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The NCAA’s Own Goal

Dec 5, 2022 · Harrington Shaw · Comments Off on The NCAA’s Own Goal

This coming January, the NCAA will convene in Texas to decide the future of standardized testing requirements for student-athletes. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA and universities … Continue reading “The NCAA’s Own Goal”


The ACT is Still Useful

Sep 30, 2022 · Frederick R. Prete · Comments Off on The ACT is Still Useful

Standardized tests have been attacked for being biased against some groups of students. Is that true? Should we stop using them? Exams like the American College Test (ACT) are supposed … Continue reading “The ACT is Still Useful”


Model System Policy: Minimum Admission Requirements

Sep 22, 2022 · Martin Center Staff · Comments Off on Model System Policy: Minimum Admission Requirements

Academic standards do not need to be identical for every institution in the country, and they shouldn’t be. But all baccalaureate institutions should require that applicants at least meet SAT … Continue reading “Model System Policy: Minimum Admission Requirements”


What SAT Scores Say About Teacher Effectiveness

Sep 2, 2022 · Walt Gardner · Comments Off on What SAT Scores Say About Teacher Effectiveness

The SAT has been in the news again, this time because of the claim that test-optional policies are a way for colleges to covertly impose affirmative action. It’s true that … Continue reading “What SAT Scores Say About Teacher Effectiveness”


Rescuing “Virtue and Talents” Amidst the War on Tests

May 4, 2022 · Wenyuan Wu · Comments Off on Rescuing “Virtue and Talents” Amidst the War on Tests

On March 28, 2022, Stuart Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced the school’s plan to restore the consideration of standardized … Continue reading “Rescuing “Virtue and Talents” Amidst the War on Tests”


The US Test Mess

Apr 22, 2022 · Richard Phelps · Comments Off on The US Test Mess

Standardized educational tests do not perfectly measure student aptitude or achievement, and no one argues that they do. But they can differ from all other available measures in two respects: … Continue reading “The US Test Mess”


The Rot of the Prestigious Colleges

Jun 9, 2021 · Megan Zogby · Comments Off on The Rot of the Prestigious Colleges

Parents will go to all sorts of lengths to give their children a leg up. In Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies Behind the College Cheating Scandal, journalist Nicole … Continue reading “The Rot of the Prestigious Colleges”


Don’t Rock the Boat: UNC BOG Members Rarely Vote ‘Nay’

Feb 22, 2021 · Shannon Watkins · Comments Off on Don’t Rock the Boat: UNC BOG Members Rarely Vote ‘Nay’

The members of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors are charged with a solemn duty: to oversee and guide the state’s public university system. Although some of their … Continue reading “Don’t Rock the Boat: UNC BOG Members Rarely Vote ‘Nay’”


UNC Will Not Require the SAT Next Year

Aug 17, 2020 · Shannon Watkins · Comments Off on UNC Will Not Require the SAT Next Year

On July 23, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted to temporarily waive the SAT or ACT requirement for college applicants. The vote came after UNC administrators proposed … Continue reading “UNC Will Not Require the SAT Next Year”


If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement?

Jun 26, 2020 · George Leef · Comments Off on If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement?

The COVID-19 pandemic probably won’t kill the SAT, but will no doubt leave it in a badly weakened condition. Both the SAT (and its close competitor, the ACT) have had … Continue reading “If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement?”

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More in Academics

  • When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke Jan 27, 2023

    Across the country, an increasing number of universities now require scholars to submit “diversity statements” in hiring, promotion, and tenure. Many have abandoned or downplayed standardized tests in the name … Continue reading “When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke”

  • Professor Maitland Jones and Declining Standards in Higher Education Jan 25, 2023

    As a direct result of student complaints that his course was too difficult, Maitland Jones will no longer be teaching organic chemistry at New York University (NYU). Jones has a … Continue reading “Professor Maitland Jones and Declining Standards in Higher Education”

  • Schools Should Think Twice Before Punishing Faculty for Their Speech Jan 23, 2023

    Public educational institutions are constitutionally forbidden to retaliate against faculty members because of their speech. A professor can’t be fired, demoted, or otherwise penalized just because he or she has … Continue reading “Schools Should Think Twice Before Punishing Faculty for Their Speech”

More in Athletics

  • Reforms We’re Cheering For in 2023 Jan 2, 2023

    Each January, the staff of the Martin Center share our higher-ed-reform dreams for the coming year. Will all of our wishes come true? Probably not. Nevertheless, we offer them here … Continue reading “Reforms We’re Cheering For in 2023”

  • The NCAA’s Own Goal Dec 5, 2022

    This coming January, the NCAA will convene in Texas to decide the future of standardized testing requirements for student-athletes. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA and universities … Continue reading “The NCAA’s Own Goal”

  • Colleges: Go Back to Basics Oct 26, 2022

    Colleges perform two vital functions: They disseminate to the people (especially their own students) the knowledge and wisdom acquired through time in ways that enhance the common good, and they also … Continue reading “Colleges: Go Back to Basics”

More in Commentary

  • At UNC, More Good News on Free Expression Jan 30, 2023

    With new policies and a new school, the UNC System, the UNC Board of Governors, and UNC-Chapel Hill are making history. UNC is the first state university system in the … Continue reading “At UNC, More Good News on Free Expression”

  • When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke Jan 27, 2023

    Across the country, an increasing number of universities now require scholars to submit “diversity statements” in hiring, promotion, and tenure. Many have abandoned or downplayed standardized tests in the name … Continue reading “When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke”

  • Don’t Racialize the College-Affordability Crisis Jan 26, 2023

    College affordability has long been an issue in this country. Given that the federal government’s subsidizing of higher education has allowed the cost of college to increase exponentially, many prospective … Continue reading “Don’t Racialize the College-Affordability Crisis”

More in Governance

  • At UNC, More Good News on Free Expression Jan 30, 2023

    With new policies and a new school, the UNC System, the UNC Board of Governors, and UNC-Chapel Hill are making history. UNC is the first state university system in the … Continue reading “At UNC, More Good News on Free Expression”

  • When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke Jan 27, 2023

    Across the country, an increasing number of universities now require scholars to submit “diversity statements” in hiring, promotion, and tenure. Many have abandoned or downplayed standardized tests in the name … Continue reading “When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke”

  • Professor Maitland Jones and Declining Standards in Higher Education Jan 25, 2023

    As a direct result of student complaints that his course was too difficult, Maitland Jones will no longer be teaching organic chemistry at New York University (NYU). Jones has a … Continue reading “Professor Maitland Jones and Declining Standards in Higher Education”

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  • At UNC, More Good News on Free Expression Jan 30, 2023

    With new policies and a new school, the UNC System, the UNC Board of Governors, and UNC-Chapel Hill are making history. UNC is the first state university system in the … Continue reading “At UNC, More Good News on Free Expression”

  • When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke Jan 27, 2023

    Across the country, an increasing number of universities now require scholars to submit “diversity statements” in hiring, promotion, and tenure. Many have abandoned or downplayed standardized tests in the name … Continue reading “When Discipline-Specific Accreditors Go Woke”

  • Don’t Racialize the College-Affordability Crisis Jan 26, 2023

    College affordability has long been an issue in this country. Given that the federal government’s subsidizing of higher education has allowed the cost of college to increase exponentially, many prospective … Continue reading “Don’t Racialize the College-Affordability Crisis”

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