{"id":98671,"date":"2026-06-14T13:10:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/?p=98671"},"modified":"2026-06-14T13:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:35:12","slug":"the-tyranny-of-college-admissions-why-its-so-challenging-to-have-real-change-in-k-12-education-alfuth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/2026\/06\/14\/the-tyranny-of-college-admissions-why-its-so-challenging-to-have-real-change-in-k-12-education-alfuth\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tyranny of College Admissions: Why It\u2019s So Challenging to Have Real Change in K-12 Education [Alfuth]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gettingsmart.com\/2026\/06\/08\/the-tyranny-of-college-admissions-why-its-so-challenging-to-have-real-change-in-k-12-education\/\"><strong>The Tyranny of College Admissions: Why It\u2019s So Challenging to Have Real Change in K-12 Education<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from gettingsmart.com by Jon Alfuth<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Points<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>College admissions policy shapes K-12 practice. If colleges continue to privilege course sequences, seat time, and grades, high schools will remain constrained in how far they can move toward competency-based learning.<\/li>\n<li>States and institutions already offer models for change. Wisconsin, Colorado, Indiana, and pilots like CUNY and Michigan Ross show that admissions can incorporate portfolios, demonstrations of learning, and durable skills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>If we could instead orient K-12 education around skill development and application rather than Carnegie Units and grades, we could create a new paradigm for where, when and how students demonstrate college and career readiness. Competency-based education moves schools and systems towards this desirable future that balances knowledge with skills.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Despite tremendous evidence of its potential, efforts to accelerate this shift have been stymied by the tyranny of college admissions requirements and processes. Parents, teachers, administrators and policymakers end up in a quandary. Anyone attempting to shift away from this traditional course sequence is criticized as trying to lock kids out of higher education and we snap back to the way things have always been done.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Tyranny of College Admissions: Why It\u2019s So Challenging to Have Real Change in K-12 Education &#8212; from gettingsmart.com by Jon Alfuth Key Points College admissions policy shapes K-12 practice. If colleges continue to privilege course sequences, seat time, and grades, high schools will remain constrained in how far they can move toward competency-based learning. 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