Other study groups looked at the world outside of Exeter. The "Colleges" group, for example, sought out college-age PEA alumni/ae to find out how Exeter prepared them for college. They also contacted college officials-not only admissions officers, but also faculty and administrators-to find out what they valued in an applicant. While some alumni/ae noted the difficulty of moving from Harkness discussions to large lecture classes, in general the response was extremely positive. Wrote one recent graduate, "I knew how to manage my time, balance schoolwork and extracurriculars, and run my life without parents around. Academically, my knowledge and skills base was at least on par, and usually above that of the other students." From college officials came word that their preference was for students with sound reasoning skills-a sense of inquiry, experience with the experimental method, the ability to think critically and use time efficiently, and a willingness to take risks and accept failures-over mastery of specific content. "They consider it their job to teach content," the committee's year-end report stated.

The "Life Before PEA" study group examined the pedagogy and curricula of a sampling of junior high/middle schools to explore the background and general preparation of students when they arrive at Exeter. "We have seen that the concept of the junior high has been completely changed," reports study group member Elena Eguia, a teacher in the modern languages department. "The junior high used to be a replica of the high school model, but now they are doing something completely different. Some assumptions, such as that the students don't have the ability to think abstractly, are not in place any more. We found that they are trying to be more challenging, especially in math and sciences. At many of the schools we visited, students are taking algebra in seventh grade, and foreign languages are being introduced much earlier than they once were, in both public and private schools."

In addition, middle or junior high schools are increasing their emphasis on relationships with teachers, and becoming much more flexible in their schedules. Unlike the Academy, says Eguia, "where students go from one place to another in 50 minutes, many middle schools have much longer periods, and much more flexible use of time."

After conducting extensive research in the field of secondary education, the "Other Secondary Schools" study group began to focus on a few core issues that are currently on many educators' minds-at Exeter and across the nation. The five areas the group targeted are the senior year, or how students end their high school careers; interdisciplinary learning; how to bring learning into the school's residential program; environmental education and practice; and service learning.

As an example of environmental education, study group chair Tom Ramsey, a member of the religion department, points to the Maine Coast Semester, a program run by the Chewonki Foundation in which learning is linked to the natural world and the environment. "We're asking how the work of environmental practice gets integrated into the curriculum," he says. And service learning, he adds, "is a way of integrating service into the traditional academic curriculum, so that students get involved in their community as a way of enhancing their academic work. In science class, for example, students could measure salinity levels in a marsh and send that to an environmental watchdog group." It's a way, adds Ellen Wolff, of "grounding education in experience, and learning by and about serving."