Issue Brief: Higher Education Accountability

Posted by on November 26, 2012

Informing the debate:
RFA releases PACER brief on higher education accountability

Credentials after high school are increasingly tied to secure, family-sustaining jobs in the United States. But college costs are rapidly rising while public resources are dwindling. Across the nation, postsecondary leaders, policymakers and members of the philanthropic community are searching for remedies to these issues. Here in Pennsylvania, Gov. Corbett’s Advisory Commission on Postsecondary Education has advanced recommendations for making the state’s colleges and universities more efficient, effective, and accountable to the public.

To inform this dialogue, Research for Action is pleased to provide its fifth Pennsylvania Clearinghouse for Education Research (PACER) brief. The brief examines three important aspects of postsecondary accountability addressed by the Commission – performance funding that links state appropriations with system-wide goals and results; data systems that track student progress to better measure performance; and transparency laws that allow public access to system records.

Our PACER brief provides an accessible summary of available information on these levers and compares their presence in Pennsylvania and neighboring states. This brief signals important questions for policymakers, educators, families, and students. We hope it also equips stakeholders with information to confront these questions.

Click here to read this brief.

http://www.researchforaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/PACER_5_Higher-Ed-Accountability_Final_Web.pdf