Turning the Tide II: How Parents and High Schools Can Cultivate Ethical Character and Reduce Distress in The College Admissions Process
March 2019
Our second Turning the Tide report calls on parents and high schools to put young people’s character and well-being at the center of a healthier, more sane college admissions process.
Three years in the making, Turning the Tide II: How Parents and High Schools Can Cultivate Ethical Character and Reduce Distress in The College Admissions Process, offers guidelines for high schools and parents in promoting ethical character. It also describes how some high schools and colleges are working to promote greater ethical engagement among high school students, level the playing field for economically disadvantaged students, and reduce excessive achievement pressure. The report also includes a pioneering statement from admissions deans seeking to advance Turning the Tide’s goals.
Turning the Tide II makes the case that an intense focus on academic achievement has squeezed out serious attention to ethical character in many high schools and families, especially in middle- and upper-income communities. With a narrow focus on high achievement and admission to selective colleges, parents in these communities often fail to help their teens develop the critical cognitive, social, and ethical capacities that are at the heart of both doing good and doing well in college and beyond. Many parents also fail to be ethical role models to their children by allowing a range of transgressions—from exaggerating achievements to outright cheating—in the admissions process.
Authored by Richard Weissbourd with Trisha Ross Anderson, Brennan Barnard, Alison Cashin, and Alexis Ditkowsky
Contact
mcc@gse.harvard.edu
“Many parents fail to focus on what really matters in the college admissions process. In an effort to give their kids everything, these parents often end up robbing them of what really counts.”
Report highlights
Actionable guideposts for parents and high schools for shaping an admissions process that puts young people’s ethical character and well-being at the center of a healthier, more sane college admissions process
New, pioneering statement endorsed by almost 140 college admissions deans that seeks to give high schools greater freedom in advancing Turning the Tide’s goals and to allay parents’ fears of short-changing their child if they don’t amass impressive achievements
Examples of positive changes made by many colleges endorsing Turning the Tide, as well as Making Caring Common’s collaboration with the Common Application and Coalition for College to advance Turning the Tide’s goals
Description of a new campaign that has engaged 189 high schools and middle schools nationwide in promoting Turning the Tide
Read more in the Executive Summary (PDF) or the full report (PDF).
“...we as parents ought to be willing to ask ourselves the hard, fundamental questions about who we want to be and what we want to model for our children.”
Ethical parenting in the college admissions process
Keep the focus on your teen
Follow your ethical GPS
Use the admissions process as an opportunity for ethical education
Be authentic
Help your teen contribute to others in meaningful ways
Advocate for elevating ethical character and reducing achievement-related distress
Model and encourage gratitude
Read more in the Executive Summary (PDF) or our Resources for Parents.
A high school guide to ethical college admissions
Set ethical expectations with families
Create opportunities for authentic student service and contributions to others
Use the admissions process as an opportunity for ethical education
Focus students on daily acts of character and provide evidence of character in applications
Guide students in reporting their substantial family contributions and challenges
Focus students on a wide range of colleges
Create limits on advanced courses and discourage students from overloading on extracurricular activities
Read more in the Executive Summary (PDF) or our Resources for Educators.
