The Rainbow and Kaleidoscope Projects
A New Psychological Approach to Undergraduate Admissions
Abstract
It is possible, in admissions to higher education, to increase academic excellence and diversity simultaneously. This article reviews how a theory of successful intelligence can be used to accomplish both of these goals. The theory postulates that intelligence comprises creative skills in generating novel ideas, analytical skills in discerning whether they are good ideas, and practical skills in implementing the ideas and persuading others of their worth. The article summarizes several projects designed to simultaneously boost academic excellence and increase diversity in entering classes. In the Rainbow Project, we found that it was possible substantially to increase prediction of first-year university academic performance and simultaneously reduce ethnic-group differences on the predictive test, relative to a standardized test used for admissions in the United States. In the Kaleidoscope Project, we found that students admitted for expanded skills performed as well as did other students, without the ethnic-group differences typically obtained in such measures and excelled in active citizenship and leadership activities.
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