House Education Committee Examines the State of American Higher Education

INTRODUCTION

House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) laid out four guiding tenets -- accessibility, accountability, affordability and quality -- for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act at a May 13, 2003, hearing on "The State of American Higher Education: What are Students, Parents and Taxpayers Getting for Their Money?" Witnesses included Dr. Ellen Duncan, President, Howard Community College; Mr. Charles Miller, Chairman, University of Texas Board of Regents; and Dr. Frank Newman, Director, The Futures Project, Brown University.

DISCUSSION

In his opening statement Chairman Boehner set the tone for the hearing by stating "accountability is the hub of the higher education wheel. The previously mentioned tenets -- accessibility, affordability and quality -- are the spokes that keep the wheel in motion. Before we move the reauthorization legislative vehicles through the House, I want to explore how postsecondary institutions are accountable to students, parents and taxpayers."

Chairman Boehner also expressed his concern for rising tuition prices and linked college costs with a need for greater accountability. Chairman Boehner stated that many parties, including the federal government, "have a stake in higher education, as graduates appropriately fuel our nation's economy. How then, can institutions provide all of these stakeholders with an assurance that the investment made in postsecondary education will be returned to them in the form of a strong, viable and educated workforce?"

At the hearing, House 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee Ranking Member Dale Kildee (D-MI) stated in his opening remarks that college access should remain the number one goal of the HEA reauthorization and said talk about accountability "is meaningless if we cannot ensure that everyone who achieves, and has the desire, can indeed attend college." Rep. Kildee also expressed his concern to a proposal by House 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee Chairman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) that gives the Secretary of Education authority to penalize institutions that increase their cost of attendance by over twice the rate of inflation for two consecutive years.

Charles Miller, Chairman, University of Texas Board of Regents, testified "accountability in higher education has been an increasingly significant national issue over the past decade, spurred by rising costs of college, disappointing retention and graduation rates, employer concerns that graduates do not have the knowledge and skills expected in the workplace, and questions about the learning and value that higher education provides to students." He noted that there is a certain amount of accountability currently built into higher education. On this front, Miller pointed to accreditation and the voluminous amount of information reported to state and federal agencies. However, he told the Committee that current accountability information "is not easily used."

Miller further testified that the University of Texas System is launching a pilot assessment project that will include testing of "general academic knowledge and skills in writing, math, reading, and critical thinking." In his written testimony, Mr. Miller referenced CCA's Institutional Report Card in a section that provided an overview of proposals to improve accountability systems.

Dr. Frank Newman, Director of the Futures Project at Brown University, reported in his testimony "American universities and colleges remain the gold standard in the eyes of students, academics and political leaders alike. However, this success is not without some cracks in the armor. The learning level is strikingly uneven among students, even students at the same institution. The average 5-year institutional graduation rate is approximately 51 percent. Among the lowest income college entrants, an abysmal eight percent gain a degree." He stated that early outreach programs, retention programs, academic support programs, effective remedial programs, and replacing loans with grant have been shown to increase graduation rates for first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color.

On accountability, Dr. Newman recommended that the Federal government require colleges provide data that would help students navigate the higher education marketplace. He noted "there is a clear correlation between open information and institutional performance. What could be better, in a world in which a college education matters so much, for a growing competition to break out over how much students are learning rather than the current competition over prestige?"

Dr. Mary Ellen Duncan, in her testimony on behalf of the American Association of Community Colleges, echoed this sentiment. She said, "we believe that the focus should be on providing data that will help students make more informed choices about the college best suited to their needs and goals." She, however, cautioned Congress to think carefully before it places new accountability mandates on institutions, and said wherever possible Congress should strive to let colleges use information that they are already generating for this purpose.

CONCLUSION

The May 13th House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing kicked-off the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in the House of Representatives. In the coming days, Subcommittee Chairman McKeon and full Committee Chairman Boehner will be drafting four bills encompassing the tenets -- accessibility, accountability, affordability and quality -- outlined at the hearing.

To date, CCA has presented our Higher Education Agenda Booklet and an Institutional Report Card mock-up to both Chairman Boehner and Chairman McKeon. We will continue to work with members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and staff to further the association's legislative agenda. Finally, we will continue to keep you informed of the latest developments concerning the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

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