WASHINGTON — For the past several years, the discussion on college match has focused on helping low-income, high-achieving students avoid “undermatching” and to get the information they need to pursue some of the more selective colleges they are academically qualified to attend. The idea is that by attending institutions with higher completion rates, such students enhance their own chances of graduation.
At a Capitol Hill briefing Tuesday, the College Board helped launch a new book that seeks to take the discussion on college match to the next level and bring about what one expert referred to as “Match 2.0.”
In Match 2.0, according to Jessica Howell, executive director of policy research at The College Board, the emphasis is less about providing students with the information they need to choose the best college and more about widespread institutional improvement so that students have a much broader selection of colleges that are considered good.
“The Match 2.0 narrative is one where all students are encouraged to vote with their feet … a world where more institutions provide a high enough quality education that lets them vote with their feet if necessary,” Howell said.
Improving college match will improve degree completion rates, but reforming institutions rather than just shifting students to the best ones is key, Howell said.
Howell made her remarks Tuesday on The Hill to help launch a new book titled “Matching Students to Opportunity: Expanding College Choice, Access, and Quality,” a book published by Harvard Education Press.
The book features nine chapters written by a bevy of heavy hitters in the college completion arena.
