Essex on Lake Champlain
\"Essex
  • About
    • Essex, New York (Town)
      • Essex Maps
      • Essex, New York Weather
      • Town of Essex Government
      • Close
    • Essex on Lake Champlain (Blog)
      • Contributors
      • Sponsors
      • Testimonials
      • Get Involved
      • Close
    • Close
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Calendar
    • Add an Event
    • Upcoming Events
    • Close
  • Essex on Lake Champlain
  • Connect
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Google +
      • Pinterest
      • YouTube
      • Flickr
    • Newsletters
    • GET INVOLVED
    • CONTACT
        • Your Name (required)

          Your Email (required)

          Subject (required)

          Your Message

      • Close
    • Shop
    • Search
        • Search
          • Close
        • Categories
            • Agriculture (518)
            • Architecture (76)
            • Arts (365)
            • Business (122)
            • Daily Doodle (62)
            • Dining (151)
            • Doodle Quotes (5)
            • Doodlebomb (3)
            • Education (298)
            • Entertainment (379)
            • Environment (28)
            • Essex Doodles (62)
            • Events (1734)
            • Exercise (55)
            • Government (247)
            • Health & Wellness (139)
            • Heritage (398)
            • History (186)
            • Hyperlocal (30)
            • Landscape (35)
            • Lifestyle (197)
            • Lodging (16)
            • Music (283)
            • Nature (263)
            • News (1241)
            • Nightlife (18)
            • Obituary (9)
            • Opinion (45)
            • Outdoors (178)
            • People (116)
            • Philanthropy (91)
            • Real Estate (3)
            • Recreation (220)
            • Resources (7)
            • Services (7)
            • Shopping (96)
            • Sports (23)
            • Transportation (71)
            • Worship (17)
          • Close
        • Archives
            • June 2018 (21)
            • May 2018 (30)
            • April 2018 (28)
            • March 2018 (30)
            • February 2018 (31)
            • January 2018 (26)
            • December 2017 (23)
            • November 2017 (25)
            • October 2017 (22)
            • September 2017 (32)
            • August 2017 (35)
            • July 2017 (30)
            • June 2017 (30)
            • May 2017 (35)
            • April 2017 (31)
            • March 2017 (33)
            • February 2017 (30)
            • January 2017 (35)
            • December 2016 (30)
            • November 2016 (37)
            • October 2016 (43)
            • September 2016 (53)
            • August 2016 (49)
            • July 2016 (59)
            • June 2016 (70)
            • May 2016 (57)
            • April 2016 (64)
            • March 2016 (69)
            • February 2016 (56)
            • January 2016 (46)
            • December 2015 (39)
            • November 2015 (43)
            • October 2015 (61)
            • September 2015 (57)
            • August 2015 (61)
            • July 2015 (54)
            • June 2015 (41)
            • May 2015 (67)
            • April 2015 (66)
            • March 2015 (72)
          • Load More
          • Close
        • Contact us
          • CONTACT US

              Your Name (required)

              Your Email (required)

              Subject (required)

              Your Message

            • Close
        • Close
      • Log In
        • Log Into Calendar
        • Log Into Blog
        • Close
      • Skip to primary navigation
      • Skip to main content
      • Skip to primary sidebar
      • Skip to footer

      Essex on Lake Champlain

      Essex, New York Community Blog Since 2011

      • Lifestyle
        • Agriculture
          • CSAs in Essex, NY
            • Essex Farm
            • Full and By Farm
          • Farmstead Catering
          • The Hub on the Hill
          • Reber Rock Farm
        • Outdoors
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Entertainment
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
        • Arts
          • Adirondack Art Association
          • Essex Community Concerts
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Essex Poetry Open Mic
        • Music
          • Essex Community Concerts
        • Shopping
        • Recreation
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Health & Wellness
          • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • Nature
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Education
          • CFES Brilliant Pathways
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Nightlife
        • Worship
      • Events
        • Christmas in Essex
        • Downtown Essex Day
        • Fourth of July in Essex, NY
      • Dining
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Old Dock Restaurant
        • The Pink Pig Cafe
      • Lodging
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
      • Transportation
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
      • Heritage
        • Architecture
          • Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler’s Field Guide
        • Historic Essex
        • History
        • People
        • Government
          • Essex Post Office
          • Town of Essex Government
        • Vintage Essex Trivia
        • Vintage Essex Artifacts
        • Essex Town Historian
      • Directory
        • Adirondack Art Association
        • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • CFES Brilliant Pathways
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
        • Essex Farm
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Initiatives
        • Essex Post Office
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Full and By Farm
        • Historic Essex
        • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • Pedal Power
        • Reber Rock Farm
        • The Hub on the Hill
        • Town of Essex Government
        • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
      • Show Search
      Hide Search
      You are here: Home / News / The Admission Cheating Scam: What’s Next? We should trade outrage and disgust for promise and opportunity, argues Rick Dalton.

      The Admission Cheating Scam: What’s Next? We should trade outrage and disgust for promise and opportunity, argues Rick Dalton.

      April 15, 2019 By CFES Brilliant Pathways Leave a Comment

      Note: This article originally appeared in Inside Higher Ed.

      The recent news cycle has been consumed by the college admission scandal. Ultrawealthy parents spent millions to cheat the system and get their children into places like Georgetown University, the University of Southern California, Wake Forest University and Yale University.

      I know how elite schools and colleges operate. Forty-five years ago, I began my career as a teacher and coach at a private boarding school, and I later became an admissions officer at two of the country’s most selective colleges.

