Colleges Must Recruit Scholars – WSJ

The end of affirmative action is an opportunity to redesign the whole system. But the ideas that colleges have floated so far are mostly milquetoast: more outreach to guidance counselors, more information sessions, and optional standardized tests.

This approach is too passive. What if instead of asking students to find the right schools, we brought college to students?

Here s what it might look like: Colleges could identify skills and achievements that are likely to result in academic success. Then, instead of considering the robotics, debate and geography accomplishments of high-school students only after they apply to college, schools could sponsor events that measure students skills in areas like these as a recruitment tool.

Digital learning models can also help colleges discover talent at a scale that was previously inconceivable. And schools should refocus on socioeconomic status, which the Supreme Court s decision doesn t restrict. A dozen leading universities, including Stanford, Penn and Howard are already changing the admissions paradigm by offering courses in a hybrid format for students in low-income schools.

Through a partnership with the nonprofit National Education Equity Lab, these schools encourage juniors and seniors at low-income high schools to enroll in their courses online. Those who pass receive both high school and college credit. Over the past four years, some 15,000 students have enrolled in these courses and that number should grow dramatically over the next decade. With a pass rate above 80%, these students are doing well and the program is leveling the playing field.

Every college should actively recruit socioeconomically diverse talent. Students in low-income urban and rural communities who participate in early college digital courses have shown the persistence, curiosity and enthusiasm that will translate to success in college and beyond. If students can ace Stanford s Introduction to Computer Science course, they shouldn t hesitate to apply to Stanford or any other selective college.

via www.wsj.com

Good idea.