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Past Initiatives

Public Accountability for Student Learning in Higher Education (2004)

Accountability for student learning in higher education continues to be of great interest to BHEF in light of the need to:

  • Maintain high quality in and access to postsecondary education, despite funding declines;
  • Meet growing enrollment demand from increasingly diverse populations;
  • Respond to the corporate need for sophisticated and skilled workers; and
  • Address public skepticism about quality and costs.

To address these challenges, members created the initiative on Public Accountability for Student Learning in Higher Education. Co-chaired by Charles B. Reed, Chancellor of the California State University, and Edward B. Rust, Jr., Chairman and CEO of State Farm Insurance Companies, the initiative examined how student learning across the spectrum of higher education can be assessed and how assessment can be communicated to the public.

The work of the initiative concluded in 2004 with the release of the report Public Accountability for Student Learning in Higher Education: Issues and Options (pdf). The report identifies promising innovations for higher education that link accountability with student learning assessments. It also provides insight into design principles, forming the basis for a new consensus about a public accountability structure that is appropriate to our diverse system of higher education.