Dive Brief:
- One of the main questions about President Barack Obama’s college ratings proposal is whether those ratings will be turned into rankings, according to college and university administrators and researchers who spoke at a public hearing Friday.
- The ratings, scheduled for release before the 2015-16 school year, should be consumer-friendly to help students choose their best college, said speakers representing schools, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
- Other speakers, representing think tanks and policy groups, said the ratings should hold the schools accountable for how they spend federal funding, along with details on their enrolled and graduating students.
Dive Insight:
Three other main questions were asked during the public comment session for the federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, according to the Chronicle. Among them: How will failing colleges be punished, is the data to be used in the ratings flawed, and why is there a rush to get the ratings system in place? On the failing colleges issue, speakers said that colleges with low graduation rates or few low-income students, simply because of their location, should not face sanctions that may end up hurting the students in that community.