As a Scoutmaster (and a former Council Commissioner and you name it), I must admit my first response is to cringe when I heard the age "14" and the phrase "Eagle Scout" in the same sentence.
Before I am completely flamed, there are many young men who have the maturity to complete an Eagle Project at fourteen. A significant percentage of them would probably have learned more about themselves and about inspiring and managing their peers had they waited two years to work on their Eagle Project. Few non-Scouters realize what is involved in the Project and don't know that a major part of the project is planning, convincing others to underwrite the cost (you can't pay for it yourself), and inspiring your peers to donate their time and labor (the work of adults, including the Staff Sgt. shown in the picture, doesn't count toward the Scout's necessary peer support hours), among other elements.
Most fourteen year-old men are not mature enough to learn fully the lessons of an Eagle Scout project.
There are several reasons for fourteen year-old Eagle Scouts. In some cases, the young men are self-driven. In many cases, the fourteen year-old Eagle Scouts are driven by parents. I've seen more than my share of Eagle Projects by fourteen year-olds that are essentially the projects of parents; something the Troop Committee and/or the Scoutmaster should notice and stop. In other cases, there are Troops that push young men to make Eagle by fourteen or fifteen (on the theory that otherwise they'll lose 'em to fumes - car fumes and perfumes).
For fifty+ years, the percentage of Scouts who reached the rank of Eagle remained at 2%, give or take a tenth of a percentage point. In the last few years, and I mean just a very, very few years, the percentage has hit or exceeded 4% in part because of parental and unit pressures (and, in my opinion, a general weakening of the Troop Committe and Council approval standards for Eagle Scout projects). LDS unit percentages exceed the 4% mark, in part because of the tie between their church youth program and Scouting.
One excuse given for fourteen year-old Eagles is that they can then be leaders within the Troop. Bull hockey. They can be leaders wearing their heart-shaped Life Scout patch.
Most fourteen year-old Eagle Scouts who truly embrace the Scouting Spirit stay in the Troop until their 18th birthday. They would have learned more from their Eagle Scout experience had they waited until they matured to undertake their Eagle Scout project.
Just my two cents, and it doesn't apply to all young Eagles. I've had over thirty Eagle Scouts in my Troop since 1999. As a National Scout Jamboree Scoutmaster, I've seen another dozen of my scouts earn Eagle. Of forty Scouts on my Philmont treks, thirty-nine made Eagle Scout. In various roles, I've worked with other Scouts through their Life and Eagle ranks. I'm talking about the kind of young men I want my daughters to marry and my future Presidents, Generals, Ministers, and CEOs to be. And yet, almost all of them benefitted, or would have benefitted, by waiting until they were 16 or 17 to carry out their Eagle Scout project, in my humble opinion.
I appreciate your perspective, as always.
From observation of my son's troop, I agree wholeheartedly with you.
Our Eagle was 17 when he finished his project, and he was much more able to plan, document, negotiate, organize, secure funding, supervise, etc. than he would have been at an earlier age. Not to mention, he could also drive!
Not to mention the "Order Of The Arrow".
For those that do manage to make Eagle between 14 and 15 challenge them with the Hornaday Conservation Award. That's if the Fumes don't get 'em; Gas-Fumes and Per-Fumes.
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.