[I]n the next phase of the pandemic, new inequities are poised to arise, this time among both who gets into college, and among who completes their degrees. So argues H. Holden Thorp in the latest issue of the journal Science, of which he’s editor in chief. He has two ideas for leveling the playing field: Suspend both the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, and the use of standardized tests in admissions.
“This is not a time for undergraduate institutions to be using precious resources to chase these numbers,” he wrote. “Rather, they need to support struggling students and other members of the academic community so that education can resume this fall in a manner that is fair for all.”
My emphasis.
Holden Thorp continues, in his own words:
I’m very worried that the inequities that exist in higher ed are going to be amplified by Covid-19. Two places where these inequities are quite apparent is in the reliance on standardized-test scores, which we know are highly influenced by family income, and the rankings that U.S. News does, and the selectivity that they induce for institutions. So I’m recommending that we pause both of those things for now, and then, when this is over, see if there’s a way to come up with a more progressive way of doing both.
As Thorp alludes to in the first quote, institutions "chase" these rankings. I wonder how many conversations among faculty and administrators include questions like, "Well, how will this decision affect our rankings?"
While I will most certainly concede that there is something of a higher-education industrial complex (i.e. a business-like mentality in the annals of college/university administration), and that most institutions do not have the luxury of not worrying about tuition revenue (except for a select few). Therefore any 'leg up' against the competition - like a great placement in a national ranking - is welcome.
But could we do without the rankings? Do they really add value to a student's college search process?
...I'm really asking that question. Does anyone know?
As for the removal of test scores as a requirement for entry into the many institutions of higher education, we're currently witnessing an avalanche of institutions that are going the route of test-optional - either for a year or two, or permanently.
Check out the entire interview with Thorp here. It's really good.
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