Tennessee Legislators Approve Higher Ed Reform Bill

Tennessee legislators have approved legislation -- expected to soon be signed into law -- that would ease the transfer of students from community colleges to four-year institutions, and would shift much of the state's funding of higher ed from a formula based on enrollment to one based on graduation rates, The Tennessean reported. The idea behind the legislation is to motivate colleges to focus on degree completion and to raise graduation rates, but critics fear it could encourage college to minimize academic standards so more students get through.