‘Operation Varsity Blues’: The Real Story Isn’t the Admissions Scandal.

Nearly 50 people, including 33 parents, have been indicted in what the U.S. Department of Justice is calling its largest-ever fraud investigation in college admissions. Looking beyond the celebrity-driven headlines on bribery and fraud allegations, how can education reporters  seize the moment to examine the underlying societal and institutional factors that fuel admissions inequities in post-secondary admissions? Daniel Golden, the education editor at ProPublica, discusses the federal indictments and their larger implications. Golden, the author of 2007’s “The Price of Admission” — which examined how the rich and famous take advantage of preferential considerations – shares insights from decades of covering college access. What’s next for students with disabilities, who may find their legitimate requests for testing accommodations under greater scrutiny? And how can reporters better use shoe-leather reporting and open records requests to dig into college admissions?