      The small group of corrupt coaches who accepted bribes allowing super-rich kids with fraudulent credentials to enroll at top-tier colleges exposed a flawed system. That’s a relatively easy fix — there will be more oversight for recruited athletes at selective colleges. Deans and other administrators will require levels of due diligence never before seen in academe, and minor sports, at some institutions, will lose admission preference for candidates they identify.

      The corrupt California counselor who orchestrated the admission scam has tainted his industry. I predict that college applications will ask students whether they are working with a paid counselor. Admission committees at highly selective colleges may view affirmative responses negatively and will certainly scrutinize more closely those candidates working with for-hire counselors.

      The foundational issue, however, remains: wealthy kids have unfair advantages. They are likely to have better academic training, receive test preparation support and even enjoy the athletic advantage of private coaches and playing on traveling teams that cost a significant parental investment of time and money. And, of course, students from affluent households can pay college costs without having to secure loans, scholarships and other financial aid.

      So it’s no surprise that rich kids are far more likely to end up at selective colleges than their low-income peers. A young person from a family whose income is in the bottom 20 percent is eight times less likely to get a four-year degree than a peer from a family in the top income level.

      That disparity has existed for decades, and it’s what led me, in 1990, to start a nonprofit to help America’s most needy kids get college degrees. We do this by finding them mentors, helping them develop leadership and other essential skills, and, ultimately, ensuring that they have a plan — with no short cuts — to college graduation.

      Our program works. We have a team of professionals, board members and volunteers who have helped thousands of kids get to prominent colleges the right way. Angel’s finishing his doctorate at Columbia University; Andy completed a master’s degree at Harvard University; Shameka has a degree from Cornell University’s medical school. Over all, we’ve helped 100,000 low-income students get to and through college.

      Every day we confirm the adage that low-income kids don’t lack ability, they just need opportunities and advocates who can help them build a pathway.

      Advocates — whether they are parents, teachers or mentors — create opportunity. They not only encourage young people to work hard, earn good grades and develop essential skills. They also show them how to do it. They help kids figure out how to get on the pathway to higher education, and when that happens, we not only pull kids out of poverty but also their entire families, as well.

      Sadly, in our country, the gap between the rich and poor continues to broaden. In some parts of the United States, educational measures like high school graduation, college-going and college graduating rates are only widening.

      This opportunity gap is deeply disturbing and signals the death of the American dream. Today more than ever, young people, especially those living in poverty, need a four- or two-year college degree or a credential of value. All the new jobs that offer financial stability require higher education.

      Don’t get angry about those who cheated their way into Yale and Stanford. Do something. Trade outrage and disgust for promise and opportunity. Take some of that advantage and spread it around. Speak to a group of students whose parents didn’t go to college about your own education and career pathway. Become a mentor. Let this scandal become a call to action — a call that will help America’s most needy children.

      About Rick Dalton

      Rick Dalton is president and CEO of CFES Brilliant Pathways in Essex, N.Y. He previously worked in admissions at Harvard University and Middlebury College.

      Share this:

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Pinterest
      • Email
      • More
      • Print
      • LinkedIn
      • Pocket
      • Reddit
      • Tumblr

      Filed Under: News Tagged With: admission cheating scam, admission scam, CFES, CFES Brilliant Pathways, Rick Dalton

      CFES Logo

      About CFES Brilliant Pathways

      CFES Brilliant Pathways is a global leader in helping K-12 underserved students from rural and urban communities become college and career ready, giving students an opportunity to forge their own route to a bright future. For 29 years, CFES has worked closely with schools, colleges and businesses in urban and rural areas to help students become college and career ready through mentoring and by equipping them with the EssentialSkills that include perseverance, agility, goal setting, networking, teamwork and leadership (www.brilliantpathways.org)

      Reader Interactions

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Poems from Essex & Elsewhere 

      Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide

      View all Essex Editions books...

      Follow Essex, NY on FacebookFollow Essex, NY on TwitterFollow Essex, NY on PinterestFollow Essex, NY on YouTubeFollow Essex, NY on FlickrFollow Essex, NY on RSS

      Search

      Top 10 Contributors

      • Katie Shepard (595)
      • Geo Davis (394)
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall (259)
      • Avatar photoChamplain Area Trails (CATS) (212)
      • Avatar photoEssex Farm (205)
      • Olive Alexander (190)
      • Sara Kurak (165)
      • Avatar photoFort Ticonderoga (142)
      • Avatar photoTom Mangano (142)
      • Avatar photoLakeside School (116)

      Footer

      Resources & Policies

      • About Essex on Lake Champlain
      • About Essex, New York
      • Essex, NY Weather
      • Disclosure Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Submit a Story
      • Contact Us

      Popular Essex, NY Searches

      • Essex, NY
      • Essex, New York
      • Essex on Lake Champlain
      • Essex Charlotte ferry
      • Essex ferry schedule
      • Essex Charlotte ferry schedule
      • Full and By Farm
      • Essex Farm
      • timber rattlesnake
      • Essex NY fireworks
      • Christmas in Essex, NY
      • Champlain Area Trails

      Local Links

      • Adirondack Art Association
      • Belden Noble Memorial Library
      • Champlain Area Trails
      • Champlain Valley Film Series
      • Essex Community Concerts
      • Essex Theatre Company
      • Historic Essex
      • Rosslyn Redux
      • The Crater Club
      • Town of Essex Information
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall

      Copyright © 2023 Essex Editions