Today, I’m joined by Akil Bello, a standardized testing expert and Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement at FairTest. We talk about equity issues stemming from standardized testing, why colleges are moving away from standardized testing, and the challenges posed by college ranking lists. Akil leaves us with some practical wisdom on how to avoid the prestige trap and focus on tangible outcomes instead.

Additional helpful resources from Akil:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-reckless-rankings-game

https://wordinblack.com/2022/11/why-high-school-students-dont-need-sat-anymore/

https://akilbello.com/2020/10/16/dont-believe-the-hype/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/akilbello/2022/01/31/the-college-board-announces-the-best-sat-since-the-last-sat/

Akil's bio: 

Akil Bello is an educator, speaker, entrepreneur, and testing expert. Akil has worked at every level of the supplemental education industry, advising universities, launching multiple companies, developing dozens of admissions and test preparation programs, training hundreds of instructors, and helping thousands of students achieve success.

Akil was founding partner and CEO for Bell Curves, a test preparation company that focuses on helping public schools, non-profit organizations, and community-based organizations understand admission systems and policies and develop affordable solutions for their students. After leaving his position as Director of Equity and Access for an international test preparation corporation, Akil worked as a consultant, providing institutions with a deeper understanding of how to successfully support underserved students. Akil holds a bachelor's degree from university in Brookly, NY and is currently the Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement at Fairtest, working to end misuse and overuse of standardized tests. Follow Akil at https://www.linkedin.com/in/akil-bello/.

Access free resources and learn more about Sheila and her team at Signet Education at signeteducation.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilaakbar/.

In my first “tactical” episode of the series, I walk you through my method for building a college list and share valuable tools and advice for understanding preferences, organizing information, conducting research, and refining the list. This is a must listen for sophomores and juniors!
 
Resources here:
Personal College Inventory
Sample College List Template
Top Questions to Answer When Researching a College

Access free resources and learn more about Sheila and her team at Signet Education at signeteducation.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilaakbar/.

As I was envisioning this podcast navigating high school and the college admissions process and thinking about what I really wanted to pull the curtain back on, I pictured a conveyor belt leading to a set of mechanical jaws, just waiting to chew up our kids. 

It was really dark! But here's the reality: in a lot of ways, our kids ARE on a conveyor belt - food for the system, mindlessly checking boxes - doing standardized tests, ignoring their mental health - and being pushed towards decisions that could affect the rest of their lives.

But let's also talk about the bright side. Instead of seeing it as THE goal, let's see college and the process of getting there as an amazing, empowering tool to help young adults achieve THEIR goals. 

Now, the process is the process for the foreseable future, but let's make it work for your kid and your family. And the more you know about how the machine works, the more you can do that. 

So that's what you're going to learn on this podcast. I'm Sheila. I have two PhDs, and I live and breathe this stuff. I run a company where we walk families who are unfamiliar with the US process or are just really stressed about it through all of this. And I'm going to bring in a bunch of my friends to talk to you about all of these things. You'll hear from experts in admissions, executive functions & study skills, standardized testing, the business side of higher education, and so much more.

And most importantly, because I know how overwhelming this can be, you're going to learn practical strategies and tactics from all of them, so you can get through this without losing sight of yourself, your kid, or your sanity.

Access free resources and learn more about Sheila and her team at Signet Education at signeteducation.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilaakbar/.

Meet Liz - one of Signet's rockstar academic coaches. In today's episode, Liz shares her approach to coaching, what kinds of challenges coaching can help with, and how to tell if your child is ready for coaching or not. Learn about how a coach puts students at the center of identifying and solving their own challenges and what parents can do to support their kids with executive function deficits, attention issues, or emotional issues that stand in the way of their success.

Access free resources and learn more about Sheila and her team at Signet Education at signeteducation.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilaakbar/.