21st Century Scholar

In my last blog post, I shared a major milestone for the Collegeology project: we launched the beta version of Mission:Admission—the Facebook game we have been working on for the past three years. My invitation extended still stands—please log on and play. It has been such fun over the last week hearing back from students [...]

I can’t tell if this is the best time to bring this up, but I am going to anyway. By the time you read this blog, USC graduation will be about a week old. This means that within the next three months or so, most graduates, except those who are continuing on to new academic [...]

One of my fondest memories of college occurred during my first semester as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland, College Park. I remember walking from class one chilly November evening. As I was contemplating the class discussion of The Laramie Project, a play about the tragic death of Matthew Shepard, I exited from a [...]

Mr. Mathis, has any school ever told you ‘no’? The above question was posed by a high school junior enrolled in my Collegiate Academic Scholars course in an Early College High School. In a recent conversation regarding my educational career, the student asked if I was ever denied to any of the colleges I applied [...]

I was famously quoted in a PBS documentary on for-profit education that I thought, for the vast majority of students who do not attend a highly-selective research university, that education was a business. Two years later, I have to admit, I still think so. What led me to revisit this issue was not the recent [...]

I have been mulling over a question posed to me at this past AERA meeting. A well-respected scholar, after hearing about the college access games we are developing, expressed doubt over the positive effects of a game where players role play the college preparation process. “What you are saying,” he shared, “is like me saying [...]

Last week, I recounted the amazing story of Diane, an undocumented first-generation college-goer. If Diane’s story illustrates the promise of higher education, my discussion today highlights the peril of blocked access and leveled aspirations. I have been privileged to chronicle a critical moment in the lives of teenagers: the senior year in high school. The [...]

I dedicate this blog entry to my fellow educators working with high school seniors, and those who are conducting research to understand college readiness. Thank you! The arrival of spring usually brings about an interesting phenomenon in high schools, which many have referenced, experienced, or coached students out of—senioritis. Educators and school leaders often struggle [...]

Did you know that April was “Financial Capability Month?” Me neither! President Obama made this declaration on April 2, but somehow I missed it among the many news outlets I visit everyday. The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau was mentioned as one of our main governmental sources to learn about financial literacy and capability. When you [...]

In an age of rampant capitalism we have the capacity to direct every dollar in a particular direction that the capitalist state desires. In my last blog I wrote about the ability of the state to change its financial aid system so that public universities can get more state aid while the private institutions get [...]