Rejecting Comparison; Embracing Progress

I believe that to reinvigorate education’s promise, our leaders need to embrace dual transformation—improving upon the existing system while simultaneously working to build a new learning-and-earning system that advances human progress and enriches individuals’ lives. This newsletter will largely focus on the latter.?

In that vein, last month I explored why institutions comprising this new system should be oriented to the primary purpose of helping learners experience social and economic mobility, and I asked readers what they thought that might look like. Here’s what a couple of you said (edited for length):??

• “What is required is an entirely new model that involves everything from redressing the academic calendar, to abandoning traditional letter grades, to overhauling the outdated accreditation process.” - R. Gibson?
• “I’d say it would look like the world becoming a ‘better place.’ Education affects the entire economy directly/indirectly; regardless of one’s social status or economic standing.” - S. Elam?
• “I would suggest changing ‘individuals’ to ‘communities’. I’ve said that higher education’s purpose is to generate and disseminate knowledge to improve their community. Community being however you define it, as long as it’s not just the institution itself. The focus being on raising the social and economic mobility of the entire community.” – D. Hansen?

I’m in complete agreement that realigning around this common goal will require many institutions to depart from traditional models and am encouraged by innovations already taking root at Western Governors University and at many other institutions across the country. And as S. Elam noted, I also believe that doing so will have ripple effects far beyond the scope of education. Really, that’s what this newsletter is all about.?

I’ve also modified my own thinking thanks to D. Hansen’s well-articulated argument about the vital importance of communities and the individual’s role in it. That is to say, to change the lives of individuals also depends upon helping each of us realize that personal fulfillment is largely a function of one’s contribution to the betterment of others and their community. Otherwise, it may only amount to pride and self-aggrandizement, which does neither the individual nor society any good.??

Now here’s what’s on my mind this month: As we work to build a new and improved system that connects individuals with opportunity, how can we ensure we don’t perpetuate inequities manifested in higher education’s current architecture and regulatory framework???

This issue has certainly been on the public’s mind recently, with debates about admissions practices and their effect on exacerbating or mitigating imbalances. Yet while these conversations are important, they tend to focus narrowly on elite schools that serve just a small slice of the student population, and often seem to miss the larger, systemic issues. They are band-aids, and we need to get at the root cause.?

In my recent column for Forbes, I argued that two mindsets underlie our current system and are responsible for many of the imbalances we see today: a comparative mindset and a scarcity mindset. If we don’t confront these deeply ingrained beliefs, we risk replicating the status quo.

The temptation to compare and define one’s worth relative to another’s is tightly woven into our societal fabric, fueled by the misguided notion that certain individuals are inherently more talented than others. I call this a “comparative mindset.” Of course, it’s not always so insidious; as a parent, there have certainly been times when, if only in my thoughts, I’ve considered the progress of my own children relative to where I was at their age, as if everyone’s timeline and interests should look similar. It’s a bias I believe we all share—and one we must actively resist. It’s ok to notice differences, but it’s a problem when we draw conclusions about an individual’s value or capacity for growth.?

In education, this bias for comparison manifests early on in the way we separate supposed “high performing” students from the rest, and later in the way we stratify our colleges and universities based on exclusivity. The end result is in an educational caste system that permanently labels graduates from more selective universities as more gifted, and those from less selective institutions as less so.??

But are we actually separating individuals based on merit, or privilege???

• Go deeper: A new study from Opportunity Insights shows elite colleges admit students from high-income families at significantly higher rates than those from lower-income families with comparable academic credentials.??

While it’s certainly true that some individuals may be uniquely able to develop specific skills and abilities, bluntly grouping individuals into tiers of talent not only disregards individuals’ unique circumstances, but runs contrary to years of research documenting that everyone can learn and grow when given the opportunity (I can admit I was not especially gifted with a talent for music, but with months of practice I can now play Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” on the piano.) Closely related, I see a “scarcity mindset” as a counterpart to the comparative mindset. Baked into the desire to compare and categorize is the fear that opportunity is limited, causing us to cling tightly to what we feel is ours and to distrust outsiders we worry may pose a threat to our success. That the best colleges, the best majors, the best jobs, the best employers, etc. are limited and available only to a few. That the quality and importance of them must therefore be a function of their relative scarcity. Our inclusion only comes at the exclusion of others.??

As the leader of a large university and staff of more than 8,000 individuals, I try to emphasize that the success and regard of one does not diminish the regard and opportunity for another. Opportunity is not only abundant, but also compounds as more participate in it. It’s a virtuous cycle.?

• Go deeper: Research shows that as more people participate in and contribute to the workforce, employment actually expands.??

?I believe that rejecting these mindsets is critical for designing a new education system that makes opportunity work for everyone. I also feel strongly that the implications extend much further, and that embracing the seemingly counter but true mindsets of infinite possibility and abundance could catalyze a societal shift that extends far beyond the world of education. ? ?

I want to hear from you. Let me know if and how these ideas resonate with you, and I’ll look forward to reading your responses.?? ?

Until next time,??

Scott??? ?

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ICYMI: Here’s what caught my attention recently?

• Kids of Alumni Get Special Treatment at 80% of America’s Top Private Colleges ( Rina Torchinsky , Forbes): A look at how generational privilege is passed on through legacy admissions.??
• The Root of Higher Education’s Excess Can Be Found in … Silicon Valley? ( Ryan Craig , Gap Letter): A playful (and critical) take on the administrative bloat found at many prestige-seeking universities.?
• UC System Admits Most Underrepresented Minorities Ever ( Jonathan Edelman , Diverse Education): An encouraging sign that diversity is achievable without affirmative action: 44% of students from the University of California System come from minoritized groups.?
• A special edition on education ( Stephanie Studer , The Economist this weekend): A robust collection of material on college and whether it's worth it, among other things.??
• Colleges Spend Like There’s No Tomorrow. ‘These Places Are Just Devouring Money.’ ( Melissa Korn , Andrea Fuller , Jennifer Forsyth , Wall Street Journal): Many colleges are on a spending spree, with students—and taxpayers—footing the bill. (Shameless plug: Michael Horn and I make a similar case in Forbes)?

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Transforming our education and workforce systems requires a collaborative effort and continued discourse. Please join me in this endeavor by engaging in discussion and sharing this newsletter with your network.??

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