June 30, 2008

Key Senate Strategist Urges Colleges to Fight Accreditation Mandates

By Paul Basken

Arlington, Va.

Congress is largely unconvinced that colleges are paying close enough attention to student performance, and may soon begin requiring the types of strict numerical measures already imposed on elementary and secondary schools through the No Child Left Behind Act, a key Senate adviser has warned.

Colleges and their accreditors must quickly make clear to lawmakers why such educational approaches could be especially damaging at the postsecondary level, said David P. Cleary, an