Bob Schaeffer

Show Notes

“Our position is you don't need test scores and that individual schools should develop admissions policies that reflect the type of kids they want to recruit and the mission that they have,” says FairTest’s public education director Bob Schaeffer in this week’s episode of The Syllabus. Syllabus host Mark Oppenheimer and Bob Schaeffer discuss the evolution of college admissions testing, the recent trend towards test-optional policies, and whether high school records and holistic evaluations are better predictors of college success than standardized tests.  

Guest Bio: Schaeffer is the public education director of FairTest and a member of its board of directors. He is the author of Standardized Tests and Teacher Competence and co-authored many FairTest publications, including Sex Bias in College Admissions Tests: How Women Lose Out. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from MIT.

Creators and Guests

BS

Guest

Bob Schaeffer

What is The Syllabus?

Every week, a different guest joins Mark Oppenheimer to talk about politics on American college campuses. Politics are roiling college campuses across the United States. Whether the topic is the Middle East, affirmative action, Title IX, or something else, students and faculty seem to have controversial opinions—and they aren't being very civil in talking about them. To cut through the noise, and to find out what teachers and students really think, journalist, historian, sometime professor, and college administrator Mark Oppenheimer is joined by teachers, students, and administrators to give their uncensored view from the ground (or the quadrangle, or the fraternity or sorority house, or the dining hall, or the dorm, or the playing field). The Syllabus is produced by the Office of Open Learning at American Jewish University in partnership with Inside Higher Ed.