This podcast explores the stress and inequality surrounding college admissions. It discusses the challenges faced by low-income students and the shortcomings of initiatives aimed at improving graduation rates. The impact of test optional admissions and the responsibilities of individuals in college success are also examined. The speakers challenge assumptions and highlight the need for proactive education initiatives.
College admissions perpetuate and reinforce class and privilege, undermining the idea of education as an equalizer.
Standardized testing, such as the SAT, correlates with family income and privilege, undermining its claim to be an equalizer.
The rhetoric about skilled trades as an alternative to college oversimplifies the reality and overlooks the importance of expanding educational opportunities for all.
Deep dives
The Flawed System of College Admissions and Its Impact on Social Mobility
Paul Tuft's book, 'The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us,' explores the issues surrounding college admissions and their far-reaching effects on social mobility. The book delves into the high-stakes competition to attend prestigious colleges, which perpetuates and reinforces class and privilege. It argues that college, once considered an equalizer in America, now exacerbates existing disparities. The book also highlights the discrepancy between what colleges claim to want in their student bodies and their actual preferences. It reveals the flaws and biases in the standardized testing system and the challenges that low-income students face. Ultimately, Tuft argues for greater investment in public higher education and a more comprehensive approach to improving social mobility.
The Impact of College Admissions on Individual Students
Through interviews with students like Shannon and Kiki, Tuft captures the personal toll of the college admissions process. Shannon, a low-income student from the South Bronx, believed in the meritocracy of college admissions as a means of social mobility. However, the stress and uncertainty surrounding the process left her questioning the fairness and logic behind it. Kiki, an underprivileged student at Princeton University, found herself playing a different game compared to her affluent peers. The emotional, social, and psychological challenges she faced navigating a privileged environment shed light on the inequities within higher education.
The Broken Promise of College as an Equalizer
Tuft argues that college, which was once viewed as the great equalizer in America, has failed to fulfill this promise. Despite President Obama's commitment to increasing college graduation rates, the United States still lags behind other countries in this regard. The American Graduation Initiative, which intended to invest in community colleges, fell short of its goals due to budget cuts and lack of support. This failure to prioritize access to higher education hinders social mobility and squanders the potential of many low-income and disadvantaged students.
The Influence of Standardized Testing and the College Board
Tuft explores the influence of standardized testing, specifically the SAT, on college admissions. He criticizes the College Board's claim that test preparation does not significantly impact performance and highlights the company's conflicting roles as a nonprofit and a revenue-generating entity. The book reveals how the College Board's portrayal of the SAT as an equalizer belies the reality of its correlation with family income and privilege. Tuft also examines how data has been manipulated to support the College Board's claims and argues for a more equitable and holistic approach to evaluating student potential.
The Myth of the Wealthy Welder and the Realities of Skilled Trades
Tuft challenges the prevailing narrative that skilled trades, such as welding, offer a viable alternative to college. He follows the journey of Ori, a young man from a working-class background who pursued welding after working various low-wage jobs. While the rhetoric touts high earning potential and success outside of college, the reality is more nuanced. Tuft reveals that becoming a skilled tradesperson often requires post-secondary education, and while there are some high earners, the median salary for welders is much lower. The argument about the wealthy welder perpetuates the notion that college is unnecessary, overlooking the importance of expanding educational opportunities for all.
If there’s a defining feature of upper income life for people with children, it’s school stress. How do you get your kids into the right preschool so they can get into the right high school so they can go to the best college? Paul Tough’s new book THE YEARS THAT MATTER MOST: How College Makes or Breaks Us, reveals why college, which is supposed to be the great equalizer, has become something that depends on and reinforces class and privilege. This is a huge deal for the business world. If we’re losing access to talent, we’re losing more than words can say. It also, of course, is a huge deal for our society. It’s not too grandiose to say that education determines the shape of the society in which we live. So…what shape is that?
