Is college admissions broken? Or working exactly as intended?
The "reputational model" of higher ed is based on a fundamental preoccupation with exclusivity, a new report says, and colleges must examine the consequences.
When the SAT feels like a lock, not a key
"What I would hope that colleges are thinking about and looking for when they’re identifying students [is] asking, ‘Is the seed there enough to grow, nurture, and plant into something beautiful?’ Or are you looking for a static, ready-made product that you don’t have to do anything with?"
When anything could happen
Often, one researcher says, some factor—such as the odds of life events keeping people from ever graduating—is missing from the analysis about the college choices people make.
What do we even mean by merit?
This whole discussion of merit — what it even means, how it drives who gets to go to college, how it shapes people’s college dreams — is threaded through so many debates in higher education. And it can distort the conversation.
An investment that will accelerate our growth
The American Journalism Project is giving grants to support a set of national news organizations working in local communities. We're excited to be part of this group working to reimagine and strengthen local news.
Follow our expanded national reporting
Connect with our new team of reporters covering the role of colleges in rural America, the future of postsecondary education in prisons, and higher education and racial equity.
Who deserves the bigger slice of state financial aid?
Despite national currents that focus attention on increasing access for poor students, Mississippi is swimming in the other direction.
Playing the grade game
Ultimately, one expert argues, we need to build systems that create a good fit for every student, that see the goal as developing children, not sorting them.
What people get wrong about community colleges
Our nation’s two-year colleges often get little attention in national conversations about higher ed. And yet they enroll more than one-third of the undergraduates in America.
Where education and jobs intersect
We started a new project back in June focused on covering the connections between education and work. It's a topic getting a lot of attention in public-policy circles but not one that's regularly covered on the ground. Here's what's struck us so far.