Dive Brief:
- The Department of Education allocated $4 million for nonprofit firm Research Triangle Institute to develop a college ratings system for the federal government, according to the contract outlining the work agreement.
- Inside Higher Ed got a copy of the contract, signed in December, and reports $1.8 million has been spent so far.
- The contract outlined possible ratings model components, including providing space for schools to provide a narrative to accompany their rating and allowing institutions to verify information incorporated into the score.
Dive Insight:
Media rankings from publications like U.S. News & World Report have been heavily criticized for their detrimental effects on higher education. Critics and researchers say, among other things, they reduce diversity on campuses, they don’t help students make good decisions, and they incentivize schools to spend more on marketing rather than improvement in other areas. The federal government’s rating system, first proposed in 2013, is an attempt to create an alternative in the industry. If the project stays on its original schedule, the Department of Education will release more information about its model this spring and perhaps launch an early version of the ratings by the fall.