College Board Axes Tool for Disadvantaged Students

In a move that has raised concerns about access to higher education for disadvantaged students, the College Board has quietly discontinued its ‘Landscape’ tool. This program was designed to help universities identify high-achieving students from underserved schools and neighborhoods, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to end race-based affirmative action.

What Was the ‘Landscape’ Tool?

The ‘Landscape’ tool wasn’t about searching by race. Instead, it allowed college admissions offices to search a variety of categories related to students’ socioeconomic status across the country. The goal was to help them find talented, yet often overlooked, students who might not have had access to the same resources as their more affluent peers. This aimed to broaden the pool of academic talent considered by universities.

This decision comes less than a month after the White House signaled a crackdown on alleged ‘hidden racial proxies’ used by schools to find minority applicants. While it’s unclear if ‘Landscape’ was ever used for such purposes, the program had reportedly been under review by Students for Fair Admissions, the conservative activist group that spearheaded the legal challenge against affirmative action.

Avoiding Legal Battles or a Misstep?

Similar to businesses canceling DEI commitments and universities reforming or eliminating their DEI departments, the College Board’s decision appears to be an effort to avoid potential legal battles. However, Richard D. Kahlenberg, director of the American Identity Project, believes this is a misstep. He told The New York Times that the tool was ‘race-neutral’ and ‘perfectly legal,’ noting that even Supreme Court justices acknowledged socioeconomic status as an acceptable factor for increasing campus diversity.

In a statement to Reuters, the College Board, a non-profit organization, explained the change: ‘As federal and state policy continues to evolve around how institutions use demographic and geographic information in admissions, we are making a change to ensure our work continues to effectively serve students and institutions.’ A 2022 Brookings Institute study found that while the ‘Landscape’ tool increased the chances of admission for disadvantaged students, it didn’t significantly change their enrollment rates, casting doubt on claims of ‘hidden racial proxies.’

Impact on Diversity and Access

What is clear is that following the end of affirmative action and increased scrutiny on DEI initiatives, enrollment numbers for Black and Latinx students have seen a decrease at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Investigative journalist Meredith Kolodner noted in The Hechinger Report that this move, coupled with the College Board’s earlier decision to end its award program for high-performing Black and Latinx students, could shift substantial funds away from these groups towards more affluent white students.

Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president at the advocacy group EdTrust, criticized the move as a step towards ‘race-blind categories’ in a system that isn’t race-blind. He emphasized that true merit can’t be discussed without acknowledging the unequal starting points in K-12 education and access to test preparation resources that different communities face. This decision, alongside other recent actions, raises serious questions about the future of educational access and equity.