PBS高端访谈:哈佛报告指出:应减少关注学生取得的成就

 JUDY WOODRUFF: But, first, many high school seniors have finished college applications. And now they're waiting to find out whether taking advanced courses, prepping for entrance exams and agonizing¹ over essays will all pay off.

A new report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education calls on colleges to lower the pressure on students to impress admissions committees by racking up achievements and accolades². The report, called "Turning the Tide," recommends limiting the number of advanced placement classes and extracurricular activities that students can list on applications.

Instead, it emphasizes community service and other changes.

Richard Weissbourd is the lead author of the report and he's a senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Richard Weissbourd, thank you very much for joining us.

What is it that's wrong with the college application process right now?

哈佛报告指出:应减少关注学生取得的成就

RICHARD WEISSBOURD, Harvard Graduate School of Education: Well, I think, right now, what students are doing is they're — some students are racking up accomplishments⁴. I think they think, particularly in affluent⁵ communities, that the goal is long brag⁶ sheets.

And the message we're trying to send here is that the goal isn't long brag sheets. The goal is meaningful academic engagement and spirited, passionate⁷ learning, and it's meaningful ethical⁸ engagement. It's being involved in your community, concern for others, concern for the greater good, for the public good.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So what is it that students are emphasizing that you would like to see less of?

RICHARD WEISSBOURD: Well, I think one of the things that they are very focused on is creating — accumulating extracurricular activities, accumulating A.P. courses.

And what the admission deans who have endorsed⁹ this report — and over 50 admission deans have endorsed it — what they're saying, what they're saying collectively, and it's very important that they're saying it collectively, you know, they're on the same page about this, they're on the same highway — what they're saying is, you know, you're not going to be penalized¹⁰ if you take a lot of A.P. courses, but you don't need to. You're not going to be penalized if you take a few A.P. courses.

It's fine. It's totally appropriate to list a couple, two or three extracurricular activities that have been meaningful to you and to describe why they're meaningful to you. We're not looking for long lists of activities either.

JUDY WOODRUFF: But, as you said, it is about 50 colleges and universities that signed on. There were clearly some that didn't sign on. Aren't there going to be schools out there that do care about some of the ways these students perform in ways that you're saying should be de-emphasized?

Isn't there going to be a different set of criteria¹¹ now at different schools?

RICHARD WEISSBOURD: Well, you know, I think there's a few different issues here.

All the Ivy¹² League schools have signed on. A lot of the very selective schools have signed on. And many non — schools that are not especially selective have signed on. And I think, you know, the criteria are still that they're looking for students who are academically rigorous, but they're also saying we're looking for students who lead well-balanced lives, who are involved in their communities.

And they're not involved in community service as an accomplishment³, as a way to impress admissions officers. They are involved in things that are meaningful to them and potentially transformative to them and enable them to have experiences of diversity across race, class, culture, also political and religious orientation¹³.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Is there a risk there, though, Richard Weissbourd, that you create a different sort of pressure on students, to rack up the kind of community service that you're saying you and others want to see them engage in?

RICHARD WEISSBOURD: Well, you know, I think that there are some students and parents who are going to game the system. That's always true.

But part of what we're saying is — or part of what we're motiving them to do is to do forms of community engagement that we think will be transformative for them.

And one of the things about community service and community engagement is, if students have authentic¹⁴ choices, and it's well-structured, well-supervised, they have time for reflection with adults and with peers, even if it's mandatory¹⁵, it tends to be helpful and it often is transformative. It's a powerful learning experience. So you might even do it for the wrong reason, but end up getting a lot of benefit from it.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So you think that's the way it works, you mandate¹⁶ somebody to do community service and then you believe they will get something out of it?

RICHARD WEISSBOURD: Well, we're not mandating¹⁷ it. We are encouraging it. We are saying that, you know, it's not about doing a brief stint¹⁸ overseas. It is about doing something meaningful, doing something in a diverse group, doing it for a year, nine months to a year, doing it for a sustained period of time.

And the chances are greater that you're going to get something out of that kind of experience, and you're going to be able to describe in the application in a way that's meaningful and expresses what was meaningful about it to you.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, it's a report certainly worth looking at.

Richard Weissbourd at the Harvard School of Education, we thank you.

RICHARD WEISSBOURD: Well, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

1 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

2 accolades   

n.（连结几行谱表的）连谱号( accolade的名词复数 )；嘉奖；（窗、门上方的）桃尖拱形线脚；册封爵士的仪式（用剑面在肩上轻拍一下）

参考例句：

• Unlike other accolades for literature which tend to value style or experimentation. 有别于其他偏重风格活实验性的文学奖项。 来自互联网
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

3 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

4 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

6 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。

7 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

8 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

9 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 penalized   

对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 )； 使处于不利地位

参考例句：

• You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
• Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。

11 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

12 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

13 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

14 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

15 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

16 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

17 mandating   

托管（mandate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Current requirements mandating that committees keep minutes are too general. 目前对委员会要保持详细记录的指令性要求，还是太过一般化了。
• Mandating that workers who quit without permission forfeit a month's wages. 规定工人私自离岗将受到罚没一个月工资的处罚。

18 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。