By Olivia Sanchez for The Hechinger Report.
Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Indiana News Service reporting for The Hechinger Report-Public News Service Collaboration

People who read college applications are a lot like detectives. Without having been there for the event (the student's K-12 education and life), they must find clues in documents (high school transcripts and student essays) and eyewitness accounts (letters of recommendation) to solve the case (decide whether a student might be able to thrive at the college).

But even with the extensive applications that each student submits, the detectives (college application readers) must do a lot of reading between the lines, said Tim Brunold, dean of admission at the University of Southern California.

The clues they have on how students spend their time outside of school are typically limited to a list of sports teams they've captained, clubs they joined, volunteer work they've done and awards they've won. But the application readers often lack key information on other responsibilities or life circumstances students may have, such as caring for siblings or sick family members, working part-time jobs to help pay family bills, or living in a home without a stable internet connection.

And those missing clues often mean a student's application doesn't get a fair shake. If a student is getting good grades in spite of being responsible for siblings from after school until bedtime, that could mean the student is even more academically talented than a peer with no such burdens.

In order to fill this gap, and signal to prospective students that these responsibilities matter, a set of 12 colleges participated in an experiment in which they asked every applicant to go through a list of extenuating home life circumstances or responsibilities and check off which ones they spend four hours or more per week doing.

"We want these kids to essentially get credit for these things that are taking a lot of skills and a lot of time, in the same way that kids who are doing traditional, school-based extracurricular activities are getting credit," said Trisha Ross Anderson, the college admission director of the Making Caring Common project at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, which helped develop the questions with Common App. (The idea was in development before the Supreme Court ruled that race could not be considered in admissions decisions.)

"We want to make it easier for students to report this information and talk about it. If students don't want to have to write their essay about this, for instance, they shouldn't have to."

In order to make it fast and simple for prospective students, and to prevent application readers from having to play detective as they try to figure out, "Is there something else going on with this kid?," they added this optional question to the Common App:

Sometimes academic records and extracurricular activities are impacted by family responsibilities or other circumstances. We would like to know about these responsibilities and circumstances. Your responses will not negatively impact your application. You may repeat some information you already provided in the Common App Activities section.

Please select which activities you spend 4 or more hours per week doing:

• Assisting family or household members with situations such as doctors' appointments, bank visits, or visa interviews


• Doing tasks for my family or household (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.)


• Experiencing homelessness or another unstable living situation


• Interpreting or translating for family or household members


• Living in an environment without reliable or usable internet


• Living independently or living on my own (not including boarding school)


• Managing family or household finances, budget, or paying bills


• Providing transportation for family or household members


• Taking care of sick, disabled and/or elderly members of my family or household


• Taking care of younger family or household members


• Taking care of my own child or children


• Working at a paid job to contribute to my family or household's income


• Yard work/farm work


• Other (please describe)


• None of these

Across the 12 colleges, 66 percent of the students who applied to these colleges using the Common App checked at least one box, according to Karen Lopez, who manages this project at Common App. A quarter of the prospective students checked four or more boxes.


In the fall of 2022, these 12 colleges included the question in the Common App: Amherst College, Caltech, Cornell University, Harvey Mudd College, St. Olaf College, Transylvania University, University of Arizona, University of Dubuque, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.


In the fall of 2023, these 23 colleges added the question: Allegheny College, Amherst College, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Boston College, Caltech, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, College of the Holy Cross, Cornell University, Earlham College, Elon University, George Washington University, Harvey Mudd, Haverford College, Immaculata University, Lafayette College, Maryland Institute College of Art, Nazareth University, Providence College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Richmond, University of Rochester, University of Southern California and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.


Ross Anderson said that the second-year data will begin being processed in the coming months. She said they also plan to look at how this question affected admissions and enrollments, but they won't be able to examine that until late summer. Lopez said these are among the factors that will help decide if this question should become a regular part of the Common App.


Brunold, from USC, said that the people who read college applications are trying to get a "360-degree view of this young person who's often baring their soul to you," without knowing them personally. Giving students the opportunity to share information about their lives in this way helps colleges make a more thorough assessment.


"For us, at a place that unfortunately doesn't have the capacity to admit anywhere near the number of students who want to come here, we take great care in this process," Brunold said.


Whitney Soule, vice provost and dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, said that asking this question and capturing a wider view of students' lives can help level the playing field for applicants of different backgrounds.


"What we are trying to do is understand how a student is moving throughout their lives, what their commitment of time is and their responsibility is, and their awareness of themselves relative to other people," Soule said. "Because that's going to be incredibly important in our environment when they arrive on our campus, and they're living and learning within the community of our school."




Olivia Sanchez wrote this article for The Hechinger Report.


