College Rankings & the Current State of Accountability:

“Do we need a scorecard?”

Presented byLori Crawford, Sally Perez-Ramos, & Nikki Stinnette

Is “Accountability” the new Buzzword?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics there are over 7000 institutions of higher learning in the U.S.

With so many variables such as cost, location, reputation, and curriculum the chance of selecting the wrong school could be huge! 

Fast Facts. (n.d.). National Center for Educational Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=84

The A-Word. (2013, December 15). Educational Institutions. Retrieved fromhttp://www.acenet.edu/the-presidency/columns-and-features/Pages/From-Our-President-Winter-2014.aspx

Click me!

Influential College Ranking Sources

• US News & World Report• CNN Money• Princeton Review• Fiske’s Guide• College Board• College Navigator (National

Center for Educational Statistics)• Barron’s Guide to the Most

Competitive Colleges• Postsecondary Institution Ratings

System (PIRS)• Noodle.org

Literature Review In an article by Morse (2008) the influence of the US News Ranking is critiqued.• *History of US News rankings• *Influence• *Critics• *Why is it so influential?

1. What’s your opinion of the mass produced consumer guides that many parents rely on?

2. Do you believe they are misleading or miss the mark with excluding more of the student’s voice?

3. How can this be changed?

Who actually uses rankings?

• Performance standards• Resource allocation• Study Abroad decisions

Problems with Using Rankings

• Presume a zero-sum game• Teaching is absent• Research dominates rankings• Reputation is of dubious validity• Moving Goalposts

I rank you: You rank me…Who Wins?

• Suspicious minds• Rank = Reputation• P.S…rank everyone lower than us

What to do? What to do?

1. Survey Department chairs2. Survey random faculty3. Prohibit self-ranking

If rankings did not exist what would we use?  What type of system should be in place?

How Kiplinger Ranks Public Universities 2013-2014

35%

10%

23%

19%

14%

Ranking Criteria

Cost & Financial Aid

Student In-debtedness

Competitiveness

Graduation Rates

Academic Support

56%44%

The Formula

Academic QualityAffordability

WOJNO, M. A., & PITSKER, K. (2012). HOW WE RANK THE SCHOOLS. (cover story). Kiplinger's Personal Finance, 66(12), 46-48.

How Kiplinger Rates Private Universities 2013-2014

56%

44%

The Formula

Quality MeasuresCost Measures

25%

19%

13%

31%

13%

Ranking Criteria

Competitiveness Graduation RatesAcademic Support Cost & Financial AidStudent Indebtedness

SNIDER, S. (2013). BEST VALUES IN PRIVATE COLLEGES. Kiplinger's Personal Finance, 67(12), 42-48.

Forbes Top Universities

“What sets our calculation of 650 colleges and universities apart from other rankings is our firm belief in “output” over “input.” We’re not all that interested in what gets a

student into college, like our peers who focus heavily on selectivity metrics such as high school class rank and SAT scores. Our sights are set directly on ROI: What are students

getting out of college.”

Howard, C. (2013, June 24). America's Top Colleges 2013 - Forbes. Retrieved June 27, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2013/07/24/americas-top-colleges-2013/

U.S. News & World Report 2014

Food for Thought: Are you seeing differences in the comparisons? What’s caught your

attention?

Activity Time! • Pair up in groups of 2

–Yes, you have to work with someone NEW

• Rank the following 8 institutions according to the guidelines listed on the handout– Be prepared to provide

reasoning behind your rankings