The Smart Get Smarter

You’ve heard the phrase, “The rich get richer,” right? Believe it or not, the same paradigm shows up in test scores. But first the news…

NEWS

Crowds mean crowding: Over the last two years, Alabama A&M University has beat its own records for largest-ever freshman class. Unfortunately, housing isn’t keeping up with head count, which is freaking students out. It could be worse: right now Hong Kong has more than 100,000 full-time university students enrolled but only 40,600 beds. 

Cost of really living: A recent study reveals how much money it takes for a single adult to live comfortably in every U.S. state in 2025. Future college grads are likely in for a bit of discomfort.

UK students OK: Though Trump’s visa restrictions and funding threats have disrupted international admissions, Education Secretary Linda McMahon reassured that British students remain welcome, praising the Harvard-UK academic exchange. Good thing British culture celebrates irony. 

Reverse UNO: The University of New Orleans is set to rejoin the LSU System, reversing a 14-year affiliation with the UL System, a significant realignment in Louisiana public higher education. Apparently, the CSU System wasn’t taking applications.

BIG IDEA
The Matthew Effect in Education

In 1968, sociologist Robert K. Merton sought a way to conjure the power of cumulative advantage, where initial successes or failures compound to create more of the same. So, he turned to an ancient repository of wisdom and landed on a verse in the Gospel of Matthew (13:12) ”For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”

Basically, the Matthew Effect, as Merton named it, states that the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, not just economically but in many other ways—including academics.

That’s the hidden story inside the depressing news from the Nation’s Report Card. Reading scores in both 4th and 8th grades continue their downward slide, while math scores in 4th grade nudged up but still haven’t rebounded to 2019 levels. Across every state, students are not yet back to their pre-pandemic academic footing.

Frankly, acknowledging that American youths don’t read as well as they used to doesn’t rate as news so much as a confirmation of well-founded fears. But Martin R. West noted in EducationNext that reading and math declines were not evenly distributed: “The gain in 4th-grade math reflected improvement among high-achieving students. The reading declines were largest for low achievers.”

We’ve entered an age of specialists, where any given high schooler can be as impressive a scholar, athlete, performer, or anything else as you’ve ever seen. Kids that lean in raise the bar, while all their peers who lack the same interest or intensity seem to fall farther and farther behind. You might not be able to beat the Matthew Effect, but you can certainly leverage it by helping your students and children find the work that matters to them and then feeding the flames of whatever sparks joy. Often, those fires will light the path to a teen’s best future.

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NAME THAT SCHOOL

Think you know your colleges? Try your luck with this special school. (Find the answer at the very end.)

1. Founded in 1962 on an old sugar plantation, the first class was only 45 students.

2. This school is the southernmost accredited U.S. university.

3. A leader in marine and environmental science, with coral reef studies and ocean conservation projects practically happening in its backyard.

4. English is the language of instruction, but you’ll hear French Creole, Spanish, and Patois around campus.

5. Students get front-row seats to Carnival, an annual cultural celebration full of parades, calypso, costumes, and community pride.

APPLICATION ACTION STEPS

• Plan ahead for move-in day.

• Explore a resource for college price transparency.

• Find out what it means to be a college pleaser.

• Keep track of admissions policies regarding the optional ACT Science section.

HOTLINE

Do you have any burning questions to ask or want to share an issue, article, or resource our readers should know about? Dial up the College Eagle hotline through this easy form. We appreciate you!

ANSWER

The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) is not just the southernmost U.S. school but also the only HBCU located outside the continental mainland. Go Buccaneers!