Government

New paper by conservative think tank argues that federal government should hold colleges more accountable not by expanding its regulatory reach but rather by using new metrics.

Audit critical of the Education Department's review process for alternative to the credit hour raises questions about direction of federal policy and could discourage some colleges.

A trio of think tanks and advocacy groups, lamenting the declining purchasing power of the Pell Grant, call for bold federal and state guarantee for low-income college students.

Education Department awards its "First in the World" innovation grants, for which nearly 500 institutions applied. The 24 winners will share $75 million in available federal funding.

Proposals to judge colleges with federal scorecards and rating systems would replace accreditors' thorough reviews of quality with a simplistic checklist that will only address symptoms and encourage gaming, argue Belle Wheelan and Mark Elgart.

The default rate on federal loans edges down as 21 colleges face sanctions for having rates that exceed the legal threshold.

New data on the labor-market returns of short-term certificates show both the value and pitfalls of using earnings data as a yardstick in higher education.