The college admissions process often relies on vague terms like "grit" and "resiliency" to assess applicants' non-cognitive traits. This lack of clear definitions can lead to miscommunication and bias among admission officers. To address this issue, colleges should develop a shared understanding of the qualities they value and how to identify them in applications. This can be achieved by defining these traits clearly, anchoring them in research, and providing examples of how they might be demonstrated. By being more explicit about what they are looking for, colleges can create a fairer and more equitable admissions process for all applicants.
Read MoreWhat's New
Read the latest from Making Caring Common! You’re in the right place for our media coverage, general updates, and press releases. Topics include: Access and Equity, Bias, Bullying, Caring and Empathy, College Admissions, Gender, MCC Update, Misogyny and Sexual Harassment, Moral and Ethical Development, Parenting, Romantic Relationships, School Culture, Trauma, and Youth Advisory Board.
Join our email list and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to stay current with Making Caring Common’s news and updates.
Read the latest from Making Caring Common!
You’re in the right place for our media coverage, blog posts, and event information. Our work spans a range of topics, all connected by our commitment to elevate caring and concern for the common good at school, at home, and in our communities. You can review what’s new below or use the dropdowns to sort by topic and category.
Be sure to join our email list and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, to stay current with Making Caring Common’s news and updates. If you’re a member of the media, please visit our Media Room.
Sort by topic
- Access and Equity
- Bias
- Bridging
- Building Connection
- Bullying
- COVID
- CSN
- Caring and Empathy
- College Admission
- Consent
- K-12
- Mental Health
- Misogyny and Sexual Harassment
- Moral and Ethical Development
- Parenting
- Romantic Relationships
- School Culture and Climate
- School Integration
- Social-Emotional Learning
- State of Caring
- Turning the Tide
- Voter Mobilization and Civic Education
- Youth Advisory Board
Sort by category
An initiative led by Making Caring Common and Common App aims to give credit to college applicants for demanding home and family commitments, similar to how traditional extracurricular activities are considered. Read more in the Hechinger Report.
Read More
Parent-teacher conferences are about more than just academic performance. They offer a critical window into your child's social-emotional development and their contributions to their school community. Here are 15 questions, tailored for grades PreK - 12, to guide you in asking these important questions during your next teacher meeting.
Read More
As educators, we can get caught up in focusing on individual goals that we forget to step back and consider a shared vision of what success looks like. In other words, what does a thriving student look like at our institution? What characteristics does a thriving student bring to the table? And how can we create the conditions to cultivate that across our learning community?
Read More
The Harvard Gazette checked in with MCC’s Milena Batanova about our research on the loneliness epidemic.
Read More
The Harvard Thinking podcast examines the loneliness epidemic with experts Jeremy Nobel and MCC’s Milena Batanova.
Read More
MCC’s Trisha Ross Anderson speaks with The College Essay Guy about how Making Caring Common helps colleges figure out what they are looking for; how some colleges are working to increase access and equity in admissions; and advice to parents as they navigate this process with their students.
Read More
For Valentine’s Day, we sat down with our faculty director to talk about love and his research, and specifically, what parents, schools, and communities can do to help young people build fulfilling relationships.
Read More
New changes to the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) have resulted in widespread confusion and delays in getting colleges the information they need to award financial aid to students. We’ve got the latest.
Read More
Black History Month is a time to reflect on the struggles and triumphs of Black communities, to celebrate Black culture and heritage, and to educate communities about how Black history and culture has shaped—and continues to shape—our society.
Read More
Connection is the lifeblood of our relationships, our communities, and our society as a whole. But what happens when those connections are limited by our own biases, preconceived notions, and fears?
Read More
While it’s important to celebrate your child’s successes, it’s critical not to let these accolades become young people’s measure of a life well lived. One way to do this is to support teens and young adults in developing a deeper and more complex view of life and its meaning—one where achievements have their place, but don't overshadow the value of connection, purpose, and belonging. Here’s how.
Read More
Rick Weissbourd joined Parenting Understood to speak about how parents can reduce achievement pressure for their children by being mindful of the messages they send and by prioritizing children’s well-being over external validation.
Read More
If an open, trusting connection with your child seems elusive, the missing ingredient might be something fundamental in parent-child relationships: attunement.
Read More
What's on the horizon in college admission this year? Forbes’ Brennan Barnard hopes it's revolutionary.
Read More
From advances in AI to our pilot of a new student context inventory with Common App colleges, there were a few bright spots in an otherwise “warped” year in college admission, Brennan Barnard writes in Forbes.
Read More
The Washington Post’s Amy Joyce began editing the On Parenting column 10 years ago. Here are her top five takeaways from her decade as a parenting editor.
Read More
From delving into the complexities of parenting to forging meaningful connections across diverse fields, 2023 has been a year of profound learning and growth for us at Making Caring Common. Here are five key takeaways that have shaped our work and continue to inspire us.
Read More
Can bad coaches harm kids? Yes, but parents can help.
Read More