Massachusetts officials released recommendations yesterday to boost diversity at colleges – without running afoul of the Supreme Court ruling outlawing affirmative action. Why it matters: Massachusetts' top colleges are already seeing lower levels of Black and brown students in the absence of affirmative action. - The Healey administration has vowed to find ways to reverse the trend starting next year.
Catch up quick: Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler and higher education commissioner Noe Ortega authored the 34-page report with help from an advisory council the state formed in 2023. The latest: The report outlines recommendations for private and public colleges to make admissions processes more "holistic." - It also calls for boosting college prep resources and helping ensure underrepresented students finish college and find jobs with their degrees.
Some of the recs include: 💸 Increasing access to SAT/ACT prep, including help with registration fees and providing access to local testing sites. 📚 Increasing access to Advanced Placement courses and expanding early college and career technical education programs, especially in underserved communities. 🧑🏽💻 More help for students applying for state or federal financial aid, as well as adding more need-based grants over merit-based grants. 📚 Holding college and career events at middle schools so students learn about opportunities earlier. 👩🏼🏫 Encouraging colleges to voluntarily implement "equity-centered, creative and targeted recruitment efforts" to attract a diverse applicant pool. - That would mean admissions officers consider income level, disadvantages an applicant overcame, cultural competencies, whether an applicant is a first-generation college student and other personal experiences.
🔎 Conduct a statewide assessment of admissions processes and criteria, including legacy admissions and binding early decision offers, to see if those create barriers for some students. 🍽 Offering mental health services, emergency financial aid and help with food, housing, transportation and child care — any major barrier that could prevent historically underserved students from completing their studies. Reality check: These recommendations would be voluntary when it comes to colleges, especially private institutions. - Colleges that adopt them would need to train college admissions officers, faculty members, advisers and others to take a more holistic, equity-centered approach with their students if they don't already, per the report.
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