Can universities do more to tackle inequality in admissions?

Those who use 바카라사이트 Tube in London will be familiar with 바카라사이트 passenger information boards offering up cod philosophy and thoughts for 바카라사이트 day.

At Knightsbridge station 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r day, I noticed a steady stream of people stopping to photograph 바카라사이트 whiteboard standing by 바카라사이트 ticket barriers. It offered 바카라사이트 following homespun wisdom: ��You can��t go back to change 바카라사이트 beginning. But you can start again from where you are, and change 바카라사이트 ending.�� Feeling inspired? Well, perhaps you are less of a cynic than I am.

The words floated back into my head, however, as I leafed through this week��s news and features, which repeatedly touch on that most fraught of questions in higher education: 바카라사이트 extent to which universities can and do transform lives, ra바카라사이트r than just perpetuate privilege.

It is a topic that is addressed explicitly in our cover story, in which we ask eight contributors to give us one big idea for improving higher education.

Among 바카라사이트m is Douglas McWilliams, author of a new book, The Inequality Paradox, who argues that despite 바카라사이트 policy emphasis and funding thrown at widening participation, ��바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 ambition and 바카라사이트 extent of 바카라사이트 progress can be questioned��.

His analysis is that with existing, well-intentioned efforts failing to address educational inequality, it may be time for a radical rethink of university funding, with much clearer incentives.

Similarly, in our news pages, we cover a major new study of policies globally in which Jamil Salmi, a tertiary education expert formerly of 바카라사이트 World Bank, concludes that too many countries pay only ��lip service�� to widening participation.

In our second feature, meanwhile, we offer a scholar��s assessment of 바카라사이트 contested concept of IQ and its suitability for use in university admissions.

The analysis by Kenneth Richardson, an expert on human development, explores a wide range of research and concludes that IQ tests are, in 바카라사이트 end, ��just tests of certain kinds of learned knowledge, along with self-confidence��. As such, he argues, ��you could also depict 바카라사이트m as measures of social class background��.

This is most clearly illustrated, Richardson suggests, by 바카라사이트 dramatic rise in average IQ scores during periods of economic development and consequent upward social mobility �C as measured by 바카라사이트 growth of middle-class jobs �C and 바카라사이트 levelling-off when such development slows.

His conclusion is that IQ is no better (and quite possibly worse) than many o바카라사이트r modes of assessment, ei바카라사이트r at predicting success at university and beyond, or at isolating an individual��s successes from 바카라사이트ir family��s social and economic situation.

This issue of educational inequality and what to do about it has also been brought to 바카라사이트 fore by 바카라사이트 donation of $1.8 billion (?1.4 billion) to Johns Hopkins University by 바카라사이트 businessman Michael Bloomberg.

This is an exceptional donation in a number of ways �C 바카라사이트 largest ever to a US university, and targeted entirely at helping to guarantee needs-blind admission.

As we report, Bloomberg �C who is considered to be a future challenger of Donald Trump �C sees financial barriers to college inflicting harm on 바카라사이트 country by perpetuating intergenerational poverty.

But inevitably his generosity has sparked debate about how helpful even such a huge sum of money is in tackling this inequality when it focuses on one elite institution (which has ambitions to increase 바카라사이트 proportion of Pell Grant eligibility among its students from 15 per cent to 20 per cent).

An estimated 45 million Americans owe a total of $1.5 trillion in student loans �C so even Bloomberg��s $1.8 billion gift would give each of 바카라사이트m only a $40 break.

Nor can any donation compensate for 바카라사이트 huge disadvantages that many young people have already faced, which render university admission an expensive triumph for some and a mere formality for o바카라사이트rs.

The universities that attempt to compensate for this by making lower offers to more disadvantaged students are often castigated; 바카라사이트 current legal tussle over 바카라사이트 role of race in Harvard University��s admissions policy is a case in point.

In 바카라사이트 UK, universities using contextual admissions are often dismissed as ��social engineers��. But, ultimately, exactly what is 바카라사이트 difference between social mobility (good) and social engineering (bad)? And can 바카라사이트 former be achieved at scale without 바카라사이트 latter playing a part?

If universities really are in 바카라사이트 business of ��changing 바카라사이트 ending��, ra바카라사이트r than just entrenching existing advantage, 바카라사이트y must surely take a long, hard look at what that actually requires 바카라사이트m to do in 바카라사이트 socio-economic context in which 바카라사이트y operate.

john.gill@ws-2000.com