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Minnesota jumpstarts accountability

Three cheers to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system for its newly launched "accountability dashboard," a public, online mechanism for tracking, rating, and publishing vital information about enrollment, retention, student engagement, costs, educational quality, graduation rates, and other important indices at its thirty-two campuses. Two years in the making, the interactive speedometer-style database arises out of an effort -- conducted in conjunction with the National Association of System Heads -- to enhance the educational experience of minority and low-income students. It is intended to enable trustees, legislators, and the public -- all important stakeholders -- to ensure that each school within the system is up to speed. The dashboard marks a major step forward for voluntary accountability and genuine transparency in higher education -- goals that ACTA advocates in its work -- in Minnesota and beyond. Still being refined, it has been released a bit early with the hope -- in system chancellor James McCormick's words -- that it will spark "a culture of accountability" within the Minnesota state system. Here's hoping the dashboard does just that -- not just in Minnesota, but also in other state systems.

Posted by Erin O'Connor at 03:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Georgia makes the right move

The recent decision by the University System of Georgia to scrap a hastily proposed and vague curriculum focused on global awareness is a singular victory for academic standards and excellence. As ACTA pointed out in its report Shining the Light, Georgia has already made excellent strides in ensuring its graduates are exposed to the broad areas of knowledge they will need to function in a global world. Future curricular changes should build on existing strengths.

Posted by Anne D. Neal at 02:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack