By conventional reckoning, someone at 65 years old or even 55 is “retirement age.” But labels are being lifted as older people stay active – and as employers see value in hiring them.

There should be peace in the Middle East. All agree. So however much skepticism has been expressed of President Trump’s long promised grand plan, there was still, at the very least, curiosity about what it would contain.

Populist leaders across the globe are tuning in to the political power of criticizing the press. What does that mean for a country that is already among the world’s most dangerous for journalists?

Modern transportation has drastically cut travel times the world over, but the middle of the desert is still remote. And for Muslim pilgrims traveling to Mecca, Maan is still a last outpost of hospitality.

We’re often dismissive of life’s simple pleasures. But it’s those pleasures’ very simplicity that makes them worth another look. Cat videos may seem like one of the internet’s most trivial diversions. But the joy they bring cannot be denied.

To help more disadvantaged students get into higher education, the College Board has come up with a scoring metric beyond its own SAT test, which measures only verbal and math skills. The new tool is designed to help admissions officers detect if applicants have risen above limitations in their social or economic circumstances by expressing a particular character trait: resourcefulness. 

The new metric, called the Environmental Context Dashboard, has been tried by 50 colleges over the past year and will be rolled out to 150 institutions this fall. Relying on public data, it looks at 15 factors in neighborhoods and schools that might negatively influence a candidate’s college readiness.

These contextual statistics include crime rates, education levels, joblessness, and the number of households that receive food stamps. If applicants come from a highly adverse background yet have decent but perhaps not stellar SAT scores, a college might then admit them. Such students have shown a conscientiousness that defies the notion that demographics is destiny. They have discovered they do not have to be victims of vicissitude.

This predictor of resourcefulness highlights more than tenacity or resilience. Resourcefulness shows an ability to seek support outside one’s self. It requires an inherent purpose in learning. The new tool “shines a light on students who have demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness to overcome challenges and achieve more with less,” says David Coleman, the College Board’s chief executive.

The “dashboard” also has the advantage of not taking race into consideration in admissions, a practice being increasingly closed off by the Supreme Court and many states. At the same time, it helps diversify campuses. And in emphasizing a key quality for academic success, it may help prevent lawsuits that claim discrimination in admissions. One school already using the metric, Florida State University, reports it has helped raise nonwhite enrollment to 42% from 37%.

The tool is not an absolute measure of resourcefulness. It misses other types of circumstances, such as personal or family problems. Colleges must weigh many factors in admissions. Still, it could lead to a greater focus on character in education beyond the traditional pursuit of knowledge and career skills. Graduates who have excelled despite their hardships are highly desired by today’s employers. They have found a capacity beyond perceived limitations of either place or potential.