 Dear reader,
These are unsettling times for higher education: renewed questions about the value of the degree, declining enrollment, concerns over student loan debt and rising college costs are among the many topics we’ve been covering at The Hechinger Report.
Yet these trends are doing little to stem demand for spots at the nation’s most elite schools, where competition is as strong as ever. That’s one reason why there’s so much discussion of so-called test-optional admissions policies, which theoretically open the door to a wider, more diverse pool of applicants, as our Jill Barshay explains.
Her review of early research around test-optional policies, however, uncovered enormous confusion among college admissions officers over how to select a freshman class without using test scores. This is a particularly crucial topic at a time when the Supreme Court is poised to hear arguments over affirmative action, as our ongoing series with Retro Report and WCNY shows. If you have thoughts on this case, please let us know, as we love to hear from our readers.
Also this week, we have opinions on how to stem declining public school enrollment and how to prepare students for an increasingly digital world, plus a look at early efforts to get the vote out before midterms on college campuses. Finally, my usual reminder: Please tell others who care about education to sign up for our newsletters, and consider becoming a member.
Liz Willen, Editor
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