Everyone Wants to Measure the Value of College. Now the Gates Foundation Wants a Say. – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Perhaps never before has there been such a need for postsecondary credentials but such skepticism about whether a college education is worth the cost. That, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is the paradox that prompted it to create a national research group, to be publicly convened on Thursday.
The Commission on the Value of Postsecondary Education is the latest national effort to measure and seek to convey clearly just how much someone gains — economically, anyway — from a college credential.
The goal is to provide useful, understandable information to help colleges “take a critical look at how and how well they are contributing to economic opportunity for today’s students; aid policy makers in gauging what the public gets for its investment in higher education; and equip students and families as they consider where and what to study,” the foundation said in announcing the commission.
Gates officials say the result will be more comprehensive than existing measures, like the College Scorecard, a program introduced by the Obama administration as a way to help increase transparency in higher education.