Secretary Spellings and the Higher Education Commission

[tlaktan]

<p>Article can be found:
<a href=“http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS/608180311/1036[/url]”>http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS/608180311/1036&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The Commission’s report {draft copy} can be found:
<a href=“News | U.S. Department of Education”>News | U.S. Department of Education;

<p>or more specifically
<a href=“http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/0809-draft.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/0809-draft.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The Commission’s website can be found:
<a href=“http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/index.html[/url]”>http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

When Spellings created the commission last year, she noted: "I found plenty of information on dining hall food, intramural sports, and campus architecture. I even found one book called `Schools that Rock’ with good tips on which schools have the best music.</p>

<p>“But I didn’t find a book on <code>schools that engineer’ or a book on</code>schools that prepare you for the future.’ And I didn’t find much information on what courses to take, how long it takes the average student to graduate, and whether it’s a better deal to graduate from a less-expensive state school in six years or a private school in four.”

</p>

<p>I find that mildly disturbing that our own Secretary of Education has difficulty finding this sort of information. But that’s straying off topic.</p>

<p>The Higher Education Commission’s findings are not unique; it calls for a streamlining of the financial aid process as well as the expansion of federal Pell grants, in addition to a number of other issues. One of the commission’s findings, though, struck me, only because it’s astoundingly true, and most people don’t recognize it. (I know, I have way too many commas):</p>

<p>

“To meet the challenges of the 21st century, higher education must change from a system primarily based on reputation to one based on performance.”

</p>

<p>Your thoughts?</p>

[newmassdad]

<p>Performance?</p>

<p>Sounds great in theory. Just like so called performance in No Child Left Behind.</p>

<p>The devil is in the details:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>how do you define it?</p></li>
<li><p>how do you measure it?</p></li>
</ul>

<p>(Hint: no one knows the answer to either…)</p>

<p>My take? Performance. Good sound byte. Good politics? Lousy education.</p>

<p>Now, do not take that to mean I am not supportive of accountability, measurement, evaluation etc. I am in support of all. I am not in support of the feds trying to define national performance standards or metrics.</p>