Jenkintown’s Pioneer Academics, an accredited online research institute for high school students, was recently highlighted in an industry-wide investigative report published by ProPublica and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The report identified Pioneer Academics as “the oldest online research mentorship program for high schoolers,” and noted that Pioneer has “maintained relatively rigorous standards” in an industry otherwise marred by dubious publications and transactional offers.
ProPublica’s investigation found that Pioneer “never promises academic journal publication, according to its website.”
Matt Jaskol, Pioneer Academics’ co-founder and Program Director
The report also found that many online research programs promote publications as a college admissions credential. Some promise high school students scholarly publications — something no program is ethically able to guarantee — while others publish those papers in low-quality journals, which they may themselves own, in exchange for students’ paid participation in those programs.
“The push for publication leads young scholars astray,” Pioneer co-founder Matthew Jaskol said in the report. “The message is that looking like a champion is more important than training to be a great athlete.”
The article calls out unethical practices common among online research providers. Some programs have inflated their credentials, for example by identifying mentors as Ph.D.s even when they didn’t have a doctorate. Others offer independent educational consultants “perks” that may violate college counseling ethics codes that prohibit counselors from accepting bribes that incentivize student referrals.
“We appreciate the work ProPublica has done to highlight the industry wide deceptive practices,” Jaskol said. “We were gratified to see the report uphold Pioneer as a beacon of integrity in the space where too many companies mislead educators, parents, and students. At Pioneer we will continue to focus on our mission: helping students cultivate their passions through rigorous and original research.”
The full article, “The Newest College Admissions Ploy: Paying to Make Your Teen a ‘Peer-Reviewed’ Author,” is available here.
About Pioneer Academics
Pioneer Academics, a public benefit corporation, created a structured research mentorship model for high school students in 2012. The model provides undergraduate-level research opportunities to talented, intellectually motivated high school students from around the world. It is the only fully-accredited online research program for high school students. Pioneer Academics offers a wide range of areas in STEM, social sciences and humanities disciplines.
The Pioneer Research Program is respected for its selectivity and its rigorous academic system. In this system, selected students are mentored first in small international groups and then in one-on-one research by faculty of the leading colleges and universities, culminating in a full-length research paper.
Pioneer offers full institutional research resources including digital libraries, methodology seminars, writing center tutors, and cohort advisors to support scholars and create a consummate learning experience.
Pioneer is home to a global alumni community of 4,192 young leaders from 77 countries, and is located at 101 Greenwood Avenue in Jenkintown. For more information, you can visit their website and Facebook page.
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