Education: Two Steps Forward

Educators have long charged that the pressures of big-time college sports programs make a mockery of the scholar-athlete ideal. Last week the National Collegiate Athletic Association took two steps toward restoring that ideal. At a heated NCAA convention in Dallas, university presidents overcame a dogged goal-line stand by money-minded athletic directors and trimmed the number of days allotted to organized basketball and football activities. In addition, delegates approved a rule to help high school athletes figure out which colleges will give them the best shot at getting an education.

The second measure passed overwhelmingly under the threat of a similar federal...