September 26, 2015

Undermatched

This article about racial bias in gifted and talented programs presents the concept of "undermatching":

There’s plenty of research, he notes, showing that high-achieving, low-income students “undermatch” — they tend not to apply to more selective colleges even though they could probably get in. Often the students are not savvy about admissions or aren’t confident enough in themselves to aim higher. Their guidance counselors might lack knowledge about the right opportunities.

Card and Giuliano’s research shows that these same forces exist at the elementary school level. “This is, in a way, even more serious,” Card said. “There may be lots more kids than we realize that are talented, but we’re not getting to them in early grades. Presumably, by the time they’re getting to high school, they’re not going to be in as good a position.”

It strikes me that "undermatching" is a great way to describe inefficiencies in the job-seeking process that exacerbate income inequality. I'd like to see this concept applied more to discussions of unemployment.