Help parents weigh value of pricey higher education

Undergraduates returning to Arizona State University this fall face a 40% tuition increase for state residents. At the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in-state tuition is jumping 15%. Those spikes aren't unique. On average, tuitions at public colleges are expected to rise nearly 11%, as schools struggle to offset state budget cuts, according to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. That follows a 9.6% hike this year.
Nor are private colleges immune. The 5.8% jump they project is more than double the inflation rate for the past year. In fact, while some economists say the nation may be headed for a deflationary spiral caused by falling prices, parents with college-age children have the opposite concern: affording tuition bills that are rising faster than wages.

Most parents keep paying that steep tab based on the belief that a college degree is the entry fee to a middle-class life. In general, that's true — as long as students receive a first-class education. The problem is, parents lack the tools to measure the quality of a college program. And many higher-education leaders seem more interested in fighting accountability than providing it.

Parents aren't the only ones left wondering whether their higher-education dollars pay off. Members of Congress want more information to determine whether the $64 billion a year in federal spending on higher education is well spent. Last month, a House committee considered ideas for increasing college accountability. Among them:

•Report cards Colleges collect information measuring their success in teaching students. But they don't always make it readily available. They could by issuing performance report cards on such measures as student-faculty ratios and how many students graduate on time or transfer.

• Testing Many college educators are shocked by the idea of standardized tests to measure students' learning. Yet this month, the board of governors for Florida's universities proposed testing students as they enter college and leave to help determine which universities are doing the best job. A similar plan is under discussion in the University of Texas system.

•Student tracking. Reporting on how graduates fare after college would show how well they were trained. Valuable data rarely collected include job-placement rates, scores on graduate school exams and alumni- and employer-satisfaction surveys.

In at least one case, accountability measures have proved themselves valuable. After the California State University system started asking schools two years ago to rate its teaching graduates, it discovered that students who failed to complete practice-teaching assignments were less effective.

Groups representing colleges say they already turn out reams of information to students, parents and the government, and they fear federal interference in their affairs.

Yet the data they produce don't help parents and others make performance comparisons among institutions. The federal government has prodded public elementary and high schools to adopt that kind of needed accountability. While the path has been rocky, the efforts are improving education.

Colleges also have an obligation to prove students, parents and taxpayers are getting their money's worth, especially when higher education comes at such a high cost.

Information already exists
By David Ward

Colleges and universities are strongly in favor of accountability. They are already highly accountable to state and federal governments, boards of trustees, accrediting agencies and state licensure boards.

For example, as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I submitted an "Accountability Report" to the state government each year that measured our accomplishments relative to some 20 specific goals identified by the State Board of Regents, including student retention, graduation rates and attainment of critical thinking skills. The results were then posted on a state Web site. Nearly all states have similar sites for public universities; some organizations post such data on private institutions.

In addition to state and campus Web sites, colleges voluntarily participate in the Common Data Set Initiative, which provides 25 pages of data to college-guidebook publishers such as U.S. News & World Report, Barron's and Peterson's. The U.S. Department of Education also conducts comprehensive annual college surveys, collecting information on graduation rates, student aid, campus security, athletic expenditures and teacher education programs. This information is on the department's Web site.

So, before developing new accountability requirements, we should look carefully at the information tools already available. Additional steps could be taken, such as having the Department of Education expand its fine Web site to include a comprehensive search engine that links to some of the resources I have mentioned. If state or federal policymakers want to explore other new accountability measures, our colleges can and will work with them.

The genius of American higher education lies in the broad diversity of institutions and the different education options they offer students and families. Those who would consider new accountability measures must take that diversity and richness into account, because a one-size-fits-all approach could undermine that diversity and choice.

This last point is critical when the discussion turns to the learning outcomes of higher education. What is essential is appropriate accountability. It must be especially sensitive to the missions and niches of different kinds of institutions if it is to serve our students and nation well.

David Ward is president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,600 college and university presidents.