An Insider’s Look at Postsecondary Education in Louisiana
A Q&A with Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, Commissioner, Louisiana Commission of Higher Education Today’s students are more diverse, older and juggling multiple demands on their time while pursuing postsecondary education. The complex lives of today’s students often contribute to challenges in their ability to persist through their program of study and complete a credential. If…
Read MoreTaxpayers should demand a return on their investment in higher education
Another April 15th has come and gone, which means hundreds of millions of Americans have filed their income taxes. Well, what if I told you the federal government is spending your tax dollars every year on higher education institutions that graduate only one out of 10 students? $108 million annually to be exact. Would you…
Read MoreA Year in Review: Reflections on 2018 and the Year Ahead
As 2018 comes to a close, I can’t help but look back at what turned out to be a dynamic and fascinating year of developments in higher education policy and practice and look forward to the year ahead. As federal policymakers and advocates are working toward updating major laws—including the Higher Education Act—and regulations, consider…
Read MoreStudent Perspectives on Quality and Accountability
Washington D.C. policy experts, government officials, groups representing thousands of colleges nationwide, and dozens of other stakeholders have been debating how to evaluate and ensure the quality of educational programs and the government’s role in doing so for years. However, despite the high levels of time and money students invest in our postsecondary education system,…
Read MoreRenewing the Higher Education Accountability Coalition
Accountability is easy in the abstract. That’s true at the national level, it’s true at the state-level and it’s true at every college and university. When we keep it vague, the accountability coalition is a big tent. Everyone in public life favors ambitious goals and sensible reforms. But when you get down to the hard…
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 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…
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