Filter & Sort
Tough Love for Accreditation
The accreditation process needs to change, an expert writes in a new book, but accreditors are making more progress than their critics charge.
Opinion
Accreditation and Autonomy
Our imperfect system of quality assurance is what gives American higher education a degree of independence from the government interference we see elsewhere in the world, writes Alexander Astin.
An Innovation Stifler?
An accrediting agency just approved a free, online university with a largely volunteer faculty. Is accreditation really the squelcher of experimentation it is made out to be?
Going All In on Proficiencies
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is moving away from grades to competency-style education for all of its academic programs, with an announcement that both drew praise and raised questions.
Rejecting the Standardized Test
Sarah Lawrence, faced with the pressure to assess student learning, bypasses the commonly used tools and invents its own approach. It's not nationally normed, and this college is proud of that.
Rating (and Berating) the Ratings
Responses to Obama administration's request for comments on proposed rating system reveal schism between public and private colleges, confusion about goals of such a system, and skepticism about its viability.
Opinion
Reform Starts With Good Data
A dearth of accurate data makes it impossible for students, families and policy makers to answer basic questions about higher education, write U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Marco Rubio. A student-level system would help provide answers.
Following Student Veterans
Federal agency releases new college comparison site for student veterans and data about where they are enrolled, earning praise from both for-profit colleges and their critics.