Connecting top first generation students to elite colleges offers lessons for everyone

This morning's column, The Upshot, features QuestBridge, a nonprofit that matches disadvantaged high performing high school students with elite colleges -- and connects them with scholarships. While at first this might seem a noble endeavor for a very small part of the college readiness challenge, both the very existence of QuestBridge and its programs point to lessons for everyone interested in promoting college access and success.

The fact that QuestBridge exists and seems to be thriving shows that college admissions and high school guidance offices aren't enough to maximize college access for first generation students. Even the most well-funded colleges are stretched too thin to reach out to students all across the country in the fastest growing segment of young Americans.

High school guidance offices are overwhelmed by all the student needs they must serve besides college counseling. And with few resources for professional development, I am afraid that a lot of college counseling in public high schools is based on personal experiences and anecdotes from years past.

QuestBridge is also doing things in its programs that point out some of the weaknesses in the status quo approach to college access that is premised on financial aid alone. Their programs mix what one might call "content-based" approaches (summer programs and peer mentors) with behavioral approaches (college prep prizes). There is nothing that should limit the value of these models only to top performing students and elite colleges.

Communities benefit from maximizing the educational attainment of all of their population. We know that traditional resources and approaches have gone about as far as they can in spreading success. QuestBridge and other programs around the country are shedding light on what needs to be done outside of traditional educational settings to advance this critical goal.