Obama to propose college-ranking system that could increase affordability

[Recursion]

Source: Washington Post

President Obama on Thursday will unveil a broad new plan that aims to make college education more affordable by overhauling the college-ranking system and allocating federal financial aid based on those results.

The plan, which Obama will roll out on a two-day campus bus tour that starts Thursday in Buffalo, would create a ranking system beginning in 2015 to evaluate colleges on tuition, the percentage of low-income students, graduation rates and debt of graduates.

...

Obama aims to create the rankings through executive action, but the plan to reallocate federal aid based on the rankings would require congressional approval.

The president seeks to make college more affordable in two ways. First, the rankings would reward colleges that offer “value.” A school that holds down average tuition and student-loan debt could rise in the rankings, which means that the system would act as an incentive for colleges to keep those costs as low as possible.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-propose-college-ranking-system-that-could-increase-affordability/2013/08/22/73e674c0-0b17-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html

[Myrina]

1. Did he get that idea from Tony Bennett?

GROAN.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. I heard this proposal on NPR yesterday & thought it was nuts.

I still think so.

The problem is that it reduces higher education to a commodity, kinda like the Chained CPI. The way for a school to get on top of the rankings is for it to drop all admission and grading standards, hire marginally competent LTE instructors, and never flunk anyone out, thereby rendering the degrees meaningless. Somehow, this just doesn't seem like the best formula for ensuring the quality of higher education.

[Recursion]

7. I think this is more about shutting down degree mills

Basically making sure the shadier for-profit universities aren't getting student loan money.

[Safetykitten]

8. Like this will shut them down. A form.

[Recursion]

9. It's not "a form". It factors in student debt load, student employment, cost

I don't know where you got the idea that it's "a form".

[groundloop]

3. This can actually do some good, and is about all that can be done with the repub controlled House

First off, with the Grand Obstructionist Party controlling the House it's pretty much guaranteed that no useful laws will be enacted. Especially laws that would in any way cut profits of big-money. So right off the bat the President's hands are tied as far as what he can legally do to help this situation.

And I believe the colleges this is aimed at are the for-profit diploma mills which provide very little for students except a useless degree and tons of student debt. By getting the word out about the abysmal employment record for those that graduate from these "colleges" it's likely that fewer students will go into huge debt to attend them, thereby freeing up student loan funds for real colleges and universities.

Again, this isn't the be-all end-all to fix higher education (which will NEVER happen as long as repubs control the House). But I see it as a useful baby step, and at least this administration is trying to do something useful about this issue.

[enlightenment]

11. Except that applied broadly this will

cause some real problems at the lower end of the scale, community colleges. They need to make sure, in their zeal to make things affordable, that students in that system don't pay the price for reining in the for-profits.

Many students who utilize the community college systems have higher student debt ratios (not debt) and lower graduation rates - it's the nature of the beast, and it is being complicated by new rules student loan rules that are imposing credit caps that favor full-time students with few outside commitments that interfere with degree completion.

While community colleges may get "points" for diversity, they are going to get nailed in the other areas of the ranking and in the end that's going to hurt the very people the Administration is trying to help.

[Safetykitten]

4. Did Obama just go into an alternate universe? Unbelievable.

First the HC shit with the forms that the hospitals will be ranked on for satisfaction. I mean the real big questions. "Did you like your stay?" " Did we charge enough?" Was concierge service up to your standards?"

Now it's college. Let's open a huge division of people that will do satisfaction surveys....

un. fucking. real.

[Recursion]

10. Yes, God forbid we look at student debt loads and hold colleges accountable for them

[yurbud]

25. at public colleges, the debt load of students is a function of legislatures shifting the burden

to students instead of broadening the tax base by taxing the rich and captive industries like retailers who want to sell in their state.

So unless legislatures are going to be punished, this is just plain stupid.

[groundloop]

14. Maybe we can ask the republican controlled House to do something useful on this issue

I'm certain they'd be very glad to reign in financial institutions which prey on students, and the for-profit diploma-mills.

Seriously, if anyone has any better ideas which could be legally implemented given the blatant obstructionism of the House I'd love to hear about them.

[Corgigal]

5. Then my son's college should rank number 1

He just started his junior year, and the cost to us is 1,000 for the full year. The acceptance rate is too low, but these type of colleges should be founded in every state. He will have NO debt when he graduates. His best friend just graduated last year, and is now working in Washington D.C. at the DNC headquarters.

Just so you know, this is not a "christian" college. If it was , he wouldn't have been able to attend since he has never attended a church in his life.

[Tikki]

6. WOW....that is education for a real World....

Tikki

[Ducksworthy]

12. Phoenix University and other for profits

This does not bode well for the "private enterprise" educational system which relies very heavily on government. Having worked for one of these things in my youth, I'd say abolish all student loans for attending for profit schools.

[groundloop]

13. Welcome to DU... and I agree about for-profit education

My step son fell prey to one of those for-profit technical "colleges" a few years ago and has amassed an astronomical amount of student loan debt as a result. He now admits that it was a huge mistake, and that despite the fact that he has a "degree" he actually learned very little of real value.

[winterpark]

15. Anything besides loans capped at .25% like banks are getting from the Fed is bullshit!

That student loan bill he signed was toxic to say the least. It was utterly ridiculous that a democratic president could sign such an awful bill while talking out the other side of his mouth that student loans need to be more affordable. My Ass!!!!

