I've only had a few Eagles in my Troop since it was re-chartered 8 years ago (after about a 25-year hiatus). They've all be 16 or older. If you ask me why the number of Eagles has gone up, I'll say that it's due to parental pressure. The question then becomes, why are more parents applying such pressure? College. Eagle has become a credential, especially for college applications. With the greatly increased competition for spots at top colleges, parents have latched onto the Eagle rank as a way for their kids to distinguish themselves.
Very interesting. I am trying to offset the pressure (from their father) to complete major awards with our older children. Our oldest daughter has a Girl Scouts Silver Award project in progress; it involves birdhouses, so it can't be completed until spring nesting season. She will probably finish it, but I have said through all her years in Girl Scouting that I don't care what badges or projects she completes, as long as she's having a good time with other girls and participating in a way that shows good character.
I have the same position for our son who's in his first year of Boy Scouts. I'm glad that he's progressing in his ranks (he'll have 2nd Class before Christmas) and doing well as a Patrol Leader, because those accomplishments are important to HIM, and because he's aware of the skills he's developing and the contribution he's making to the troop. However, if he never reaches the highest ranks, but just wants to participate in Boy Scouts because he's having fun, that will be fine with me. Ultimately, the Boy Scouts program is a tool for him to use in his own development, and it's up to him to decide in what ways the program serves him best.
If Bill becomes an Eagle Scout, or Josie gets a Gold Award, we will be proud of their accomplishments, of course, but mainly because those achievements are symbols of the real goal: becoming a good and responsible adult man or woman.