Summary of Paul Tough's Talk Re: Higher Ed and Economic Mobility

While almost all of my friends and former colleagues know that my organization, the Adams Street Foundation, prepares low income students for success in college, I don't know if they realize just how impactful this work is in transforming students' lives and the lives of their future descendants. Periodically, I share notes from lectures that I attend to help non-educators understand the basics of the industry and how it affects our overall economy. 

On Thursday, 11/7/2019, #Citi, in conjunction with #iMentor, hosted a forum featuring #PaulTough and the research behind his most recent book, The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us. For those who don't know, Mr. Tough is a best selling author, primarily known for his 2009 book, Whatever It Takes. Since its penning, he's become one of the nation's prominent writers regarding the intersection of education and social and economic mobility. Here are a few notes from his talk:

* Economic mobility (in the US) [Definition]: Opportunity, what it takes to have social mobility from lower class to middle class and middle class to wealthy class.

* For Whatever It Takes, he researched One Goal and Harlem Children's Zone.

* The common assumption is that inequalities in K-12 education impact higher ed, but it's likely the reverse.

* Admissions is now referred to in the industry as Enrollment Mgt., resulting in big changes of priorities.

* Econ professors Raj Chetty and John N. Friedman's research identified that higher ed plays a huge role in mobility. Moreover, if you go to more selective institutions, your outcomes are proportionally better.

* IMPORTANT NOTE: Low income students almost never getting into the Ivy+ schools (i.e. the students who would benefit the most are rarely accepted).

* The role of standardized tests (SAT and ACT) in all of this: Caroline M. Hoxby (Stanford Prof.) has prominent research on this. 40 yrs ago, college admissions targets changed, causing less diversity in public universities. Moreover, the most selective schools began focusing on students that could pay (i.e. were wealthier). These are also the students likely to have higher standardized test scores (correlation).

* FYI: US News and World Report rankings are mostly based on standardized test scores.

* Many private colleges were/have been going broke. Now, schools have to focus more on tuition (i.e. seek customers who can pay). As a result, "financial aid is used to lure in the students that they want." In other words, they're effectively offering tuition discounts to students that can pay instead of students that need financial aid.  

* This is all resulting in college student bodies becoming less economically diversity.

* SUMMARY: Enrollment Mgt. core strategy is (1) focus on higher test scores and (2) discounts for students that can already pay.

 * Test Optional: Some schools are exploring making standardized tests optional.

 * University of Chicago was the 1st major school to go test optional. A very bold position given its reputation.

 * Test optional gives a 2nd chance to students that have good grades, but low (standardized) test scores.

* Despite this growing change in the industry, overall economic diversity on campuses has not changed much.

* Standardized test scores and GPA typically move together.

* GPA is the best predictor of a student's potential success in college. 

* Including a standardized test score with a GPA gives you a little more predictability, which is why colleges have used them for so long, but more and more schools are acknowledging that including standardized test scores in the admissions process is resulting in less equity.

* Texas "Top 10% Rule" - Texas House Bill 588, commonly referred to as the "Top 10% Rule", is a Texas law passed in 1997. It allows high school seniors in the top 10% of their class to receive automatic admission to any Texas public university.

* So popular, now, it's top 6%.

* Has resulted in more diversity, but real gaps in who succeeds/graduates from college.

* UT Austin initially saw 50% 4-yr graduation rate for students from low income backgrounds.

* For the highest at-risk students, they implemented a number of basic interventions used in the industry (incoming freshman support, tutoring, coaching for internships junior yr, etc.). As a result, 4-yr graduation rates rose from 50% to 70%. Moreover, 1st gen college graduation rates rose from 39% to 63%.

* 1910: An important moment in US education, known as the beginning of The High School Movement.

* Before 1910, you didn't need a high school degree, then technology changed factories and farms, resulting in the need for a high school degree.

* From 1910-1940, high school graduation grew from 10% to 50%.

* The GI Bill created wealth in the 1960s, etc.