V - Report

October 21, 1957

attract all the talent it needs. If we begin now to encourage all efforts to work out the cooperative and effective use of high-talent, we may avoid the consequences of a belated awakening to our talent wastage, and obviate the possible need for more drastic measures in dealing with it.

### 3. The Cultivation of Human Resources

The fact that the utilization of talent is so closely connected with the cultivation of human ability leads us naturally to a consideration of how we may best shape and nurture the capacities of our people.

Perhaps the most basic problem here is one before which we must admit to very little knowledge. This is the problem of identifying talent at an early age. For despite the fact that great progress has been made in the use of objective tests to measure scholastic aptitude and accomplishment, and to establish general indications of emotional stability, we still lack the means to evaluate such characteristics as will power, potential leadership, or motivation itself.¹

The fact is that at the moment we know very little about such critical issues as why many young people with high potential are not motivated to pursue a college education; why about half of all who enter engineering schools fail to graduate; why only a few of the high talented students are willing to proceed with graduate studies; why some able people are attracted to and remain in teaching or the armed services or other areas of public service at relatively low salaries, and why others move out of their chosen