[lolly]

16. Robert Reich is supporting this--here's why:

From his FB page:

For many years, American colleges and universities have felt pressured by the college rankings of "U.S. News and World Report" to spend vast sums attracting star students and faculty -- which boost their rankings -- at the expense of scholarships to deserving lower-income students, because U.S. News' rankings don't take account of how many lower-income students attend. (Several years ago I tried to get U.S. News to include this criterion but getting U.S. News to alter the way it measures colleges proved harder than getting the Bureau of Labor Statistics to alter the way it measures unemployment.) Now President Barack Obama has come up with a plan for rating colleges based in part on how many lower-income students attend them. I haven't examined the ratings in detail yet, but I'm encouraged. He's also proposing legislation to give colleges a bonus based on the number of students they graduate who received Pell Grants. (The number and percent of Pell grant recipients is a good proxy how many lower-income students are enrolled because such grants are available only to students from low-income families. About 30 percent of students at the University of California at Berkeley, where I teach, are on Pell grants. By contrast, about 15 percent of students at Harvard are on Pell grants. Having taught at both institutions, I can tell you that my Berkeley students are every bit as bright as my Harvard ones.)

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/posts/653876614624938


I agree--the US News rankings have had too much sway in influencing colleges in ways that have nothing to do with quality or purpose of eduction.

[philosslayer]

17. Why are we blaming the colleges?

College Professors aren't exactly wealthy. Its expensive to run a college. Why not go after State Legislatures for defunding public colleges? And why not discuss increasing Federal grants to students?

[jeff47]

19. Because those colleges have been raising their tuition far faster than inflation

Even accounting for the reduced state spending, colleges and universities have been raising their tuition much, much faster than inflation for a long time now.

Most of that increase has had little or nothing to do with actually educating students - for example, college presidents are frequently paid like CEOs instead of paid a little more than professors.

They do this because there's no pressure to keep costs down - student loans mean the students keep signing up even at the higher price. So something has to happen to create downward pressure or the costs will continue to shoot up.

[Doctor_J]

22. as philoslayer said, this is mostly due to rapidly decreasing public funds

Just like with HC and other services that used to be the things that made America great, the commodification of education will leave the country with the worst results and highest cost in the world

[jeff47]

24. And as I said, that's only part of it.

Reduced public funds is not the whole story. Add in the missing funds, and state schools are still much more expensive than they used to be.

[potone]

18. I fear the consequences of this.

Everyone knows that the cost of a college education has become so great that it is crushing young people with debt. But the problem is, to a large extent, the disinvestment by the government in public education at all levels. Universities and colleges have been forced to seek funding from corporations and other private sources, while relying ever more on non-tenure track adjunct professors who make shockingly low salaries, rarely have any benefits, and have no job security. At the same time, the number of administrators has grown exponentially and their salaries have skyrocketed, despite the fact that their contributions to the educational mission of universities are often negligible, and sometimes downright destructive. I know this from personal experience; at my university many instructors have been laid off in the last five years while ever more administrators are hired at six-figure salaries. They have no incentive to cut their own ranks since they hold the purse strings so they fire faculty members instead when budget cuts are made. This results in increasing class sizes, a demoralized and cowed faculty, and students being unable to have continuity in their education.
I am all in favor of for-profit educational institutions to be scrutinized, but they will not be the only ones who are likely to suffer from this.

[Safetykitten]

20. Your rational post will be ignored here.

[juajen]

23. This is a very good post. I've seen academia up close and

you are absolutely correct. The money is going to administration not education.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

21. No federal funds for for profit schools.

Lets start there.

[spin]

26. Agreed. ...

How Much Does College Cost?
Will You Be Able to Afford College Tuition

By Karen Schweitzer, About.com Guide

How much does college cost? This question is tricky because it depends on the college you will be attending, as well as when you will be attending.

Private vs. Public
The tuition at private colleges is more than double the tuition of a public college. According to the College Board, the cost of a year's tuition, plus room and board, averaged $29,026 in 2005 for private colleges and $12,127 for public colleges.

It doesn't matter is you will be attending a private school or a public school, the cost of tuition goes up every year. Many financial experts estimate that the cost of college will increase at approximately 6 percent each year over the next ten years. This means that the average cost of attending a private college will go from $29,026 per year to $49,581 by 2015.

Financial Aid
Just thinking about the rising costs of college tuition is enough to make your head spin. Before worrying that you will never be able to afford a year's worth of college tuition, let alone four years, consider these two words: financial aid.

Financial aid is available to those who need it. And, the good news is that there is a lot of it. Grants, scholarships, student loans, and work study programs, will help to cover the cost of college. All you have to do is educate yourself in regards to how aid works and how you can get it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&forum=1014&pid=572945

The more financial funds pumped into for profit schools, the more a college education will cost. That doesn't mean that the students will get a superior education.

It is not necessary to have a cathedral with beautiful swimming pools and rock climbing walls to get a good college education. In many fields all that is necessary are a few quality instructors and some basic classrooms.

[Mona]

27. This is NOT good.

Ignoring for the moment the financiancing issues and decreasing public support (which increases corporate shills in charge), this will do to higher education what No Child Left Behind did to the feeder schools.

One problem is "time to degree", which is usually evaluated at 4, sometimes 5 years. Many students do not finish within that time, and this is particularly true of lower income, "first in the family" to attend college.

While we may want to decrease time to degree and increase retention and graduation rates, the reality is that that type of intervention is time intensive and very expensive, and if the people doing it don't know what they are doing, not productive. And for many populations, the gain may be slight even when done right. So colleges instead decrease course requirements, degree programs are restricted and capable students not allowed to take them on. Science programs are cut because the sciences are expensive to fund compared to other degree programs. Science programs allowed to continue also decrease the lab classes offered (aka hands on learning) because they too are more expensive. More policies are passed that restrict opportunities for learning because those numbers will hurt the university's competitive rating. Instructors at all levels have more pressure to pas marginal students - departments already get printouts of the grades given by each instructor for each semester, if they desire to use them.

Alluded to in a reply above, we are already investing too much in the administration of education rather than education itself, and this policy will most likely speed that process.