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Teachers in Louisiana are trying to stop an upcoming constitutional convention proposed by Gov. Jeff Landry. The governor, who has been in office for three months, is demanding that state legislators and 27 of his appointees convene from May 20 through June 3 to rewrite the state's constitution.

Baton Rouge first-grade teacher Jaret Guidry is concerned by the governor's lack of specifics.

"I have been emailing all of my representatives and Congress men and women," Guidry said, "saying, 'This is too rushed, this is not a good idea, something's going to get missed, something's going to be done wrong.' You cannot effectively go through this document in a matter of weeks."

K-through-12 school funding, retirement security for teachers, school bus drivers and other public employees who don't pay into the Social Security system are protected in the current state constitution. The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has posted petitions opposing the convention on its website.

The Louisiana Constitution was last amended in 1973. The convention then lasted 12 months under then-Gov. Edwin Edwards.

If the new convention occurs now, said Ascension Parish history teacher Jacob Newsom, lawmakers could make decisions that change the lives of everyone in Louisiana.

"We've got a lot to be concerned about," Newsom said. "Number one, Jeff Landry - based on his own proclamations and actions - does not appear to be a friend of public education and if given the chance, I would assume he was going to remove the protections that we got placed in the constitution for public-education funding and Medicaid funding, and all these other programs."

Landry's office has said the convention would only focus on rewriting the articles that govern taxes and spending.


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The first week of May is designated as Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States.

The push to honor teachers started in 1953 when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress that there needed to be a specific day to recognize educators for their hard work. Students and parents often give teachers small gifts this week, and many retailers are offering special deals and discounts to educators.

Jennifer Easley, president of the Texas PTA, said the best way to honor teachers is to stand up for their rights.

"I think the biggest thing we can do to show them appreciation is to be advocating for them year-round - not only for public school funding, so that teachers and staff can get the compensation that they deserve, but also to make sure that they're getting the two-way respectful communication they are craving and deserve," she said.

Easley added improving working conditions for teachers will also encourage more young people to enter the profession and keep more seasoned educators in the classroom.

The Texas PTA was formed in 1970 when the "Texas Congress of Mothers" and the "Texas Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers" combined efforts to improve the state's education system. It's the second-largest state PTA in the nation, with more than 2,000 chapters across the state. Easley said throughout the years, the organization's mission has remained the same: to improve the lives of teachers, students and families.

"And they are able to facilitate conversations on their campuses with their parents. And as far as engagement goes, I mean, our PTAs are there to try to provide opportunities to bring parents to the table, " she explained.

Easley added a person does not have to be a parent or have a child enrolled in school to join a local PTA chapter. Membership is open to anyone who cares about young people and their futures.


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The shortage of educators and school staffers has reached a crisis level in some Pennsylvania public schools, prompting a new "Educators Rising" program, which aims to recruit future educators from local high schools.

Ten schools are already participating, with students attending the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center to develop teaching skills.

Donna Rain-O'Dell, workforce education coordinator at the center, said in the "Grow Your Own" program at Mount Pleasant High School, the students gain hands-on experience by observing and assisting teachers in classrooms a couple of days a week.

"We actually have some of our students going into classrooms that are teaching small group or mini-lessons," Rain-O'Dell explained. "Like, one student is teaching Spanish I, when she's a Spanish III student; and then we have a student, that's in AP Bio that's helping with the biology class. So it's kind of cool, and it's definitely a unique situation."

She pointed out next year, they will start their first "college in high school" course at the University of Pittsburgh Greensburg campus. Keystone State schools are struggling to fill more than 5,500 vacant teaching positions.

Rena Enterline, vocational rehabilitation counselor for the center, said they partner with The Learning Lamp and Shippensburg University and students can earn nine credits toward higher education.

"That is more of a dual-enrollment type class," Enterline noted. "They will take classes through Shippensburg University, and they'll actually get a transcript through them. And then, they can take those credits and use them at any university that will accept them when they decide to go to college."

Enterline added current seniors will not have been in the program for two years but can still use the credits they earn this year through the dual enrollment opportunity.

Amanda Funk, CTE instructor at McCaskey High School in Lancaster, said hers is the only Lancaster County high school to have an in-house career and technology program. It attracts a diverse group of students who help out in elementary schools as juniors and seniors, eventually extending to middle schools.

"The goal is to bring them back and they get a guaranteed interview after college in our district and then they'll have that added support," Funk stressed. "Part of our job description is to actually mentor them through their college years. And then once they come back and get a job in our district, to mentor them there as well."

Funk added one lesson in the Educators Rising curriculum focuses on anti-bias instruction. She observed students have personally thanked her for classroom discussions on the topic.


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