tag: Quality assurance
Blog Post
October 16, 2024
Understanding the Role of NACIQI in Quality Assurance
New Report on the Relationship Between NACIQI and Accreditors
As the pace of institutional closure increases for colleges and universities around the United States, the quality assurance ecosystem for postsecondary education becomes ever more essential. The three pillars of that ecosystem—the “triad” established by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEA)—are the federal Department of Education (ED), the accreditation agencies recognized by ED, and the various state governments which authorize institutions to operate. Together, the triad serves as gatekeepers for student access to federal financial aid, which…
Research Report
October 16, 2024
Beyond Standards
A Critical Examination of the Relationship between NACIQI and Accreditors
The report begins with a primer on the system of higher education quality assurance as it currently exists to establish the necessary context for a closer focus on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) and its relationships with accreditation organizations. The contextual overview will include a brief explanation of the three members of the quality assurance triad (state recognition boards, accreditors, and the Department of Education) followed by a deeper dive into NACIQI and its process…
Past Event
March 14, 2024
Improving Accreditation through NACIQI Oversight
At the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) Annual Conference on March 14, 2024, Ithaka S+R’s Bethany Lewis will present findings from a qualitative study examining the relationship between the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) and individual higher education accrediting organizations, with a focus on meaningful ways NACIQI can influence accreditors’ behaviors that may lead to improved student outcomes. Learn more about the conference.
Blog Post
September 29, 2023
Improving Quality Assurance in Higher Education
Takeaways from the NACIQI Summer 2023 Regulatory Sub-Committee Report
In early August, the federal Department of Education held a little known but statutorily required convening to maintain the balance of the higher education quality assurance ecosystem. Almost all US colleges and universities operate in this regulatory ecosystem, often described as the Triad, which consists of state governments that authorize institutions to operate, accreditation agencies that assure educational quality, and the federal government that administers student aid programs. Most higher education stakeholders will likely be familiar with accreditation…
Blog Post
October 15, 2019
Prisons, the Higher Ed Market, and Second Chance Pell
Both houses of Congress are debating a set of bills to update portions of the Higher Education Act, the key federal postsecondary education law. The long-overdue refresh has been held up by disagreements over levels of funding, accountability, and how to handle sex discrimination under Title IX, among other issues. Whenever the HEA finally does come up for reauthorization, the move to restore Pell grants to the incarcerated is expected to make the final draft. Legislators who care about improving…
Past Event
September 11, 2019
Quality and Equity in the New Credentialing Landscape
Martin Kurzweil at Lumina Foundation Action Meeting
From September 11-12, Martin Kurzweil is participating in the Lumina Foundation’s Action Meeting on “Quality and Equity in the New Credentialing Landscape.” The meeting is convening experts and advocates, along with members of a Lumina task force, to share ideas on how to improve the policies and practices through which various entities help assure and improve quality in postsecondary education.
Blog Post
July 19, 2017
Alternative Postsecondary Pathways
Millions of Americans receive postsecondary training through programs that don’t lead to an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. What do these programs offer? Who enrolls in them? How do the students who complete these programs fare? These are some of the questions Jessie Brown and I sought to answer when we embarked on a research project for the Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The resulting paper, “The Complex Universe…
Blog Post
June 8, 2017
How to Assure Quality in Higher Education?
Focus on Innovation, Minimum Standards, and Continuous Improvement
The U.S. quality assurance system—focused mainly on accreditation as a threshold for federal financial aid eligibility—has done a poor job of assuring quality. Barely 60 percent of first-time students complete a bachelor’s degree and 40 percent complete an associate’s degree at the institution where they started. These overall results mask a wide range of outcomes across institutions. As a result, many students, parents, and policymakers question the value of their massive investment in postsecondary education. Can the accreditation process be…
Research Report
June 8, 2017
Quality Assurance in U.S. Higher Education
The Current Landscape and Principles for Reform
The American higher education sector is diverse and creative. In 2014-15, the sector produced over 1 million associate’s degrees, nearly 1.9 million bachelor’s degrees, over 758,000 master’s degrees, and over 178,000 doctoral degrees.[1] The world leader in innovation for decades, the sector continues to produce cutting edge research and contributes mightily to the American economy. Recent estimates concluded that the United States spends a larger percentage of GDP on higher education than any other country.[2] But…