States. TITLE V-GUIDANCE, COUNSELING, AND TESTING; IDENTIFICATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF ABLE STUDENTS Part A-State Programs APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED SEC. 501. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1959, and for each of the three succeeding fiscal |