During the recent economic crisis, too many parents of high school students were forced to ask themselves the same question: How can we afford to send our kids to college? But money isn’t the only thing standing between ambitious young Americans and a degree from the college of their choice.

According to a recent study by researchers at Harvard University and the University of Michigan, competition for acceptance to four-year colleges and universities has increased significantly over the last few decades as acceptance rates have been steadily falling. (An article in Inside Higher Ed does a nice job summarizing the findings.) So the question then becomes: How does this increase in competition affect high school students’ college preparatory behavior? Does it encourage students to expend more effort in high school to improve their learning? Unfortunately, the results of this study suggest otherwise.

The research demonstrates that from 1992 to 2004, there was a significant increase in the percentage of high school students who took calculus and at least one Advanced Placement exam. That’s definitely positive, suggesting that students challenged themselves with more rigorous coursework, and presumably, learned more. But the preponderance of evidence suggests that students actually became more interested in test prep strategies that would improve their chances of gaining acceptance to colleges of their choice—as opposed to focusing on strategies that would enrich their education and increase their learning.

Consider this: Between 1992 and 2004, there was a decrease in the percentage of high school students who did at least 10 hours of homework per week. There was also a significant increase in the number of students taking multiple standardized tests (like both the SAT and the ACT) so they could select only their highest score to submit with their college application, suggesting more of an emphasis on test prep rather than learning.
Additionally, researchers found a rise in the percentage of students using some form of test-prep in high school, as well as increases in the percentage of students paying for private tutors and test prep classes. In states where more students applied to competitive colleges, there was also an increase in the percentage of those requesting “special accommodations” (such as extra time) on the SAT to give themselves a competitive advantage.

Here’s what the authors of the study concluded:

The increased competition that currently exists for admission to a more selective college might have real benefits if it were to increase learning amongst high school students. However, our analysis suggests that there are reasons to be suspicious that this congenial outcome might not hold true. Moreover, the increased resources parents and students are able to use to improve their odds of admission at top colleges put low-income students at a disadvantage.

Maybe it’s just me, but this research seems to be further evidence of a trend that’s sweeping the nation with increasing speed: superficial test prep replacing real learning. Suppose we have a community full of children who spend their elementary, middle, and high school years getting drilled in math and reading so that average standardized test scores shoot through the roof. Then their final years of high school add SAT and ACT test prep into the mix. Now we have these teenagers seemingly ready to be shipped off to college, but would any one of us consider them well educated? Can they think creatively to solve real world problems? Can they write persuasively? How’s their public speaking? Can they communicate in another language? Critically analyze current events? Synthesize information across disciplines? Use the scientific method to conduct experiments? How are their leadership skills? Can they handle conflict resolution? Do they have any knowledge of world history – or of their own?

As the Obama administration seeks to have a measurable impact on the quality of education in this country, I hope “good schools” and “good teachers” do not become synonymous with “capable of helping students achieve high math and reading test scores.” I suppose that wouldn’t be so bad if current standardized tests provided accurate measures of deep, meaningful and complex learning, but as things stand now, they simply do not.

(Photo: Extra Ketchup’s flickr photostream/Creative Commons)