Many of my fellow college presidents remain worried about the Obama Administration’s proposed (and still being developed) rating system for higher education. While Education Department officials have been responsive and thoughtful about our concerns, many among us fundamentally do not trust government to get this right.
Or anyone, for that matter. After all, we already have lots of rating systems and they mostly seem flawed -- some, likeU.S. News and World Report, extremely so. Institutions game the system in various ways. Rarely do rating systems capture the complexity of the industry with its rich mix of institutions, missions, and student markets served. Almost always, they are deeply reductionist.
On the other hand, higher education mostly resists transparency, good data sharing, and accountability. I may be with the minority of my peers that actually support some kind of rating system, but I am with the majority in my worry about what will get measured and how. Take the proposed gainful employment regulations, for example. My approach to accountability dictates that you hold me accountable for what I can control. I can’t control the labor market (can I hold government accountable for that piece?), the willingness of a graduate to move for a job, or the ridiculously low wages our society pays teachers and social workers. I can control the level of preparedness my students have as they enter their chosen field. So hold me accountable for the latter, but not the former.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/10/17/college-rating-system-might-help-students-and-not-do-harm-essay