Trends in Higher Education

* Congress is proposing to strip the U.S. Department of Education of its authority to issue regulations holding accrediting agencies accountable for ensuring the quality of programs and instruction at higher education institutions – a move that leaves students and taxpayers in the dark about what they’re actually getting for their money.

College accreditation systems are currently self-reporting and self-regulating. A better way is an accreditation system that empowers consumers with information that is easily comparable across institutions, helps guide their decision-making and informs the value of their investment.

But, Congress has been persuaded to block the U.S. Dept. of Education from overseeing the quality of institutions of higher education by special interest forces determined to keep the accreditation process insular, clubby and accountable to no one but themselves.

Oversight of the self-regulating accreditation system, already plagued with conflicts of interest, is an important tool to protect student interests. (Excerpts from “Congress digs a moat around its ivory tower, by Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education, Politico.com 4/22/2008)