It’s Time for a Real Definition of Student Success
I work for a 16,000-member association that, like many other higher education organizations, has a goal of helping all students succeed. In fact, I think the words “student success”, particularly for undergraduate students, may finally be popular enough to surpass “big data”, which are two words that I think have permeated nearly every institution over…
Read MoreCredential Transparency: Essential for Education and Training Accountability
It’s ironic, but true: right now it’s easier to find rich, comparable, transparent data when shopping for cars, airline tickets, phones, washing machines—just about anything—than it is to find similar information across the breadth and depth all types of credentials available today. Try it. If you’re in the market for a new car, it’s relatively…
Read MoreAccreditation Rules: Comparing the PROSPER Act and Aim Higher Act
How would the Aim Higher Act and the PROSPER Act affect accreditation rules? On July 24, 2018, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) of the U.S. House Committee on Education & the Workforce introduced the Aim Higher Act, a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). The Democratic proposal follows the December 2017 PROSPER…
Read MoreAccountability: Comparing the PROSPER Act and Aim Higher Act
How would the Aim Higher Act and the PROSPER Act affect accountability? On July 24, 2018, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) of the U.S. House Committee on Education & the Workforce introduced the Aim Higher Act, a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). The Democratic proposal follows the December 2017 PROSPER Act…
Read MoreNecessity to Invention: Beyond the “Toggle Switch” Approach to Accreditation
As the curtain raised, the theater went pitch black with only the light from the stage casting dimly into the audience. Patrons found themselves fumbling in the darkness trying to read their playbills and the latecomers interrupted the mood, unable to find their seats. In 1896, Granville Woods invented the “Safety Dimmer” so theater patrons—himself included—would…
Read MoreStrategic Coalitions Key to Improving South Carolina’s Workforce Readiness
The Boeing Company’s opens its Commercial Airplane Decorative Paint Facility in North Charleston, SC, USA. Source: Flickr. South Carolina’s current economic climate is undeniably one of growth. The South Carolina Department of Commerce is projecting solid growth for 2018 and the transportation, manufacturing, and education sectors, among others, are all showing net gains. This level…
Read MoreValue, Accreditation, Accountability: A Dispatch from the Field
The prospect – some say threat – of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) has animated many lively discussions regarding the value of higher education, the integrity of the accreditation process, and the effectiveness of the existing accountability framework. With the possibility of a vote on reauthorization this summer, here is one perspective…
Read MoreThis Tennessee Business Leader Has a Blueprint for Closing the Skills Gap
Joey Hatch, a recently retired construction executive and member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, credits his career success to a journey through higher education that started forty-five years ago— at college and career night put on by his local high school. “I love telling my story of how I got involved in higher education…
Read MoreReforming Higher Education Accreditation Policy
Today’s students deserve a system of higher education that delivers high-quality results and a guarantee of economic success and upward mobility. The key to assuring higher education quality in the U.S. is accreditation, the complex system used by the Federal government as a gate-keeping mechanism to over $130 billion annually in federal student aid. But…
Read MoreAsk the Experts: Accreditation Reform
Accrediting agencies are responsible for doling out the “stamp of approval” that institutions of higher education need to be eligible to accept federal student aid. Though the federal government invests over $130 billion annually in federal financial aid for today’s students, federal policy does not have a clear focus on ensuring that students use those…
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