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A review of recent educational literature-particularly the year.books, special studies, and investigations, as well as the pronouncements of regional and national comm,ittee~s-furnishes convincing evidence that numerous recommendations have been made for significant changes in secondary education. The imposing list of committees in the recent bulletin entitled National Deliberative Committees furnishes additional proof that leaders have concerned themselves with desirable changes in secondary education. In spite of all of this activity, when we examine the present programs of secondary edu.cation ,as found in senior high schools it is obvious that most of the findings and recommendations in these reports have received scant consideration and as a result have failed to modify practice except in a few scattered school systems,. Because of the striking differences between the pronouncements of educational groups and the actual practices in our schools, it is most appropriate to raise questions concerning the forces that actually prevent senior high schools from making the recommended adjustments.The well-known fact that we have two opposing forces in the field of secondary education is a further reason for reviewing the forces that are handicapping our secondary schools. One of these forces is concerned with maintaining traditions. Certain of the obstacles to change are a result of the strength and activities of the traditional group and would, from the standpoint of the friends of the traditional point of view, be considered as aids to a good cause. The other force has been concerned with producing change through the addition to the curriculum of new subjects which seem to be socially worth while, and through the adoption of new methods of instruction which seem to be better suited to the heterogeneous groups found in our classrooms. It should be clearly recognized that our senior high schools are the center of the fight between the traditionalists and the advocates of new curriculum materials and new instructional procedures. It is my belief that school at Australian National University on March 15, 2015 bul.sagepub.com Downloaded from