A bipartisan pair of U.S. congressmen introduced a resolution on Tuesday that opposes the Obama administration's controversial proposal to develop a college ratings system, Inside Higher Ed reported.
The resolution, by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Rep. Michael E. Capuano (D-MA), criticizes the ratings system as "reductionist" and warns that the government's ratings would "carry an image of validity that will mislead" prospective students.
"The administration's proposal to rate postsecondary institutions through an oversimplified federal rating system that is not supported by postsecondary institutions, statute or by the House of Representatives, will lead to less choice, diversity and innovation, and should be rejected," the resolution says.
Under the plan, an institution's federal financial aid would be tied to its rating, which would be based on several factors, including affordability and student outcomes. The administration has said that even without any funding from Congress, it plans to produce a draft of the plan for public comment by this fall.
President Obama mentioned the ratings system on Tuesday during a question-and-answer session on Tumblr about student-loan debt, acknowledging that there is "some controversy" surrounding the proposal, which is said to be a personal priority of his.
"A lot of colleges and universities say if you start ranking just based on cost and employability, et cetera, you're missing the essence of higher education and so forth," Obama said. "What we're really trying to do is just to identify: here are some good bargains; here are some really bad deals. Then there's going to be a bunch of schools in the middle that there's not going to be a huge amount of differentiation."
"What we are trying to do is to make sure that students have enough information going into" college, he continued, so that "they don't end up in a school that is pretty notorious for piling a lot of debt on their students but not really delivering a great education."
Related Links
H. Res. 614
http://goodlatte.house.gov/system/uploads/366/original/College_Ratings_Resolution.pdf
Press Release from Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Michael Capuano (D-MA)
http://goodlatte.house.gov/press_releases/546
Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/06/11/obama-defends-college-ratings-system-amid-growing-backlash-capitol-hill#sthash.79R0b925.dpbs