Conant 's strong desiring for equality of education opportunity not only met the needs of american society and the reform of education in the world , but also was the result of his profound understanding on the function of education .
As a contemporary american educator , conant insisted on the essential tenet of equality of educational opportunity all along which embodied not only in his concrete address , but also in his idea of general education , meritocracy and his advice of comprehensive high school .
' If you look at the results last cycle it 's hard to argue that being early or being big was much of an advantage , ' says alex conant , an adviser to former minnesota gov. tim pawlenty .